Someone Else's Fairytale (6 page)

“Just spit it out.”

“Older. Probably experienced, sexually. Probably feel like they're past the age of just holding hands and goodnight kisses. And just look at the world nowadays. The way it works for people is they date, become intimate, live together, and then maybe marry. You get off before the second stop, people assume you don't want any of that."

“This is probably not what you wanted to talk about.”

He reached over and patted my knee. “I respect you, Chloe. The stuff I've found out about you in the past week just makes me respect you more.”

“Sorry to use you tonight.”

“I really don't mind. You gonna be okay the next coupla weeks?”

“Yeah, tonight was definitely Jon's last ditch effort.”

“You going anywhere before school starts?”

“I want to.”

“You should.”

“I don't have any plans.”

“Then make some. You work too much. Take a break.”

“Well, I'll think about it. Maybe Lori and I can go to the
Grand Canyon
for a weekend or something.”

“Lori's not the camping type, and I'm betting you that you don't get out of town. You'll put it off and I'll come back and you'll still be here.”

Lori walked in then, followed by Charles, a guy she'd been dating for about a month. I sort of knew him. He was tall and gangly and played basketball. The two of them said polite hellos as they passed through the living room and went back to Lori's room.

Matthew gave me a knowing look, which I ignored. But after we finished our food and washed the dishes, he gave me a hug, which wasn't like him. He was just the right height for me to put my head on his shoulder. Apparently tonight had been a bonding experience. “You take care, okay?” he whispered to me. “I'll see you in a coupla weeks.”

A week later, I was out for my morning run when my phone rang. I glanced at it. Jason.

I slowed down and answered it. “Hello?”

“Hey, how are you?”

“Not bad.” I turned toward home. It was only a block away. The walk was a good way to cool down. “You in LA?”

“I am. Doing the press junket for
Danger Fields
.”

“That a movie?”

“The new one I have coming out this weekend. It's based on a World War II novel.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Soooo... I've been calling around. I have two extra tickets to the premiere. You want them? You could bring someone.”

“Where is it? In LA?”

“Yeah. Day's drive from Al-b-q.”

“When?”

“Thursday. Kind of an awkward day for normal people. You probably have work.”

“How much are the tickets?”

“Oh, eh. I didn't pay for them. I got them for my sister, but she can't come, so they'll go to waste if someone doesn't use them.”

One day's drive, a short hotel stay, and a chance to see a movie. I was at my house and Lori stood in the doorway, fiddling with her cellphone. “Hang on,” I said. I put the phone to my chest. “Hey, Lor?”

“Hmmm?”

“You want to go to LA for a couple of days?”

“Heck yeah! Why?”

“See a movie premiere?”

“Yes! That would be cool. It in your budget?”

“If we get a cheap hotel, yeah.”

“Yes! Yay! Cool.”

I put the phone back to my ear. “Um, sure, okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“Okay, cool. Can I get your email address to send you the times and stuff?”

I gave it to him.

“So I'll see you next Thursday,” he said. “I'll make sure to say hello. You just need to come find me. It gets really crowded at these events, so I'm sorry I won't really get to talk to you.”

“Yeah, that's fine. Thank you.”

“Eh, free tickets. I'm not gonna use em. Gimme a minute and I'll email you stuff.”

“Okay.”

“Talk to you later.”

“Later.”

Lori glared at her phone as if it had said something rude to her, then tossed it back inside the house. “What movie we see- wait a minute. Who was that on the phone?”

“Jason.” I rubbed a kink in my shoulder as I pushed past her into the house.

“Jason who?”

“How many Jasons have tickets to the premiere of
Danger Fields?”

“Vanderholt?! You called him?”

“He called.”

She followed me into the kitchen while I got a glass of water. “He called
you?”

I shrugged. “Yeah.”

“He
called
you?”

“You feeling okay?”

“Why is he calling you?”

“He had tickets he wanted to give away.”

“Just happened to think of you, huh?”

I drained my glass and put it in the dishwasher. “Didn't you tell me he's dating Corey Cassidy?”

“Yeah.”

“So yeah, he's just being friendly. Or he wants to have a torrid affair, in which case he's really subtle about it.”

“C'mon, there's gotta be something there. This have to do with you maybe being related to those people he knows?”

“Lor...”

“Please? Tell me?”

“He was talking about my half siblings. He went to school with my brother.”

“Ohmigosh!”

But the admission left a bitter taste in my mouth. I headed for the shower.

“Can I meet your brother?” Lori called after me.

“No,” I said. “You can't. Pretty sure he doesn't want to see me.” I shut the bathroom door.

“Hey, how close are you to town?” Jason asked via cellphone as Lori drove us on the 110 into
Los Angeles
. The sky had gone from blue to pale blue to rather gray, and there was no sign of those mountains we'd just driven through. They were hidden in the haze. My air conditioning was finally turned down, though. The Mojave had strained it to its limit.

“I think we're in downtown now,” I said. “I guess? Bunch of tall buildings.”

“Move to the right lane,” Lori's
GPS
intoned. We'd mounted it on my dashboard.

"And where are you staying?” asked Jason.

“Um, up the 405 a ways.”

“What, the Valley?”

“I don't know.”

“Well, so a bunch of us are having dinner at my house tonight, you should come.”

“Oh, I don't know if we'll get there in time.”

“It's four. You'll make it here by six, no problem, even with rush hour.”

“Is that what time dinner is?”

“Dinner?” said Lori.

“Around then. It's just me, some friends, and my brother and his family. Really casual. Everyone else is here, hanging out, so it's just whenever you show up. Come on over.”

“We're going to dinner?” squeaked Lori.

“Um...”

“That a
GPS
I heard a second ago?” said Jason.

“Yeah.”

“Okay, put in my address. It's... you got a pen?”

I looked sidelong at Lori, then at the ceiling of the car, then grasped the
GPS
with one hand. “Go on.” I hit the button to change the destination.

“Where are we going to dinner?” Lori asked.

I didn't answer, just punched in the address that Jason gave me.

“What restaurant is that?” she wanted to know.

“It isn't,” I whispered.

“Cool. We'll see you when you get here,” he said.

I smelled my shirt and pulled a face. “Okay. See you.”

“So where is that?” Lori asked.

“It's... just...”

“Ohmigosh! Is that
his house?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you serious?”

“Look, calm down. No selling the address on Ebay.”

“No way. We are going to
his house?”

“Not if you drive us off the road we aren't.”

She jerked us back into the middle of our lane. “I can't believe we're going to his house! I bet he has a pool.”

“Mmmm.”

“Do you think he has, like, an indoor movie theater?”

“You can ask.”

“And one of those big marble staircases?”

“Just drive, okay?”

She let out another squeal.

It took nearly an hour and a half to get to his house, thanks to gridlock traffic.
GPS
was a lifesaver once we left the freeway. It took us through a labyrinth of narrow roads that wound their way up into the hills. These seemed to go on forever, but we finally turned in at the base of a long driveway, blocked by ornate wrought iron gates.

Lori gave me an excited smile as she rolled down her window. “Hello?” she said into the intercom.

“Hello, Ms. Winters?” replied a male voice.

“Yes.”

“Come on in.” The gates shuddered and swung open.

“This is so cool,” Lori said as we drove in.

I got out my hairbrush and wished I could put my hair in a ponytail as she drove up the long, uphill driveway. The house was ahead, all white stucco, and it stair-stepped its way up the hillside. We were approaching it from the side; the “front” looked like it faced out across the nearest ravine.