POSTAGE!!
I was standing at the doors of the school, waiting to be picked up by my father for Thanksgiving break. The girls dorms would be finished the day after we came back. I shoved my hands deeper into the pockets of the new overcoat with the Welton crest on it, trying to keep them warm in the November nip. Anderson had reminded me as his parents picked him up of our bargain. I was to retrieve the Dead Poets book if my father indeed harbored it. Rob wasn't standing all that far off, equally cold. He'd become silent in the past few weeks. I think because of that one day. He was the eternal gentleman about everything; polite, conservative and calm. He was looking down on his shoes as he paced to and fro with a steady scuff. I picked up my bag and walked over to where he was. Sitting on my bag I asked what was wrong.
"Hhm? Oh, nothing. I was just thinking." He stopped pacing and looked up at the sky. "If we're going to do this…I mean is it right? We could get thrown out, or in serious trouble."
"You don't have to be in." I reminded him.
"I know. I'm just not daring the way Anderson is, or stupid like Sean and Danny."
"And what does that make me?" I wanted to know. Rob sat down on his suitcase too. Rubbing his leather clad hands together, he replied, "I dunno, I'm bit afraid to answer that one."
"Coward." I muttered. My father's car was coming, I could hear it. It was a '69 Grand Prix in bronze and that sucker was loud. It rumbled up the drive followed by a quiet sedan. I stood and gathered my belongings up as the Prix came to a halt. Rob was tucking in his scarf as the sedan slowed as well. I called to him to have a nice holiday as I slid in the Prix. Dad was staring in the rearview mirror at the driver of the sedan. He swung his head around to look out the back of the car. He jumped out and walked over to the other vehicle. He the driver of the opposing car were soon talking and laughing like old school buddies. That's because they were.
"Lottie! Lottie, come here!" Dad called. "I want you to meet Mr. Overstreet! Hey, that rhymed!"
I got out of my spot and reminded my father that my name was Charlie. Mr. Overstreet, a man in his mid forties with brown hair that was tinged with gray and a kind smile, was Rob's father. My roommate was sitting in the front of the car, waiting to leave.
"So, Charlie you like to be called? Fits since your father called himself 'Nuwanda'." Mr. Overstreet said as he shook my hand. "Have you met my son, Rob? He's sitting there all clammed up."
"He's my roommate." I said cheerfully. Mr. Overstreet raised his eyebrows in question. "Really?"
"Oh yes," I assured him. "The girls dorms aren't useable, so they fit us in with the boys. I share a room with Robert." I told him with a smile. Mr. Overstreet seemed amused at this fact as his son tried to disappear into the leather interior of the front seat. I smiled and waved at him as he sank further into it. Then the two adults began a conversation I didn't feel like following. I looked at Rob and laughed. I walked over to his window and tapped on it. He lowered it, rolling his eyes. The wind blew my loose hair around as I leaned in. "What's wrong?" I asked.
"I want to go home. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"You look like you're about to die in there." I pointed out.
"Nmph." Was his answer. I shook my head and stood up. Rob rolled the window up and went back to silence. My dad was motioning for me to get in the car. His trademark mischief grin was stuck on his face. "He's cute."
"Hhm?"
"Your roommate."
"Aw, Dad! He's a bore. Stick in the mud."
"Bet you like him."
"GOOD GOD! Listen to yourself."
"I'm just watching you blush Lottie." (The truth was, I'd been yelling and had run out air. I had turned red.)
Dad swung the car onto the highway. The engine roared even louder, if that was possible. We only stayed on the highway for about fifteen minutes before Dad ducked off into a small town. I didn't say anything, but I was perplexed. This certainly wasn't our stop. I glanced in the mirror and saw the Overstreet's sedan following closely. "Where're we going?"
"Knox invited me over for a bit."
"Do we have to?"
"Yes." Dad said as he let the sedan pass. We followed it into a suburban area. The houses were neat, the lawns trimmed and the sidewalks clean. The sedan pulled into a sedate looking whit house with black shutters. Dad put the Prix in the street in front of it. I got out of the car and leaned against it. My dad was rummaging through the trunk. He tossed me some of my street clothes. Mr. Overstreet told his son to take me inside to meet his mother. I followed Rob up the tidy walkway.
