Ola! Well, I thought that since I left the last chapter with a bit of a cliffhanger…that I would prolong the curiosity and jump to Julie/Neil/Caitlyn for a minute. Preview for the next chapters: Kirsten's priorities are changing, Seth seeks advice from someone he hopes he can trust, and Athens proves to be a small world.
Chapter XVI: Chicken Soup for the Confused
The Roberts' mansion had afforded Caitlyn many luxuries that she was now realizing that she might have taken for granted. Looking around the musty apartment that she had once-deemed as a "safe haven", she was beginning to comprehend that things weren't always as they seemed. First of all, how did people function without maids? The whole concept of doing her own laundry and washing dishes had been one that had really brought Caitlyn to the truth that living away from her parents was decision that she may have come to too quickly.
"Hey babe," Volchek retorted, taking a deep drag from his cigarette. As he leaned over to give her a kiss, the ash protruding from his smoke fell onto her lap. Caitlyn grimaced as she wondered to herself how anyone could live in a place as covered in ashes and beer bottles as this was. But, he didn't seem to mind, and, right now, he was the only good thing she had going in her life.
"Hey…what's up? Where were you last night? I thought you said you were coming home early?" She brushed the ash from her lap as she got up to get herself a glass of water. Reaching through the cupboard, all she could find were shot glasses. She had done dishes just two days ago, but it seemed that somehow they had already gotten dirty again. Sighing to herself, Caitlyn grabbed a shot glass and filled it with water. Then, still waiting to hear what his reason for not coming back last night was, Caitlyn returned to her seat on the couch.
"Oh…it's cool. Just got caught up with the boys…you know, doing stuff."
Caitlyn rolled her eyes, displeased that he hadn't at least tried to come up with an original excuse. He had used this same one for several of the nights in the last week. She shook her head disapprovingly and then took the shot glass of water.
"Damn, girl…guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree on that one…" Volchek snickered, recalling Marissa's wilder days. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he could ever feel for Caitlyn what he had for Marissa. Caitlyn was way more protective and curious, something that he hadn't tolerated in women he dated in the past. But, as he finished his last drag and put his cigarette out in the blue glass ashtray, Volchek thought that at least having her here was something…something that could replace the emptiness he felt when he thought about Marissa.
Caitlyn looked at him with disgust. She was slowly starting to realize that it wasn't her that Volchek really wanted. It was Marissa…as always. Here she had thought that this was the one person that had preferred her company to her sister's. Sighing with the realization that this living arrangement was turning out to be all too real for her, Caitlyn leaned back in the couch and pondered what her mom and Neil would say if she came back to the house. Her mom would probably lecture her for not calling and ground her for a while. But, could that really be half as bad as living here and never having any food in the refrigerator or anyone to hang out with?
"Yeah…bet you like that, huh?" she retorted, pulling herself off up the couch and walking across the loft to the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower, then I have to go to registration. I'll be back later."
Volchek could sense the coldness emanating from her had the same venom-spiked tone that Marissa used to have. Whenever Marissa had been like that, he had shrugged her off, not wanting to appear like he had any vested interest in her presence. But, with Caitlyn, he did have a vested interest, and he knew that to fully execute his plan, he was going to have to appease her for now.
Jumping across the couch, he hastily put out his cigarette in the already-overflowing ashtray and followed her to the bathroom. He held out his hand to stop the door, perfectly timing it so that he could squeeze into the room with her before she even noticed.
"HEY…what are YOU DOING?"
"I'm sorry…I know you hate it when I do that. I just….sometimes…it's kinda…"
"Weird?" she finished, already knowing how it must be. They smiled at each other knowingly.
"You want me to go with you…to registration?"
Caitlyn pondered the possibilities for a moment…the opportunity to piss her already-fuming mom off, the chance to show off her much-older boyfriend to her sure-to-be jealous friends. It seemed like a no-brainer.
"Of course…you know I do love to make a scene."
That mischievous smile was one that Volchek remembered. Marissa used to have that look on her face when she wanted him. 'God,' he thought to himself, 'I've got to get over her.'
