Take Me Home: Chapter Four: Orientation

Orientation

Carrie woke up, groggily, with her throat begging for water. She had never in her life, had that much fun. Surely she would have thought it a dream had she not been wearing last night’s clothes still lying in bed. Jay had taken her and Steven to a party in Nele, an island off the coast. The music had been blaring from the many different boats that were present, and a bonfire was on the beach with people dancing the night away. It was a completely new experience that had her instantly hooked. Steven completely let loose, getting lost in the music and enjoying his drink. His messy hair and daring blue eyes sucked her in. She danced with him on the beach, throwing her hair back and feeling completely free for the first time. Jay had been with two women the whole night, barely paying attention to Carrie and Steven. Carrie liked this, because she was able to enjoy having Steven all to herself.

Thinking back at the previous night, a smile came to her face. Many of the other girls there had been giving her strange looks all night. When she asked Steven why people were staring, he simply informed her that she was just new to the group. Carrie had seen the way these girls looked at her and Steven, and to her it seemed like more than that. Knowing that Steven and Jay were really popular around Stonessa, she felt that they didn’t want her there, stealing his attention. This thought just made her smile wider and she sat up deciding that it was time to start the day.

“When do you think she’ll wake up?” Steven asked, pouring himself his second cup of coffee.

          “Steven, it’s still early,” Jay replied, complete with his signature sunglasses on in the kitchen.

          “I know. Just saying, I’m getting bored down here listening to you complain about the light. Not to mention your comment about the coffee maker being too loud for you.” Jay smirked and chuckled slightly at this.

          “What’s the plan for today?” Jay asked, his voice raspy from smoking and drinking the night before. Steven thought for a moment, taking a sip of his coffee. Looking out the window at the sun shining bright on his elaborate back yard, he tilted his head and asked,

          “What about a BBQ?”

          “Here?” Jay asked, raising his eyebrows. Steven could barely see them behind the oversized sunglasses.

          “Yes, here. Carrie can meet more of our friends, and that way we can just stay here. Take it easy,” he replied.

          “Sure, sounds good to me. I’ll call everyone up for say, 4pm-ish?”

          “Sounds good, I’ll go tell Carrie,” Steven said, setting down his cup and heading upstairs.

          Relaxing under the calming water, Carrie was feeling much better. Hearing a knock at the door, she just about squeezed half the bottle of conditioner onto her hand.

          “Yes?” she asked. The door opened slowly, and she felt the cool draft of air sweep in.

          “It’s just me. I was coming to make sure you were still alive,” Steven said, laughing at the end.

          “Well excuse me if I’m not a morning person,” she teased back, “is there a reason you’re interrupting my shower?”

          “Nah, just coming to bother you,” he explained, smiling at the banter they had going back and forth.

          “Oh really. Well you’re just in time then, I was about to start singing.” At this, he laughed again. He loved the fact that he could joke around with her and have fun. Even while she was in the shower.

          “Well I wanted to ask you something. Would you be alright with us hosting a BBQ? Just a few friends and we can relax around the pool,” he offered, hoping that she would was yes.

          “A small get-together then? Hmm… Sure. It sounds like fun. This afternoon?” she asked.

          “Yes, probably around four. So you will have plenty of time to perform solos in the bathroom,” he said, sarcasm lacing his words. That beautiful laugh he loved escaped her lips, and he shut the door leaving her to finish up. Returning to his cup of warm coffee, he noticed Jay was no longer sitting at his usual spot. Guessing he had gone upstairs to clean up, Steven approached the refrigerator to find breakfast. While grabbing a carton of eggs from the middle shelf, the house phone rang.

          “Hello?” he answered

          “Bonjour, avez-vous manqué moi?” a voice slurred from the other line. Steven’s brow furrowed, and he sighed.

          “What do you want Charlette?” he demanded. Why is my ex girlfriend calling me. Why can’t she just leave me alone!? I swear I’ll pull my hair out if she is in Stonessa. Please be a whole country away, back in France whoring up the whole city of Paris. Please.

          “Oh bébé, you sound upset?”

          “Just tell me what you want, or I’ll hang up. You have no reason to be calling here,” he threatened. Getting angrier as the seconds ticked by.

          “Ahh. I just wanted to tell you that I will be visiting soon. Paris is starting to bore me. I’ll be sure to stop by and see what you’ve been up to, eh chéri?” she inquired. Not wanting to deal with her, Steven pressed the end button and sighed, relieved that he ended the conversation.

