Chapter 10: Frosty Fun
"Chastity did you finish that run through for me?' Mr. Tse asked his daughter warmly, peering in her room while she was packing.
"Yup. There's a slight hiccup in the third diagnostic, but it's easily fixed if you reroute the fragmentary. I've written up a small report for Tasha to look over. All in all, daddy, the P2 is a fantastic program. If I can navigate it, your clients will have no problems," Chastity was speaking of some of the new software her father's company was marketing. Mr. Tse often made Chastity run through the programs as a learning experience and because she gave him helpful feedback as an "average" user. He glowed with pride that his daughter was so capable and responsible. She had proved herself more than worthy of such tasks all those summers she worked at the office. He trusted her with his business affairs and had faith in her abilities. Chastity had overcome a lot in her life and done it well.
"Call us when you get there, and don't go out late at night. Do you need any more money?" Mr. Tse offered Chastity some more cash, stuffing it into one of her bursting suitcases. At first reluctant about letting his precious daughter travel to Canada alone, and with boys in the group, he decided to trust in her judgment. Chastity was old enough to make intelligent decisions and choose her friends wisely. Mr. Tse could hold Ken responsible for everything anyway, but the fact that there would be a chaperone set him at ease. Rebecca Yen sounded like a very capable young lady.
~
"I don't have any immediate goals for the trip. It's just going to be a chance to get closer to her. Trust is essential here." The night before their trip, Jerry and Vanness were discussing things late into the night.
"I'm looking forward to a good vacation, and I'm glad you're not going to try anything. Let's just have fun alright? Maybe she's a different person on vacation eh?" Vanness leered.
"Watch your pimp self. I forgot to tell you my sis is coming," Jerry warned.
"Aww shit. Are you serious? Becca's coming? She's damn hot and all, but that's a bit inconvenient Jerry," Vanness groaned knowing that Jerry's older sister would likely watch them like a hawk.
"No shit. I don't understand it. That witch mother of mine insisted she come along. Becca didn't even hesitate to take her up on the offer. I don't know what's gotten into that girl. Maybe Stanford's getting stressful?" Jerry doubted school was a problem for his genius sister. He was disappointed their vacation plans had to include a chaperone, but he was looking forward to seeing his beloved older sibling. The Yen children were particularly close, since their parents were often away. Jerry idolized the way Becca was as near to perfection as a human could be, and Chastity was actually quite similar to her. Jerry would never admit this little fact, but it was partly why he took such a liking to the girl. She had bite, and he was often the target, but Jerry liked girls with a bit of fire anyway.
~
"What're you listening to?" Chastity pulled one of the plugs from Vic's ear. He'd been fiddling with his mp3 player since they took off, and Chastity couldn't resist the urge to finally tug one of the headphones from his ear. Unsurprisingly, Vic didn't respond to her inquiry. Instead, he picked up the fallen earpiece and inserted it into Chastity's ear. Vic pulled a notebook from his back pack, and Chastity recognized it as the music book he often carried with him. After penciling in a few more notes to his latest piece, he used the pencil to drum along to the beat of the song they were listening to. Chastity looked over the music he had written then pulled a pencil from her own bag. Vic looked over at her with a keen interest and didn't protest when she added to his work. Vic read over it and nodded his approval. He was considering saying something to her when Jerry slipped into the seat next to her.
"Hey Chas," Jerry flashed a pack of cards, and Chastity smiled in assent. He started shuffling the deck skillfully.
"When's your sister arriving? I can't wait to meet her," Chastity had heard the group talk about Rebecca before.
"She's going to meet us up there tomorrow night. That means we'll only have one day of unsupervised freedom," Jerry smirked.
"And what do you supposed we should do with this one day of unsupervised freedom Jerry?" Chastity eyed him suspiciously.
"I say you spend the night in my room. It's cold up in Canada, and a California babe like you will need the extra warmth," Vanness had joined in the fun and was now hovering over them leaning on the seat backs.
"Hold up. I want to be in that room too!" Ken's head popped up next to Vanness, and even Vic had to give a small chuckle.
