FLASHBACKS ARE IN ITALICS
Chapter five
Piper POV - age 7
«Because you never let me know when you are coming home late, Bill!» I heard mom scream at dad who yet again had come home later than planned.
«Carol, you have to understand that it's not my fault that the meeting never ends!» dad screamed back at her.
This was the usual now. After dad had gotten the new job, which resulted in us having to move, they are constantly fighting. I hated it when they were arguing, and it wasn't like I could just try to ignore it either. They scream so loud, that their voices will just overwhelm my thoughts.
It wasn't like I had never heard my parents argue until some months prior, but I had never heard them argue this much nor this loud before. Sometimes I've wished they would just separate and the fighting would stop, but then I would stop my thinking immediately because I don't really want my parents to split up.
I am extremely glad that I don't have to go through my parents' arguing alone. I grabbed little Cal in the hand and guided us to Danny's room.
«You can excuse yourself for some minutes to call me and let me know!» mom screamed as I opened my bedroom-door to walk down the hallway to Danny's room.
«No, I can't. I can't just walk out of the meeting!» dad said as Cal and I made our move down the hall, where Danny just had opened his door and was waiting for us.
«It is always the same with you, isn't it Bill?!»
The second Cal and I entered Danny's room, he closed the door and we all sat down on his bed. It wasn't much we could do but wait until they calmed down. As we sat there, we could hear that they weren't calming down, but actually got more and more angrier. I turned to look at Danny, and I could see the fright in his eyes. Maybe this really was the turning point in their relationship?
There were only two occasions where the three of us would hide in Danny's room like this. The first is when it was a wasp in the living room and we had sent dad after it. And the second is when they are arguing. And I prefer the former anytime.
We sat like that for probably half an hour, and eventually, Cal got bored, so he jumped down from the bed to play with some of Danny's cars. But Danny and I kept sitting there because we understand the danger of their fighting. Little Cal is just four years old, so he doesn't quite understand what is going on, but Danny and I know. We know that it may not be a chance for mom and dad to keep on with their relationship when they are both hurting so much in it.
At some point, we could hear something shatter followed with a slam from the front door. Danny and I both turned to each other, but neither us know how to interpret it. Suddenly Danny got up from his bed and stormed out of the bedroom. I could hear him run down the stairs and eventually out the door. I got up from the bed to look out of Danny's window, and there I could see that Danny was in fact following after dad.
Piper POV - present day
I watched my reflection in the mirror, and I couldn't help but get a little nervous. It wasn't like I thought this was a date, but still, I did want to make an impression.
Hanging out with a girl like this was all new to me, but I had to remind myself that I was going out with Alex, and there was nothing to worry about. I love hanging out with her. Sometimes I will see her in the corridors on campus, and I would immediately calm down a little. She has that effect on me. She feels safe.
I am also worried about it getting awkward. Maybe we won't have anything to talk about? I don't think this is the case, because when I have talked to her prior, I haven't had to think about what to say, it just comes to me.
And what is she has forgotten it? Found something better to do than hanging out with me? I don't think is that kind of person, but I have been let down before.
«Are you ready?» Polly asked as she came into the dorm. «You look great,» she said and caught my eyes in the mirror.
«I think I am ready. Do I really look great?» I asked and turned towards her.
«Yes, you don't look too formal nor casual. Alex will love it,» she said and went over to her desk to pick up her phone.
«I have to go now though. Can't let the boys wait. But, if I am not here, please call me when you come home. Bye,» she said as she put on her jacket and left.
I took one last glance in the mirror and told myself that I looked okay. I wasn't wearing anything special. Just some skinny jeans and a top. Once I had told myself that everything would be okay, that I was just going to hang out with Alex and it would be fun, I made my way out of the dorm.
As I walked down the halls, I was met with many students who were on their way to their dorm to study after a long day of lectures. And as I walk towards the bench we had agreed to meet at, I could feel that I really needed this. I had spent a lot of nights studying, and even though I think studying is important, it is also important to have fun. This does not take over my worrying though since my worrying is shouting in a megaphone.
Eventually, I get out of the hall and let myself smell the air, and as I turn the corner and spot Alex sit on the bench, all my worries disappear and I walk over to her with a smile.
Alex POV - age 9
«Alex, honey! It is Christmas!» mom said as she entered my room and jumped into my bed.
«Mom, it is just 6 am. I need my sleep,» I said and took the pillow over my head.
«I know, but I can't wait anymore, so you have to wake up so we can start this day,» she said, pulled the pillow away from my head and started to pull me out of the bed. I opened my eyes to look at her, but it took a while for my eyes to adjust to the bright light. When I finally could see again, I could see the big smile on her face.
