I quickly glanced around to see if I saw the journal. It was
sitting on the hardback chair in plain sight a pen lying next to it. I walked
over and began flipping through it for clues. I was only on the second page
when I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I quickly closed it and set it
back on the chair making sure it was in the same spot as before. I glanced
around the room to make sure that it didn’t look disturbed and left the room.
As I closed the door, Bryn came upstairs. “Lauren, Nick sent
me to come look for you. He was wondering where you were.” She raised her
eyebrows when she saw me. “What were you doing in my room?” she asked.
“I just wanted to see what rooms you guys all chose. Aren’t
they just wonderful?” I asked, walking towards the stairs. She looked as me,
curious. “Are you coming downstairs?”
“I’ll be there in a minute. I think I left something in my
room,” she said. I knew that she was going in there to make sure that
everything was in order.
“I’ll see you downstairs.” I smiled and headed downstairs. I
walked into the kitchen and found Steven, the chef standing in front of the
refrigerator.
“Ms. Lauren, Nick wasn’t sure what you would like to drink,
so he told me to wait for you to come downstairs.”
“Oh yes, do you have tea?” I asked.
“What kind would you like? I can make anything.”
I bit my lip, “Peach please.” I said, smiling.
“I’ll bring it out to you. Everyone is outside on the patio,
go on out.” He smiled, opening the fridge. I giggled, walking outside. Nick and
Derrick were standing in a corner, talking.
I sat down next to Elisabeth. “Can you believe this place?”
I asked looking around. She shook her head, twirling the straw in her glass.
“No, I knew Nick’s parents had money, but I never expected
this at all. I’m sure you’re glad that you’re dating Nick now. He will probably
bring you up here every vacation. He really loves you.”
I smiled hearing those words. “Yeah. I love him, too.”
Elisabeth smirked, “I’m sure you do.” I gritted my teeth,
“Lizzie, don’t even start your attitude with me right now.
I’m here to have fun this week with friends, and that’s all. And if you want to
be a snob you can leave right now.”
“Just because you’re Nick’s girlfriend now, doesn’t give you
the right to tell me what to do.” She grabbed her drink and got up from the
table, walking towards Derrick. She whispered something in his ear and pointed
over at me. I shrank into my chair. A few minutes later, Steven came out with
my drink. I gave him a grateful smile.
We’d only been here an hour and I’d already got someone mad
at me. I sighed, taking a sip of my drink. Nick walked over, pulled out a chair
and sat down next to me. He set his hand on my knee. It didn’t taste like it
was watered down like the tea I always got at restaurants, it actually tasted
homemade.
“Lauren, what did you say to Elisabeth? She’s over there
trying to convince Derrick to go home.” I laughed quietly.
“She started giving me an attitude and I just told her that
I wasn’t going to take it. And if she wanted to be a bitch, she could just
leave.” I looked into his eyes; luckily, he didn’t look like he was mad at me.
“Are you mad at me?” I asked, quietly.
He shook his head, “No. I just think it’s funny how easily
Elisabeth gets mad.”
A few minutes later, Elisabeth walked over and sat down at
the table, making sure that she didn’t look in my direction.
How mature,
I thought to myself. Bryn came outside a few minutes later and sat down next to
me.
“What’s wrong with Lizzie?” she asked.
I shook my head, “Don’t ask. You don’t want to know.” She
grinned.
“Nick, where’s the bathroom?” Bryn asked loudly. He pointed
inside and she got up again.
I stirred my drink again and then took a sip. I hated the
silence and wished someone would begin talking. Nick must have read my mind
because he cleared his throat. “Does anyone want to go swimming after dinner?”
He asked.
I nodded. “That sounds like fun, what’s for dinner?” I
asked.
Bryn came out a few seconds later, followed by Steven. “I’ve
been ordered to cook hamburgers, miss.”
I glanced back and smiled. “That sounds great.” He nodded
and went back inside. I waited until the door was closed so I knew he couldn’t
hear what I was about to say and began talking,
“Was it just me or did Steven wrinkle up his nose when he
said the word hamburgers?” I asked.
Nick chuckled. “It’s not that, he’s just used to cooking
something fancier. My parents are constantly having parties here in the summer.
