Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I wrote the story in parts so right now I am putting the pieces together and sprinkling on a few finishing touches. All I am going to say about the future chapters is, things may not be as they appear. I am really starting to love this story, and I hope it gives everyone a break from the usual ER stories. As always, keep reviewing. I love reading feedback.
Part 3: Wednesday
"Kate," Carol said staring in horror at Kate's purple tipped hair.
"You like?" Kate asked.
"No, wash it out now," Carol told her.
"It's not the kind you can washout," Kate replied.
"Well, then I'm going to cut it because you aren't going to school like that," Carol said.
"When Hell freezes over, you can cut my hair," Kate yelled before leaving the room.
"What was that about?" Doug asked Kate as she walked out of the kitchen.
"I dyed the ends of my hair, and Mom is being a psycho about it," Kate explained.
"Are you trying to torture her?" Doug questioned.
"No, I just wanted to try a new look," Kate told him.
"I'll talk to her, but, Kate, take it slow. We aren't ready for any face piercing," he said.
"Face piercing?" Kate commented before leaving Doug to try to calm Carol down.
Later that day Carol walked the down the aisle of a supermarket. She stopped in front of the home pregnancy test kits. She could not believe she was even thinking about buying one. She had thought about taking one at work, but all the supplies had to be documented at the women's health clinic where she was employed.
"Just put it in the cart, Carol," she told herself.
She did quickly and continued with her shopping. Once in the car, she tucked the test away.
Kate walked into the family room. Doug was sleeping through a baseball game, Carol had taken Meg to swim practice, and Tess was probably sucking face at Ryan's house. Kate had finished her homework and was extremely bored. An idea popped into her head. She picked up the phone in the kitchen and dialed.
"Hey, Courtney, this is Kate," Kate said into the phone. "Remember how you asked if I wanted to smoke weed with you last week?" she asked. "Great, you can come over right now. My mom is gone, and my dad is asleep."
Kate hung up the phone and went upstairs to put on a sweatshirt. It had not been a particularly warm day, and the sun was setting. She walked out the front door and waited for Courtney on the porch.
Across town, Ryan and Tess were sitting on the hammock in Ryan's backyard. They had been working on a science project, but the other members of their group had gone home hours ago.
"When is your mom picking you up?" Ryan, Tess' boyfriend, asked her.
"Sometime after 8 which is when Meg's swim practice gets over," Tess explained.
"So we have a little time to ourselves," Ryan stated.
"Yeah," Tess replied awkwardly.
"Tess, have you ever made out with anyone?" Ryan asked.
"Um," Tess staled. If she told the truth, Ryan might think she was a prude. If she lied, Ryan might think she was a slut. "Once or twice," she told him.
"Yeah, me too," Ryan said a little too quickly.
"Why did you ask?" Tess questioned.
"I don't know. It is just some guys not any that I hang out with said you were well," he mumbled, "advanced."
"Advanced?" she questioned.
"You know like you have dated high school boys," Ryan explained.
"Why would they say that?" Tess demanded.
"You're popular and a cheerleader," Ryan answered.
"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard," she told him.
"That is why I asked because I didn't think it was true," he said.
"I lied before about having made out with someone. I have never even been kissed by a boy," Tess admitted.
"Neither have I mean not by a boy. Well, I haven't been kissed by a boy either, but you know what I mean," Ryan said becoming flustered.
"Will you kiss me?" Tess asked.
"Now?" he questioned.
"Yeah, before my mom gets here," she told him.
"Okay," Ryan said quietly.
Tes grinned and looked into Ryan's eyes.
"Uh Tess, am I supposed to keep my eyes open?" he asked.
"I don't know. I guess if you want to," she answered.
Ryan leaned forward and planted a kiss on Tess' mouth.
"How was it?" he asked as he pulled away quickly.
"Nice," she replied.
"Good, I thought you were going to tell me I did it wrong or something," Ryan said.
"No, it was perfect," she told him.
"Ryan!" his mother called, "Tess' ride is here."
"See you tomorrow," Tess said.
"Yeah, see ya," he told her.
Tess ran around the side of the house to Carol's car.
"Did you finish?" Carol asked.
Tess looked confused.
"The science project. Did you finish it?" Carol elaborated.