I know my mom has been working a lot this year to make enough for Christmas, and I know she doesn't want me to worry because I am just a child, but I do miss her on the evenings when she has to work, and seeing her this happy, make me happy.
«Okay,» I said and let her pull me out of the bed. When I entered the room, I was shocked by all the decorations she had put up. We don't usually decorate much for Christmas because we can't afford to, but it seems that we have had a little left to decorate with. I have never seen our apartment be this beautiful before, and we even have a Christmas tree!
«Mom, when did you do this?» I asked and turned in around to soak up the whole apartment. She had even decorated the walls with some of my drawings that it wasn't space for on the fridge.
«Tonight. I have managed to scrape in a little extra this year, and I just wanted to give you the best Christmas ever. You just wait until you see your present,» she said and pointed at a present under the tree. I went over the three and studied a present that was wrapped into some Christmas wrapper. I turned over to mom and gave her a big smile.
«But first breakfast. What do you want?» she asked and went into the kitchen area.
«Oatmeal and toast,» I said and followed her into the kitchen. I jumped onto the counter beside the stove as she put on the soundtrack from the Polar Express, which we had seen at the cinema last week.
«All aboard, all aboard!» I sang with the sang, while I watched as mom found the ingredients in the fridge and began to make the toast.
«Hot! Hot! Ohh, we got it! Hot! Hot! Hey, we got it! Hot! Hot! Say, we got it! Hot chocolate!» we sang shortly after. Mom had given me a wooden spoon for me to use as a microphone and she herself used the one she was cooking with.
«Oh, it's done!» my mom said and turned off the stove. I jumped down from the counter and put two slices of bread into the toaster. As my mom took two plates out of the cabinet, I sat down on of the stools at the counter and waited for my oatmeal.
«Are you all done, honey?» mom asked after a while. I nodded excitedly to her.
«Okay, go and sit on the couch, but don't you start without me!» she said and started to clean up the dishes.
I don't know what to expect in present this year. I haven't wished for a lot, but I hope it is something I can be happy about for many years. Honestly, I don't need many presents to have a great Christmas, all I want is for mom to be home. She usually works at least one shift every Christmas Day, but she has said she is not going to do that this year.
I am also excited to give her my present. I haven't been able to buy her something, but I have spent a lot of time to make her present this year, and I am hoping she will like it.
«Okay, honey,» she said as she came into the living room area. «Now you can start to dig in!»
I jumped down from the couch and easily found my present under the tree. I sat down on the floor as I opened my present.
«Harry Potter!» I said as I took the cover out from the wrapper. Mom had given me a library-card for my birthday the month prior, and I had been reading all of the books.
«It is a Harry Potter sweatshirt there too. I know how much you love the books,» she said and smiled down at me. I turned to look up at her before I jumped up to her and gave her a hug.
«Thank you, mom!» I said as I let her go, and examined the sweatshirt.
«Can I wear it today?»
«Of course you can! We should soon start to get ready to go to grandma and grandpa anyway, but we can watch the movie when we come home, okay?» she asked and got up from the couch and bent down to pick up the wrapper.
«Okay, your present is at grandma and grandpa's!» I shouted excitedly as I ran into my room to change and thinking of how this indeed was the best Christmas ever.
Alex POV - present day
«So where are we going?» Piper asked as we started to walk from campus.
«We are going to my favorite pizza place. It's not like the taste is so much better than other places', but their slices are huge!» I say as I guide us into Washington Square Park.
«Ohh, bigger than my head,»
«Bigger than New York,»
«I'll take your word for it,» she says.
«And if they aren't as big as you imagine, we'll just have to walk the streets of New York for the biggest slice of pizza,» I joke
«Sounds good to me,» she says and smiles towards me. It isn't one of the bigger smiles, like the ones I have seen before, but it is enough for me to feel butterflies in my stomach.
I have to be honest and say that I was a little nervous about tonight, but the second I saw her come around the corner, all my worries disappeared and was replaced with excitement.
«Ahh, Washington Square Park is just so beautiful,» she says and stops for a little second to take the in the sight. As she does, I watch her with joy. She is just so beautiful and I am not sure if she is even aware. Watching her taking in the sight of Washington Square Park, and see the spark in her blue eyes as she lands her eyes on the fountain, makes me smile of joy. If I could, I would stop the world right now and stop this moment, so I could enjoy it for some more minutes.
«You come here often?» I ask when we start to walk again.
«Not as often as I would like to. I run through the park some mornings though,» she says and smiles a little more as we pass the fountain.
«No park like this in Norway?»