"Sorry boys, I'm not into groups things. I'm more of a one on one girl, but I'm sure you can keep each other well entertained," Chastity winked at the boys who in turn whimpered in disappointment.
~
Ahhh….luxury. Chastity fell backwards onto a plush and puffy bed in one of the rooms of their rented townhouse. Paired two to a room, Chastity volunteered to room with Rebecca and so the room was hers alone for the night. She sat up and flicked open her cell phone. After assuring her parents they had arrived safely, Chastity pulled open the curtains to admire the snowy landscape. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was painting brilliant colors all over the white slopes. Chastity set about unpacking her things, and she emerged from her bathroom to find a boy sprawled on her neat bed.
"Ken, you're messing up my sheets," Chastity teased as she plopped on top of him, resting her head on his back.
"I'm sorry mother. What would I have to do to get a back rub?" Ken asked without lifting his head. Chastity sighed but propped herself up, straddled his back and began to work his shoulders.
"Don't you have a number of admirers that would kill to do this for you?" Chastity was curious why her playboy best friend wasn't in a relationship.
"No one comes close to you Chas. I don't have to be concerned that if I fall asleep you'll try to rape me anyway," Ken snorted. There was a lot of truth in what he said. Chastity was a dear friend of his, one he placed tremendous trust in.
"I could think of a few girls. Hey Ken, why don't you try someone different from your usual throng of bimbos? Someone a little brighter, quieter, sweeter?" Chastity hoped he was getting the hint.
"Are you trying to play matchmaker? Tell me a name Chastity, I don't like using deductive reasoning."
"Why not one of us? I'm out of the question of course, but Shelly's not bad either."
"Eh…Shelly?" Ken was not liking that idea at all. Shelly was a fantastic friend, but as a girlfriend she was nothing but high maintenance.
"You're right. Shelly's a bit much to keep up with. How about Kiki then? You think she's cute don't you?" Chastity hoped she wasn't being too blunt about the suggestion. Ken rolled over suddenly, nearly knocking Chastity off the bed. He held firm to her waist though and kept her seated on him.
"Chastity Tse. Exactly what are you getting at?" Ken eyed her suspiciously.
"I just think you could use someone reliable in your life. A girlfriend a week is fine for the world records, but I worry about you sometimes. STDs abound, Ken dearest."
"What makes you think Kiki wouldn't run from a guy like me anyway?" Ken questioned. Kiki was the innocent sort, usually not the stock Ken chose his girlfriends from. There was too much emotional attachment.
"A girl's intuition? Look into it. That's all I'm saying. If not Kiki, then a Kiki-like girl wouldn't be bad either," Chastity concluded.
"You sound like a grandmother. You hungry yet?" Ken pulled himself up while Chastity got off the bed. She rummaged around her dresser and pulled out a cozy, pale blue plaid pajama set.
"Can I watch you change?" Ken grinned suggestively. Chastity smiled seductively as she began unbuttoning her sweater, revealing a tank top underneath. She threw the outer garment at the boy and shooed him out the room.
~
"Breadsticks?" Chastity passed a basket of warm bread to Jerry. They had decided to order in for dinner, and now the living room coffee table was smothered with plates of food. There was pizza, calzone, soup, salad, pasta, and tiramisu to finish. It was an obscene amount of food, but all of it sounded so good on the menu they couldn't resist ordering some of everything. The gang lounged in front of the blazing fire, sipping red wine and having a delectable dinner.
"Jerry don't you think we got a bit much?" Chastity was gazing at the mounds of food left untouched.
"Don't be stupid. Vacation is about lavishness."
"Right. I forgot that gluttony was required of us on vacation. I can't imagine why third world countries don't just send everyone off on cruises to end world hunger?" Chastity bit back sarcastically.
"Honestly woman. You can be so annoying," Jerry growled.