And you know how rich people are when it comes to food. I grew up knowing what
caviar was before I was four.”
“Well, if it makes Steven feel better he can put cheese on
mine.” I smiled. Nick gave me a grin. Elisabeth sat watching Nick and I banter
back and forth and spoke.
“Lauren, I don’t see how you and Ryan stayed together for so
long, you have no class when it comes to rich people.” She smiled snidely and
took a sip of her drink.
I took a deep breath, determined not to snap at her again.
“Well, at least Ryan and I had a relationship and he didn’t
use me for sex, like he did with you,” I replied haughtily.
Bryn sighed. “Will you two stop bickering for one minute
here? Have you forgotten that you used to be best friends?”
Elizabeth glared at her over the table. I sighed. I
sometimes wondered how we’d been friends for so long.. We had nothing in
common. Elisabeth was a prima donna. She went to the nail salon every two weeks
to get her nails done, her father paid for anything she wanted. Hell, he even
bought her a new car when she got into an accident our sophomore year. My
mother would have made me pay for the repairs. I think he just feels guilty
that her mother and he are divorced, so he’s trying to buy her love.
I could not wait to leave for college and get away from all
this drama. It was tiring.
“Bryn is right,” Derrick said calmly. He turned to
Elisabeth, “You should just be grateful that you’re here at all. After what you
and Ryan did I’m actually surprised we’re all still talking to you.”
My mouth dropped, I’d never heard Derrick talk to anyone
like that. I’d always thought that he was the quiet one. Nobody spoke. I
started to giggle. He glanced over at me. “Lauren you should just ignore her.
You should know by now that Elisabeth never has anything nice to say. She’s
always been a bitch.”
The scrape of Elisabeth’s chair made me jump.
“Since it seems like everyone here thinks I’m the biggest
bitch on the planet, why did you even invite me, anyway? I’m going upstairs. Call
me when dinner’s ready.” She stormed inside.
I fumed, slamming my right hand down on the table. “Who does
she think she is to act like she’s better than the rest of us? In fact, she’s
no better. Does she forget that Ryan was
my
boyfriend, so when he went
to her she was getting my sloppy seconds?” I clenched my other hand at my side.
Nick came over and wrapped his arms around me, stroking my
hair. “Lauren, calm down, it’s alright. Derrick was right when he said
Elisabeth was a bitch. Don’t let her get to you.” My face felt wet, tears
spilling from my eyes. I sniffed, “I feel like such an idiot right now. We’re
supposed to be having fun and here I am crying.” I turned to him. “Do you think
Steven would mind putting some rum in my tea?” I asked, trying to catch my
breath. Nick laughed.
“That’s my girl.” He grabbed my drink and brought it inside.
I quickly wiped the tears from my face, my fingers coming up black from my
mascara.
“Oh great, now my makeup is coming off.” I sighed.
Derrick laughed. “At least you don’t need to put on tons to
cover up your face like Elisabeth does. You're beautiful without it.”I blushed,
bit my lip.
“We need to stop this right now.” I glanced over at the door
wishing that Nick would come back with my drink soon. The door opened a few
minutes later, Nick’s arm around Elisabeth’s shoulders. He gave them a squeeze
and then came over to me.
“Here you go, babe.” He smiled as he handed me my drink. I
took the first sip and smiled. “Everything’s better with alcohol.”
“I think that Lauren has the right idea. Does anyone else
want a drink before dinner?” he asked, looking over at Derrick and Bryn. Bryn
nodded. Nick got up and went back inside to get them drinks while we all sat at
the table silent.
I could not stand the silence any longer. “I think it’s time
for a tour of the rest of the house.” I smiled, sipping my drink. “Who’s with
me?”I asked.
“That sounds like a good idea,” said Derrick, getting up.
Nick was standing at the counter getting the drinks when we walked in.
“We decided that we want the tour of the house now,” I said,
coming over to him.
“All right, that’s fine with me. Why don’t you grab your
drinks and then follow me?” He waited until everyone had their drinks and then
began talking,
“First on our tour is the kitchen, where Steven, our
wonderful chef, is currently making dinner of hamburgers and crunchy French
fries.” He waved his hands around the room. “Then on your right is a lovely
sitting room. Across the hall is another sitting room complete with a wet bar
for your convenience.” He walked through the kitchen to the main foyer. “Now if
you follow me downstairs, you will see my favorite place: the basement. It’s
not a normal basement.”
