Karin had hoped she could sneak out of the house and avoid her mother, but Josephine had been waiting for them to come downstairs.
“Not so fast, girls,” she said. “Karin, I want to talk to you for a minute.”
Karin made a face, though she knew that Lesley’s mother had given her the third degree as well. It seemed to come with the territory for teenage girls who just wanted to have some fun.
“I’m not sure I like the idea of your going to some boy’s house that your father and I have never even met,” her mother said stiffly.
Karin sighed. “It’s just a party, Momma. Plenty of other kids will be there.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. Too many kids can equal trouble. Just like what happened recently with your friend’s friend.”
“It won’t be like that, Momma,” she tried to say convincingly. “Reese’s parents will be there making sure things don’t get out of hand.” Actually, Karin had no knowledge of that, but it sounded good anyway.
Her mother seemed reasonably content with that explanation. “I’ll expect you home by eleven.”
“Okay.” Karin wanted to argue for midnight, but knew she might be pressing her luck. “Can we go now?”
“Go.” Josephine smiled softly. “Just be careful...both of you.”
“We will, Mrs. Blanch,” Lesley said sweetly.
Outside, Karin muttered, “Geez, I thought she’d never let us out of the house.”
“But she did. Now, let the partying begin,” Lesley said as she got behind the wheel.
“I can hardly wait!” Karin grinned as butterflies started to swim in her stomach like baby sharks.
* * *
Reese’s family lived in a Mediterranean-style home. The music was blaring as Karin and Lesley made their way past cars to the front door. Reese opened it, as if expecting them at that very moment.
“Hey, Karin,” he said with a big grin. “Glad you could make it.”
“So am I.” She quickly sized him up. He was wearing a gray shirt and jeans. A silver cuff was attached to his right ear. He smelled nice. “This is my friend, Lesley.”
“Hey, Lesley. I know I’ve seen you around at school.”
“I’ve definitely seen you,” she said, grinning.
He laughed. “C’mon in and let me show you around.”
The party was in full swing and seemed to occupy much of the house, spilling out onto a patio courtyard. Karin recognized most of the people from school. Just about everyone had a drink in hand and some were smoking cigarettes. She was pretty sure she detected the faint odor of marijuana.
“Do you want something to drink?” Reese looked at both girls.
Karin hesitated, but when Lesley said, “Sure,” she went along as well.
“Are your parents here?” Karin asked curiously, noting she had seen no sign of adult supervision.
“They’re out of town,” Reese said nonchalantly. “Another one of those conventions my old man has to go to every so often and drag my mother along. Make yourselves at home. Be right back.”
Karin and Lesley stood in the middle of a crowded Great Room and looked totally lost.
“What do we do now?” Karin asked, fearing that they may have gotten in over their heads as outsiders trying to become insiders.
“We circulate and hope we don’t make complete fools out of ourselves,” Lesley said.
“Easier said than done.” Karin spotted Marilyn Chamberlain, who waved at her as if flagging a cab. She waved back and suppressed a smile.
“Well, look who’s here...” Cheryl Green walked up to them with Amy Flaunders, a fellow cheerleader. “Two little fish out of water.”
Karin sneered. “And you think you belong here?” Not anymore, you don’t.
“More than you ever will,” Cheryl said confidently.
“That’s right,” Amy agreed like a robot with blue eyes and bottle red hair.
“You’re both full of it,” Lesley said snidely. “Leave us alone.”
Cheryl got up in her face. “Or what?”
She backed off just as Reese returned with Marcus. Cheryl’s scowl was replaced by a saccharine smile.
“Hi, Reese...Marcus,” she cooed. Glancing at Karin, Cheryl said threateningly, “See you around.”
She walked away, followed by Amy.
“What was that all about?” Reese asked.
“Oh, they were just making us feel right at home,” quipped Karin, rolling her eyes.
Karin wasn’t sure Reese understood. Or maybe he knew exactly what tension he had created between her and Cheryl and was enjoying it. Karin chose to believe the latter.