Looking outside again, he decided to get a few things ready for the get together. I need to clear my head. Approaching the basement door, he descended the stairs and found the bar. The downstairs bar was in the wreck room, or billiard, as Jay called it. It was where they kept the stock of alcohol, and Steven knew he was going to need a lot to make it through the day after that phone call. Grabbing a few bottles and mixers, he went back upstairs. Their patio was made for entertaining. Just outside the door on the left there was a bar, with a hot tub to the side. To the right sat the grill with tables and chairs. Straight forward was where the pool was with all the lawn chairs. Steven squinted at the lawn chairs surrounding the pool, instantly thinking about his brother. Jay had demanded he pick out the lawn chairs, and decided on a turquoise and green design. There’s one in every family.

          “Steven!” a voice called, walking by the pool.

          “Adele! Peter! Glad you came!” Steven replied. The couple approached Carrie and Steven, smiling.

          “Of course we came! We’re neighbors, it’s an unwritten rule to attend get-togethers,” the woman, Adele said. Steven gave them his signature smirk.

          “Carrie, this is Peter and Adele Fletcher, they live next door down the beach,” he said gesturing towards the couple, “Peter, Adele, this is Carrie.” At the end of his sentence he put his arm around Carrie’s waist. She extended her hand, being polite and said,

          “Hello. Nice to meet you. I like your dress,” she commented, pointing at Adele’s white form fitting dress. She was beautiful, with short brown hair and a slim figure. Being shorter than Carrie, it made her look like a smaller Barbie doll, with every feature shining with perfection. Adele appeared to be in her late thirties, but was still gorgeous. Her husband, Peter, looked much less extravagant. He seemed older, probably in his fifties or sixties. Dressed casually, he smiled back at Carrie putting his arm around his wife.

          “Well aren’t you adorable! Hope to chat later doll, we should go say hi to everyone,” Adele said, waving as the strolled toward the other guests. Steven and Carrie made their way to the bar, and he poured them some drinks.

          “Okay, I know Peter and Adele now, and of course Jay, but that’s it. Who are these other people?” Carrie asked, raising an eyebrow at Steven. He smiled, looking down at her and pulled her against him from behind. Resting his head on her shoulder, looking around at everyone he began to explain.

          “Well that blonde lady over there, the one with the enormous hat and bright red lipstick? She is our other neighbor, Jodi Peterson. And those two younger guys she has in tow are her, companions,” he pointed at the men who were easily fifteen years younger than the blonde woman who appeared to be in her forties.

          “That woman over there with the much too short black dress on is Annabelle. She is quite the character. One of those people who never shuts up, and can really get on your nerves. She’s one of Jay’s friends,” he explained, gesturing towards the woman with long brown hair and way too much makeup.

          “She looks…interesting,” Carrie commented, looking to her left to see Steven’s face still resting on her shoulder. He grinned, rolling his eyes and said,

          “Yes she is, to say the least. The redhead over there is Daisy, she’s a sweetheart. And the three guys over there are Gale, Chase, and Arnie. They’re Jay’s band. He’s quite the entertainer when he’s not shit-faced on the boat,” at this Carrie laughed, “and the rest of these people are either Jay’s friends, or his sleepovers,” Steven said. Carrie nodded, having retained most of the information.

          Soon, Jay had begun to grill chicken and people started gathering more by the grill. No doubt about it, Carrie was having fun. I don’t feel as out of place as last night. Everyone here seems great. Especially Adele, she was so sweet. This is so different than I expected it to be. With this thought, she decided to take a walk on the beach. Drink in hand, she wandered past the pool and the guests towards the ocean where she could see the sunset about to begin. She walked down towards the end of Steven’s property, and sat down. Looking out at the big expanse of the ocean she had once dreamed of, she smiled. Remembering sitting in her closet with a flashlight, reading through a travel magazine when she was younger made her smile fade. For years she had dreamed of escaping her life in Michigan, and now she finally had. Theresa would no longer be there to fight with her and her younger sister about money, burdens which a child should not have to bear. Also, the frequent male guests she had over made it difficult to have any stability. Looking down at the white sand, she shook her head. Put a smile on, there is absolutely no reason for you to be thinking about back home. After sitting for twenty minutes or so, she figured it was time to go back to the party. Because she lived here with Steven and Jay, she considered herself obligated to hosting duties. Standing up to walk back to the house, she tripped and fell back into the sand. At least nobody saw that. She looked around for the rock or stick she assumed tripped her, but found none.

          “Hello Carrie,” an all too familiar voice said. She turned around to see the straight blonde haired man she thought she would never see again.