«Not where I am from at least. All we had was a little area between the bus station and the doctor's office, but it wasn't a park, and besides, they turned it into a parking lot for some years ago.» I haven't lived in a small town before, but this seems exactly like the thing they would do.
«Maybe we should go to Central Park one day then,» I say, getting a little nervous for rejection.
«Yes, please,» she answered and smiled towards me. This time it was one of the big ones. «So where are these huge slices of pizza that you promised?»
Piper POV - age 6
«And maybe tomorrow we can go down to the beach,» Julia said as we lay in her bed. Her parents had told us to go to sleep for a long time ago, but we are too excited to go to sleep.
Julia has been my best friend since the first time I saw her in kindergarten. Since then we have been inseparable. We do everything together, and I can't imagine a life without Julia in it.
«And maybe after the beach, we can go to the library-bus. It comes on Wednesdays, remember?» I said, thinking of all the fun things we will be doing this summer. This is the last summer before we start 1st grade. I am looking so much forward to start school, and I am so happy that I will be in the same class as Julia.
«Maybe they still have the book you were looking at last week,» Julia said and turned to face me.
«I hope so,» I said and turned towards her and closed my eyes. After some minutes I am ripped out of my thoughts by someone ringing the doorbell. Both me and Julia open our eyes and look at each other in the wonder of who could be at the door this late.
«I am here to pick up Piper,» I heard the voice of my mother say downstairs. This made me even more confused because I was supposed to stay over until tomorrow.
«The girls are sleeping, Carol,» Julia's mother said. I am trying to hear what my mother answers, but I can't make anything out before someone is coming up the stairs.
«Piper, your mother is here to pick you up, honey,» Julias's mother said and opened the door. «I think you should come down and say good-bye to Piper, sweetheart,» she said and gave us a little smile.
Julia and I do as she said and went down. As we reached Julia's front door, I could see my mother stand there waiting for me. Behind her I could see our car, which was packed with stuff and dad, Danny and Cal were sitting there too.
When I was close enough, mom grabbed my arm and pulled me towards her. «Come on Piper, we have to leave now.»
«But, why?» I asked mom.
«Because I said so,» mom answered and I could feel that she was getting impatient. I hate it when mom says that.
«I think you should give Piper a good good-bye hug, sweetie,» Julia's mother said and gave me a warm smile.
Julia stepped towards me and hugged me. I don't know why, but I feel like this is a moment that I will remember for a long time. With my mother coming here and the car packed, I don't think something good will come out of that.
«Good-bye, Piper. I'll see you tomorrow right?» Julia said as she let me go.
«I don't think so,» my mom said cold and started to drag me after her, but I was doing my best to not let her take me too far.
«Why mom?» I asked her, but I didn't get an answer.
«Good-bye Piper,» Julia's mother said and gave me a little wave. I waved back at her and whispered «bye» as my mother pulled me outside. As I turned around to follow after mom, I could hear Julia say; «Mommy, why does Piper have to go?» And I could hear the sound of Julia's mother's voice answer her, but I couldn't hear what she answered.
«Okay, drive,» mom said as she sat down in the passenger's seat, and dad started the engine. I watched as the threes were rushing past, and I could only hope that that wasn't the last time I would see Julia.
Piper POV - present day
«So, what do you want?» Alex asks me when we are seated.
«What is great here?» I ask wanting to know more of her preferences and, of course, what actually is the best here.
«I love the pepperoni one, but the artichoke is also great» she answers and doesn't even look at the menu. I guess she already knows what she wants.
«I'll try the artichoke.»
«Excellent choice,» she says, and orders to a waiter that comes just a few seconds later.
«So, are you living the American dream yet?» she asks as the waiter leaves our table.
«Yeah, I really do. I can feel my success is just around the corner.»
«Haha, good, 'cause I don't want your stay here would be all for nothing,»
«Maybe it won't be after all,» I say and smile to her. We aren't long into our night, but I am already enjoying myself. Even if this meal would turn out not as great as she is saying it will be, I will think of this night as a winner, because I was sealed the second we stepped into Washington Square Park.
In the corner of my eye, I can see the waiter come towards our table, and when she gets closer, I can already tell that this meal is going to be great.
«Wow, they are really big,» I say and study the huge slice of pizza in front of me.
«I told you,» she said and picked up her slice, but it appeared warm so she laid it down again. «Guess we don't have to walk the streets of New York after all,»
«Bummer,» I say picking it up and giving it a small blow before I take a bite. I can see that she is watching me and waiting for some reaction from my side.
«Wow, and it tastes good. Alex, what kind of place is this?»
«Just the best,» she says and take a bite too.
