Chapter 1A Chapter by Emma“You said move on, where do I go?” wailed Katy Perry from Carley Fitzgerald’s pink iHome. She moaned, rolled over in her bed, and switched rapidly through her “Good Morning Carley” playlist. “I was seven and you were nine,” mused Taylor Swift. “Your subtleties, they strangle me,” put in the All-American Rejects. “I got a say to you,” insisted Paramore. “I’m having the day from hell,” complained The Veronicas. Then: “I’m packed and I’m holding, I’m smiling, she’s living, she’s golden,” burst out Third Eye Blind, and Carley smiled and closed her eyes. Nineties rock, she reflected for the millionth time, was the only genre for music. Then again, there was Nine Days. But the classics, like Third Eye Blind, Counting Crows, and The Goo Goo Dolls, were a thousand times better. It was light outside, and Carley drew back the curtains for a look. The trees had their first hint of buds popping up, and her brother, Sam, was playing on the sidewalk with his skateboard. “Hey! Sammy!” she yelled, sticking her head out the open window and looking down. “Where’s Jenna?” “At Ashley’s,” he explained, tilting his head up to her and shielding his eyes as he gave her the whereabouts of their eleven-year-old sister. “I told her she could go ‘cause Mom already left.”
Carley sighed and closed the window. Every day, it seemed, Sara Folds was at work, where she taught welfare mothers and disadvantaged teenagers. Even the first day of summer, apparently, wasn’t exempt from her driving work ethic. Carley got changed into shorts and a tank top, and went down to get some breakfast. To her surprise, however, when she reached the bottom of the stairs, there was Drew Argyle, flipping through an old Newsweekwith his bare feet on the kitchen table. She screamed and stepped back. “Hey,” said Drew, putting down the magazine and standing up with a bemused twinkle in his eyes. “You okay?” “You scared me,” she explained lamely. “Sorry. Um, what are you doing here?”
“Waiting for you to get up.” Carley checked the clock furtively. It was eight forty-five. “My mom left us to take care of ourselves for a day while she went off to New York City with the new boyfriend.” “You know our mom did the same thing, right?” she asked, stepping into the kitchen closer to him. “Well, she went to teach disadvantaged youth. But more or less.” He grinned at her. “Imagine my surprise when I come over to your house and find myself in the same predicament.”
They stood there grinning at each other for a few moments, then Drew clapped his hands and said, “Well, I can’t just stand here while you go hungry. What do you want for breakfast?” “Oh, I don’t know,” she answered. “I’ll just have a bowl of cereal or something. You can go outside with Sammy or something, instead of watching me eat.” “You know our mom did the same thing, right?” she asked, stepping into the kitchen closer to him. “Well, she went to teach disadvantaged youth. But more or less.” He grinned at her. “Imagine my surprise when I come over to your house and find myself in the same predicament.” They stood there grinning at each other for a few moments, then Drew clapped his hands and said, “Well, I can’t just stand here while you go hungry. What do you want for breakfast?” “Oh, I don’t know,” she answered. “I’ll just have a bowl of cereal or something. You can go outside with Sammy or something, instead of watching me eat.” you do then?” “Nothing really. Took Sam and Jenna to the ice cream shop.” With Jay, she added silently. “How about you?” “Broke up with my girlfriend.” He flashed his dimples at Carley. “You didn’t have a girlfriend, genius,” she reminded him. He sighed. “Okay, then, I broke up with a girl who wanted to be my girlfriend. You know LaurieHendrick?” He glanced up at her, waiting eagerly to deliver the punch line of what seemed to him to be a great joke. “She kept asking me out. I told her I already liked someone else.” “Okay, whatever,” replied Carley nonchalantly, even though her insides thrilled at the implication. “Can you believe we only have one more year?” “Are you kidding? I’ve waited forever. I’d better be able to believe it. One more year and I’m out. I’m already looking up colleges.” “First choice?” “Northwestern. Far away, but I can still drive there, which means I get to keep my car.” He thrust one fist into the air and laughed. “How about you?"
“Oh, I’m not really sure yet,” she said airily. “I’m thinking about NYU. I love the city,and they’re supposed to have a great film department.” “Cool.” He nodded. “That what you want to do?” “Yeah.” Drew placed a plate of eggs and toast in front of her and she glanced gratefully up at him. “Thanks. Yeah, I always wanted to be, I don’t know, a producer, or a director. I love movies.” “What about them?” “I just love the way they can make you feel anything with just visuals and ideas, you know? The other thing I wanted to be is, I know this sounds stupid, a casting director. I don’t know. Just an idea.” “That sounds cool,” Drew agreed. “I know what you mean.”
A thought suddenly dawned on Carley. “Hey, did you have breakfast?” “Yeah.” He laughed. “Are you done?” Carley looked down at her plate. “I guess, why? Is there something you wanted to do?” “I want to I show you something.” He took her plate and put it in the sink, then lead her outside, where Sam was leaning against the garage with his skateboard propped up beside him. Carley winced. Sam and Jay were good friends; she didn’t really know yet how she was going to negotiate his silence. “Hey, Drew,” said Sam frostily, pushing himself off the garage wall and walking toward Carley. “Listen,” he said in an undertone, “we can talk in front of this or we can do it somewhere else. Your call.” Carley sighed. “Drew, hold on. I’m just going to take a second.” Pulling Sam behind the house, she folded her arms and sighed at him. “Okay. Go ahead and lecture me.” “I’m not going to lecture you,” he hissed, glaring furiously at her. “But what the hell do you see in him. He’s such a, an arrogant jerk . Not even to mention what this’s going to do to Jay.” “Okay. Okay. I know all this,” she said quickly. “But—I don’t know, Sammy. I get all that. I just don’t want to hear it.” “Well you have to! This isn’t like, I don’t know, getting mad at Jay one time, or breaking a date with him one time. Cheating on him one time isn’t the same. It’s a big deal. And Jay loves you.” Carley felt an unexpected prickle of tears. “I know! It’s just, don’t you ever want to do something, like, totally irrational, without thinking about the consequences? I just want to be free.” “Then go dye your hair, get a tattoo, whatever. Don’t do this. I will tell him, too, you know.” “I know,” said Carley quietly, and left him standing there to join Drew. © 2009 Emma |
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Added on October 27, 2009 AuthorEmmaAboutI am a shy teen from a small suburban town with a major passion for music and writing...my favorite authors are Nick Hornby and Kurt Vonnegut, and my favorite bands are, to name a few, Death Cab For C.. more..Writing
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