Alex arrived at the party in the Bronx an hour later than she thought she would, and Nicky was already very high and very drunk.
"Where've you been, Vause? I've been waiting for you." She pounded the brunette's back with a thud. "I already got a little piece, but she fucking left because her horny friend didn't have anyone to occupy her time." Nicky held her arms out. "You were supposed to be my wingman!"
She used her thumb and forefinger to adjust her eyeglasses around the black frames. "Sorry, dinner went longer than expected."
"How'd it go?" Nicky handed her a beer.
Alex popped the can of Natural Light open. "Bill seems to really be into my mom, but I can't tell yet what his intentions are." She took a quick sip. "He has a son who stared at my tits the entire dinner, but he's not the issue."
Nicky gave her an expectant look.
"He also has a 16-year-old daughter, Piper." She took another sip of beer.
The wild-haired teen shoved her friend. "What, are you just going to leave me hanging like that?"
"She's pretentious; we're not going to get along," Alex sighed, pulling a package of cigarettes from deep inside her bag. She took one Lucky Strike out, tapping it against her thigh several times. Alex didn't light it at first; she brought it to her mouth and let it dangle between her lips as she thought about Piper. The blonde was beautiful; there was no doubting that, but she was also condescending and self-righteous.
"Are you moving in with them, or what?" Nicky pulled out her own cigarette, lit it and offered the brunette a light.
Alex leaned forward, allowing her friend to ignite the Lucky Strike. "I never really had a choice."
She puffed a stream of smoke. "You could always stay with me and my dysfunctional family."
The brunette sucked on the cigarette, holding in the toxins as long as she could before releasing smoke. "I don't know what would be worse."
"Very true," Nicky conceded with a laugh.
They joined the rest of the high school dropouts and college-aged kids in some dude's garage, and Nicky convinced her friend to play a round of beer pong. Her head wasn't in the game though; she couldn't stop thinking about Piper and her stormy blue eyes and ringlets of blonde hair that tickled her shoulders.
Alex wondered if Piper had even had sex yet—there was something so pure about her, but if she had to guess, she'd assume there was something deep inside of Piper that ached to be free. Her eyes revealed curiosity, wonder, and just a hint of fear.
Two weeks passed, and school was out for winter break. Bill demanded that the kids help Diane and Alex move in, including Danny, the brother that Alex had yet to meet.
Piper was tired of hearing Cal talk about how hot Alex was and tattled on him to their father.
"It's a childish crush, honey," Bill replied around a sip of coffee. "Besides, Alex isn't attracted to an 11-year-old boy."
If he only knew just who Alex was attracted to.
"That isn't the point." She put a hand on her hip. "I don't want Alex to move in. You never even consulted me about this whole thing."
Bill chuckled, removing his reading glasses. "When you start paying the bills, Piper, I will consult you about every move I make. Until then, it's settled, and you're going to have to be a mature young lady about it."
"I am mature, daddy!" she complained, flinging her hand off her hip in direct contrast to her statement. "Alex is the one who isn't."
Bill didn't reply; he slipped his reading glasses back on and eyed the Money section of the New York Times.
She folded her arms. "And where is Alex going to sleep since Danny's home from college? Surely not with me."
He lowered the paper and sighed. "It'll be a month, honey. You can either deal with it or sleep at your mother's apartment."
She had only spent two nights at her mom's two bedroom apartment and hated every minute. It was opulent and over-decorated with gold and silver lamps, marble tables and framed knock-off Matisse paintings. Carol demanded that her children eat on her grandmother's fine China for dinner. If the Chapman children counted the number of times they heard, "Don't touch that," she was convinced it would be nearly 50 times a day. There was nothing comfortable or welcoming about her mother's new place, and Piper didn't plan on staying there unless she absolutely had to due to a court order.
The U-Haul pulled up to the house, and Bill jumped out of his recliner. "Looks like they're here."
Piper let out a low huff as she followed her dad outside. There was a significant dusting of snow on the ground and flurries had begun to fall as a winter storm approached.
"It's cold out here. Let's get this done quickly." Bill greeted his sons, who had helped Diane and Alex pack and rode with Diane in the U-Haul.
Alex rolled up minutes later in her mom's old Buick. "Hey," she greeted the blonde as she exited the car, hands shoved in her leather jacket pockets.
Piper looked away. "Hi."
Alex popped the trunk, and the blonde met her in the back of the car. "How's your boyfriend?"
"He's fine." Piper squinted at her. "What do you want me to take?"
"Here." She handed the blonde two boxes. "Don't drop them."
"Where do they go?" Piper asked, struggling to see over the large crates.
Alex pulled out a few more items and balanced a carton of CDs on her knee as she shut the trunk. "They're mine, so wherever I'm sleeping."
Piper grumbled under her breath that Alex had to stay in her room and was not happy that she was the one who would have to tell the dark haired girl the news. She walked down the sidewalk and up the driveway towards the wide open front door, and suddenly, Alex was by her side.
"How'd you get here so fast?"