"Honestly man, you can be so pig headed." Chastity didn't care all that much about the food itself, but she just couldn't control the urge to knock Jerry off his pedestal. They got into trivial spats like this all the time, and the group had dearly termed them "lovers' quarrels." Jerry had opened his mouth to contest that insult, but Vanness interrupted.
"Shelly! What possessed your mother into getting us these?" Vanness was tugging at his flannel pajama shirt, a gift from Shelly's mother.
"She saw them in some shop when they were in Colorado, and since we're always sleeping over at each other's houses she thought it'd be cute. Why? At least they don't have teddy bears on them!" Shelly defended. Her mother had even taken care to pick out colors that they each liked too. In patterns of tasteful plaid, Ken's set was bold red, Jerry's deep blue, Vic's cool gray, Vanness's hunter green, Shelly's was warm yellow, Kiki's faint lavender, and Chastity's a sky blue. The longer Chastity hung around the group, the more she realized how organized they were. Group vacations, common activities, similar backgrounds, and even coordinated pajamas? No wonder it was hard for new people to fold into the group. It was decidedly clique-ish. Still, the sense of belonging was wonderful and comforting to Chastity.
"I like them Shelly. Vanness is just used to sleeping in the nude," Ken laughed.
"And who's rooming with him?" Chastity giggled at the thought.
"On the subject of horrific sights, let's watch a scary movie!" Shelly interjected, holding up a dvd.
"I'm going upstairs for a while. Be back in a bit. I've seen The Ring already anyway," Chastity excused herself. She headed upstairs and switched on her laptop. She planned to work an hour or so a day so she could enjoy the vacation guilt free. Chastity piled her pillows up, leaned against them and sat her laptop on her legs. Pausing from typing away on her term paper, Chastity pushed her glasses into her hair and rubbed her eyes. A creaking of the floorboards announced someone's arrival at her door. Chastity turned and smiled, watching the lanky boy make himself comfortable on the bed.
Muahhahah enter Tsubaki/Zhuang, Dao Ming Si's Da Jie, a character to be reckoned with! What role should we have her play? That's to be decided, but I just couldn't resist including her! As always, REVIEWS are MOST appreciated!
"Chastity did you finish that run through for me?' Mr. Tse asked his daughter warmly, peering in her room while she was packing.
"Yup. There's a slight hiccup in the third diagnostic, but it's easily fixed if you reroute the fragmentary. I've written up a small report for Tasha to look over. All in all, daddy, the P2 is a fantastic program. If I can navigate it, your clients will have no problems," Chastity was speaking of some of the new software her father's company was marketing. Mr. Tse often made Chastity run through the programs as a learning experience and because she gave him helpful feedback as an "average" user. He glowed with pride that his daughter was so capable and responsible. She had proved herself more than worthy of such tasks all those summers she worked at the office. He trusted her with his business affairs and had faith in her abilities. Chastity had overcome a lot in her life and done it well.
"Call us when you get there, and don't go out late at night. Do you need any more money?" Mr. Tse offered Chastity some more cash, stuffing it into one of her bursting suitcases. At first reluctant about letting his precious daughter travel to Canada alone, and with boys in the group, he decided to trust in her judgment. Chastity was old enough to make intelligent decisions and choose her friends wisely. Mr. Tse could hold Ken responsible for everything anyway, but the fact that there would be a chaperone set him at ease. Rebecca Yen sounded like a very capable young lady.
~
"I don't have any immediate goals for the trip. It's just going to be a chance to get closer to her. Trust is essential here." The night before their trip, Jerry and Vanness were discussing things late into the night.
"I'm looking forward to a good vacation, and I'm glad you're not going to try anything. Let's just have fun alright? Maybe she's a different person on vacation eh?" Vanness leered.
"Watch your pimp self. I forgot to tell you my sis is coming," Jerry warned.
"Aww shit. Are you serious? Becca's coming? She's damn hot and all, but that's a bit inconvenient Jerry," Vanness groaned knowing that Jerry's older sister would likely watch them like a hawk.
