Chapter 13

Richie followed Natalie up to the door of the bungalow home while frowning. He looked around the yard, still brown and patchy from the end of winter. The curtains in the living room didn’t match, blue covering half of the window, orange covering the other half. He looked back at the other girls who were still sorting themselves out at the car.

Oksana pulled in behind everyone, she drove her car half-on half-off the lawn parking to the left of them. There was still enough room for a third right up at the side entrance stairs. Nat opened the door.

“Hello! Anyone home!”

“Anyone home? I assumed this was one of your friend’s places.” Richie said, bumping into his sister as she turned around in the threshold.

“Your friend Oksana got this place,” Nat said. “Looks like we’re here first. Beer in the fridge. Oh, there’s a note on the kitchen table.”

She zigzagged into the house.

Richie frowned. He had never seen his sister so perky before. He ground his teeth, kicked off his shoes into the front closet. His were by far bigger than the others in there: women’s and kid’s. He clicked his teeth and carried it in.

“OK, hey everyone! Stay out of the little boy’s room!” Nat was shouting as Perla opened the door behind Richie. “Keep the party to the kitchen, the living room, and the deck. You need to fuck you can use the master bedroom or the pull-out couch in the basement!”

“Charming,” Caitlin said. She was the only one not carrying anything. Oksana had paper bags of liquor bottles. Perla hugged four bags of chips. “I never think to put up a ‘Fuck here!’ sign when I throw a party.”

“Better housekeeping everyday!” Perla said, nervously.

The sound of a third car pulling into the driveway barely registered in anyone’s head. The hammering feet up the steps and the girl exploding in through the front door shocked the whole house.

“What in the entire fuck?!” Lilith stomped around Perla and Oksana. She excused herself around Caitlin in her arm cast. She slid, on wet sneakers, across the front room to stop in front of Richie.

“Hey, let me pour you a beer,” he said, not meeting her eyes. “I just gotta figure out where Nat’s or Oksana’s whatever keeps their glasses.”

“Top cupboard next to the refrigerator,” Lilith pointed. “Why are we at Flo and Trevor’s place?”

“I never met these people, I just go where I’m told,” Richie said. He opened the top of the two-four. Lilith snatched a bottle from the case, cracked the cap with her teeth, spat it across the floor, and took a large swig.

“Ugh...” she groaned exhaustedly after swallowing. “Finally, Mom’s babysitting Trevor. Where’s Flo?”

“I don’t know your friends, Lil. Look the only Flo I know is the night manager at–”

“Yeah! Flo!” Lilith interrupted. “This is her house.”

“What? Nat?” he asked. Nat had stripped off her jacket and was posing at the counter next to the microwave. She was wearing a slinky black party dress that popped her tits out as far as they could go. Most of the hill of her ass was twisted and shown off by the awkward bend of her spine.

“Like I said, talk to the Ox.”

“One, no one’s ever called me ‘The Ox’ before,” Oksana said, stripping the paper bags down the liquor bottles on the kitchen counter. “Two, everyone has to, from this point forward.”

“Right,” Richie said. “You asked Flo for a place to party. She offered up her house?”

“Yeah, she’s cool,” Oksana said. “I got a huge crush on her. Or I did. You know, when I was strictly off meat.”

“Oh eat my beef curtains, lesbo.” Lilith smiled around the mouth of her beer. “If anyone goes in Trevor’s room, I’ll bitchslap the shit out of them. That kid is awesome, we are not gonna fuck with his stuff.”

She kicked off her sneakers under the kitchen table, grabbed a second beer for her left hand, and beelined through the front room to the living room. “I’m gonna make sure his stuff is put away. Surprise, a little boy leaves his shit everywhere.”

Richie frowned, watching Lilith head off. She swung her hips, he looked at her ass. Like Harper’s. Perkier. With big tits. The perfect blowjob lips. A slim waist. He patted the front pocket of his jeans. One bean, already crushed, sat between his hand and his wallet.

