Chapter Fourteen

Stacey led me up the stairs to the elevator. She pressed 9 and the elevator crashed and banged a bit before taking off.

"Don't worry." She said with a laugh. "It's pretty much safe!"

"Pretty much." I groaned, holding onto the side rail. After a moment, the elevator rumbled to a stop. The doors slid open and we walked out.

"This is mine." Stacey said, stopping at 9B. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. "Hello!"

"Mama!" A beautiful little girl with blonde, curly hair ran towards Stacey and I. Stacey picked her up, and suddenly, Lily stared at me. She made a crinkled face.

"Who sat?" She asked Stacey.

"That's my friend Charlotte." Stacey explained. "You met Charlotte when you were a teeny baby!"

"Wow!" Lily exclaimed, obviously impressed. "Mama, I drew! Come!"

Lily figgitted to be put down, and Stacey and I followed her into the living room. Her place was quite small, but it flowed nicely, had a lot of windows and even a small deck. In the living room, Lily was standing in front of a little kids table, proudly holding up a piece of paper with blue and purple scribbles all over it. Little Liam, just four months old, was sitting in his bouncy seat, entertained by the stuffed duck hanging above him. There was a girl about my age sitting on the couch. I assumed she was the babysitter. She looked like a model. Definitely a city girl. I felt a little uncomfortable around her in my faded jeans and old sweatshirt, with my hair in a ponytail. She was wearing a short, short jean shirt with calf length black leggings and a black, lowcut top. Definitely not what I wear out babysitting!

"Char, this is Carly, the babysitter." Stacey said, lifting Liam from his bouncy seat. "Carley, this is Charlotte. I used to babysit her when I was younger."

"Nice to meet you." I said shyly. Carley gave me a forced grin.

"Ditto." She answered, snapping her gum. "Okay, Stace, I gotta run."

"Oh, sorry!" Stacey apologized, handing Carley a twenty. "Thanks, Carley."

"No worries." Carley said, grabbing her coat. "See you."

Stacey made a face as Carley walked out the door. As soon as it slammed behind her, Stacey whispered to me. "I can't stand that girl. My usual babysitter couldn't make it, so I had to get that stuck up little..." she shot a glance at Lily, "Thing." She finished.

I laughed. "Yeah, she seems a little... snobby."

"The worst thing is, she reminds me of what I was like before I moved to Stoneybrook." Stacey shuddered at the thought. "Thankfully, the small town life grounded me a bit, so hopefully, I won't be raising city snots like that!"

Stacey and I spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the kids. Lily was so cute. She was almost two, and just a really loveable, sweet kid. We made a block tower, knocked it down, made another one and knocked that one down. I think Lily had more fun knocking it over than building it. Liam was just as cute, he was pretty stoked when Stacey made a stuffed bear pretend to kiss him. His little baby laugh was so precious. I was having such a good time just hanging out and playing with the babies that I completely forgot about Adam. Until Stacey brought him up, that is.

"So." Stacey said, settling onto the couch with a blanket, bottle and baby. "Have you talked to Adam at all this week?"

I sighed and handed Lily another block. "No." I admitted. "I have kind of been putting all my energy into avoiding him, actually."

"Why?"

"Cause it's hard!" I said, my voice cracking. "He didn't even try to stand up to his sister, he just packed up his balls and walked away!"

"Balls?" Lily asked, picking up a small toy ball. "Play, Cha!"

Stacey burst out laughing. "Little ears." She gently reminded me. "But seriously... Do you really think avoiding him is the best idea?"

I nodded. "Yep." I said simply.

Stacey sighed. "Char." She said. "You know it's not. You need to talk to him."

"Why?" I demanded. "He already said all he needed to say!"

"Talk to him on Monday, when you both have had time to think." Stacey suggested. "A week is more than enough time. Trust me, I have been though my fair share of break-up's."

I laughed. Stacey had definitely had more than a handful of boyfriends in her time.

"Okay, so, let's just say, just for pretend, that I did say something." I started. "What do I say? How do I start? I don't even have a clue!"

"What do you think you should say?"

I stared at Stacey like she had seven heads. "I. Don't. Know!" I exclaimed. "I'm so bad with stuff like this!"

Stacey laughed again, this time more quietly, because Liam was drifting off to sleep. Stacey pulled the bottle from his mouth, and when his eyes didn't open again, she carefully stood up and held up one finger to me, indicating that she'd be right back. I continued stacking blocks with Lily (this kid definitely liked her blocks!) until Stacey got back. She detoured though the kitchen and grabbed a baggie of Goldfish crackers for Lily and an apple for her and I.

"Okay." She said, settling back on the couch. "Here's what I would do. Find him in a spot when he is alone. Not in the lunch room or whatever. Maybe at his locker or outside a class. Tell him you want to talk to him, but not right then. Let him think about things for a little bit first. It's probably best to meet after class. Then ask him why."