"No shit. I don't understand it. That witch mother of mine insisted she come along. Becca didn't even hesitate to take her up on the offer. I don't know what's gotten into that girl. Maybe Stanford's getting stressful?" Jerry doubted school was a problem for his genius sister. He was disappointed their vacation plans had to include a chaperone, but he was looking forward to seeing his beloved older sibling. The Yen children were particularly close, since their parents were often away. Jerry idolized the way Becca was as near to perfection as a human could be, and Chastity was actually quite similar to her. Jerry would never admit this little fact, but it was partly why he took such a liking to the girl. She had bite, and he was often the target, but Jerry liked girls with a bit of fire anyway.
~
"What're you listening to?" Chastity pulled one of the plugs from Vic's ear. He'd been fiddling with his mp3 player since they took off, and Chastity couldn't resist the urge to finally tug one of the headphones from his ear. Unsurprisingly, Vic didn't respond to her inquiry. Instead, he picked up the fallen earpiece and inserted it into Chastity's ear. Vic pulled a notebook from his back pack, and Chastity recognized it as the music book he often carried with him. After penciling in a few more notes to his latest piece, he used the pencil to drum along to the beat of the song they were listening to. Chastity looked over the music he had written then pulled a pencil from her own bag. Vic looked over at her with a keen interest and didn't protest when she added to his work. Vic read over it and nodded his approval. He was considering saying something to her when Jerry slipped into the seat next to her.
"Hey Chas," Jerry flashed a pack of cards, and Chastity smiled in assent. He started shuffling the deck skillfully.
"When's your sister arriving? I can't wait to meet her," Chastity had heard the group talk about Rebecca before.
"She's going to meet us up there tomorrow night. That means we'll only have one day of unsupervised freedom," Jerry smirked.
"And what do you supposed we should do with this one day of unsupervised freedom Jerry?" Chastity eyed him suspiciously.
"I say you spend the night in my room. It's cold up in Canada, and a California babe like you will need the extra warmth," Vanness had joined in the fun and was now hovering over them leaning on the seat backs.
"Hold up. I want to be in that room too!" Ken's head popped up next to Vanness, and even Vic had to give a small chuckle.
"Sorry boys, I'm not into groups things. I'm more of a one on one girl, but I'm sure you can keep each other well entertained," Chastity winked at the boys who in turn whimpered in disappointment.
~
Ahhh….luxury. Chastity fell backwards onto a plush and puffy bed in one of the rooms of their rented townhouse. Paired two to a room, Chastity volunteered to room with Rebecca and so the room was hers alone for the night. She sat up and flicked open her cell phone. After assuring her parents they had arrived safely, Chastity pulled open the curtains to admire the snowy landscape. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was painting brilliant colors all over the white slopes. Chastity set about unpacking her things, and she emerged from her bathroom to find a boy sprawled on her neat bed.
"Ken, you're messing up my sheets," Chastity teased as she plopped on top of him, resting her head on his back.
"I'm sorry mother. What would I have to do to get a back rub?" Ken asked without lifting his head. Chastity sighed but propped herself up, straddled his back and began to work his shoulders.
"Don't you have a number of admirers that would kill to do this for you?" Chastity was curious why her playboy best friend wasn't in a relationship.
"No one comes close to you Chas. I don't have to be concerned that if I fall asleep you'll try to rape me anyway," Ken snorted. There was a lot of truth in what he said. Chastity was a dear friend of his, one he placed tremendous trust in.
"I could think of a few girls. Hey Ken, why don't you try someone different from your usual throng of bimbos? Someone a little brighter, quieter, sweeter?" Chastity hoped he was getting the hint.
"Are you trying to play matchmaker? Tell me a name Chastity, I don't like using deductive reasoning."
"Why not one of us? I'm out of the question of course, but Shelly's not bad either."
"Eh…Shelly?" Ken was not liking that idea at all. Shelly was a fantastic friend, but as a girlfriend she was nothing but high maintenance.
"You're right. Shelly's a bit much to keep up with. How about Kiki then? You think she's cute don't you?" Chastity hoped she wasn't being too blunt about the suggestion. Ken rolled over suddenly, nearly knocking Chastity off the bed. He held firm to her waist though and kept her seated on him.
