Chapter - 5
It was six thirty when I reached home. I knocked at the door.
"Where were you? We were waiting for so long"
"Yeah. The supermarket was…" I stopped as I looked at who I was talking to. Conner! Arrgh!
He took the eggs from my bag.
"Alice! Alice! Liz is home," he called before going into the kitchen.
Conner at my house? At six thirty? In the kitchen? This was sooo wrong!
"No no! Let me do it." He said as he sprinkled a pinch of pepper in the dish he was helping mother make.
The smell in the kitchen was inviting. But I was not going to eat something prepared by Conner McDermott.
"Oh! Conner thank you so much for helping," mother was gushing.
"Don't bother, Alice. I am just trying to impress my mother in law" he nodded and smiled at Sarah who was sitting on the counter. "What do you say Sarah?"
"You are so sweet," my mother said as she pinched his cheeks. That's when she noticed me standing at the door.
"You are also very sweet," he said smiling at her.
"Liz!" My mother said smiling.
He turned and smiled when he looked at my bored and irritated expression.
"Hey! Darling I totally forgot," he said looking at me "Todd called and he said he may not be able to make it. Boyfriend?"
"Friend," I insisted glaring at my mother.
Mother just shrugged and mouthed 'Peace'.
"Mom! I need to talk to you privately! Now!" I said stressing on the word privately.
I made a face at Conner before pulling my mother out. I am sure that he must be enjoying all this.
"Liz? What are you doing?" She asked as I pulled her to the living room.
"Mom! This Conner…"
"Meet Conner's sister, Megan and his father," she interrupted. I turned and looked at the two people seated.
"Hello!" I greeted and put on a false smile on my face. Nothing against them but I wasn't exactly interested in any member of Conner's family!
"I can't see your mother in law," Gary asked mother.
"Yeah! Sometimes we get lucky," she said laughing.
"Ha ha! Very funny," I said as I pulled her away from there. I really needed to talk to her.
"Mom! Is it our house or his?"
"Liz! Liz! Do you like my new shirt?" David interrupted coming out of nowhere and showing of his new blue shirt.
"Wow!" I said with false enthusiasm. "Who gave?"
"Conner!"
God! Conner again. No use talking to mother. I have to solve this problem by talking to the cause for all this mess.
"Mr. McDermott!" I said marching to the kitchen.
"Yeah darling"
"Don't call me darling."
"Then call me Conner."
"Fine! Conner!"
"Liz! Say Aaaa"
"Aaaaa," I opened my mouth and he inserted a spoonful of something he was making.
"Something missing?"
"Yeah salt," I said as I swallowed it.
"I know. Even you have the same problem, Barbie." He said walking across the kitchen.
Barbie? Where the hell did that come from? I followed him. He stopped suddenly and turned.
"Whoa!" He shouted as we banged into each other.
"What?" I asked raising my tone.
"Why do u follow me everywhere I go? Don't you have any other work?" He asked in mock irritation.
He picked up the book on the counter. The book in which we keep our restaurant records.
"Gosh the restaurant accounts are so bad!" He said scanning through it.
I pulled it away from him angrily.
"How dare you! This is our private affair."
"I am sorry. I am really sorry. This brother of mine is completely crazy," Megan said as she glared at her brother.
"When will this habit of yours go?" She whispered to him.
I smiled at her. Well thankfully the arrogance didn't run in the blood. Megan seemed really nice.
"Hello all you beautiful people!"
I turned and saw Jess coming down the stairs. She was looking gorgeous in a knee length skirt and a blue halter-top. Next to her I looked like a plain Jane with my old jeans and sweatshirt. Even her hair, which was left loose on her shoulders, looked livelier than mine, which was all just collected and held together with a clip. I could see every person in the room making the same comparison.
"Dinner is ready folks!" Conner announced snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Such delicious food!" Grandma exclaimed as she took in the various dishes prepared, "Alice wouldn't have made it."
"Conner helped a lot," she said as she kept all the food at the table.
Grandma muttered something and sat down with the rest of us.
"So Conner tell us more about you," Jessica said as we all started eating.
"Yeah tell us where you got this cooking skill," David said.
"Yeah its absolutely delicious Conner. Where did you learn to cook?" Mother asked.
The whole dinner everyone went on singing praises about Conner. I so wanted to escape from there. I had absolutely no interest in the conversation. They were treating him like God. I silently cursed Todd for not coming to the dinner. Tomorrow he is going to get it from me.
