Chapter 5

Avery woke up to her phone vibrating. She yawned, almost smiling, she cracked her shoulders and stood up. Her sister was flying about their room already. Victoria looked to be settling on her shirt which meant Avery was waking up about thirty minutes later than usual. She picked up her phone and put her feet on the floor.

There were a string of Oh my God! texts from Leanne in varying levels of acronymage. Avery craved her toothbrush to get the nasty morning taste out of her mouth.

“Mom’s going to kill you,” Victoria muttered as Avery picked the sleep from her eyes and walked across the hall.

The upstairs bathroom was closed, Curtis was showering, make that forty minutes late. She walked downstairs. Her father was drowsing on the living room sofa.

“Hey sweetheart,” He announced, maybe not even looking, “Love what you did with your hair this morning.”

“Yeah, morning Dad,” Avery croaked as she dragged her fingers through her tangles. She descended into the basement. The basement was finished, this was where the pool table and big television were. The west corner was locked, filled with her mother’s wine and her dad’s guns. The east corner was the second Shannon bathroom. The water pressure kicked up a second after she had turned the faucet on. Curtis was done showering out upstairs. She almost went back up but tossed her phone onto the pool table. It buzzed again. Leanne.

“Fuck,” Avery grumbled. Ignoring her best friend, she didn’t have David’s number. It was trivial to find his facebook to remind him about driving them today.

“Leave in an hour?” He asked back. Oh my God! Yes! OMG! She had just assured herself an extra 40 minutes every morning! Or so she told herself. Fuck buses. David deserved more than just gas.

Avery stuttered as her brain caught up with her train of thought. She found herself smiling, thinking about David. She liked guys with glasses, she rationalized to herself. She threw her phone back on the felt and peeled off her pajamas.

She was immediately dissatisfied. The upstairs showerhead came off its cradle and could reach better areas. She ran her hands up her body, over her breasts, into her hair. She was hot, she was excited. Natalie was super hot now. It was obvious that even Leanne and Eiko were looking better. Leanne had date number two lined up with David. Gia was getting her start with the play. All that was left was for Eiko’s mom to lay off and the world to bow before Avery. She wondered how quick that would happen. The demon had promised her delays and that itched the back of Avery’s brains. Leanne and Nat had gone instantaneous, it seemed. Maybe respect and obeisance would build up like baby steps. Like Gia, school play, local play, commercial spot, sex tape, next Kim Kardashian.

Laughing in the shower earned Avery a sinus full of conditioner. She coughed and laughed again. She hurried up and turned off the water. She tied herself up in a fluffy black towel. The basement bathroom had a much darker motif than the family one. She was patting down her hair, had left her pajamas piled up on the bathroom counter, and was walking hardly dressed up to her room.

Her mom was walking out of the kitchen. Except for her hat hanging by the front door, she was dressed in her full law enforcement regalia, utility belt and all. She rolled her eyes at Avery. Victoria hit the downstairs landing as if she had missed the staircase. She dashed past her family and into the kitchen.

“Avie, get the lead out,” The sheriff growled, “If I have to drive you, I’m taking your headphones until Monday.”

“No worries mom,” Avery said stepping back and out of the way of Curtis. Her brother’s hair was still wet and traces of that were on the shirt he had pulled on over his inability to use a towel, “I got a drive.”

“New boyfriend?” Curtis snorted, “Poor kid.”

“Curtis...” Elizabeth warned her son but she did stare down Avery, waiting.

“Yeah, I think you know both know him. David, David Hart, glasses, sandy brown hair, horse dick.”

“Avery!” Their mother flashed her eyes to the kitchen.

“Yeah, sis,” Curtis laughed, “It’s really more of a mule dick.”

“Curtis!”

“You’re dating David?” Victoria stuck her head back out from the kitchen. She looked very worried.

“Relax Vic,” Curtis laughed, “Avery’s not dating him. I’m just surprised she never pushed for this before. He has his mom’s old car. Only reason we haven’t been hitched onto him was that his dad said he needed a job to pay for gas.”

