Okay so this chapter is pretty long. I type it on my microsoft word and copy it here but in the word document I don't really use chapters. So if you thinks it's too long just say so.
Thanks!
Charlotte Grace
I woke to a rather rude awakening. I opened my eyes to find Stephan shaking my shoulder. "What the-" Then I looked around to see that everyone was getting up. "Damn." I said. I saw that my laptop was put away in my bet up case. I pointed to it and looked at Stephan. "You do this?" I asked. He smiled, which was enough of an answer for me. "Did you read anything? I swear to God I'll have your head." I pointed my finger in his face.
"Relax, sugar." he said it in an exaggerated southern accent. "I didn't read anything. Except that email Johnson sent you." He backed away, slowly. We were off the plane and the family was walking toward baggage claim. I had stopped. I feared that if I took one more step, I'd explode. Stephan was lacking a little behind the families, but he was still walking. I took three deep breaths, and then ran to catch up with him. I pulled on the sleeve of his jacket. I turned him around so that he would face me.
"I need you to tell me truth," I searched his eyes, "did you read anything on my laptop?" I held tightly onto his arm. He probably was bruising.
"Alex," He stared into my eyes, "I did not read anything on your laptop. I would never do that without you giving me permission to. Okay?" His hands were placed on my shoulders. He towered over me.
“Okay,” I said, “I believe you.” We started walking again. “Don’t call me Alex. Ever.” We caught up with everybody while they were waiting for the luggage carousal to start. When it did, my mother started pointing out her stuff, and when I didn’t make a move to get it, she said, “Alexandria, if you’re not good at doing simple tasks, like retrieving people’s luggage, then you will not make it in this world.”
Are you kidding? I wanted to blow up in her face, but I knew this was not the time nor the place for it. I retrieved her first bag with no protests. Her second one however did not go well. I tried to pick up the bag, but it was too heavy for me. “How much does one person need?” I kept muttering to myself. I gave it another try. When that failed I looked around for Stephan, hoping that maybe he’d come to help me. He was nowhere to be seen. I turned around to get the luggage again, but when I looked down, it was gone. I looked up and down the carousal. Gone. My mother is going to kill me.
Someone tapped my shoulder, so I turn around. Charlie is standing there with a grin plastered on his face. “What are you smiling at?” I said.
He steps away and behind him was my mother’s stupid bag I was looking for. He had gotten it off the carousal for me; at least I think it was for me. “Smartass.” I mumbled.
When everything was loaded in a sixteen passenger van, with the exception of Cassie, Mom, Sherri, Mrs. Freeman, and Mrs. Morgan, they were off driving other cars for the families to share, we left to go to the house my aunt had rented for us all to stay in.
Uncle Rob was driving again. I was the only girl among all the guys. I was sitting by myself in the van. Charlie and Stephan were talking about sports. Which it’s funny because I wouldn’t have pictured him as the sports type, maybe as the artistic type. It was obvious that Charlie was the sports type, he was clean cut. He had some muscles but not the bulging kind, like some of the guys in school, but enough to show that he worked out and played sports. There was a scar down his left arm. Since it’s still there, it makes me think that he broke that arm a number of times. I’m thinking that he plays football, just by his body language. He walks around so that he looks nice and approachable, but still intimidating. It reminds me of Johnson. Johnson . . . Johnson. . . . Shout! I was supposed to call him when I landed. Well, I couldn’t very well call him now. I didn’t have any space, and I wouldn’t hear him and vice versa. I should wait, I thought, when I get to there and get a room I’ll call him, I promised myself. I looked down at my hands and thought of what the house would be like. A picture pops up into my head of a house that looks like a commercial house. It looked mass-produced, like it was part of a suburb. It was huge and was painted beige. It was horrible. I shuddered at the thought of staying there for three months. Wow, was I off.
We pulled up to a house of huge size. It wasn’t anything like the house I had thought of. It was painted a pale blue colour. There was a wrap-around porch with a black door in the middle. I got out of the van, and looked over at Charlie and Stephan. They stared in awe at the house. The window frames were painted white, and the shingles on the roof were grey. The wood railings of the were white, or was white. Now it was dirtied, probably from all the use of the house.