She stepped inside, tapping her feet on the mat as snow flung off of her black boots. "Through the yard."
Piper's mother would've blown a gasket at the fact that someone trampled on her manicured lawn, and the blonde wondered if her father would allow it. He'd always agreed with his wife that sidewalks and walkways were there for a purpose and that children should stay out of the front yard. "The backyard is for your enjoyment," they'd say.
"You should probably stay on the walkway if you know what's best for you." Piper breezed by her, feeling just a little superior that she had the opportunity to bust Alex.
"Thanks for the public service announcement," she half-laughed.
The blonde detected sarcasm in her companion's voice and hated that she had a comeback ready.
"Where am I going with this?" Alex asked, whipping her hair out of her face.
Piper clenched her jaw and closed her eyes for a second, despising the arrangements. "My room."
"Are we going to be roommates? How did I get so lucky?" She couldn't see Alex's expression but assumed she looked smug.
"You can sleep on the floor." Piper dropped the boxes. "This is my bed."
The brunette lowered the carton and shoved the handle down on the suitcase she'd tugged inside. "Thanks for the hospitality."
"I don't know you well enough to share a bed," the blonde huffed, pulling a wool hat over her head.
Alex reached into her pocket and dropped her iPod on the bed. "Is that what you told your boyfriend?"
She let out an exasperated gasp. "What I talk to my boyfriend about is none of your business!"
Alex walked over to her dresser and lifted a framed photograph. "Is this him?"
"Again, none of your business." She snatched the frame and pulled it as far away from the brunette as she could. "We're going to have some rules. The first is that you don't touch my stuff. The second is that you don't ask questions about my life."
"Fine." Alex put her hands up in surrender. "Same rules apply to me."
Piper was perturbed that she wouldn't be able to ask the brunette anything, but even more upset at herself for being curious about Alex's life.
She put her hands on her hips. "Fine."
"I have to go help my mom." Alex laid her hands on Piper's shoulders to move her to the side, and the blonde tensed up, hand flying to her chest.
When Alex was gone, Piper steadied herself against the bedframe, suddenly feeling lightheaded. She blamed it on the other girl trying to get under her skin, not their brief physical contact, and Piper wouldn't stand for that.
Alex had to admit that the house was lovely—hardwood floors covered with Oriental rugs, a plush sofa in the living room with holiday throw pillows, and ceramic lamps that bounced soft light around the room. The kitchen was enormous and the fridge was stocked with everything Alex could ever want—Nutella, eggs, lettuce, cheese, grapes, orange juice and beer. It was in stark contrast to her old refrigerator, which never had more than a carton of milk, jelly and butter inside.
On their first night at the Chapman residence, Bill ordered pizza after a busy day of unpacking. Alex had eaten her fair share of Pizza Hut, but she and her mom never had it delivered, because they'd have to tip the driver. "Why would we order something that we can pick up ourselves?" Diane would ask.
But on that night, Diane raved about the convenience of delivered pizza, and Alex rolled her eyes.
By 11 o'clock, Piper decided to go to bed. She'd been texting Polly & Larry all evening anyway, paying little attention to her brothers or her new house guests.
Bill stood, stretching his back. "Piper, please show Alex where the towels are in case she'd like to take a bath or wash her face tonight."
"I already did," she lied.
Alex let out a short breath, amazed by the blonde's lack of hospitality and general superiority complex.
Bill extended his hand to Diane to help her up. "Very well. You two get a good night of sleep."
"Good night, hon." Diane kissed her daughter on the cheek. "Sleep well."
"Ok," was all she could muster. She wasn't going to lie like her counterpart and say, "I will." She had no idea how she'd sleep in a foreign bed with another girl next to her. (She had no intention of sleeping on the floor.)
Alex waited a solid hour before washing up and joining Piper in her room. She stepped inside, closing the door behind her and allowed her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Piper's was the teenage bedroom that most girls dreamed about—pale pink walls, pinups of hunky actors & singers on the walls, a few stuffed animals on a shelf, perhaps memories that were still too recent to let go, and two bookcases filled from top to bottom with books.
The brunette walked over to one of the shelves and read a few spines as best as she could in the dim light—Edith Wharton, J.R.R. Tolkien, Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens, and J.D. Salinger all sat there, begging to be read. She'd get good use out of the girl's collection, though she'd read several of the novels already. Perhaps that would be their connection if there was one to be made.
She pulled the covers back enough to slip under them, wearing her flannel pajamas that were a little too small but still comfortable. Piper made a noise that sounded more like a kitten than a human, and Alex grinned as she proceeded to pull the sheets over her body, staying as far away from the slumbering blonde as she could.
There was a part of Alex that wanted to turn and wrap her arms around the other girl—this was all new to her—this living in a decent home and having a pseudo-family. Alex didn't feel settled, and the warmth of someone's body against hers would've been a soothing comfort. If she'd done that—snuggled with Piper, she'd probably be banished to the cold basement with nothing more than a sleeping bag and pillow, so she closed her eyes and tried not to move.