Kaitlin and I arrived home after a date. It felt like forever since we had been on a regular date. It was also a lot easier to go out with her living next door again because I didn't have to worry about keeping her out too late.
"So why did we go to a showing of Titanic?" Kaitlin asked.
"I've never seen it before." I answered. "I thought seeing Kate Winslet naked would be more interesting than it was."
"She's an okay actress, but her body really isn't all that great." Kaitlin agreed. "I think you have bigger boobs than her."
"So, there's only one more day left in this year." I reminded her. "We need to come up with our plans."
"Well we need to make sure that Marissa stays sober." She pointed out.
"I know that, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun." I declared. "I would say it's been a pretty good year."
"Yeah, if you take the divorces, bankruptcy and drug overdoses out." Kaitlin quipped. "I did meet this amazing girl and I did get my first job, so I guess that balances out."
"And I've had a great year because of the brunette that lives next and the people that live in this house." I remarked.
"So, what do you wanna do?" She asked me.
"Let's decide in the morning." I suggested. "I wouldn't mind a normal party for a change. I'd prefer it if nothing happened."
"So, does Rose have any idea which girl she's going to choose?" She questioned.
"We haven't really talked about it. I've been trying to tune out her rambling." I explained. "She does talk about them a lot."
"I love you." She declared. I was a bit surprised by that. I knew I was supposed to say it back to her. For some reason, I couldn't form the words in my mouth.
"Me too." I replied. She stared at me.
"I don't need you to say it right now." She declared.
"I do feel the same, but I just can't say the words." I told her. At that point, Julie turned on the lights and I realized that she needed to go. Kaitlin went inside of her house. At least I didn't say something stupid like 'Thank you.'. I did love her. I just couldn't say it to her. I then walked into the pool house and sighed.
"I love you. Why can't I say it to her?" I asked myself aloud.
"Saying it is easy. Meaning it is something different entirely." A woman with curly blonde hair wearing one of my tanks and panties interrupted. What the fuck? "Who are you?"
"Long story, who the fuck are you?" I questioned. How did she get in?
"It doesn't work like that, Babe." She said. "This is my pool house."
"Actually, it's my pool house." I argued with authority. I was still very confused by the situation.
"I guess this is yours then." She declared before putting on a seductive tone. "Do you want it back?"
"I'm good." I replied with a blush. What was it that made adult women want to hit on me so much? It was at that point that something clicked in my head. "You're Kirsten's sister, Hailey, aren't you?"
"I'm surprised that she remembers that I exist." Hailey commented.
"She didn't say that you would be here." I replied.
"She doesn't know I'm here." She said. "We can talk about this in the morning. I hear that the couch is comfortable."
She then gave me a pillow and pushed me out. I couldn't believe that I just got kicked out of my own room.
That morning, Rose woke me on the couch. I didn't even have time to put my nightgown on and had to use water instead of makeup remover, so I probably looked like a mess.
"Did you get drunk last night?" She asked. I had only been drunk once since I got here.
"No, your aunt kicked me out of the pool house." I explained.
"Hailey's here? Awesome!" She declared before she ran out of the kitchen before I could get a word in. I sighed as Sandy and Kirsten entered the kitchen.
"What are you talking about?" Kirsten inquired.
"Did you not notice Rhiannon sleeping on the couch?" Rose asked her parents.
"Why is she here?" Kirsten inquired as I leaned over the sink. I didn't like being seen without makeup, even though I knew that I didn't look like a boy.
"Either she's run out of money, or she's run out of money." Sandy answered.
"Hey guys, look who's back." Hailey declared as she entered the kitchen in the same state of dress.
"Sandy, robe now." Kirsten commanded as he wrapped his robe around her. For some reason, it was okay for him to be in his underwear.
"Happy New Year, everyone!" Hailey shouted.
"We would have picked you up from wherever you were." Kirsten said.