Alex POV - age 13
High school. The day was here. The day I am starting high school. I have been dreading this day since I started middle school. I hated middle school. All the other people there were rude and called me names like «pigsty». It had been good in elementary school, but apparently, during the summer to middle school, everyone had decided that I was worthless then them.
I am not looking forward to this at all, and honestly, I just want to be home. But I am here. Sitting on this chair on the first day of high school. Mom had told me to just ignore the others when they shouted names after me, and that I just had to get through the next four years and then I didn't have to see any of them ever again. But it is not that simple. It is not simple to ignore someone who is being rude to you, it is almost impossible.
«Hi everyone, I am Headmaster Miller, and I would like you to go down here when I read your name, and then you will follow the teacher into your main classroom.» the Headmaster said and started to read up names from his list.
Eventually, he read my name and I had to stand up and follow after this teacher that we were told to follow after. She led us to a classroom and asked us to sit down. I sat down at one of the tables in the back of the classroom. A little while after, there came a girl and sat down beside me. Great, I thought. Here we go. But the girl didn't say anything rude, she just looked at me for some seconds before she smiled and reached out her hand to me.
«Nicky Nichols, but just call me Nichols,» she said as I gave her my hand.
«Alex Vause,» I said, and smiled at her.
«I'll be calling you Vause then, Vause,» she said and took back her hand.
«Call me whatever you want,» I told her, kinda afraid she would call me pigsty as the other girls, but I doubt she knows that is something people call me because I don't recognize her from middle school.
«So, when do you think we can go home?» she asked and put her legs on the table. A few minutes in, and I am already starting to think that this girl isn't so bad.
«Soon, hopefully,» I answered her. Right after the teacher came in again, she closed the door and started to talk.
Alex POV - present day
As we walk home, I manage to build up the confidence to lay an arm around her. She looks up at me and smiles before she snuggles closer to me. I smile and gently kiss the top of her head.
As nervous as I was at the beginning of the night, I had no need to be. Our conversation has never been awkward and I have learned a lot about her. She has told me a little about her family, about her home town, and about some of her friends that she misses the most. She has also told me that she enjoys watching movies and series, but not as much as she enjoys reading. And she has told me about how much she loved to play at the local handball team, but she had to quit because she simply didn't have as much time to it when she started her last year at high school.
In return, I have told her about my family, well my mom. And I have told her a little about Nicky and said that she has to meet her one day. And then, for the most part, we debated who of us were the best to quote different series, and she won when she quoted a whole scene from The Office.
As I walk down the streets with Piper, I can't argue that my mother was right yesterday when she said that I have never smiled this much before, in fact, I have never been this happy before, and I know my happiness comes from spending time with the girl beside me.
«I've had fun tonight,» Piper says as we reach her dorm. «I would like to invite you in, but my dorm mate is home.»
«Don't think about it, we'll see each other on Saturday, right?»
«Yes, for our studying,» she says and smiles.
«Don't be disappointed when you learn that I am not as smart as you.»
«You should start and give yourself some more credit. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.»
«Thanks, Christopher Robin,» I say and smile at her.
«Your welcome. Guess I should get inside…»
«Yeah…» I say a little sadder than planned.
As she turned to open the door, I reach for her hand and drew her closer. When she was as close as I wanted her, I spent a few seconds just to look into her gorgeous eyes, trying to read if this was something she wanted. When I was certain that she wouldn't pull away, I placed one hand under her chin and I placed my free hand on the side of her waist and used it to pull her body even closer to mine. I watched in anticipation as she bit her underlip while she placed her hands around my neck before I closed the gap between us.
My lips meet her soft ones. Turns out that I have really missed the taste of her lips. Our kiss isn't as rough as it was on Friday, but it was more intimate and passionate. I moved both my hands to cup her head. After minutes which really does feel like some seconds, I break our kiss because of lack of breadth. I get the chance to look at her at this exact moment, and god she had never looked more beautiful than in this precise moment. Her makeup is almost gone, her lips are swollen and her hair a little messy. If I had a camera with me, I would defiantly have taken a picture to appreciate her beauty later.
«Night, Alex,» she says and gives me her gorgeous smile.
«Night, Pipes,» I say and let her go. I watch as she goes inside before I turn around and walk home.
When I come home, mom is already asleep on the couch, so I pull the blanket over her before I go into my bedroom. I check my phone for the first time this evening, and I see a lot of messages from Sylvie, and some missed calls. I guess this is the right time, so I call her back, but it goes straight to voicemail.
«Hey, Sylvie, it's me, we have to talk…»
A/N: So, what do you think? I decided to focus more on some episodes from the girls past instead of their date, hope you're not disappointed, but I can promise you that there will be more dates in the future. Comment what you thought of this chapter, and hopefully, there will be an update next week.
Ha det!