Zita tiptoed in the door. “Is this the right way in? Should I go to the front door?”

“You’re here!” Richie cheered. Zita smiled wide-eyed. Perla glanced at the runner side-eyed. Caitlin frowned.

“I don’t think I’m supposed to have alcohol with my meds,” she said, looking at the beer.

“Cool! No alcohol? You’re the DD.”

“A b-cup, I’d guess,” Perla said, but she swallowed down the rest after catching a happy smile from Richie. If he didn’t want her doing her high school bitch thing, she’d keep it quiet.

“Designated driver,” Oksana explained, in a sharper tone than Perla had used.

“I can’t drive on my meds,” Caitlin said. “And I don’t know about my license or anything legal about the accident. I never been in an accident. They never said anything about it in driver’s ed or at the license place. Do I have to do something? Take the driver’s test again?”

“I never heard of anything like that,” Nat said, she walked up and bumped her brother with her hip.

“Uh ... Music?” he asked. “Who else is coming?”

“Harper? It’s just you and you harem,” she said.

He frowned.

“Wanna do ecstasy?” she smiled brightly. “Have you ever?”

“No, um ... I thought this was your party or something.”

“No! No. no, no. I just wanted to be a part of everything.” She wouldn’t look him in the eyes. “I’ll go find some way to put on music.” She rushed out of the kitchen.

Richie caught Perla looking. She seemed as worried as he did.

“She doesn’t have any girlfriends,” he said. “Always steals their boyfriends. Even when she hates their boyfriends. I think she has a problem.”

“Well, she can’t steal you from us,” Oksana said, hugging him. Perla’s lips twitched. She aimed to add herself to pin him between the two of them in a hug. Zita blasted by Perla and grabbed Richie.

“Obviously,” Richie laughed, kissing Oksana lightly on the lips. He turned and did the same for the newly glomped on Zita. “I’m her brother. She’s not interested. Her only long term girlfriend has ever been Harper. She must’ve just been lonely.”

“I’m sure,” Perla said. She started pulling glasses out of the cupboard Lilith had named. She opened the fridge. “Did anyone think to buy mix?”

“Oh shit! Pops in the trunk!” Zita bolted out the front door. She jumped back in, stuffed her feet into her sneakers, and rushed down the steps to the car.

“Got it covered,” Richie said. He walked up behind Perla, put his hands on her hips and kissed the side of her neck. “Be cool with my sister?”

“You’re not warning anyone else.”

“Caitlin knows Nat,” Richie said, putting his chin on Perla’s shoulder. “Lilith and Zita too. Honestly, I’m thinking if Oksana’s interested, and Nat’s appreciative, I might use The Ox to go to work on Nat. Just where I don’t have to see or hear it.”

“More of you for me?” Perla said, twisting around. She grabbed Richie’s face and kissed him before he could reply. Zita rushed into the kitchen and dropped three two-liters: coke, ginger ale, and Sprite.

“Fuck! I gotta close the trunk.”

She was gone again. Richie smirked at Perla and chuckled.

“Just you and me in the kitchen,” she said, brushing her hair back over her ear.

Richie grabbed her hips, kissed Perla, and grinned. “Let’s go see what this party’s all about. I was expecting much more elaborate from Nat.”

“I was expecting booze, drugs, and sex.” Perla said.

“I can’t promise you booze or drugs,” Richie grinned. Zita skidded back into the kitchen. He pulled Perla off the counter edge and headed into the living room, grabbing a different ass in either hand.

“You’re a lifesaver, Darleen,” Mary said, grinning as she opened her front door. “I only had sisters and daughters. I was not ready for a little boy running wild.”

“I’m surprised you called me,” Darleen said. “But I’m happy to help. Caity’s brothers are much older, but I think I remember a thing or two about boys.”