“He said if we keep his tank full he’ll drive us,” Avery shrugged.

“We? Us?” The mother asked.

“Yeah, me, Curtis and Victoria.”

“What?” Victoria stripped off her shirt by the time she hit the stairs, “I gotta get dressed!”

“OK, you could’ve told her before she started getting ready. That was cruel.”

“Yeah, and can I have some money for gas?”

“And why would I do that?”

“Because David’s your favorite son?” Avery grinned.

“Don’t be silly, he’s just my favorite.”

There was no student parking lot for Autumnview high school. There were reserved spots behind the school for the faculty. There was the bus depot next to the C-Tower. There was a big gravel lot behind the football field and the hockey rink was one door down. David parked at the hockey rink.

“Thanks for the ride, David,” Avery smiled as she watched her sister squirm.David and Curtis were in the front. Victoria was hiding nervously out of view of the rearview behind David. Avery stretched as the car stopped.

“Yes, David, thank you,” Victoria chirped.

“We’ll probably end up driving Kristi home,” David considered.

“Who’s Kristi?” Victoria leaned in. Avery rolled her eyes.

“Don’t forget to offer a drive to Leanne,” She ignored her little sister.

“There’s not really enough seats for all of us,” David sighed. He drummed his fingers on his steering wheel and looked to Curtis.

“I vote Kristi,” He said lazily.

“Well, you three have the assigned seats so long as you’re paying for it.”

“Good, and don’t forget that. Well feel free to forget those two,” Avery gestured at her siblings.

“I’ve been trying,” David was terribly theatric. Victoria opened her door and bolted.

“One down,” Avery laughed, “Keep trying.”

“Avery, go find your own friends,” Curtis yawned, “C’mon, Kristi probably has food.”

“Oh, that girl owns you both.” Avery grumbled as she opened the door. For the sixth time that morning she found herself upset. Leanne’s texts, Victoria’s low cut shirt, her mom handing the gas money directly to David, a text from Gia, and now a mention of a redhead with food. Oh well, the party tomorrow night would fix whatever she was feeling. And she had David as her babysitter. She was safe to get so drunk. She waved to David’s back as he and her brother wandered over to the school. It was a beautiful day.

Natalie was tired of idiotic delays. She had caught six boys scrawling their eyes over her in history. She tingled. Well, for two of them. Four of those nerds were creeps. She wanted the looks, but she wished there was a way to rarefy them. Her skinny jeans and belly shirt showed off her magic body. Her breasts poked firmly up out in front of her. She had worn a bra but it hardly hid the stiff nipples inside. She was wet. Two boys to choose from. Sadly, Sam had a very visible girlfriend. She aimed boy number two.

“Hey Roger,” She waylaid the hockey player with prolonged syllables.

“Hi, Nat,” He grinned, “You look great.”

“I do,” She agreed, “Walk me to English?”

“That’s third period,” He corrected her.

“Oh my you’re right!” She covered her lips with a hand, “Whatever could we do with a spare eighty minutes?”

“Um, I guess we could go grab something at the--” His brain clicked, “I have car.”

“Well wonder of wonders,” Natalie looped her arm into his and leaned in close, “I love cars.”

Roger walked fast but Natalie set the pace. Step one was to cross this bridge and burn it. Natalie refused to regret anything. She had made plans, big plans, maybe a Josh or a Kevin or even Leanne’s dreamy brother. Except, she didn’t really want any of them. She just wanted to be recognized for what she had decided to be. She was now a very sexual creature. She was now whoever she chose to be. Roger clearly agreed.

Their history class was in the C-tower which meant they had to walk through the B-Building and A-Wing to reach the hockey rink. People had to see her. Gia and Avery watched her as she cut past the cafeteria. They were less as intense as some of the boys. They were idiots. Gia had always been cute. Avery had always been hot. They had spoiled it. Natalie walked taller, happier.