Chapter twenty-two - Friendship
It was approaching seven o'clock when the black station wagon pulled into the Noel's driveway. The sky above was painted midnight blue, all earlier traces of orange and violet had faded at sunset. Kathleen thanked Dr Hager for the lift as she stepped out of the car and breathed in the suburban scent of freshly cut lawns and petrol. It was the oddest mix but strangely comforting. Homely, she thought vaguely ringing the doorbell.
"KAT!" A blonde blur launched herself at the guest, knocking the air from her lungs.
"Nance" she wheezed, "I love you but get off. I can't breathe."
Biting her lip, she let go,"oopsie." Kathleen rolled her eyes and pulled her friend into a calmer hug and then turned to greet the hosts - who she realised were absent.
"They went out" explained Nancy reading the brief look of confusion on her face, "they got a call about an auction in Burlington, apparently some rare paintings are up for sale. They rushed off about twenty minutes ago with instructions" she shrugged, "that dinner is in the oven and don't burn the house down."
"Sounds manageable."
"Not when you come in here" she said leading Kat into the kitchen, "we've been left on dinner duty while we continue baking our snacks." She gestured to the kitchen island where Chris and an unfamiliar girl were kneading dough.
"Hey, Kat!" Beamed Chris, waggling a flour covered hand in greeting, "this is Ginny."
"Hi" Ginny waved.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you" Kathleen smiled.
"Now that's out of the way, it's time to muck in if you want to eat" Nancy donned a white, heart printed apron and threw a striped pink one at Kat, who caught it and slipped it on. "You can chop the carrots while I sort the potato salad" she pushed her brunette friend over to the chopping board and left her to the task, chatting to the group about which icon they could be.
"She's been taking quizzes all day" whispered Chris as she put a tray of cookies in the oven.
"And honestly, I knew didn't need a quiz to tell me that Chris is our resident Grace Kelly" Nancy chattered on, "just look at the fair beauty, all classy and dignified. But I didn't picture you as a Jackie Kennedy" she tilted her head at Ginny, "but I see it now."
"And you are Marilyn Monroe" guessed Kat as she tipped the chopped carrot pieces into a pan of boiling water.
"That was a given" she grinned, "but who are you?"
"Audrey Hepburn?" Offered Chris.
"No, Kat's too tall" Nancy clucked scrutinising her friend.
"Katherine Hepburn?" Tried Ginny.
"Lauren Bacall? Kat guessed but Nancy shook her head.
"Both are good, but I feel like you'd be smashing Jane Russell!" She settled finishing the salad.
"How very 'Gentleman prefer blondes'" responded Kat drily, knowing the soft spot her friend had for the movie.
"Oh, yes!" she twirled around to grab the wooden spoon from the draw on her left. "You are the Dorothy to my Lorelai. The Jane to my Marilyn." She began humming and spinning around the kitchen, taking her cousin with her.
"A kiss on the hand may be quite continental" she sang.
"But diamonds are a girl's best friend" the others joined, "A kiss may be grand... but it won't pay the rental on your humble flat
Or help you at the automat..." They danced unaware that Chris' younger brother was stood in the doorway in his pyjamas staring at the laughing girls.
"Did you steal Father's whiskey again?" He asked.
"Alex!" Yelped Chris.
"Woah, Alexander Noel" cried Nancy ruffling the nine-year-olds hair "you have to fill me in later."
"Okay" he shrugged, "I wanted to know how long dinner will be. I'm hungry."
"Not long, sweetie" Chris promised plating up a portion "in fact, you can have it now." She handed him a tray and placed his full plate, cutlery and a juice box on it.
"Thanks" he smiled as Nancy discreetly handed him a jam tart from the treat cupboard.
"It's fine, now run along" she grinned. And sure enough, his footfalls were heard on the stairs and his bedroom door slammed shut.
"Just remember to remove the evidence that we let him eat up there" Chris said serving the rest of the meals. "Now eat and bake, girls. If we want treats for later we'll have to get them in the oven before eight."
"Hey, Chris" called Ginny, scooping up a handful of flour "think fast." Chris turned around, lifting the spatula to her face just in time to shield herself from most of the flour, but some of the white powder still coated her shoulders and clumped in her hair.
"Gin" she whined "not again."
"I told you that I would get you back!" She cackled, ducking as her disgruntled friend launched a spoonful back at her.
"I told you things aren't manageable" Nancy smirked, "I'm up for round two" and with that, she lunged for the bag of flour which had been left on the countertop.
"Don't you dare!" Kat cried, holding up a large saucepan for cover as she backed away from Nancy, straight through the middle of the combat zone.
"No safety there, Kitty Kat" Nancy called throwing a handful at her friend but missed and hit Chris instead.
"EVERY WOMAN FOR HERSELF!" Shouted Ginny ducking into the pantry as Chris turned her assault upon her cousin, dusting Kat with a light frosting of flour in the process, triggering a full-scale war in the kitchen which continued until all had decided upon a truce due exhaustion. Not only was the kitchen a mess, with flour coating the room like snow; the girls themselves were not better. Their aprons had done little to protect their clothing and the make shift saucepan helmets hadn't kept their hair safe either.
Once the aftermath of the 'Great baking fight of 59' - as Ginny had dubbed the food fight - was sufficiently cleaned up, the four girls trudged upstairs with the plate of cookies which had been safely warming in the oven during the worst of the battle. They cleaned themselves up and changed into their pyjamas before settling down in Chris' bedroom, laying on the floor amongst the cushions for a well-deserved pamper session. The conversation turning to the upcoming party and subsequently, dates.