We walked down another pair of stairs and found more rooms.
“Here is the game room where we’ve got air hockey, pool, and of course, a game
system. Now, in this other room, you’ll find our movie theatre.” I walked into
the room and my jaw dropped.
When Nick said movie theatre, he meant it. You had a movie
screen as tall as the wall, theatre seats, and then in the back of the room
another bar where there was popcorn, pop, and lots of candy. If you didn’t know
you were in somebody’s house, you would probably think you were at a real movie
theatre.
“Lauren, we’re leaving.” I had been paying so much attention
to everything else in the room: I hadn’t realized that they were walking out.
“I’m coming.” I mumbled, backing out of the room. There were
two back rooms in the basement, which turned out to be another bedroom and an
office. “This is where father often sleeps if he’s working late because he
doesn’t want to disturb my mother. She’s a light sleeper.” I faked a smile,
because I had no idea what he was saying. I didn’t even know what his father
did for a living. I watched as Elisabeth took a camera from her pocket and
started taking pictures. I had no idea why she was doing it.
“Why are you taking, pictures Lizzie?” I asked
She turned to me. “You don’t know whose house we are in, do
you?” she questioned.
I shook my head. “Should I?”
“Yes! We watch the show every week, silly.”
I stood there feeling stupid that everybody else’s eyes were
on me. Then it dawned on me. My mouth dropped.
“You don’t mean...” I trailed.
“Yes. Nick’s father is Paul Williams, the writer of
Cranston
Heights
!”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me this. You know that I
love that show.” I said fake punching Nick in the shoulder. Your last name is
different though.”
“Yeah. I’ve got my mother’s maiden name. Paul William’s
isn’t my real father, but he doesn’t like to tell people that. It’s a long
story that I don’t feel like getting into right now. Maybe some other time. I
could probably get you some autographed pieces from the show if you want.” He
grinned.
“I would
love
that,” I said emphasizing the word
love, so he would be sure to get it.
“Well, the tour’s over and I’m sure dinner is ready by now,
so why don’t we head upstairs to the kitchen. Does anyone need a refill on
their drink?” He asked. I glanced down at my glass, I’d totally forgotten about
it. I took a sip.
As we walked upstairs, I could smell the delicious aroma of
hamburger all the way from the kitchen. They smelled wonderful and I was sure
that they tasted even better. I walked into the kitchen and found the table set
nicely for us. I walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Soon everyone
else followed. I was glad that Elisabeth had decided to sit on the other side
of the table from me because I wasn’t sure if I could take her griping during
dinner. Earlier had been enough for me.
Steven brought the food over and set it on the table. Over
the next few minutes, the only sounds you could hear were chewing of mouths.
Everybody was too busy eating to fight, thank goodness. I chewed a few bites
and swallowed.
“This burger is probably the best one I’ve ever had!” I
gushed, taking another bite.
It was also fancier than any burger that I had ever eaten in
my life. Steven had put cheese on it, despite his complaints, but instead of
regular American cheese, he had put Swiss along with tangy mustard that tasted
just heavenly.
“I’m glad that you all like the food, this is the last time
you’ll be eating the good stuff for a few months.” At first, I wasn’t quite
sure what he was talking about, but then I remembered. College started in a few
weeks.
“I can’t wait to get to Los Angeles!” I exclaimed excitedly.
Nick laughed. “I’m sure when you come home you’ll be begging
your parents to let you transfer somewhere closer to home because it’s not safe
enough for you. Don’t forget to pack your pepper spray.” He joked. “USC isn’t
the same school that you’ve seen on 90210, you know? It’s in L.A. You know, the
home of the Rodney King riots.” I glared at him. He was just trying to scare
me, to make me want to come home, but it was not going to work.
“I’ll be fine. What about you though, Utah is super cold.” I
took another bite of my burger, waiting for his response.
“I know that it’s cold, but at least I’ll be able to go
skiing whenever I please. Why else do you think I told my parents I wanted to
go there? They cannot be seriously thinking it’s because of the academics. I
don’t study.”