Meanwhile, Julie was starting to get impatient. She had told herself that Neil was the only thing keeping her life together. But, in her heart, she knew that wasn't true. Even with his seemingly endless understanding and graciousness, he hadn't been enough to keep her from turning to the real thing that had kept Julie going: painkillers. That little blue and white pill had been her true best friend since both of her daughters had abandoned her. She justified to herself that that's what she was using them for, to kill the pain that she was feeling. Only, she knew that what had once been an occasional use was blossoming into a full-blown addiction. And, it was getting more and more difficult to cover up, knowing that Neil's reaction would most assuredly be tainted with disapproval. After all, he had dissolved his previous marriage with Gloria because of her "zombie-like tendencies", so what made her think that he would be any more understanding of her situation?
This lifestyle that Julie had fought so hard for always seemed to come with a price. With Jimmy, it had been her pressuring him that pushed him to commit fraud. She knew that although he had never directly put any blame on her, that she was still partly responsible for that downfall. And, after that, most of her decisions had been based upon how it would affect her financially. Finally, one night she had been home alone in the trailer, and Julie swore to herself that she would get back to the upper crust of Newport without selling her soul. And, she had. She was back in the world that she had always felt was made for her, but, this time, she was seeing it from an outsider's perspective. Living in that kind of hard circumstances had really changed Julie…forcing her to lean on her daughters for support. Now that her daughters were both gone, Julie was finding it hard to stand alone.
After she finished spraying her hair and checking her make-up one last time, Julie flew down the stairs. She was going to be late; that she already knew. This would be the first face-to-face that she had had with Caitlyn since she stormed out several weeks ago. Instead of calling the cops and initiating threats the way she had done when Marissa had pulled similar stunts, Julie instead decided to let her daughter fall on her own terms this time. It wasn't that Julie didn't care as much about Caitlyn, although she was sure that Caitlyn saw it that way. But, she just didn't have the energy to fight anymore. Not with the only family that she had left.
Jumping in her Lexus SUV, Julie wished that Neil hadn't had to work that afternoon. She knew that him being there would have been a reason for her not to take her pills. But, Neil wasn't around a lot. His job was very demanding; after all, they did live in Newport, the plastic surgery capital of California. He had made sacrifices for Summer when his wife left just the way that Julie had when Jimmy left. Turning on the engine, she said a small prayer that today would go smoothly, and that the daughter that she had once shipped away to boarding school would park her resentment towards her for the day. Maybe, if she was lucky, she would even want to come back home.
At the courtyard of Harbour, Caitlyn scanned the crowd for her friends. Since she had left for boarding school while most of her friends had stayed in Newport, she knew that there was a chance that she may not fit in anymore. But, not wanting to show any sign of insecurity around her new boyfriend, Caitlyn put on a brave face. Grabbing his hand tightly, she smiled up at him. If she didn't know better, she could've sworn that she saw a genuine interest on his part to be there with her.
"So, where's the parentals? I'm sure Julie will so happy to see me," he said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. He put out the cigarette that he had been smoking in the grass. Another student's parent nearby looked at him with disgust. He smiled triumphantly as Caitlyn spotted her mother scrambling to collect her stuff from the passenger seat of her car.
Julie was running late, furiously trying to meet the deadline she herself had set for her daughter over the phone a few days ago. She shoved all her paperwork into her new Betsey Johnson pink checkered tote while closing the door to her SUV. Seeking out her daughter didn't take much effort, as Julie clearly spotted Caitlyn lurking near the front entrance. But, seeing Volchek with her had genuinely shocked Julie. Eyeing him up and down, his black t-shirt still showing stains of all sorts and his dark, faded jeans so full of holes that there was barely enough fabric to hold them together, Julie miffed her head in disgust. She knew this was a test, and her best plan of action was to act as if nothing was bothering her. She figured that giving the child no reaction to her rebellion would quell the need. Hopefully, she was right.
"Caitlyn…hello honey…you're looking….thin. Love that top…isn't that the Paul Frank that we bought that one day when we saw George Clooney at the Plaza?"
Caitlyn eyed her mother suspiciously, not expecting this reaction. Obviously, this was the fake Julie Cooper that she had to plaster on in front of the ever-looming judgmental Newpsies. Deciding to go along with it for now, Caitlyn nodded her head.
"You remember Kevin?" she motioned to her counterpart, laughing as he wiped his hands off on his jeans before sticking his arm out to shake. Julie quickly grabbed his hands with the tips of her fingers before swiftly releasing his grip and wiping her own hands.
"Of course…how could I forget? Marissa told me so much about you."