"Liz! You are not eating anything. Don't like the food?" Conner asked suddenly making everyone look at me. He still had that smirk on his face.
"Are you all right, Liz? You have been awfully silent," Jess asked.
I glared at her, as she perfectly knew why I wasn't talking much. Because right in front of me my biggest enemy was eating dinner, at my house, at my dining table!
"I am perfectly fine," I told her "Don't bother about me"
That's all they needed. They immediately went back into Conner-o-mania forgetting I ever existed.
I kept to myself throughout dinner. And believe me, I was the only one who heaved a huge sigh of relief when everyone had finished their dinner. The others, well they were too disappointed as now it was time for Conner to leave! Duh!
The adults got up first.
"Liz and Jess, I hope you don't mind clearing up the table," my mother said smiling.
We nodded.
"Conner, Megan, are you coming?" Gary asked.
"Yes dad" Megan said. I sighed knowing it was time for Mr. Know-it-all to leave.
"I will stay around for some more time. Alice wanted some help with some recipes." Conner replied.
"He is helping you?" I asked mom. What a ridiculous idea!
Mother ignored me. "That is really sweet of you Conner" she gushed. Conner nodded smiling.
Gary and Megan said their good byes.
I frowned at Conner and then started to pick up the plates. Why doesn't this guy ever leave? What recipes will he tell mom at 8:30 in the night? Is he planning to move in with us? If he is moving in then I am moving out. I will go somewhere, anywhere, just not where he is!
I looked around to see Conner whispering something to David. David nodded with a smile, a huge one and showed him the thumbs up sign.
I shook my head. Crazy people! How can they like him?
Splat! I felt something wet on my hair. I turned to find David and Conner grinning from ear to ear. I touched my hair and felt something cold and slimy on it.
Oh my god I realized and my eyes widened.
Sauce! David had just thrown sauce on me.
"You little moron!" I cried out.
"What?" He asked me innocently trying to suppress his laughter.
Angry, more with Conner than with David as I was sure he was the mastermind behind this, I took the bottle of water and aimed it at Conner. He ducked at the right moment and it fell right on Jess soaking her blouse and skirt.
"Liz!" She shrieked and instantaneously threw some leftover pasta at me. It perfectly hit my face and I almost gagged. Seeing my reaction Jessica and Conner clapped.
Conner was certainly enjoying this. David and Sarah were having their own little food fight.
I was so angry and flustered that I was ready to throw anything on them. I picked up the sauce bottle and that's when mother came.
"What is happening here?" She looked around the room at all of us and her mouth dropped open.
"Oh my god! What the hell happened here?" She shouted. "I leave all of you with a small job and this is how you do it?"
"Mom I swear I didn't start anything…"I pleaded with her. I glared at Conner who was standing innocently.
It was all I could do to not strangle him to death.
"I don't care who started it. But I need all this cleaned. Now!" She shouted. We nodded.
Once mother went out all of them started laughing. Laughing? Laughing?
"That was awesome!" Jess said happily.
Conner looked at me and smirked.
God! If he smirks once more I am going to break all those 32 teeth of his, grind it and throw it at his face.
"You should have seen your face," he said. Everyone giggled.
"Shut up!" I shouted.
"Chill Liz." David said as he started walking out followed by Sarah.
"Where do you think both of you are going? Didn't you hear what mother said?" I asked
"Liz. Liz. Liz. Sarah and I have lots of homework to do. I am sure my big sisters can handle it perfectly well without us naughty brats here. Right Sarah? So Ciao" he shouted before running out followed by Sarah who gave me an apologetic smile.
"David come right here" I shouted to nobody.
Jessica shrieked.
"What?" I barked.
"I almost forgot! I got homework too," she said going out.
"Homework? Jess you said your classes have ended till your next production! And when are you so particular about homework?" I asked. It's amazing how my siblings can come up with excuses when it comes to work.
"Oh! Umm…uh…I just realized that it is good to be sincere. I am just following your footsteps," she said
And before I could say something she fled and within two seconds I could here her door slam. Maybe she should try out for the Olympics.
I muttered some curses before picking up the dishes.
"I will help," Conner offered. I looked up surprised. I didn't know he was still there.
"Why? So that you could break two or three plates and get me in trouble again? No thank you!" I said my anger rising.
He didn't answer. He just started to pick up the plates and proceed to the kitchen before I could protest.
Fine! If he wants to help let him. Let him do some social service. Why do I care? Nope. I don't care. I really don't care.
We silently cleared the table. I avoided him as much as I could. Finally I picked up the garbage and went out to discard it. He followed me out.