“This is Marcus,” Reese said, as if they were clueless.
“Glad you came,” Marcus told Karin, towering over her. “If it weren’t for you, there might not be anything to celebrate.”
“I doubt that,” she said quickly. “Chances are any good lawyer would have achieved the same result.” Or maybe not, she conceded, never underestimating her father’s skills at brokering settlements for his clients.
“But only one lawyer did—your Dad,” he stated as if reading her mind.
“This is Lesley,” Karin introduced her best friend, not wanting the opportunity to slip by for them to possibly bond.
“Hey, Lesley,” Marcus said. “You look familiar. Aren’t you in my geometry class?”
Lesley beamed. “Yep, that’s me. I didn’t think you noticed, since I sit three chairs behind you most times.”
He smiled. “I noticed. Especially since you seem to know what you’re doing better than anyone else in there.”
Reese handed them cups of beer, then looked at Karin. “You want to step outside for a bit?”
She glanced at Lesley, as if separating would not be a smart idea for either of them. But she knew Lesley was not one to back away from the chance for some one-on-one time with Marcus.
“It’s okay,” Lesley assured her. “I’ll be fine.”
Karin, realizing she relished the opportunity to be alone at last with Reese, smiled at him and said, “Lead the way.”
* * *
They sat in a gazebo in his backyard, amongst maple trees and evergreens. No one else was back there and the music coming from the house was somewhat muted, as was the light.
“I like to come back here sometimes just to get away from it all,” Reese told her. “There always seems to be people around, whether here, in school, or elsewhere.”
“It must be really difficult being so popular,” she said, only partly teasing him, having spent much of her life in the shadow of her parents.
“Yeah, it’s not always what it’s cracked up to be,” he muttered. “People always expect things from you. When they don’t get them, they’re disappointed and you feel like you let someone down. You know what I’m saying?”
“I think so.” Karin tried not to allow herself to get too caught up in the celebrity basketball star so much as the person. “Is that why things didn’t work out between you and Cheryl...because she expected too much?”
Reese tasted his drink thoughtfully. “Maybe. I guess we were together longer than we should have been. But it seemed like that was the way it was supposed to be between us. Then when things got out of hand at her friend’s house, we both took opposite sides and there went the relationship.” He paused. “It was probably for the best.”
“Does Cheryl feel the same way?” Karin had her doubts, but was interested in his opinion.
He lifted a brow. “Yeah, I think so. Why do you ask?”
Karin desperately wanted to tell him that his ex-girlfriend had been on her case at every opportunity. But she resisted, fearing it might come across the wrong way.
“No real reason,” she told him.
“All right.” He drank more beer. “You have any brothers or sisters?”
“I wish. I’m an only child. Guess my parents ran out of steam or something after me.”
Reese laughed. “Well, better after you than before.”
Kari
n flushed. “True. How about you?” She could imagine him being an only child, hogging up the entire spotlight. Or perhaps he was right in the middle of a large family.
“Just me and my little brother,” he said. “The kid can be a real pain in the you know what sometimes, but mostly he’s cool.”
“Bet he plays basketball,” she assumed.
“Yeah, he tries his best. He’s only six, so he’s pint-sized and has to rely on his own little hoop to put the ball in.” Reese eyed her. “You play any sports?”
“Nothing formally,” she responded, and suddenly felt like an underachiever. “But for fun I like to run, play volleyball, tennis, bowl, and swim.”
He tugged at his chin. “Sounds like you’re definitely into sports.”
“Except basketball,” Karin said almost guiltily. “I was never very good at it. Maybe I would have been if I’d had an older brother or if my Dad hadn’t given up the sport after hurting himself in college.”
“Your father shot hoops in college, huh?”
“Yeah. He wasn’t on the team or anything, but played intramural ball.”
“That’s cool. So did mine. But his main thing was baseball. He got as far as the minor leagues before realizing he wasn’t good enough to make it to the pros.”