Caitlyn cringed at the thought that Volchek had been in their lives while she had still been in boarding school. Awkwardly standing in silence in the front corridor of the school, Caitlyn felt compelled to end this silent discomfort.
"Okay…you ready? All we need to do is pick up my schedule. I already pre-registered during orientation. Then, we can be on our merry little way."
Julie nodded, but, seeking to catch her daughter offguard, she replied with an invitation.
"Well, I was thinking…honey, since it's been a while since we've last spent some time together…maybe you and Kevin would like to join me for lunch at the Crab Shack…my treat."
This invitation stopped Volchek dead in his tracks in the middle of the doorway into the school. He wasn't sure if Julie was trying to play some sort of game with him or if she was being serious. Either way, he couldn't turn down a free lunch. As he walked inside the school, letting the two Cooper women walk in front of him, he glanced inquisitively at Caitlyn. He could tell that she was having the same suspicions, but she looked a little more hesitant about accepting her offer. But, Julie Cooper intrigued him. And, anything that could push the potential of Marissa finding out about his continuing existence in the family during her absence was worth it to him.
"We're in."
Caitlyn eyed him with confusion and curiosity as they continued their way down the main hall of Harbour. After grabbing her schedule from the new counselor, Mrs. Flackerstein, Caitlyn made her way to her assigned locker, shoving her newly supplied books into them with disdain. 'Boarding school was nothing compared to this,' she thought.
"Man, do they have a new book for every quarter? Shit…"
Julie eyed her with disapproval, still keeping mum but letting her daughter know that even though she was not throwing a public fit, that she was still not happy with her behavior.
"Hey…chill out…at least you get to go somewhere like this. Try public school…total crap. At least here you get to see the ocean from class."
Julie turned to Volchek, furrowing her eyebrows with interest. It had never occurred to her that maybe the two of them weren't that different. She had known all too well what life had been like growing up on the wrong side of the tracks. She remembered wishing for the ocean's spray and midday sun during her seemingly endless classes with drone, uninterested teachers who were only motivated by the week's end and summer vacation. He was right. Caitlyn didn't realize how lucky she was.
"You know, he's right Caitlyn. There are a lot of worse things in life than getting an education at a top-level school."
Caitlyn shifted her focus from her unfamiliarly authoritative boyfriend and her surely scheming mother, never thinking that their ganging up on her would be the outcome of her decision to bring him to registration. Skeptically, she crossed her arms across her chest as they left the hallway and made their way out of the building and into the courtyard.
After Volchek and Caitlyn agreed to meet Julie at the Crab Shack, they got into his car and sped out of the now-vacant parking lot. The tension in the air was thick, and Caitlyn knew that she had to bring the subject up before they got to restaurant. Fiddling with the straps on her favorite black and grey striped tank top, she tapped her toes against the footboard, hoping that he would get the point. When he stayed mum, choosing to instead turn up the volume on the radio and light a cigarette, she knew that this one was going to have to be initiated by her.
"So…why were you so nice to my mom back there? I thought you hated her?"
Volchek looked over to the youngest Cooper girl, flashing her a mischievous smile before taking a long drag from his cigarette. He flicked the ash out of the window, trying to decide if he was going to let her drag him into what was sure to be an argument.
"I don't know…free lunch I guess. I'm hungry."
Caitlyn shifted in the worn, uncomfortable passenger seat as she tried to decide if his excuse was valid or if he was just placating her. Something didn't sit right with her on this one.
"Really? Cause the Volchek I know would've never gone soft on such a heinous bitch like my mom just to get free schwag. You getting' soft in your old age?"
Eyeing her with amusement, Volchek briefly thought of his relationship with his own mother. The way she had had no problem with kicking him out when he was Caitlyn's age, the way she clumsily stumbled around their dirty apartment knocking over beer bottles in the middle of the night. He would never admit it, but he was jealous of anyone whose mother seemed to care about them the way his own mother hadn't. But, he was never going to let Caitlyn know that. No, instead he needed to come up with a reason that would uphold his image.
"Nah…it ain't that. She just….I don't know. What can I say…I see where the hot family genes came from."
This statement infuriated Caitlyn. So, what he was basically telling her was that not only was she going to have to compete with Marissa for the top spot on his list, which she was still somewhat bothered by, but also now, now she had to worry about him with her mom. And, knowing Julie Cooper's tendency to slum with her daughter's boyfriends every now and then, she wouldn't put it past her mom to do this just to spite her. Man, why couldn't things just work out the way she wanted them to?