"Hey Barbie, nice hair," he commented, once outside.
Barbie again! Nice hair? Huh? What did he mean by that? Then I remembered I had never cleaned up the sauce on it. How gross!
"Thanks a lot. I wish yours looked the same!"
"Blonde, sticky and red? No thank you" he said and laughed. "It was so great today! So funny! You should have seen yourself." He laughed more now.
Irritating.
"Hilarious" I commented dryly "I don't believe this! You feel like laughing at what happened today?"
I knew this guy was an idiot. What was so funny about a lame and juvenile food fight? I mean we are in our twenties… too embarrassing and immature.
"Normal people usually laugh at stuff like this," he said as he leaned against the wall and crossed his hands over his chest.
"What do you mean? I am not normal?"
"If you are normal… I am… I am the Queen Of England." He said striking a pose and laughing.
"Well according to me you are not normal. From the morning you are behaving as though you have known us for years!" I said waiting to get away from this monster.
"Not Years? Decades. I think we have a relationship through generations," he said coming closer and putting his arms around my shoulders.
"You are our neighbor," I shouted at him pushing his hand off harshly. "So behave like one!"
How dare he touch me? Who did he think he is?
"Ok. Ding-dong. Open the door," he said poking my nose. "Excuse me. Can I have a teaspoon of sugar, please?"
"What are you doing?" I shouted again.
If I keep up this tone, I might end up losing my voice before my next birthday. Voiceless at 21, all because of a stupid guy.
"You told me that I am your neighbor and I have to behave like one. So can I get a teaspoon of sugar, please?"
"Ha ha ha! Very funny. Listen. You please take your happy go lucky nature and knock at some one else's door. Cause we are genuinely not interested!" I told him sternly. "And I am warning you…"
"Shhhhh" he interrupted and turned to face me and looked into my eyes.
"What?"
"You know what your problem is," he asked not taking away his gaze.
"Problem. I don't have any…"
"Why do you feel that the world's burdens are on your weak shoulders?" He asked placing his fingers delicately on my shoulders. "Who are you anyway?"
"You..." I started brushing away his hands.
"Shut up Barbie" he silenced me. "What is the use of praying to god if you can't realize the value of the life he has given you?"
"Excuse me! What do you know about my life?" I asked him irritated.
Who is he to lecture me? If he has a rosy life doesn't mean he has to question my ways of living.
"Nothing much" he admitted. "But I do know that what you have is less according to you but in some one else's view you have a beautiful life."
"Now I have to listen to your lecture!" I shook my head and started to proceed in.
"Listen" he said softly pulling my hand till I turned to face him.
"Live life to the fullest, be happy and smile… what if tomorrow never comes?"
I winced. Lame, lame and very lame!
"Wow." He gushed "if tomorrow never comes…tomorrow never comes. I am too good."
I rolled my eyes and sighed.
"Let me do you a favor. I will teach you how to smile. It is a simple task. Say 123…eeeeee" he said stretching his mouth.
"Try it. 123…eeeee" he repeated leaning in closer to me. "Like this. 123…ee" he moved his hands near my mouth as I moved my face away from him.
"Don't touch me!" I shouted hitting his hands furiously and pushing them away.
"Oh god the poor thing forgot to smile! But don't worry. Keep practicing this and you will learn how to smile."
"You…You…"I said pointing my fingers towards him "your problem is that you think you are very…"
"I know I am very sexy" he said cutting me short and held my hands.
I pulled my hands out of his grasp shocked. Oh my god! What is this stupid conversation leading to?
He sighed dramatically.
"But you are not my type," he laughed at my shocked expression. "But its okay. For now, you practice eeeee"
"Forget it. Sorry," I said running towards the door quickly so that he won't be able to stop me this time.
"One more time… hey, Barbie!" I could here him laughing.
The whole night I kept thinking. Was that idiotic Conner telling the truth? Have I really forgotten to smile?
I went over to the mirror and tried the best smile I could muster.
It was really disheartening to admit but I looked pathetic.
Sweet valley's weekly poll:
Has Elizabeth forgotten to smile?
Todd: Of course she hasn't. The last time she smiled was…ummm…uhh
Grandma: She will smile only during her wedding.
Todd: umm…ahhh…I…she…well…
Alice: Whenever she was with her father, she used to smile.
Todd: aaaa…hmmm…
Jessica: Shut up Todd. She has forgotten to smile.
Todd: Yeah Jess… But still…I think she smiled when… umm…Uhh… that…