"Yeah, it was late, and my phone got shut off." Hailey answered. It seemed like she was out of money. How was she out of money? Her dad was rich.
"So you're going to be staying with us for some time?" Kirsten asked. Hailey just shrugged. "I'm going to make up the guest room. Bedding, sheets, now."
"Married 17 years and the first thing to go is complete sentences." Sandy quipped as he got up and gave Hailey a hug. "Welcome back."
"So looks like you're not my nephew anymore." Hailey remarked.
"Yeah, estrogen happened." Rose answered. I couldn't help but wonder why I wasn't in the pool house taking a shower or at least putting on makeup. "I have boobs now."
"So, who's the new friend?" Hailey asked like I wasn't even there.
"That's actually your new niece, Rhiannon." Rose explained. "It's a long story."
"So, it's New Year's Eve. Any boys you want to kiss?" Hailey questioned. I wasn't sure why people thought that just because you're transgender, you also like boys.
"Girls, actually, and yes there's two of them." Rose replied. "But I'll probably do whatever Rhiannon and Kaitlin do."
"Kaitlin. I know that name. She lives next door, right?" Hailey questioned. Rose nodded. "It sounds like they won't be doing anything because of three words that Rhiannon couldn't say."
"You weren't there. You have no idea what's going on." I replied defensively.
"Wait, did Kaitlin say that she loved you?" Rose asked. I nodded. "What did you say?"
"Me too." I responded as Hailey giggled. "It's not like I don't love her. I just had a little bit of trouble saying it."
"And you probably don't want me around." Rose responded. "It looks like it's Seacrest and the ball dropping…those are two things that shouldn't be said in the same sentence."
"Well I'm going to take a shower in the pool house." I announced. I then looked at Hailey. "All of your stuff better be gone before I get out."
After I was done, I stepped out of the shower and wrapped myself in a towel and saw that Kaitlin was there.
"You're in a towel." She stated.
"I think you should leave because I don't want you to see anything." I declared.
"I don't care what you have between your legs, Rhiannon." She told me.
"Well I do," I argued.
"I actually came to tell you that Marissa got invited to a party tonight and said that we could come." She explained as I grabbed a floral dress and leggings.
"I thought we didn't get invited to parties anymore." I remarked from the bathroom.
"It's this girl she met in therapy." Kaitlin explained. "It's at the Four Seasons."
"I guess we don't have plans." I replied as she finished putting my underwear on. "But should we really go to her place if Marissa met her in therapy?"
"You go to therapy." She pointed out.
"Yeah, but that's different, I have to see a therapist as part of my treatment." I argued.
"Marissa hasn't talked to me since I moved out. Did you have another idea?" She questioned as I came out wearing the clothes.
"Are you mad because I didn't say…those words I didn't say?" I asked.
"Well I do think that, no pressure, if you could say them tonight, it would super-romantic." She remarked. That did put a lot of pressure on me. She then took a seat on my couch. "So, what's new?"
"My never-before-seen aunt showed up last night." I replied. "She kicked me out of here."
"I really want to go to this party." She said. "How about we do this tonight and you can pick our next date?"
"Fine." I agreed. "But if she's a serial killer, we're leaving. Also, I'm bringing Rose along."
That night, I went to see if Rose was ready. I was wearing the same outfit with a pair of black flats and a black ruffled jacket.
She seemed to be looking for her shoes. She wasn't even a girl that had a lot of shoes. How hard could it to find the right ones?
"Is there anything you two need?" Kirsten asked as she walked into the kitchen.
"Rhiannon needs a time machine to go back and tell Kaitlin that she loves her." Rose joked. Kirsten then left.
"It's not a big deal. I'm gonna tell her tonight." I declared. I really hoped that I would.
"What are you two doing here?" Hailey asked. "You shouldn't be here."
That was not suspicious at all.
"We were about to leave, but Rose can't find her shoes." I told her.
"Then take some of mine." Hailey replied. She really wanted us to leave. I was starting to get more suspicious.
