As you can imagine, leaving shoes at the door was not an option once they returned to Lauren's. Not even a speck of dust was tolerated in the Reedling home, so certainly boots that had been hurled upon was out of the question. Before entering, Coraline was instructed to remove her shoes and socks to leave them on the porch (it was troublesome enough that the wood floor would now have to be buffered). She was then told to follow the narrow brick path that led around to the garden in the backyard and to have a seat in one of the iron-wrought chairs. Unsurprisingly, the flowers in the back appeared as well maintained as the ones up front, the only difference being these were all roses instead of a variety of plants, complete with a small hedge maze.
Only after having her feet hosed down and thoroughly dried and sanitized was Coraline then allowed inside, her boots and socks in the wash. She helped herself to a cup of pink lemonade and a couple of fresh baked chocolate cookies, as promised by her hostess who was preparing more flyers on her laptop. But not even warm cookies could soothe her aggravation; if dealing with Lauren's snobbish attitude wasn't enough she had been vomited on by some bum on the street. She sipped her lemonade in bitter silence.
"Hey Coraline, do you remember what this kid looked like, the one from town?" Wybie pursued despite the awkward atmosphere of the room.
"Why does it matter?" she replied sharply.
"Because he sounds familiar, say he didn't have black messy hair, pale skin and blue eyes did he?"
"And wears nothing but black in the middle of summer?" Coraline added.
"Yep, that's Isaac." confirmed Lauren. She continued to face the computer screen, barely acknowledging Coraline's presence for the first time all day.
"Who?"
"Isaac Kazagura, he's notorious for skipping the most classes than any other kid in school, along with the most police records. He was probably intoxicated."
"He seems to be someone you would know." Lauren implied toward Coraline, almost scoffing.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped back.
"Nothing, he just seems like someone you would get along with. You two have a bit in common, such as your inappropriate choice of clothing." The sneer in Lauren's voice wasn't quite so piercing, but she had already made a rude first impression. Even a hint of sarcasm and Coraline would be rambling on how she really felt about her 'host'.
"What's wrong with the way I dress!?" Her freckles turned red as she tried her best to hold back her irritation. She had just about enough of 'Little Miss Perfect', all day she had given her the cold shoulder and the only time Lauren seemed to recognize her new guest was when she had a chance to be insulting.
"Well if you really must know, I find it odd that you're wearing gloves at the beginning of summer."
Coraline's face went from frustrated to offended as soon as Lauren finished her sentence. Meanwhile, Wybie sunk into the reclining sofa as if to protect himself from an incoming explosion. He awkwardly sipped at the straw in his lemonade.
"Nothing personal, rather something I'm not very fond of. No need to be so impulsive Caroline." The tiny screen mirrored onto the blonde's glasses, still not bothering to even face her guest in the slightest.
"Maybe I wouldn't be so personal if you weren't such a snob!"
Lauren made an effort to swing her head around now that she had been ridiculed for a change; she displayed a stern yet confused expression on her face. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about how you've been acting around me ever since I got here, as if I walked all over your grave or something! I sacrificed my first day of summer just to deal with your rotten attitude and get puked on all for you and your kid brother! If you care about him so much, why don't you just go find him yourself?"
For the first time in a long while, Lauren Reedling felt her blood begin to boil. She knew she had a habit of being aloof, but it was another thing when David was brought into the mix. "You know what, maybe I will because your behavior is no better!"
"Fine! I'm outta here! Wybie, let's go!"
"But…" Wybourne sunk deeper into his chair, clutching his drink when Coraline snatched him up on his arm causing the lemonade to spill all over the velvet couch.
She stormed to the front set of double doors, kicked them open and stomped her way down the porch while dragging her only ride home. Lauren looked down at them from the entrance, arms crossed.
"Wybourne, please be sure not to bring her over here again."
"Oh, don't worry. I won't be back."
"Good!" She slammed the double doors inward, shaking the entire mansion.
"Rrrrrrr!" was all Coraline could manage in an effort to think up a comeback.
"Let's go, Jonsey." Wybie had already hopped on his bike and was now waiting patiently for his friend. She continued to glare at the large house as if it were an embodiment of Lauren herself. She frustratingly kicked some dirt toward it's way and plodded over to Wybie while mumbling and grumbling about. With her hands on Wybourne's shoulders, she balanced herself on the bicycle's downtube and they were gone sooner than they had arrived. The ride back home was quiet and the path that lead back to their neighborhood was now dark. The pines that were tall and graceful by day were now menacing and unwelcoming at night, but Coraline couldn't have cared less. The entire way all she thought of were better comebacks the next time she ever saw that rotten girl ever again, forgetting entirely about the boots she had left behind.