Karin tasted the beer. It wasn’t the first time she had beer. It was definitely an acquired taste, and one that she had yet to embrace.
“Is it your dream to play in the NBA?” she asked. She wondered if his father was living vicariously through him.
Reese put the cup to his mouth. “No, not really. I mean, I probably wouldn’t turn my back on it if they wanted to offer me a zillion dollars to play. But that’s probably a long shot. Right now, I just want to graduate, go to college, and maybe even law school. But I’m more interested in corporate law than criminal law.”
Karin was impressed and liked him even more as she got to know him.
“What about you?” he asked. “You plan to go to college?”
Before she could answer, they were interrupted by a group of people led by Cheryl Green. They surrounded the gazebo like a posse, with Cheryl stepping inside.
“We wondered where you had disappeared to, Reese,” she murmured in a disappointed voice.
“Just getting some fresh air,” he said, and sucked in a deep breath as if to illustrate his point.
“Well, the party is pretty much dead without you,” she whined.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.” She looked at the others surrounding the gazebo. “Am I lying, or what?”
“She’s right on time,” said one boy with a big Afro.
Another bellowed, “C’mon, man, let’s take the par-tee back inside.”
Reese furrowed his brow at Cheryl and then turned to Karin. “Guess we’d better rejoin the party.”
She could hardly argue the point, all things considered. Karin saw the smug look of satisfaction on Cheryl’s face and tried to ignore it. As if that were possible, since it was exactly what Cheryl had wanted to happen.
Karin stood up, and followed Reese out of the gazebo. She wondered how Lesley was doing with Marcus. Or had Cheryl tried to sabotage their burgeoning relationship, too?
CHAPTER EIGHT
Karin ran alongside Lesley on a well-worn path through the park that was filled with numerous trees of all shapes and sizes. It was a chilly afternoon and some other runners were out as well; along with a few dogs that the owners had the decency to have on leashes.
“Can you believe Cheryl?” Karin asked, still fuming over her antics last night when she was alone with Reese and Cheryl had ended it prematurely. “She’ll obviously stop at nothing to keep Reese from me or apparently any other girl.”
“He’s not that dense, Karin,” Lesley said, panting. “Maybe he likes having her around. Like an insurance policy, in case things don’t work out with someone better.”
“Or maybe Reese just doesn’t know how to tell Cheryl that it’s all over for good between them,” Karin suggested, though she hoped he had made it clear when they broke up.
Lesley scoffed at the notion. “It doesn’t really matter what he tells her or who she chooses to believe. Reese obviously likes you now and you like him. Sooner or later Cheryl will get tired of the boring chase and go after someone else, but it better not be Marcus. Not that he’s in to me—not yet, anyway. But talking last night was a first step. I also agreed to tutor him with his geometry.”
“It’s always a bonus when you happen to be smart,” Karin said, starting to get a bit winded from the run. “Most guys don’t want an airhead for a girlfriend, no matter how attractive they are.”
Lesley wiped her brow. “We’re both smart, in certain subjects anyway. But it hasn’t exactly gotten us very far in our lives thus far.”
While Karin could not argue the point, she said optimistically, “So maybe our fortunes are due for a change.”
“Yeah, I think you may be right.”
“If nothing else, maybe Reese and Marcus can teach us how to play basketball.”
“Yeah, right,” Lesley giggled. “Like that’s something I’ve always dreamed about.”
Karin laughed. “We might even get good enough to try out for the team.”
Lesley playfully pushed her. “I’ll race you back.”
Karin suddenly got a second wind and was up to the challenge. “You’re on.”
They started to sprint. Karin knew she was the faster of the two, even if her legs felt like lead weights. But she let Lesley win because she wanted to keep their competition friendly. Unlike with Cheryl Green, where it could apparently turn into an all-out war.
* * *
When they got back, the girls found Karin’s parents sitting on Lesley’s porch with Shelly and her new boyfriend, Edgar Crompton.
