CHAPTER 11

It was a quarter past one when Rory looked up from her book. She was halfway through her book when her stomach started grumbling. She was surprised that she was hungry despite the numerous meals she and the guys consumed that day. She knew she was going to work up an appetite after boulder hopping near Kaaterskill Falls. It was an exhilarating experience to her, not to mention exhausting. At the end of the day, they were pretty much soaked and tired.

The evening was pretty uneventful, which Rory was thankful for. Being an only child, and a loner for the most part, she welcomed the moment she could mull over her thoughts. She never realized how exhausting it was to keep up with someone else.

Her stomach grumbled louder. She detested the fact that her innards were prompting her to search for something edible. She wished she was back at home where she can just take ten paces from her room to raid the kitchen. Groaning, she stood up from her comfortable position. She walked toward her door and opened it slowly. She peered down the hall. Tristin's door was left ajar. She wondered what he was dreaming about.

'Snap out of it!' Rory reminded herself.

Muffled TV sounds emanated from Graham's room. Rory then decided to walk normally rather than tiptoe down to the hallway on her way to the kitchen.

She was glad that the light in the kitchen was still on. She was not looking forward to stubbing a toe in the dark. She came around the corner. She was pleasantly surprised to find out she wasn't the only one needing a midnight snack.

"Got an extra spoon?" Rory asked.

Tristin was sitting at the breakfast bar cradling a half-gallon of cookies and cream ice cream. He handed her a spoon. "Welcome to the club," Tristin said between bites.

Rory felt like a little girl at that moment. She scooped a huge mound of ice cream on her spoon. She licked the ice cream, getting some of it on her nose. Tristin laughed as he watched her try to wipe it off.

"So what's keeping you up? Don't tell me. Let me guess. You've been reading," Tristin said.

Rory nodded.

"Let's see... Madame Butterfly," he guessed.

"Nope," she said. "The Awakening."

"Kate Chopin? Didn't know you were that kind of a feminist," he said.

"What do you mean? There is only one kind of feminist. And just because I read a book written by a woman that was ahead of her time doesn't make me a feminist," she defended herself.

"Touché! I'm sorry I brought it up. I just didn't see you as the kind who would enjoy a book that talks about freedom by committing adultery," Tristin said.

Rory thought long and hard about the irony of Tristin's observation in regards to the book she was reading. She herself did not recognize it.

"So, how come you know about the book? It doesn't seem like something you'd read," Rory asked.

"English Lit. I took it last semester," he said.

"Haven't you guys gotten enough of each other's company already?" Graham asked groggily, standing by the doorframe.

"Just hungry," Rory said as she licked some of the cream that dripped on her hand.

Graham walked toward the china cabinet and took out a glass. Rory and Tristin watched him get water from the refrigerator door.

"Did we wake you up?" Tristin asked.

"Nah, the Carmichaels did that," Graham asked.

Rory giggled. She finally met the couple that night when they came back from town. The sixty some year old couple was a sight to behold. Mrs. Carmichael was a robust woman standing at 5'7" and tipping the scale at about 215 pounds. Her husband was about 5'4" and is about 150 pounds wet. Cassie Sullivan painting the couple like some sex fiends was ridiculous in Rory's mind.

Rory mimicked Graham's actions and got herself a drink of water. "Well, I guess I should go get some shut eye."

"Me, too," Tristin said as he put the ice cream away in the refrigerator.

The three of them marched up the steps. Before they stepped on the first rung towards their rooms, they heard stomping and moaning from the left wing of the house. They looked at each other and started laughing as they ran up to their rooms.