“Trevor, come meet Mrs–”

Darleen elbowed Mary. Mary frowned.

“Yes, Mrs Cowie?” Trevor zipped into the front room. His face was a mess of chocolate.

“Sugar? That was your go to control move?” Darleen laughed. “Hi little man. Your name is Trevor?”

She squatted down and looked the kid in the eye. He puffed up his shoulders. “Yes’m. I’m Trevor. What’s your name?”

He stuck out his hand for an awkward handshake. Darleen kept her smile measured and shook his hand solemnly. “My name is Darleen. I’m a friend of Mary here.”

“She’s not as fun as Lilith,” Trevor said.

“You won’t be the last boy to say that.” Darleen said. Mary cleared her mouth aggressively. “Now, what do you say we bake some cookies while Mary gets her business done. She’s a big important lawyer, you know.”

“She’s normal sized.” Trevor corrected.

“I like this one,” Darleen said, climbing up to her feet. She reached out her hand. Mary reacted. Chocolate smeared over Darleen’s fingers. She led him onward.

Darleen led on as Mary sighed and followed. Darleen stopped dead. Mary nearly ran into her. Trevor yanked Darleen’s hand.

“Darleen! Darleen! We should bake cookies! Do you know how to make chocolate chip! Those are the best!”

“Mary? Are these your daughters?” Darleen asked, looking at a wall decorated with family pictures. Harper’s high school graduation picture was largest and centered the whole collage.

“Darleen!” Trevor whined.

“In a moment, sweetheart,” Darleen smiled.

“Yes, Lilith at her riding club. Harper at the piano. She never ever practiced enough,” Mary said. “She’s excelling at college though.”

“This wasn’t the Harper that was with Richie when they came to visit Caitlin,” Darleen said. “Has she lost weight? No, who am I kidding? The whole face structure was different.”

“Excuse me?” Mary asked coldly.

“I think I assumed. Maybe they let it go because I was so worked up over Caitlin.”

“If you didn’t see her, then no one’s seen Harper in a week.” Mary walked over to a nearby armchair and started breathing weirdly.

“Are you alright Mrs Cowie?”

“She’s scared,” Darleen said, squatting down next to Trevor. “Like your Mom gets scared when she doesn’t know where you are. She’s going to make some phone calls and we’re going to go bake those cookies OK? Isn’t that right, Mary?”

“Yes, thank you,” Mary said. She crossed the room to where her phone rested on a charging bed. “You’re sure it wasn’t Harper?”

“The age was about right, but no. Darker hair, skinnier, shorter. Wrong color eyes. Fairer skin. Cheekbones. It wasn’t her.”

“Thank you. Trevor, go with Mrs–”

“Darleen. C’mon Trevor. Let’s see if Mrs Cowie has all the things for chocolate chip cookies.”

“Top cupboard left of the sink!” Mary called out. The first thing she did was dial Harper’s phone.

Lilith had her feet kicked up on a nicked and battered coffee table littered with ten emptied beers. She slung herself over Zita’s shoulders and drained a sixth. She knocked four over when she tossed her empty onto the table. She couldn’t stop laughing.

“Hey, let me get the drinks this time,” Zita said.

“You ever wish we were gay?” Lilith asked, belched and snorted laughing. “Like gay gay.”

“I don’t know what that means. But. No?”

“It was fun the other day. Girls are fun. Guys have dicks though. You ever see those anime where the girls have dicks?”

“Futanari? No.”

“Yeah, Futanari. Yes! I saw a bunch.”

“I know, you told me all about them. It was the only thing I could do not to see them.”

Lilith giggled. “It’s good to know what guys are into. At least you watch porn, right?”

“I think I’ve seen enough stepsisters stuck in washing machines, y’know?”

“How fat do you have to be to get caught in the washing machine?” Lilith groaned. “I bet Harper could do it? Is she here? She and Perla go downstairs with Richie?” Lilith burped. “I wish you were gay.”