“Looks like a nice, big happy family,” Lesley joked to Karin as they cooled down in front of the house.
Karin smiled. “Well, we are like sisters, so don’t knock it.”
“Hey, I wouldn’t dream of it. And if we could just add Marcus and Reese to the mix, we could really have a family to talk about—as long as they’re our boyfriends and not our half-brothers.”
Karin giggled. “You’re crazy, girl.”
“One day, I hope to be crazy in love.”
“Don’t we both,” offered Karin, as she wondered if that day could be sooner than either of them ever thought possible.
They walked up to the house.
“You two look like you’ve had a nice workout,” Karin’s father said.
Karin wiped her brow. “Yeah, we worked up quite a sweat.”
“So I see. The shower’s ready when you are.”
Karin wrinkled her nose at him. “Thanks, Daddy. I’ll try to remember that.”
“Shelly didn’t tell me that you’re a runner, Lesley.” Edgar smiled at her and took a puff of his cigarette.
“I’m not, really. I only run mainly to keep Karin company.”
“I doubt that,” he said, smoke streaming from his nostrils. “It’s obvious that, like your mother, you’re in great shape.”
Shelly chuckled at his flattery. “I think it’s more a genetic thing with us. But I do Pilates exercises every now and then with Josephine, who’s a very good teacher and an even better friend.”
Josephine smiled graciously. “I try to be both.” She looked at Karin. “Your father and I have given Shelly and Edgar a standing invitation to go out to dinner. Of course you girls are invited, too.”
Karin knew her mother was just trying to be neighborly and make Edgar feel right at home. She wondered if he was just a passing phase for Shelly. Or could he actually become Lesley’s stepfather someday?
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Karin said, and playfully nudged Lesley. “Would we?”
“Not in a million years,” she concurred.
“Oh, you two get out of here and let us grownups talk a bit more,” Josephine chided them.
The girls giggled and
went inside to the kitchen for bottled waters.
“Looks like my Mom is serious about Edgar,” Lesley said. “Or about as serious as one can get after dating for a little over a week. They text more than we do.”
“Does that scare you?” Karin gulped down water, feeling its chilly journey down her parched throat.
Lesley shrugged. “Maybe a little. I do want my Mom to be happy. I just don’t want her to forget my Dad in the process.”
“I’m sure she won’t. What they had together can’t be replaced any more than what my parents have. Your Mom’s just at a new stage in her life now. Edgar seems nice enough, I guess, although smoking is a definite minus in my book. I say you should try to keep an open mind and see what happens.”
“All right, Dr. Phil, if you say so. Or should I say, Dr. Phyllis?”
“How about just plain old Karin, your best friend!”
Lesley grinned. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Speaking of plans,” Karin said, “we need to focus on capturing the hearts and minds of the guys we have our own eyes on.”
“I’ll drink to that.”
They toasted with the bottled waters. Karin felt fresh new enthusiasm where it concerned Reese. But her immediate attention turned to something less exciting. Playing babysitter to Pia Fisher tonight.
* * *
“I can’t believe how much you’ve grown,” gushed Josephine, looking wide-eyed at Pia.
“Momma says I’m growing up way too fast,” Pia responded and seemed happy being the center of attention.
“I know just what she means.”
Karin caught her mother’s gaze, and felt a trifle self-conscious of her height.
“Come here and give me a hug, honey,” Althea Fisher ordered Karin.
Karin took two steps forward and was nearly crushed to death by the woman who wore a pungent flowery perfume that nearly made her gag.
“You know, I was there when your Momma’s water broke and we had to rush her to the hospital to have you.”
“I remember,” Karin said, having heard the story every time she saw Mrs. Fisher. She quickly amended that to say, “I meant, I remember hearing from Momma and you how it all went down.”
Althea broke into an almost embarrassed chuckle, causing her silk braids to shake.
Her Teen Dream Page 4