"I just remembered that I left them in the bathroom." Rose declared. She went and put them on before I opened the door and saw a bunch of rowdy people. Well, it looked like my aunt was a troublemaker. I didn't think that I would be able to leave. I would also need to lock the pool house to keep drunk idiots out.
"What do we do?" I asked Rose as I noticed some drunk guys skinny-dipping in the pool.
"We can't leave Hailey here. The place will get trashed. She's insane." Rose replied.
Why was it that trouble always seemed to find me? I tried really hard to be a good person and I was pretty sure that I was, but it seemed like there was always drama wherever I went. You know I couldn't help but think that Hailey was like a grown-up version of Marissa or at least whatever Marissa turn into if she didn't get her act together. I still didn't know how Hailey could be out of money. Did her dad not give her any?
"Tell her that she can't have the party." I suggested.
"I don't want to be the mom here." She responded. "Telling my aunt she can't have a party is embarrassing."
"You share blood with her." I argued.
"Yeah, but Cohens are notorious for avoiding conflict, while Atwoods love it." She stated. I then took out my student ID.
"Rhiannon Cohen." I read. "Fuck it. I'll tell her so we can get out of here."
However, I decided that I should call Kaitlin first and let her know where I was. It was the right thing to do in case she was worried.
"So, a party kind of broke out at my house because of my crazy aunt." I told her. "I don't know how to tell her to stop."
"Is that really your problem?" Kaitlin questioned. "This party is really nice."
"I don't want to leave and not have a place to come back to." I pointed out.
"Do you want me to drive over there and help you?' She asked.
"I don't think you should be driving." I said. She wouldn't have an excuse if she got stopped again. "Though, while you're still on the line, there's something I want to tell you."
"It works better if you say it in person." She cut me off. "I can come in a cab if you want me to."
"Just let me tell Hailey the party's over and I'll be right there." I promised before I hung up.
I went upstairs and heard Hailey talking about how she owed some chick three grand. So, not only was she somehow out of money, but she was also in debt. It sounded like things were getting really heated in there. I would have to do something fast. She then walked out of the room.
"I think you need to send these people home." I told her.
"I don't care what you think." She said.
"Well maybe the cops will." I threatened.
"So, what, now you're a narc?" Hailey asked. "How about we talk about this?"
"I don't want to talk about it." I declared. "I have a date with my girlfriend who I want to tell I love, but instead I'm stuck here babysitting you. Now I want the naked people out of the pool and everyone out of the house before I call the cops. I'll give you thirty seconds to get rid of them."
"I can't get them to leave." She said. "I can't just get these people to clear out, not that I even want them to."
"Okay, then you leave me no choice." I declared as I took out my phone. I wasn't actually going to call the cops because that could leave to Rose or I getting in trouble. I decided to call Kaitlin.
"Yes?" Kaitlin asked. For once, I left speaker off.
"Hello, Newport PD." She said. She was probably confused. "I'd like to report a disturbance. My aunt is throwing a wild party at my house and I need you to get her to stop."
"Tell her that they'll be there in 15 minutes." Kaitlin declared before she hung up.
"You've got 15 minutes to get these people out of here before the cops show up." I told her.
"You bitch." Hailey said to me. "You don't even belong here."
"Your sister thinks otherwise." I argued. "She and Sandy adopted me. My last name is Cohen and most importantly, I live here. Now get these people out of my house."
It felt good to be able to assert my authority over someone. I hoped she would buy it.
"Okay, everyone, party's over!" Hailey shouted. "The cops are coming."
That got them to get dressed and go away in a hurry. I couldn't help but think that Hailey's friends were giant morons. I was glad that she bought it.
"How is it that you can be so little fun?" Hailey asked as the doorbell rang. I opened it and there was Kaitlin. It was too bad that she didn't have a police officer costume. She was, however, wearing a long-sleeved emerald sequin dress with tights and black heels.
