CHAPTER 9 FAMILY and FRIENDS
Andie's standing in her driveway again. She has the perfect vantage point of Nicky's house next door. She's wearing a short purple skirt and blouse. She's utterly surprised when Nicky pulls his car into her driveway and not his. Andie approaches his car and he opens the window. "What's up?" Andie asks.
"You wanna' hang out with me tonight?" Nicky lights up a cigarette.
"What happened to that blonde girl you were dating?"
"We broke up last week."
"I can't." Andie tells Nicky. "I'm going out tonight. I'm waiting for my friends to pick me up."
"Let me guess, you're waiting for wimpy Tyler and his friends?" Nicky takes a puff of his cigarette.
Andie puts her hands on her hips. "Tyler is far from wimpy."
Nicky scoffs. "Tyler's a boy."
Andie laughs. "You're only one year older than Tyler."
"Age doesn't determine a boy from a man, if you know what I mean." Nicky raises his eyebrows and puffs on his cigarette.
"I get what you mean." Andie still has her hands on her hips.
"So, is Tyler a boy or a man?" Nicky asks Andie "You're dating him. You would know."
"I'm not telling." Andie licks her lips and flips her hair back.
Nicky exclaims. "Tyler's not a man yet. Ha! Take me for instance, I'm a man. Tyler's still a boy." Nicky takes a long puff on his cigarette and blows out a large cloud of smoke.
Andie watches the cloud of smoke fly by and licks her lips again. "I kind of knew that about you." Andie checks Nicky out in his black button up shirt and black jeans.
"How? Nicky asks.
Andie flips her hair again. "I can just tell."
"Hop in." Nicky tells Andie. "I'll teach you to drive."
Andie's about to answer but Lucas pulls up in front of Andie's house and honks the horn.
Andie tells Nicky. "I gotta go, my friends are here."
"See ya', Belle." Nicky waves and backs out of the driveway. Andie runs over to Lucas's car.
"What did Nicky want?" Danielle asks.
"Uh…He was looking for his cat." Andie lies.
"He doesn't seem like the cat type." Danielle screws up her face.
"I guess that's why he lost it." Andie shrugs.
Tyler chuckles. "I picture him holding a bimbo in his arms, not a cat."
Danielle and Lucas laugh.
"Hey," Andie defends Nicky. "You guys don't know him. He's a nice guy."
Tyler scoffs. "Nice guy, my ass."
Charlotte's in the house preparing for guests. The door bell rings. "I'll get it!" Cooper shouts out. Scout wags her tail and barks at Amelia and Sheldon as they walk in with Dylan and Sara. Sheldon backs off when Scout tries to jump on him.
"Down, Scout!" Cooper commands. Sheldon backs up.
"Don't be afraid, daddy." Four year old Sara tells Sheldon. "Scout won't hurt you."
"I'm not afraid." Sheldon tells his daughter.
"Sure, looks like you are." Twelve year old Dylan laughs.
"Come on, Sara, let's play in my backyard." Four year old Drew squeals. Sara and Drew run outside with Scout following. "Look, Sheldon, you're safe now." Dylan laughs.
Violet and Pete walk in the door next. Violet hands Cooper a pie. "I made this for dessert."
"Oh shit." Amelia exclaims. "I knew I forgot something. I was supposed to bring ice cream for the kid's dessert."
"Good going, mom" Dylan pats Amelia on the back.
"Do you want me to run up to the store?" Amelia asks Cooper.
"No. It's fine. I'm sure we have something else the kids can eat." Cooper takes the pie into the kitchen. Violet follows him. "It's strawberry rhubarb."
"Ohhh…My favorite." Cooper smiles.
"I knew that. That's why I bought it!"
"What? You mean you didn't bake it yourself?" Cooper teases.
"I had to work today and then I had to take Lila to the orthodontist." Violet defends.
"It's okay, Vi. I'll live."
Cooper hands Charlotte the pie. "Strawberry rhubarb."
"Your favorite." Charlotte takes the pie from him. "Figures you make Cooper's favorite and not mine." Charlotte tells Violet.
"I didn't make it. I bought it." Violet confesses. "I don't know your favorite. What is your favorite pie, Charlotte?"
"Chocolate cream, course!"
"Oh yeah, of course." Violet smirks at Cooper. "So, who else is coming?" Violet asks Charlotte.
"Just your family and Amelia and Sheldon."
"What about Cole and Jolie?"
"I didn't want a cat fight to break out between Amelia and Jolie. I'm invitin' them over with Addison and Sam next week."
"Well, haven't you become quite the dinner hostess?" Violet grins.
"I'm tryin'." Charlotte calls out to Chase. "Set the kid's table for me!"
"How many at the kids table?" Chase shouts back.
"Six, counting you, Noah, Drew, Sara, Lila and Dylan." Charlotte tells him.
"Mom, I'm fifteen. When do I get to sit at the adult table?"
"Don't worry about it." Lila tells him. "You're sitting with us. We're twelve, it's not like we're babies like Drew and Sara."
"Drew and Sara are sitting with us too." Chase tells Lila.
"So, we out number those babies." Lila answers.
"We're not babies!" Sara yells at Lila. "We're four!"
"Yeah, we're four!" Drew holds up four fingers.
Charlotte looks on. "How 'bout we make a special table just for the four year olds?"
"Yay!" Sara and Drew clap.
Charlotte tells Chase and Noah. "Bring in the little kiddie table from the playroom and set it up nice for your brother and Sara to eat at."
"What?" Chase complains.
"You didn't want to sit with babies, so set 'em up their own table!" Charlotte orders.
Violet looks at Charlotte. "Did I ever tell you turned out to be an awesome mom?"
"Thank you." Charlotte smiles. "I am, aren't I?" She says to herself as she puts the food out.