"But I already know why." I protested. "It's cause of Vanessa!"

"Well, that's a bullshit reason." Stacey retorted, forgetting about the 'little ears'. Lily was so preoccupied with her goldfish that she didn't even pay attention to her mom.

"He needs to stand up to Vanessa, like you said." Stacey continued. "She is not the little princess she likes to think she is. She is being mean and selfish and disgusting. Anyone who would tell her brother lies to get him to break up with a great girl is friggin... on glue."

"I know!" I said with a sigh. "It's ridiculous. She shouldn't be able to control who he dates. I mean, it's not like I am some slut, or a liar or anything like that. She should be happy he's with someone like me." I cleared my throat. "Or, was, anyway."

"Have you tried talking to Vanessa?"

"I did." I told her. "Adam kind of forced us into it. And it was going okay, but then she flipped and was back to being Vanessa-the-bitch."

"How can people still like her?" Stacey mused. "I mean, she is so mean! How can she still have friends?"

"Well, Tiffany and Kerry aren't exactly the friendliest people in the world." I reminded Stacey. "And Haley... well... I don't know. I thought I knew, then I thought I didn't... now I... just don't know about her."

"Why?"

I realized then that I hadn't told Stacey a thing about Haley. I started telling her about how Haley and Vanessa were talking in the bathroom, and how we went for coffee and she told me she wasn't into being one of 'them' anymore. I told her about Vanessa saying that Haley said I told her stuff about me and Adam, but how I wasn't sure if that was true or not. I finished off by telling her about Haley trying to get me and Vanessa to talk on Monday, but I wasn't having any of it, and neither was Vanessa.

"Well." Stacey said when I finished. "Honestly, I don't think Haley is the malicious type. I'm thinking it's all Vanessa's doing, and Haley has been her follower for so long, she is getting sick of it."

"I'm kind of thinking that too." I answered. "But... I don't know. I mean, she seems sincere... But what if she isn't?"

"Then she's more malicious than either one of us thought." Stacey answered. "Which I find terribly hard to believe!"

I pursed my lips. Maybe Stacey was right. I didn't have much time left to think about it, because it was getting close to dinnertime, and Ethan had just gotten home, so I played with Lily a bit more while Stacey peeled potatoes and caught up with her husband.

I watched them though the doorway, listening to them laugh and tease each other, and it made me... really happy. Ethan and Stacey started dating when she was thirteen, then it was kind of back and forth for awhile. When she was seventeen, she got pregnant, and everything was certain that her and Ethan would fail. But they were doing the complete opposite. I think because both of their parents were divorced, they know exactly what not to do. They had a nice apartment, two beautiful kids and tons of love. They were young, but they were going to do just fine.

I had only met Ethan a couple times, so I was a little shy in front of him. Plus, he was totally hot! We had a nice dinner together, though, scalloped potatoes and chicken. Stacey had made a sugar free pudding thing for dessert (she is diabetic so she can't have extra sugar).

"So, what's your plan for Halloween?" Stacey asked me as we cleaned up the dinner dishes. "It's only a week away!"

I shrugged. "Well, Jeff Schafer is having a huge party, as usual."

"That old house is perfect for parties." Stacey interrupted. "It's so spooky!"

"But I don't know if I will go." I finished. "Adam will be there."

"So, you'll be dressed up, he won't even recognize you!" Stacey said with a laugh."What are you going as?"

"Becca and I are going as Betty and Wilma." I said with a laugh. "I got Betty."

Stacey laughed. "That's cute!" She said. "Will she go to Jeff's?"

I shrugged again. "Her and Jeff kind of had a... fling type thing." I admitted. "Only a couple days long, but then she ditched him to get back with Jake."

"Oh, boy." Stacey said. "Gotta love the high school life!"

I groaned. "I just want life to be back to normal." I told her. "With Adam. But normal."

Stacey hugged me. "It will all get better." She promised. "But you really do need to talk to him again. I know you say he's said everything... But just talk to him. Maybe even talk to Vanessa!"

I made a face. "Yeah, cause that will totally be the solution to all of life's problems." I said sarcastically. "Vanessa hates me and does not want to talk to me."

"Then I'll talk to her." Stacey said, drying her hands. She walked into the living room, where a freshly bathed Lily was sitting on Ethan's lap, rapidly flipping though a picture book. I followed her.

"What are you doing?" I asked Stacey as she sat down at the computer desk. "Are you sending her an email? Please don't!"

"Why not?" Stacey demanded. "She is being a henious bitch to you, and she needs a good kick in the ass!"

"She already torments me enough!" I pleaded.

Ethan looked up. "Stace, just let it go." He suggested. "They'll be able to work it out."

Stacey made a face, and I could tell that she really wanted to write an email. But I really didn't want her to. I had enough crap to deal with at school, I didn't need Vanessa telling everyone that I was getting my old babysitter to fight my battles for me.