"It's good to see you, Officer." I told her with a smirk before hugging her. I looked at Hailey as her mouth hung open.
"What's this about the cops being here?" Rose asked as she reappeared. Where had she gone?
"I called this hot officer instead." I explained. "Rose, I need you to stay here. Keep her away from all phones. I think Hailey should get the chance to see the ball drop."
"I'm pretty sure that you're actually becoming my sister." Rose commented.
"Kaitlin, before we go, there's something I need to tell you." I declared. She looked at me and so did Rose and Hailey. I wasn't expecting to do it in front of an audience. "I…love you. Wait, that didn't come out right. What I meant to say was…"
She cut me off with a kiss. If there wasn't an audience, I would have put my tongue down her throat, but there was.
"I heard you and that will definitely do." She said. "I want to go back to this party already. This Olivia girl is transgender like you and she's nice even though she's kind of shady. She does seem like she's a little too into Marissa for someone that she hasn't known for very long."
I went to the cab and got in the back with Kaitlin. The benefit of living with Julie was more money.
"Has Marissa talked to her about it yet?" I questioned.
"I don't think she sees it the way that I do." Kaitlin responded. "Marissa is not good at reading in between the lines. It took her three weeks to figure out that Luke liked her and I don't know how long she was friends with Holly before they started dating."
I wasn't sure if anyone knew when Marissa started dating Holly. No one had ever really told us about that.
"I still don't know don't think she should trust some girl that she met in therapy." I commented as I closed the screen. "I mean just because she's transgender doesn't mean that she wasn't there for something else."
"Well we probably should give her the benefit of the doubt." Kaitlin suggested. "I mean you haven't even met her."
"Well this isn't the best night for me to give people the benefit of the doubt." I pointed out. "I guess you could be right though and she could be a perfectly normal person. So do you have money to pay the driver?"
"I was hoping you did." She declared.
"You're lucky I do." I replied. "You know maybe we should try working somewhere else. You're kind of low on funds right now."
"I think that's going to change soon." She said. "My mom is probably going to marry Caleb and we'll be rich again."
"I wouldn't count it." I replied. She frowned at me. "Look, I'm saying that it won't happen, but you shouldn't prepare for something and not have a backup plan in case it doesn't happen."
It was then the car stopped. We were at the hotel. Vicki was outside.
"So, do you know where Rose is right now?" She asked.
"She's at home." I declared as I paid the driver. "She's babysitting our crazy aunt who nearly wrecked the place."
At that point, Vicki left in her car.
"Well, it looks like she's going to choose for her." I replied.
"We should probably go in there." Kaitlin stated. "It's almost midnight and we need to kiss."
"You know I don't see what's so important about kissing at midnight." I remarked. "I get that it's kind of romantic, but since when are we people who try to fit in and follow trends?"
"Alright, we won't kiss at midnight." She agreed. "But that doesn't mean that we're not going to kiss. We can kiss at 12:02. Now let's party while there are five minutes left in this year."
"There you are." Marissa said as she met us by the elevator.
"I couldn't think of anything I would rather do than spend New Year's with a bunch of people that I don't know." I commented. "You know it's nice to see that you're not drunk for a change."
"It's nice to be sober for a change." She said. "Now I want to introduce you to Olivia."
At that moment, people started to count the new year. They were probably preparing to kiss.
It started to rain confetti on us. I had to say that it was annoying. I couldn't believe that all these people were conforming and kissing at midnight. It was very annoying to be honest. I kept an eye on the clock. Most of them were done by 12:01, but we needed to wait another minute for ours.
"Happy Late New Year." Kaitlin declared before we proceeded to make out.
"I love you." I stated. I smiled. I actually said it how I wanted to.
"I love you too." She reciprocated. "Now let's go to the pool house."
So, not a lot of Marissa in this chapter, but there is Hailey. She's played by Amber Heard, who actually did play a bit part on the show. Please don't forget to review.