Chapter 4: Carter Finch

Chapter 4 of the Novel Ravenbrook Terrace. Carter Finch Central

Chapter 4

Carter Finch

 

            A splinter of light blue wood dug into the back of my leg as I sat on the porch of my house. Moments before, I had passed Ryan Millington, who had paused on his way to Farren’s house to ask if I knew if she was home. I had just glared at him and stalked to my house. I was punishing him because of my dad. That and the guy genuinely is a tool.

            Now I’m sitting on my porch, watching him ring her doorbell. I half expected Farren to ignore it, wanting her to assume it was, for a second, me, there to apologize or continue to wreck havoc on her. Ha!

            Instead she answered the door, her momentary irritation turning into a coy, flirtatious glance. I had a sneaky suspicion I was right about the other day, about her crush on him and all. After a second of chatting on the porch, Ryan wormed his way inside, spiky blond hair catching in the sun.

            I stood up and hopped off the stairs, pulling the splinter from my shorts. To be honest, I wouldn’t mind finding out what they were up to, but then again, that would seem awfully stalkerish. I am not a stalker. It’s one thins to stare enviously at a friend from your porch. It’s an entirely different thing to go peeking through windows. Something that not even good friends who aren’t fighting would do.

            Instead I headed next door, hoping that Sian could distract me from the fact that there was a boy, a really not-nice boy, was in Farren’s house. Yes, I was envious, very Envious.

            Okay, so yeah, these feelings are hard to ignore. Sian forced me to accept them yesterday, when Farren had stormed off from my house to her own. So it means that I’m a lezzy for liking my best friend. It’s natural, and according to Sian, perfectly natural. Nothing to be ashamed of. Though there is no way in hell I’m telling my parents. I’m sure they already suspect something, and I’m not confirming anything. They would freak out and kick me to the curb. Nor will I be telling Farren anytime soon. That would definitely freak her out. Her little episode in her room the other day was definite sign on what her opinion of gays were. She seemed like she was freaked out when she thought Sian was gay.

            The only reason why Sian even knows is because she apparently has great gaydar. She swears up and down she’s “no lesbo, ew!” but that she’s around the whole gay thing all the time. She could spot the gay gene or whatever, usually before they even realized that they were.

            I walked up her pathway to the front door, (no porch for her, sadly) and kicked it hard, bruising my toe. “Sian! Get your pixie a*s out here!” I rubbed my bare toe gingerly and backed up a bit.

            I heard footsteps and the door opened. I did a double take, at first thinking Sian’s mom was actually home. But it didn’t look like her mom, and standing in front of me definitely wasn’t Sian. This chick was my age (Sian is a year younger), taller, and, no offense to my best friend or anything, but this girl was hot.

            She had brown wavy hair instead of the shoulder length, straight black hair Sian has. Unlike Sian, who was pale as the irish, this girl was tanned. She also had clear blue eyes, not green. Definitely not dressed like Sian. She was decked out in a purple flannel shirt rolled up to her elbows and a pair of short, dark blue shorts. Her feet were bare. This definitely was not Sian. I’ve never even seen her in school.

            She must have caught my slack-jawed look, for she leaned against the doorframe on a raised arm and smiled, looking me up and down. I shivered slightly, a cold tingle running down my spine to my toes. Did I mention she had a great smile? A shallow dimple indented each side, shadows barely noticeable.

            “Pixie, huh? Sian’s not going to like that. Good thing she’s not home.” She straightened up and stepped outside. She was tall, my height, and she stared at me eye to eye.

            She held out a hand to me. “Spencer Webster.” She stated, with a slight lilt that could only be described as an amused croon. Her smile toned down from amused grin to a casual smirk. It looked almost natural, like she had no neutral face, a smirk her default face.

            I took it and she tightened her grasp, pulling me closer. The way she held herself, and the way she stared at me, made me recognize the raw confidence this girl possessed, and a slight undertone of danger. The hairs on the back of my neck stood.

            “Carter Finch.” I breathed. God, she was incredibly close, I could smell her shampoo, like mangos and papaya. My breaths turned shallow, my body ridged, heart racing as she continued to scrutinize me. Suddenly I wasn’t as nervous as just intimidated, and just a little excited. Who was this person?

            After an impossibly long time, she stepped back releasing my hand.  Noticing it was slightly sweaty, I hastily rubbed it down the side of my shirt, sweat streaks going down the light grey material of the tee.

Her eyes glinted in amusement. “Yeah, you live next door.” She pointed to my brown and blue house next door and turned back to me, eyes grazing back down my body once more. Suddenly I felt self-conscious standing there in my jean shorts and t-shirt.

“Which is great…” she continued, barely missing a heartbeat. “…since I’ll need a friend to show me around the school in a few days.” She folded her arms, smirking confidently at me.

I blinked in confusion. “School? Crap, that’s in a week isn’t it?” A panicked look snuck across my face and I glanced at my house.  “You look like you’d be a senior with me and Fae. Your Sian’s…?” I motioned for Spencer to finish the sentence, itching to get back to the house and away from the girl who made my mind dangerously wander.