"Oh…really? Well, I tell you what. You can have her. I'M OUT! PULL OVER! NOW!"
Volchek glanced over at her, amused that she was even taking him seriously. Finishing up his cigarette, he threw it out of the window and wiped his hand on his old, dirty shirt. Although he really didn't feel like getting into this with her again, Volchek knew that having her live with him was severely cramping his style. But, he had to keep reminding himself that he needed her around if he wanted to complete his plan.
"Hey…calm down…I was just fuckin' with ya. Of course I would never go there. She's way too ancient for me. I just think…maybe it isn't as bad as you think…you know, having her worry about you. At least it shows she cares."
Closing her eyes to calm herself down, Caitlyn could hear the inner desperation that Volchek had about his own mother. Not that he would ever let her see any of that, nor did she think she was prepared to deal with that. But, just the tone of his voice told her that maybe she was taking a little too much for granted when it came to her mother. As they pulled up and parked in front of the Crab Shack, Caitlyn let herself out, giving her hair a quick comb through with her fingers.
"Come on, princess…this isn't a beauty contest."
"This Newport. Life is a beauty contest," she retorted, quickly scurrying to catch up to him as they entered the front door. Inside, Caitlyn immediately spotted Julie sitting in a booth towards the back of the restaurant. 'She probably doesn't want anyone to see her here with us,' she thought to herself as they made their way past the lobster tank back towards the booth.
"There you are…I thought maybe you had gotten lost," Julie quipped, noticing their delay at arriving. Before sitting down, Caitlyn excused herself to the restroom. Julie, studying Volchek to get a read on whether this was the right time, decided that this was her shot.
"So, this gives us a minute to talk, alone. Now, I know that you haven't been my biggest fan…like, ever. But, I'm not stupid. I know that you are just using Caitlyn hoping that word leaks back to Marissa."
Volchek intently listened to what Julie had to say. He knew that she was about to proposition him with an offer, but he still had yet to figure out what that offer was. As the waiter dropped off menus, he kept his ears on Julie.
"I'm listening."
"So, I'm willing to offer you a deal. For taking care of Caitlyn. I just….I can't mess this new relationship up. He's the first man that has really cared about me, and I need everything to go as planned. I'm not living in that trailer again."
Volchek smiled at the memory of the first time he had been let inside that trailer. The hot night that Marissa had finally let him in. He began to sweat just thinking about it. He remembered how much Julie had hated the thought of him and Marissa together. That's why he found it so ironic that she was pretty much begging him to take care of her younger daughter now. Maybe Caitlyn was right, maybe Julie did love one daughter more than the other.
Julie pulled out her checkbook and hastily wrote him a check, eyeing him intermittedly to make sure that he was okay with where this was going.
"Here…and there will more of these if you agree to make sure that she stays in school and passes her classes."
Volchek studied the check to make sure that it was really. $10,000. Damn, that was a lot of money. This was working out perfectly for him. Not only was Caitlyn right in the palm of his hand, but now, her mom was paying him off to keep her away.
"Man, you woulda never let me do this with Marissa. What's the difference now?"
"Look, I just…I can't have what happened with Caleb happen again. And, Caitlyn is my daughter. She's not going to listen to me no matter what I do. So, I'm not fighting it this time. If this is what she wants, then she gets it. I just thought you might want it to be worth your while. We both know the only reason you're with her is because Marissa isn't here."
At that moment, Caitlyn appeared to be back from the bathroom. She had overheard the last part of the conversation and was enraged that her mother would pay her boyfriend to keep her away. Tears threatened to prick her eyes, but Caitlyn stayed resolute. As she revealed herself to the two, she shook her head in disgust at their actions. Speechless for a minute, Julie tried to intercept her and turn on the damage control.
"Caity….this isn't what it looks like. Here…sit…"
But, Caitlyn, being her mother's daughter, refused, shaking off her mother's arm and standing in front of the booth so that the whole restaurant could see.
"So, this is how it is now, huh? You can't ship me off to boarding school anymore, so you pay off my boyfriend to keep me from ruining your new engagement? MAN, NOW I KNOW WHY OUR FAMILY IS SO FUCKED UP? IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU!"
With that, Caitlyn stormed out, leaving Volchek and Julie speechless at the booth.