Shortly after that, Ethan and Stacey put the kids into bed and Ethan started to pack for his trip. He was leaving early the next morning for Philidelphia, and, in typical male fashion, he was packing at the very last minute.

While he was packing, Stacey and I decided to watch a couple episodes of One Tree Hill. Stacey loves that show as much as I do, and has all the seasons on DVD. We put on my favourite episode first (the one when Lucas and Nathan get kicked off the basketball bus and Haley, Brooke and Peyton drive back together), but we kept getting interrupted by Ethan.

"Stace, where's my extra shaving cream?" Ethan asked her. "This one is almost empty."

"God, doesn't he live here too?" Stacey grumbled, throwing the blacket off her and heading into the bedroom. She came back a few minutes later and shook her head.

"Men are completely helpless." She informed me. "Are you sure you want one?"

I laughed. "Yeah, I like boys." I teased.

"Oh, me too." Stacey agreed. "That's the problem!"

Later that night, I settled into the cushions on Stacey's couch. It was comfy, as far as couches go. The house was quiet, but I could hear the traffic and voices of New York below me. Definitely wasn't like sleeping in Stoneybrook! Even with all the noise, I still managed to fall asleep nearly instantly and not wake up at all during the night!

Mornings at the Carroll household are insane. Two hungry kids, two coffee-needing adults, not enough time to do anything, and today, Ethan had to leave about an hour earlier than normal. I tried to help out as much as I could, I actually fed Liam his morning bottle, which I was pretty amazed at. I don't have much experience with babies, so it was really cool that he let me feed him!

"Char, you're so good with him!" Stacey commented, coming into the living room and handing me a cup of coffee. I had Liam laying on his back on my knees and I was tickling him and playing with his feet. He was giggling like crazy, and making me laugh too. He was a pretty adorable little guy.

While Ethan was saying goodbye to Stacey and the kids, I decided to have a shower, just to give them a little privacy. Once I got out and got dressed, I went to the living room. Stacey was getting Lily dressed. Liam was sitting in his carseat, dressed already.

"I thought we could go for a walk." Stacey suggested, pulling some socks over Lily's feet. "It's so nice out, and then you can see the neighbourhood!"

"Sounds good." I answered.

Stacey lives in an area of Manhattan called Hell's Kitchen. West Side Story was based on this neighborhood. Sylvester Stalone and Jerry Seinfeld lived around here once upon a time. As we walked out, Stacey pointed out the Windermere, which is one of the oldest apartment buildings in New York, the restaurant Ariana, which serves Afghan food and has a huge, neon sign shaped like Afghanistan in the window and the highight of the walk, 99ยข Fresh Pizza. We popped in there and got some deliciously cheap pizza and coffee, to hold us over until we got home.

"Thanks for showing me around, Stace." I told her as we approached her building. Last time I came, Stacey and Ethan were living with Stacey's dad on the Upper East Side, so I have never seen this area of Manhattan before.

"Hey, I had fun!" Stacey answered. "It's nice to play tourist for a day."

We walked though the lobby and into the scary elevator. It didn't even seem to faze the kids at all. I guess they deal with it at least twice a day, every day, so they were used to it. I don't think I could ever get used to having to feel nauseous before I could go home.

As soon as Stacey unlocked the door, I beelined for the bathroom. We had passed a couple washrooms on our walk, but I didn't trust any of them! While I was in there, Stacey yelled out at me, "Hey, Char, your phone is going crazy out here!"

"Can you answer it for me?" I called back, assuming it was my mother. I heard Stacey answer it as I finished up and went back into the living room.

"Yeah, honey, she's right here." Stacey said, sounding concerned. She held the phone out to me. "It's Becca." She told me. "She doesn't sound good."

I quickly grabbed the phone from Stacey. Why would Becca be calling me, unless something was terribly wrong? Why wasn't my mom calling me? My stomach was in knots. It was my mom. Something happened to my mom and she couldn't call me!

"Beck?" I asked, my voice cracking.

"Char, oh man." Becca was crying. I knew something awful had happened. Becca is not a crier.

"What is it?" I asked in a panicked voice. "Becca, what's going on?"

I heard Becca take a deep breath to try to control her voice. "There was... there was an accident last night. Shea and Adam... got hit..." Her voice was breaking. "There was a drunk driver."

"They're okay, though, right?" I asked, my voice getting louder with worry. "Becca! They're okay... aren't they?"

Becca was crying again. "Shea is." She told me. "He was driving. He just got banged up a bit. Adam..."

"Adam what?" I asked, erupting in tears.

"He's in a coma, Char." Becca told me. "We don't know... if he's going to make it."

I felt my head get light, and I don't remember saying anything else to Becca. All I remember is Stacey crying out as my knees buckled and I fell to the floor.