“Cousin. I moved here with Sian and Aunt Mindy after I got kicked out of my school in Seattle.” She noticed my desperate glances and shuffles toward my house and her smile went back to a forced smirk. I felt bad. I had a sense that this girl didn’t smile as much as she ought to.

She blinked once before speaking in a rushed voice. “Speaking of which, I’m on dinner duty. I’ll have to see you later then, Carter.” She turned into the house and made as if to close the door.

“What did you so to get kicked out of the school for?” I asked quickly, reaching as if to grab the door before it shut. She continued to close the door, as if she was ignoring me. I guess that was my fault. It did seem like I was anxious to leave her. I looked up at the overhang above the door and closed my eyes.

“I’m a retarded blond.” I said, shaking my head. I turned to get off the pavement in front of the door when I heard the doorknob jiggle.

Spencer opened the door a little bit, eyes glinting mischievously. She leaned out to me, half in the house half out She motioned for me to step closer. I leaned in cautiously and she whispered into my ear:

“My parents hate queers.”

With that said, she pulled back and shut the door, leaving me standing there gaping in surprise. I guess that’s what Sian meant by always being around a gay vibe. The gay vibe lived in her house, and probably was around for a while. Still a little shocked, I turned and walked onto the pathway that leads to the sidewalk.

Sian called out from down the street and I turned mechanically, not really seeing my pixie. That whole time talking to Spencer, I never guessed that she was really. I mean the stares I figured were just her getting amusement out of the situation with the gay next door. Oh god, did that mean Sian told her?

Puzzled, Sian stopped in front of me and took in my expression. She looked concerned, if not a little lost. Her hair was particularly messy and tangled, and it looked like she had just woken up from the floor of frat house. She was in the same clothes as yesterday, and she smelled like a frat house to boot. I had a funny feeling that she didn’t sleep in her own bed last night.

She wiped something off her eye and poked a finger into my face, waggling it slightly as pointing at my stunned expression. “What’s this face about, huh?” she asked. Groggily she looked from me to the door I was standing against and she cracked into a wide, amused smile. She moved closer to me and I smelled the sweat on her body. It seemed like Sian was at another party, probably shagged a guy on the floor like usual.

“I get it. You met Spencer, didn’t you? She’s a riot really. She’ll be here for the school year and maybe some time after that.” She chuckled and fumbled in her small pockets to pull out a small brass key. She moved her hand as if to signal me to move. I stayed put.

“Yeah, I met her.” I jabbed my thumb at her door and gave her a questioning look. “Is she…?”

“Yup. Totally. He parents, my aunt and uncle, caught her in bed with some girl named Kelsie. Kicked her a*s out and sent her here. Mom wasn’t too keen, but she’s never here, so…” she shrugged and bounced a little, trying to push past me. “Yeah, demon-spawn is here to stay.”

I scratched my neck and leaned back on the door, this time pressing my whole figure against the wood. “Did you tell her?” I asked firmly, eyes boring into her

She raised a brow and rested her arm across her stomach, planting her hand firmly on top to keep it in place. Even in her slightly pissed state she knew what I was implying. “Tell her what? About you? No, but I’m sure she’s does now, judging by the look you had when I found you. I wouldn’t be surprised if she knew all about you. She has that way of knowing people.” She widened her eyes and stretched her fingers out. She slurred slightly.

I groaned and smacked my forehead. “Damn.”

Sian giggled and pulled me by the front of my shirt off the door. For someone so tiny, she had strength, even as pissed as she was. She looped her arm around my own and led me away from her house and Spencer to my house next door. I started to mutter my disapproval when she poked my side sharply.

She opened my door roughly. “I think its best if we chilled here since mine obviously has too many distractions.” Her small smile widened wickedly, eye brows wiggling suggestively.

I kicked her butt with my bare foot, forcing her inside, Spartan style. Sian stumbled forward and shuffled into the kitchen, rooting through the cabinets like usual. She might still be a little drunk and maybe high, but nothing will deter Sian from food.

 “Speaking of distractions, where were you last night?” I leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

The dark-haired girl froze, packet of Cheez Doodles already in her hand. Slowly she opened it. “Say what now?”

It was my turn to grin wickedly. “You weren’t home last night. I thought you would be home. I was going to talk to you about something but I figured you were at some party with a lucky bloke. You mom didn’t seem to have an idea of where you were, but I already knew.”

She shook her head. She carefully slinked her way guiltily back into the living area. “How did you find out?”

I grinned and flopped down onto the couch. “I didn’t until just now. You just confirmed it. I was totally bluffing.” I looked at her outfit. “Doesn’t help the fact that your hair’s completely messed up, you wore those clothes yesterday, (shirts backwards by the way), you’re positively glowing…” I paused to sniff the air. “Is that tequila I smell?”

Sian stuffed a doodle into her face and proceeded to speak. “Wah I do ish mah bidnish,” she tried to say around a mouthful of cheese. She swallowed. “But yeah, I was.”

I frowned at her disapprovingly. “Aren’t you a bit young for that kind of thing? To be partying at strange houses and shagging random people?” Oh boy, I’m starting to sound like my mother.

