Chapter Three:
"I wish someone could help me. This is just so unhealthy."
I grab the biggest coffee mug we have and fill it up to the top. I got no sleep last night because it took me until five this morning to get everyone to go home. Dallas just continued to drink and drink, and Dez found some girl he flirted with the whole time, and Trish was with a group of friends so nobody wanted to go home, except me. And since I was out numbered, I had to sit around and wait, which was awkward and not fun at all.
By the time I finally got home and in bed, my parents woke me up a few hours later to tell me that I have to clean the entire house because my aunt and uncle are coming over for dinner. It wasn't planned at all; they always just drop the bomb on us that they are coming over the morning of. They are visiting here for a couple of days and my mother decided that she was going to cook a fancy lobster dinner to impress them. Which I don't mind because it's one of the only times I get to eat lobster which I like, but that also means that I'm responsible for making the house look spotless because if we don't impress my aunt and uncle the world may just end! Well that's how my parents make it seem like anyways.
I decide to start in the living room, because that's where we will be before dinner. I set my coffee mug down on the table and start removing the cushions on the sofa. I get the vacuum out of the closet and start vacuuming every spot I see in and around the frame. When I'm done with that, I do the same thing to the love seat, and then the chair. By the time I'm done with that I'm already sweating. I take the last sip of coffee and realize I'm still tired, but I should probably wait a little while before I drink more. My heart is already racing from all of the caffeine.
After an hour or so, I'm finally done with the living room. Next is the dining room, which I don't have too much to do. The most I have to do here is set the table with our finest dining plates and utensils. That's also a plus of having them over. We get to use the nice stuff, which my mother will never let us use any other time.
A few hours later, I'm almost done with the house. I only have one room left; the kitchen. I finish up some dirty dishes that are in the sink, wipe down all of the counters even though I know my mother will make them messy again later, and then clean out the refrigerator for the second time this week. When I'm finished, I grab a water bottle and then sit down at the bar.
My pocket starts to buzz, so I pull out my phone and it says Dez, "Hey Dez, what's up?" I ask.
"I'm so tired!" He groans.
"You're telling me! And I had to just clean my whole house!" I say.
"Dude, you're life sucks." He says.
"Actually not really, it could be a lot worse." I say.
"You want to go to Mel's with me?" He asks. I check the time on the oven, it's almost four. Dinner won't be until about seven, so I have plenty of time to do something.
"Sure, I just have to be back in a few hours because my aunt and uncle are coming over for dinner." I say.
"Lucky! You get lobster!" He says.
I laugh, "I know right."
"See you." He says and hangs up.
Later at Mel's…
"That party was so fun." Dez says, shoving a handful of fries into his mouth.
"It could have been better." I tell him.
"Yeah, did you have any fun at all?" He asks.
"Not really."
"Dallas was freaking out when Ally went home." He says.
"I'm sure. But he really shouldn't do that to her."
"I know right. He's such an ass when he's drunk." He says.
"I know it."
"I haven't talked to him today. He's probably still sleeping." Dez says, laughing at the thought.
"He probably is."
Just then, Trish and Ally walk in together. They notice us and Dez waves them over. I get up and grab two chairs from another table and put them between Dez and me, "Hey guys." Trish says, taking a seat next to Dez.
Ally takes a seat next to me and smiles. Her hair is up in a messy bun, and she's wearing a yellow tank top and blue shorts. She doesn't have any makeup on, but she's still glowing, "Hey Austin." She says.
"Hey Ally, want some fries?" I ask, pushing my basket towards her.
"Don't mind if I do! Aren't you hungry though?" She asks, taking a couple.
"Yeah but my aunt and uncle are coming over for dinner so I really shouldn't eat much." I say.
"Yeah, he gets to eat lobster!" Dez says.
"I've never had it." Ally admits, dipping a fry in my pile of ketchup.
"Ah you have to try it sometime." I tell her.
"So I heard Ed got in big trouble this morning." Trish says.
"He did? Why?" I ask.
"He came home this morning really drunk. Usually he goes to his friend's house but he couldn't so he decided to go home and his parents caught him. So I doubt he will be having any more parties anytime soon." She says.
"That's fine with me." Ally says.
"It's fine with me too." I say.
"You guys are no fun!" Trish says, grabbing one of the fries.
"I'm really fun actually!" I tell her.
She rolls her eyes but smiles, "Whatever you say Austin."
"You're more like a maid, man." Dez says.
"Hey, it's not my fault my parents make me do a bunch of chores. At least I get an allowance and I'm not broke like you." I say.
"Oh burn!" Ally says. Trish and I burst out in laughter, but Dez just frowns and eats another fry.
"How do you pay for all of these fries you eat then?" Trish asks.
"He had a tab!" I say.
"Wow, I hate you guys." Dez says.
"Maybe if you did the chores your parents told you to do, you'd get your allowance." Ally says.
"Okay whatever! New topic!" he says.
"Well, there's a movie night at my house tonight and I was going to invite you guys." Trish says.
"I'm in!" Dez says.
"I would if I didn't have that dinner." I say.
"I know; it's all good. You can come another time, for sure!" She says.
"Well, we should get going. I have to stop at Sonic Boom." Ally says, "Bye Dez, Bye Austin." She says.
"Bye Ally." I tell her.
"Bye guys!" Trish says, grabbing the rest of Dez's fries before leaving.
"Aw man!" He says, looking at his empty basket.
"Here" I say, shoving the rest of mine over to him.
"I'm better now!" He says, causing me to have a laughing fit.