"On the topic of dates, how would Knox feel about meeting a friend of ours?" Chris asked. "Jennifer Tipperton is a senior at Ridgeway, nice girl but a little lonely in love, so Gin and I thought we'd introduce them at the party."
"Oh, I can ask but I don't think he's, err" she searched for the right words "...looking for love at the moment" Kat replied.
"I thought so too but they wouldn't listen" Nancy added petulantly, "he didn't seem like the type to blind date to me."
"You're right" Kat laughed, sharing a look with her best friend but upon catching the disappointed faces of her new friends decided to try a more diplomatic approach, "but I'm sure he won't object to company, even if he wanted to. He's too much of a gentleman to complain. He wouldn't want to disappoint you, Chris."
"He really wouldn't mind? I know I probably should have asked you both before arranging anything-"
"Both?"
"Yes, we um-" she exchanged a guilty look with Ginny, "we sort of, well. We took it upon ourselves to arrange dates for the newcomers to the ridgeway social scene."
"What Chris is trying to confess, is that she set you, Knox and I up with locals for the party" Nancy explained, "conveniently, I was only told this morning. As if I would object!"
"We knew you wouldn't" Chris rolled her eyes, "but you Welton folk are so elusive to us townies, we hardly mix and we know you're attached to Knox's friend-"
"Attached?" Kat choked out, dropping the rollers that she had been trying to arrange into her damp hair "to who?"
"Charlie" Nancy said nonchalantly.
"We're not-" she shook her head, "why does everyone assume that we're a thing!?"
"You're always together, you always talk about each other, you argue with him, the whole Fraser jealousy incident..." Nancy listed.
"That wasn't jealousy, that was a misguided attempt to help."
"To an outsider, that list sounds like evidence" Ginny laughed.
"Of friendship!"
"Oh, Honey" Nancy shook her head, "you've got it so bad and you don't even know it."
"No, I have not" she said indignantly chucking the floral cushion that she was sat on at the blonde; who burst out laughing at the sight of the blush which stained the cheeks of her attacker.
"It's only one date" Ginny cut in, flipping through her magazine "to us lowly folk a first date is a tester. Like viewing the trailer before committing to watch the movie" she looked pointedly at Kathleen "it's not a marriage proposal or a family alliance. We actually live in this decade."
"Exactly!" Exclaimed Chris, "Ginny and I have handpicked the best of ridgeway for you two. He's cute, so have fun."
"Come on" whined Nancy as she threw the cushion back, "this is the perfect opportunity to prove us wrong."
"Now I'm listening."
"Of course, you are, Kitty Kat" she smirked, "if you go on this date and find yourself wishing it's that troublesome rich boy. You can face the facts and make out with him already." She held up a hand to stop Kathleen - who was already muttering a variety of unladylike words under her breath - from protesting. "I'm not finished yet" she tutted, "and if you enjoy yourself without thinking about him than we'll shut it. Alright?"
"Fine" Kathleen threw her hands up in surrender "I'll go to the party with this...Wait, what is his name?"
"Thomas Baker" supplied Chris.
"This Thomas Baker" agreed Kat.
"Excellent" beamed Chris high-giving Nancy, "he'll pick you up from mine on Friday at seven."
"Maybe this will knock some sense into you" mused Ginny, "from what Nancy has said it's obvious to us that you like him. Oh, Nance! That colour is divine, pass it over."
"I can't like Charlie."
"Why not?" asked Nancy sliding her eyeshadow palette over to Ginny.
"Because he's a deviant?" Joked Ginny, sweeping the brush over the latte coloured powder.
"Because he's one of my best friends."
"So? You have several guy friends" Nancy probed, "what's the difference."
"Each friendship is different. With Todd it's easy, secret sharing, exploring the school, and then with Neil it's discussions about books, advice or helping Todd. Knox is just...fun" Kathleen's eyes flickered over to Chris, "but Charlie doesn't have a category" she explained, staring at the pearlescent pink polish shimmering on her toenails, "he's a mix of everything. The only thing we don't talk about is me leaving. He tried once but I couldn't and I-I don't know. It's different to the others, always has been but I can't explain it."
"Because you like him."
Kathleen remained silent.
"Oh my!" Chris shuffled over to wrap an arm around her shoulders, "I know that look, you didn't let yourself consider that until now."
"Are those words spoken from experience, dear cousin?"
Chris bit her lip, "considerations are not confirmations" she said carefully."
"Please ditch my idiot brother" moaned Ginny, "I would love you to be my sister-in-law but don't tie yourself down to him. He'll turn out like Father, I know he will and I can stand that in my brother but not in the husband of my best friend!"
"Ginny...he won't" she sighed, "he vowed that he wouldn't."
Nancy and Kathleen shared a look of confusion.
"My Father" spat Ginny, "drinks too much and spends time with women half his age and he doesn't even have the decency to be discreet about it anymore. Chet already does stupid drunk shit and I don't see that getting better. He's a good brother and a good friend but he doesn't deserve you Chris."
It was Chris' turn to fall quiet, eventually saying in a measured tone "I like him, Gin. But if there is ever someone I could like more, than I promise to break it off. But right now, I like Chet."
"That's sensible" Kat agreed, casting a worried glance over at Ginny.
"That's progress, at least" the younger girl muttered, "now try the lilac nail polish for once."
"No more boy-talk" announced Nancy, waving around a magazine "I for one want to know which planet represents me. Whose up for a quiz?"
It's June already! I can't believe this story has been going for nine months now :D
I thought it was time to give the girls some time to shine, although it was hard to think of what girls did in the 50s at sleepovers...
I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you think! I love hearing your theories about what you think will happen .