"Oh, yeah," Tess answered.
"What is wrong with you?" Meg asked. "You look like all sweaty."
"No, I don't," Tess argued.
"You were playing kissy-face with Ryan," Meg taunted.
"Shut up," Tess told her younger sister.
"See you were," Meg shouted.
"Meg, that's enough," Carol told her.
The rest of the ride was silent. Back in the Ross' kitchen, Carol asked, "Is something going on with you and Ryan?"
"Yeah, we are sort of couple," Tess admitted.
"When did this start?" Carol asked.
"A few weeks ago," Tess answered.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Carol questioned.
"I don't know. I thought you would tell Dad. Please don't tell him," Tess begged.
"I shouldn't keep secrets from your father," Carol told her.
"But you know Dad. He will overreact and embarrass me," Tess pleaded. "It is not even like we are a real couple we don't do anything except go to the movies or hang out with a bunch of people together."
"I won't tell him," Carol told her daughter.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Tess said kissing Carol on the cheek.
Kate opened the front door and ran up the stairs.
"Kate," Carol called.
Kate stood at the top of the stairs looking down at her mother.
"Where have you been?" Carol asked.
"Just hanging out with Courtney," Kate replied nonchalantly.
"Courtney?" Tess questioned. "Hasn't she failed like three grades or something. What she has to be about seventeen by now."
"She is fifteen not that it's any of your business," Kate said. "I'm going to bed."
"Good night," Carol told her.
Tess walked up the stairs right into Kate's room.
"Have you ever heard of knocking?" Kate demanded.
"You're high aren't you?" Tess questioned.
"No," Kate answered.
"You are so. Everyone knows Courtney's brother is a drug dealer," Tess said.
"Thanks for the newscast, but I can hangout with Courtney without smoking anything," Kate told her.
"Whatever, stoner," Tess said leaving Kate's room.
Downstairs Carol turned off the TV which caused Doug to wakeup.
"Hey," she said sitting next to him and rubbing his arm.
"How are things with you?" Doug asked.
"I'm late," she told him.
"Wow, I did not expect that one," he replied.
"Yeah, neither did I," Carol said.
"So are you?" he asked.
"I don't know. I'm not sure if I am ready to know," she explained.
Carol rested her head against Doug's chest, and they sat in silence.
Part 3: Wednesday
"Kate," Carol said staring in horror at Kate's purple tipped hair.
"You like?" Kate asked.
"No, wash it out now," Carol told her.
"It's not the kind you can washout," Kate replied.
"Well, then I'm going to cut it because you aren't going to school like that," Carol said.
"When Hell freezes over, you can cut my hair," Kate yelled before leaving the room.
"What was that about?" Doug asked Kate as she walked out of the kitchen.
"I dyed the ends of my hair, and Mom is being a psycho about it," Kate explained.
"Are you trying to torture her?" Doug questioned.
"No, I just wanted to try a new look," Kate told him.
"I'll talk to her, but, Kate, take it slow. We aren't ready for any face piercing," he said.
"Face piercing?" Kate commented before leaving Doug to try to calm Carol down.
Later that day Carol walked the down the aisle of a supermarket. She stopped in front of the home pregnancy test kits. She could not believe she was even thinking about buying one. She had thought about taking one at work, but all the supplies had to be documented at the women's health clinic where she was employed.
"Just put it in the cart, Carol," she told herself.
She did quickly and continued with her shopping. Once in the car, she tucked the test away.
Kate walked into the family room. Doug was sleeping through a baseball game, Carol had taken Meg to swim practice, and Tess was probably sucking face at Ryan's house. Kate had finished her homework and was extremely bored. An idea popped into her head. She picked up the phone in the kitchen and dialed.
"Hey, Courtney, this is Kate," Kate said into the phone. "Remember how you asked if I wanted to smoke weed with you last week?" she asked. "Great, you can come over right now. My mom is gone, and my dad is asleep."
Kate hung up the phone and went upstairs to put on a sweatshirt. It had not been a particularly warm day, and the sun was setting. She walked out the front door and waited for Courtney on the porch.
Across town, Ryan and Tess were sitting on the hammock in Ryan's backyard. They had been working on a science project, but the other members of their group had gone home hours ago.