"Chastity Tse. Exactly what are you getting at?" Ken eyed her suspiciously.
"I just think you could use someone reliable in your life. A girlfriend a week is fine for the world records, but I worry about you sometimes. STDs abound, Ken dearest."
"What makes you think Kiki wouldn't run from a guy like me anyway?" Ken questioned. Kiki was the innocent sort, usually not the stock Ken chose his girlfriends from. There was too much emotional attachment.
"A girl's intuition? Look into it. That's all I'm saying. If not Kiki, then a Kiki-like girl wouldn't be bad either," Chastity concluded.
"You sound like a grandmother. You hungry yet?" Ken pulled himself up while Chastity got off the bed. She rummaged around her dresser and pulled out a cozy, pale blue plaid pajama set.
"Can I watch you change?" Ken grinned suggestively. Chastity smiled seductively as she began unbuttoning her sweater, revealing a tank top underneath. She threw the outer garment at the boy and shooed him out the room.
~
"Breadsticks?" Chastity passed a basket of warm bread to Jerry. They had decided to order in for dinner, and now the living room coffee table was smothered with plates of food. There was pizza, calzone, soup, salad, pasta, and tiramisu to finish. It was an obscene amount of food, but all of it sounded so good on the menu they couldn't resist ordering some of everything. The gang lounged in front of the blazing fire, sipping red wine and having a delectable dinner.
"Jerry don't you think we got a bit much?" Chastity was gazing at the mounds of food left untouched.
"Don't be stupid. Vacation is about lavishness."
"Right. I forgot that gluttony was required of us on vacation. I can't imagine why third world countries don't just send everyone off on cruises to end world hunger?" Chastity bit back sarcastically.
"Honestly woman. You can be so annoying," Jerry growled.
"Honestly man, you can be so pig headed." Chastity didn't care all that much about the food itself, but she just couldn't control the urge to knock Jerry off his pedestal. They got into trivial spats like this all the time, and the group had dearly termed them "lovers' quarrels." Jerry had opened his mouth to contest that insult, but Vanness interrupted.
"Shelly! What possessed your mother into getting us these?" Vanness was tugging at his flannel pajama shirt, a gift from Shelly's mother.
"She saw them in some shop when they were in Colorado, and since we're always sleeping over at each other's houses she thought it'd be cute. Why? At least they don't have teddy bears on them!" Shelly defended. Her mother had even taken care to pick out colors that they each liked too. In patterns of tasteful plaid, Ken's set was bold red, Jerry's deep blue, Vic's cool gray, Vanness's hunter green, Shelly's was warm yellow, Kiki's faint lavender, and Chastity's a sky blue. The longer Chastity hung around the group, the more she realized how organized they were. Group vacations, common activities, similar backgrounds, and even coordinated pajamas? No wonder it was hard for new people to fold into the group. It was decidedly clique-ish. Still, the sense of belonging was wonderful and comforting to Chastity.
"I like them Shelly. Vanness is just used to sleeping in the nude," Ken laughed.
"And who's rooming with him?" Chastity giggled at the thought.
"On the subject of horrific sights, let's watch a scary movie!" Shelly interjected, holding up a dvd.
"I'm going upstairs for a while. Be back in a bit. I've seen The Ring already anyway," Chastity excused herself. She headed upstairs and switched on her laptop. She planned to work an hour or so a day so she could enjoy the vacation guilt free. Chastity piled her pillows up, leaned against them and sat her laptop on her legs. Pausing from typing away on her term paper, Chastity pushed her glasses into her hair and rubbed her eyes. A creaking of the floorboards announced someone's arrival at her door. Chastity turned and smiled, watching the lanky boy make himself comfortable on the bed.
Muahhahah enter Tsubaki/Zhuang, Dao Ming Si's Da Jie, a character to be reckoned with! What role should we have her play? That's to be decided, but I just couldn't resist including her! As always, REVIEWS are MOST appreciated!