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My mom has been slaving in the kitchen since I got home, and my father's been drinking a beer so he can deal with all of my uncle's stories about his thriving business. This uncle is my father's brother, and they've always sort of had this sibling rivalry. My brother thinks it's silly that my parents own a chain of mattress stores. He thinks that selling real estate is the best thing on earth, but it's really not. I'm pretty sure a lot more people buy mattresses over a really expensive new home. But maybe down in Florida they don't.
"They are going to be here any minute!" My mother announces from the kitchen.
"So?" I yell from the sofa.
"So make yourself look presentable!" She says.
"I look fine." I mumble, straightening up my dress shirt. This is the most ridiculous thing ever. Why do we have to wear fancy clothes to our own home for a stupid dinner?
When the door bell rings, my father hides his beer and greets them. They come up to me and hug me and give me the usual, 'you've gotten so big!' spew, and then I go into the kitchen to help serve food with my mother. She walks over to me and tries brushing my hair out of my face but I shove her hand away, "Mother, please." I say.
"Fine, put this out on the table." She says, handing me a platter with two lobsters on it.
I go into the dining room and set it down. I go back in the kitchen and grab the pitcher of water. I pour some in every glass slowly, wasting time until they all come in. I take my seat at the other end of the table and the meal begins. I keep quiet unless I'm asked a question, and I try to eat my lobster as clean and proper as I can, which isn't that easy.
"How's school going Austin?" My uncle asks.
"Very well." I tell him.
"Are you getting good grades?" My aunt asks.
"I'd like to think so." I say.
"Good good!" My uncle says happily.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" My aunt asks.
I shake my head and she sighs, "That's too bad! You are such a handsome young man!" She says.
I just smile and try hard not to roll my eyes. After a long boring conversation about business, I start picking up our plates. My mother is in the kitchen cutting up pieces of pie when the door bell rings. I look at my mom with question and she shrugs, taking the plates out of my hands, "Will you answer it?"
I nod and walk out of the room. I unbutton the top button on my dress shirt, tired of the way it feels. I open up the door and I'm shocked when I see Ally standing in front of me.
"Ally… Are you okay?" I ask, looking her up and down.
"I'm fine." She says, but I don't believe her.
I shut the door behind me and walk out onto the porch, standing next to her. I study her face until she looks me in the eye, her cheeks pink and damp, "What happened?" I ask.
"Dallas and I had a fight at Trish's." She says.
"What happened?" I repeat.
"He was just being stupid about how I left the party and I explained to him why I don't want to be around him when he's drinking and then he started yelling at me in front of everyone so I got embarrassed and left and I didn't know what to do or where to go and then I thought of you and I just needed someone to talk to." She rambles on. She notices my dress shirt and smacks herself in the forehead, "And you are having a dinner that I'm probably rudely interrupting!" She says, sighing.
"It's okay! I needed to get out of there anyway. I told you I'm always here for you. I'm sorry about Dallas. Just try not to listen to him, he always gets mad over the stupidest stuff, but he'll get over it. I really wish he didn't act like that towards you." I tell her.
"Thanks Austin." She says, and before I realize what's happening, she moves in and hugs her arms tight around my torso. I freeze at first, but then I wrap my arms around her shoulders cautiously. She smells like strawberries and a tropical island mixed in one. She stays like that for a long moment before breaking away, and looking up at me.
"I'll let you go back to your dinner. Thanks for letting me babble." She says.
"What? Are you going to be okay?" I ask.
"I'll be fine." She says, turning around and walking away. I stand there, frozen and watch her leave. My hearts racing at an abnormal speed and a thousand thoughts are going through my brain. The electricity I felt when she hugged me, it shouldn't have been there, it can't be. I shake my head at myself and walk back into the house. I sit back down on my spot and my family looks at me.
"Who was that?" My mother asks.
"It was just Ally; she had to tell me something." I say.
"Does she not have a cell phone?" my father asks.
I just shrug and that's the end of that conversation. I pick up my fork and play with my pie, suddenly not interested in eating. I stare into space as I can still feel Ally's small petite body pressed to mine. We've never hugged before; ever.
"Are you okay?" My mother asks.
I smile, "I'm fine, just full from all that lobster I guess."
"It was delicious!" My uncle says. My mother smiles big then. She loves when she gets compliments about her cooking, and it's a big deal coming from my uncle.
After another long while of talking, my aunt and uncle say their goodbyes. They tell us they can't wait to come over for dinner next year, and we act like we're super excited already, but in reality, it's extremely stressful and we are happy it's only once a year.
When they leave, I help my mother and father clean up and do the dishes. They thank me for being such a nice patient son, and they reward me with no chores for the next couple of days, which is fine with me. I've had enough chores today to last me a few months.
I walk upstairs to my room and tear off my dress shirt and pants. I throw on a white tee shirt and keep my boxers on. I jump into my bed and feel like I could sleep for days, until I remember that hug between Ally and I. Why did she hug me? And why did I feel the way I did when it was happening? I've hugged plenty of girls, but I've never felt that way before. I need to forget about it, she's Dallas' girl and I respect that. It's not like I have feelings for her or anything. I'm just all crazy minded because of my long day, and lack of sleep, and all that coffee. Yeah; that's it.
Author's note:
Thanks for all of the reviews so far! I've had a hard time posting stories and getting the feeling that they will never get as many reviews as Mayday so hopefully this story will be a hit! I wrote this chapter this morning in less than an hour. It just sort of came to me. And i really love it. I hope you enjoyed it!