"When is your mom picking you up?" Ryan, Tess' boyfriend, asked her.
"Sometime after 8 which is when Meg's swim practice gets over," Tess explained.
"So we have a little time to ourselves," Ryan stated.
"Yeah," Tess replied awkwardly.
"Tess, have you ever made out with anyone?" Ryan asked.
"Um," Tess staled. If she told the truth, Ryan might think she was a prude. If she lied, Ryan might think she was a slut. "Once or twice," she told him.
"Yeah, me too," Ryan said a little too quickly.
"Why did you ask?" Tess questioned.
"I don't know. It is just some guys not any that I hang out with said you were well," he mumbled, "advanced."
"Advanced?" she questioned.
"You know like you have dated high school boys," Ryan explained.
"Why would they say that?" Tess demanded.
"You're popular and a cheerleader," Ryan answered.
"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard," she told him.
"That is why I asked because I didn't think it was true," he said.
"I lied before about having made out with someone. I have never even been kissed by a boy," Tess admitted.
"Neither have I mean not by a boy. Well, I haven't been kissed by a boy either, but you know what I mean," Ryan said becoming flustered.
"Will you kiss me?" Tess asked.
"Now?" he questioned.
"Yeah, before my mom gets here," she told him.
"Okay," Ryan said quietly.
Tes grinned and looked into Ryan's eyes.
"Uh Tess, am I supposed to keep my eyes open?" he asked.
"I don't know. I guess if you want to," she answered.
Ryan leaned forward and planted a kiss on Tess' mouth.
"How was it?" he asked as he pulled away quickly.
"Nice," she replied.
"Good, I thought you were going to tell me I did it wrong or something," Ryan said.
"No, it was perfect," she told him.
"Ryan!" his mother called, "Tess' ride is here."
"See you tomorrow," Tess said.
"Yeah, see ya," he told her.
Tess ran around the side of the house to Carol's car.
"Did you finish?" Carol asked.
Tess looked confused.
"The science project. Did you finish it?" Carol elaborated.
"Oh, yeah," Tess answered.
"What is wrong with you?" Meg asked. "You look like all sweaty."
"No, I don't," Tess argued.
"You were playing kissy-face with Ryan," Meg taunted.
"Shut up," Tess told her younger sister.
"See you were," Meg shouted.
"Meg, that's enough," Carol told her.
The rest of the ride was silent. Back in the Ross' kitchen, Carol asked, "Is something going on with you and Ryan?"
"Yeah, we are sort of couple," Tess admitted.
"When did this start?" Carol asked.
"A few weeks ago," Tess answered.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Carol questioned.
"I don't know. I thought you would tell Dad. Please don't tell him," Tess begged.
"I shouldn't keep secrets from your father," Carol told her.
"But you know Dad. He will overreact and embarrass me," Tess pleaded. "It is not even like we are a real couple we don't do anything except go to the movies or hang out with a bunch of people together."
"I won't tell him," Carol told her daughter.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Tess said kissing Carol on the cheek.
Kate opened the front door and ran up the stairs.
"Kate," Carol called.
Kate stood at the top of the stairs looking down at her mother.
"Where have you been?" Carol asked.
"Just hanging out with Courtney," Kate replied nonchalantly.
"Courtney?" Tess questioned. "Hasn't she failed like three grades or something. What she has to be about seventeen by now."
"She is fifteen not that it's any of your business," Kate said. "I'm going to bed."
"Good night," Carol told her.
Tess walked up the stairs right into Kate's room.
"Have you ever heard of knocking?" Kate demanded.
"You're high aren't you?" Tess questioned.
"No," Kate answered.
"You are so. Everyone knows Courtney's brother is a drug dealer," Tess said.
"Thanks for the newscast, but I can hangout with Courtney without smoking anything," Kate told her.
"Whatever, stoner," Tess said leaving Kate's room.
Downstairs Carol turned off the TV which caused Doug to wakeup.
"Hey," she said sitting next to him and rubbing his arm.
"How are things with you?" Doug asked.
"I'm late," she told him.
"Wow, I did not expect that one," he replied.
"Yeah, neither did I," Carol said.
"So are you?" he asked.
"I don't know. I'm not sure if I am ready to know," she explained.
Carol rested her head against Doug's chest, and they sat in silence.