The others still weren’t here so I went up on the porch and walked around the porch to the back of the house. “Omigod, it’s beautiful. “ And it was. We were on top of a cliff that looked out over the ocean. There was a small and narrow path going down to the ocean’s edge. The sun was blinding, but beautiful as its light bounced off the water surface. The wind danced in my hair, blowing it every which way.
“Ah, there you are my little detective.” I turned around to see who disturbed my peace.
“Your little detective? Hardly. But must you disturb my peace?” I said to Stephan. “Why don’t you go back in front with the rest of the guys and leave me in my peace?” I ask him.
He steps closer and says, “Now that wouldn’t be as much fun, now would it? I actually find your company. . . . entertaining. You are not like most girls, Alexandria.” He was moving closer toward me.
“I’ve been told that.” I said. I took a step back. He kept moving forward and for every two steps he took toward me, I took one back. I didn’t want him getting too close. It wasn’t just because his cologne was so strong, but getting close to people I don’t know, mentally and physically, is hard for me.
“Really? I thought you said you can’t have a boyfriend.” He smiled a cocky smile. The sun glinted off the grill and right into my eyes. It blinded me. I stepped back out of the path of the blinding light. I stepped back too far. With my foot halfway on and halfway off the cliff, I fall backwards. I would have fell off if Stephan wouldn’t have grabbed my arm in the nick of time. He pulled me against him. I looked down from where I stood. There were rocks crumbling down the side of the cliff. The drop was at least a hundred feet, maybe more. In the water were rocks. If I had landed on one of them, I would have died, even if they weren’t all pointy. The point of impact would kill me no doubt.
“I guess I owe you now.” I breathed. I looked up at my savior. He wasn’t looking at me rather than the ocean.
“Yeah, I guess you do.” He said. It was barely audible, over the loud car engines.
“We should get back.” I said. I turn and walk away from my potential death scene. I walked around the side of the house and found that the suitcases were already out of the van. Mine, of course, were laying on their sides, probably because they weren’t handled with care. I walked over and claimed my bags. I noticed that I forgot that my messenger bag was in the van still. I opened the door to the grey van. I climbed in and searched for my bag.
Before I knew it, I was locked inside the van. The door was shut and wouldn’t open. Child locks, damn. I looked outside and saw Marshall holding up my messenger bag. He was standing there alone cracking up. He dropped my bag, and in his hand, he held my laptop. I forgotten to lock it so he could easily access my documents.
“Marshall! Don’t Marshall! I am so going to kill you when I get out of here!” I screamed. The front doors, I thought. He couldn’t have locked the front doors. I climbed into the front and started toying with the locks. I was out. I looked around for Marshall. Then I saw him lying on the ground. “Marshall!” I yelled. I ran over and squatted down to see if he’s still alive. I had no doubt he was, but after working with the police I learned that someone who’s in trouble always needs help. He was breathing. I kneeled down to hear his breathing. It was regular. In, out, in, out.
“Alexandria, are you okay?” Charlie asked. He ran over to help.
“I’m fine. Marshall locked me in the van. When I got out he was like this. But where’s my laptop. . . Damn.” I said. I didn’t see it at all.
“Shouldn’t we wake him up?” Charlie asked.
“Yeah, probably.” I wiped my hands on my jeans and righted Marshall’s face. Then, as calmly as I could, I slapped him. It was a hard slap. You could tell by the loud sound when my hand connected with his face.
He awoke with a “What the hell?” After a few moments of regaining his bearings, he said, “You bitch! You knocked me out!”
“Yeah, whatever. Now where’s my damn laptop?” I asked. He sat up and pointed over to the left of him. I ran over to find my laptop in disarray. The back had fallen out. I pressed the power button. It didn’t turn on. “Marshall, How did you get knocked out?” I asked calmly.
“By you. You hit me from behind.” He said. He rubbed the back of his head.
“You should go to the hospital. You could have a concussion. And I didn’t hurt you. I was still in the car, dumbass.” I said. I pressed the back of his head. He made a little squeal and I smiled. It was tender. “Yeah, as soon as possible go get it checked out, but you’ll be fine. My computer on the other hand. . .” I looked at it. I needed to get it fixed right away. I carefully put it in my messenger bag. “Let’s go inside. There’s no need to be out here anymore.” I let Marshall and Charlie go before me. Before I entered the house, I took a last glance around. The street was abnormally quiet. I knew at that moment, this was going to be one hell of a summer.