She rolled her eyes and passed me the Cheez Doodles. “First off, say it again, and lose any Spencer privileges I give you in the future. Which I may not do, because Spencer is a b***h. Second, I’m going to be a junior in a week.” She examined a doodle between her fingers before giving it a thorough lick, “They don’t seem to mind a sixteen year old hanging around. In fact, they love it.” She gave me a sly look and I snorted at her in disgust.

I turned my attention to the window that looked out to Farren’s house and saw her leaning on the doorway, looking at Ryan standing on the porch steps. She was giving him a look I used to wish she’d give me. Strangely, I wasn’t feeling to bad watching the pair flirt shamelessly.

Sian followed my gaze and looked out to the pair outside. She stiffened and set a hand on my shoulder, leaving a slight cheese mark on the sleeve from her orange fingers.

“You need to get over them, Finch. Move on. She’s obviously not at your level, and she’s with that stupid prick.” She glared out the window coldly.

I caught the coldness in her attitude at the pair and chalked it up to best friend protectiveness. A thought passed by and I grinned devilishly at her. Surprised at the change of attitude, she removed her hand and backed up from off the couch arm. She hesitated, unsure if she wanted to get caught in whatever crazy scheme I had come up with.

“Finch? What’s going on?” she asked cautiously. She’s known me long enough to know that my impulsivity is renowned, and my plans are not always the most sane or logical.

“Spencer’s on my level.” I prompted, grinning widely at her. My stomach tingled at the thought of the brunette. I had only talked to her once, and already I knew that she was someone I definitely needed to know.

Her eyes widened. “Hey man, I was joking about the Spencer privileges. You can’t get involved with her. You don’t want to get involved with her, especially for your first girlfriend. I won’t let you.” She set the Cheez Doodles down on the coffee table and moved to the front door.

I bit the edge of my thumb delicately before looking up at her. I pursed my lips. “Why? She didn’t seem that bad. Besides, it’ll take my mind off of Farren, yeah?”

She looked at me doubtfully, slowly opening the door. It creaked loudly in the tense silence. Sian finally spoke up. “Still, Spencer is Spencer. She’s a twisted freak.”

I smirked, knowing that it was probably jealousy and sibling rivalry (even though they’re cousins) that drove her determination to prove Spencer’s corruptedness. “It’s Friday, Sian. I have 10 days before school starts and I have to show your cousin around school. I have plenty of time to see for myself without the whole living-with-each-other madness going on.”

She shook her head and walked out without another word. I got up and went into the kitchen, stopping to pick up the mail that Dad must have brought in from his lunch break. On the top was an envelope addressed to me in handwriting and sent from Oregan.

It was already opened, which didn’t surprise me, with a post-it attached to it with my father’s scrawl written on it, as if he was in a rush. He was always in a rush. Ignoring it for now, I pulled out the letter and charged upstairs to my room. I sat down on the bed and opened it.

“Dear Carter,

Your father tells me that you have finally gotten your license. After a quick conference with my brother, we decided that it would be acceptable for me to give you Rodney, so long as you pay for the insurance with that job you’ll be getting. I’ll have him towed to your house on Monday, so you should get him by Tuesday or Wednesday. Consider this your Christmas present. I hope you know that I love you and miss you, and that your Daddy and his girl are doing great.

Love Auntie Moira.

p.s Kaitie says to tell you hi and that she misses you. How sweet you two were able to get so close over the summer. She’s such a nice girl.”

I beamed, looking down and quickly rereading Aunt Moira’s letter. It was short and straight to the point as always, little chitchat, and just like my eccentric Aunt. And, to make things better, Kaitie still remembers me. I never told Sian, but Kaitie was actually my first girlfriend.

Kaitie was introduced to me by Aunt Moira when I stayed over for the summer at their home in Portland. Kaitie was staying as well as a favor to Aunt Moira’s friend. Secretly, I felt that Aunt Moira planned the whole thing. She always mentioned how cute we were, and when she walked in on us on day, she hadn’t batted an eye. Shows just how much different then she is from her win brother, my father. I love my Aunt Moira.

 Aunt Moira, who had just given me her lime green Mini Cooper named Rodney. She just gave me my first car.

I let out a loud whoop and jumped out of my chair, wiggling around in a little happy victory dance. I gyrated in place, almost ramming into my nightstand next to my bed.

The yellow post-it fell off the envelope to the floor, a warning from my dad about the cost of insurance and to make sure I get that job. I crumpled it and threw it into the waste bin, tucking the letter into my back pocket.

Finally, something good to be happy about. I gave another squeal and slammed my door shut and cranked my radio up. I grabbed the hairbrush lying on my dresser and paused as “Stronger” came on by Kelly Clarkson.

I let out a small squeal. I had been listening to this song nonstop for a few weeks. It was inspiring, and allowed me to get through all the hard times that were growing more frequent nowadays. Slowly I felt myself start to dance to the melody, and found myself singing along to the tune as well.

After all, who needs all the complications of a lover? The complications of loving Farren, who can never be mine and the taboo, set by Sian on Spencer. I guess I’ll have to trust Kelly in that it “doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone.”

“Howdy neightbor!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

Carters Chapter. Got a bit intense for a second there. Spencer Central next.