The house was warm and smelled of something baking. Rob shrugged off his overcoat and unwound his scarf, sniffing the sweet smell on the air. I stood like a living afterthought in the neat living room. Mrs. Overstreet, blonde and quite pretty, attacked her son with a hug before she noticed me. When she did, I was given a similar treatment, like I was a long lost child of hers. She showed me to the bathroom where I could slip out of my school togs.
My dad had brought some of my favorite clothes. I had my best pair of black jeans and my purple t-shirt with the three yellow stripes across the front. And my boots, the black ones. After changingI wandered into a kitchen and was treated to chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven. It was like walking into a story this place. I made no complaints as I ate my way through four scrumptious cookies. There was a clattering on the stairs. Mrs. Overstreet and I looked up to see what. It was Rob (go figure) in regular dress. He was pulling on a coat and heading out the door. His mother stopped him.
"Where are you going honey?" she asked. I sniggered into my plate.
"To Katie's. I promised her the second I got back-
"Why don't you take Charlie with you and introduce her to all your friends?"
Rob protested and I nearly choked on my cookies. "What?!" we both said at the same time. Still, Chris Overstreet makes a good argument and soon I was back in my Welton jacket heading down the street trying to keep up with Rob. I jogged a bit to catch up, my boots thudded loudly on the pavement.
"Who's Katie?" I asked.
"My girlfriend." He answered.
"Oh." I said. I then merely kept to the shadows as he greeted this Katie at her house. She was a fair bit happy to see Rob. Katie was the kind of girl that just screamed cheerleader. She had bouncy blonde hair and an equally bouncy mood. They did the usual couple trade off. I was leaning on a tree and was going to head back when Katie noticed me.
"Robby, who's that?" she asked in a sweet girly voice. I snickered as she used one of the names that I had been forbidden from using. Rob set a touch of a pained look on his face. "My roommate." He answered.
"But you said your roommate's name was Charlie, silly, that's a girl." I rolled my eyes and walked over to the other girl. I stuck out my hand. "Charlie Dalton." I said. Katie shook her head. "No, no. That's a boy's name. You're a girl." I think the hair spray fumes might have gone to her head.
"My name is Charlotte, my nickname is Charlie." I said in a still amiable tone. She looked at Rob, then at me. "You've been sharing your room with a girl?" With a grimace, Rob nodded. Katie didn't seem all that pleased, but still, she offered that we go for something to eat. I was invited. It was short walk and a short cut to the local pizza parlor. I ordered a small pizza, the lovebirds ordered a plate of pasta. Spaghetti in fact, how cheesy could you get? I'd never seen Rob be so affectionate, and truth be told, it was scaring me. They sat in one side of the booth, I sat as far away on the other side as I possibly could. As they split the pasta, I scarfed down my pizza. Mm…real food. The cheese, the crust, oh how I missed real food! They were giggling like school children as I polished off my final slice. I threw down my share on the table and left, I doubt they noticed. I wasn't five steps from the restaurant before something flared up.
I know you must think I have chronic trouble issues. Well, yes a little, but not that much, trouble just sort of finds me. Today it found me in the way of group of guys, probably thinking because they hadn't seen me around before, that I would find them irresistable. Hm, yeah right. I continued walking with them forming a circle and making cat calls for quite a while. But when their leader grabbed my shoulders, I'd had it. I kicked him, hard, between his legs. Needless to say, that certainly didn't go over very well with any of them. Not very well at all. Thank god I had a bit of a head start.
I was soon running back into the shop with some pretty mad boys behind me. Rob and Katie weren't confused for long as I dove behind their booth.
"What the hell is going on?" Rob asked when the mob tramped in. I smiled weakly. "What did you do?"
He and Katie consented to hiding me until the coast was clear. When it was, I thanked them and ran. I found my way back easily enough and was lucky to find my dad ready to leave.
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My father and I were driving home in silence. He suddenly grinned. "What did you do?"
I looked at my booted feet and shuffled them about. "Nothin'."
"That means you did something."
"Nothin'."
"Fine, you don't tell me. I'll probably find out sooner or later anyway."
I sucked in a breath to steel my courage. Might as well get my mission over with now. "Dad?"
"Hm?"
"I was wondering…"
"Yes?"
"Could you tell me about the Dead Poets Society again?"
la la la la la… goo goo dolls today peoples. Relly relly good songs. Might use one later, maybe. I dunno. Read and review! – Druidess
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NEIL: Why'd you leave Balincrest? TODD: My brother went here. NEIL: Oh, so you're that Anderson