Perfect Alli: June 4, 2013

Alli: June 4, 2013

 

I met the girls in Stillwater for lunch this afternoon. The day was gorgeous. The sun warmed us as we sat at our usual table on the restaurant’s large deck. I hadn’t seen Sarah or Jessica since Memorial weekend and I hadn’t spoken to any of them since I agreed to go to Mexico with Thor. I held my tongue about the trip for a good thirty minutes, while Sarah told us all about her last date with the Internet guy. I didn’t say a word about how it was never going to work. I mean, the guy supposedly lived in Los Angeles, right? How was an online relationship ever going to become more when he wouldn’t even give her his last name? I guess it wasn’t just the trip, I was holding my tongue about.

Jessica and Jeff were back in their blissed state and Megan had met a guy at the gym she was thinking about asking out. Everything seemed back in place. Normal, for my friends. That is until Jessica asked, “Are you really going to Cancun with Thor?” Jeff had told her. Apparently Thor sent Jeff a text about it on Saturday morning.

I smiled, feeling a little ambushed, and tried not to scowl at Jessica. I had planned out exactly how I would work it into conversation and Jessica’s announcement threw me a bit. “I am. Do you have any ideas for what to tell my parents?”

“You can’t be serious. Isn’t that going to be a little weird shacking up with him in the honeymoon suite when he was supposed to be there with his new bride?” Jessica asked.

Yeah. That was going to be weird. “He said we could take it slow and he wasn’t going to pressure me into doing anything if I wasn’t ready. We’re just going to hang out at the beach, go snorkeling and relax. I need a vacation from my parents. It’s not that big of a deal.”

They stared at me as if I had just stripped my clothes off and was dancing on the table. I took a bite of my sandwich to avoid having to talk, trying not to think about what I had gotten myself into.

“Are you dating? Or looking for a relationship with him? How would you define it?” asked Sarah. She said it in a way that made me not want to answer her truthfully.

“Why?” I questioned.

“I’ve known him for a couple of years and he’s always been a really nice guy, but he just broke up with his fiancé. I worry that you and he want different things,” she answered.

“I don’t think that either of us is looking for a lifetime commitment. Once school starts, I won’t have time to date anyone. So at the most it’s probably just a summer fling.” And there it was my invisible bubble of protection. School. It prevented my emotions from getting slaughtered. I didn’t need to worry about getting hurt, because I always had my education to keep me from getting close to anyone.

“Does he know that?” asked Jessica.

“You know me. I’ll tell him.” Most guys loved that I didn’t get attached, but something told me that Thor was different. He wasn’t the typical drunken frat boy, who lived for one night hook ups, or the biology lab partner, who wantonly stared for weeks before asking me out. I figure that if I tell Thor up front at the beginning of our relationship it won’t be a surprise at the end of summer when I have to refocus my attention to school.
  
“So how are you going to get your passport from your mom?” Megan asked.

“I don’t know. Any ideas?” I hadn’t even thought about my passport.

“Well, you can’t say that you’re taking a trip with Sarah or even Jess. Your mom would call their parents to get the details. But you and I could take a trip—who is she going to call, my dad? She’d have to take your word for it. It will have to be somewhere warm because she will see what you pack.”

“My parents will look at my passport when I get back, so we either have to go to Cancun, which I doubt they will let me do, or I’ll have to sneak it from them.”

“You could say that you and Megan were going to California to check out grad schools,” stated Jessica. “Your mom would be all for you helping one of us better ourselves.” Megan was looking at a couple west coast schools and we had talked about taking a trip to get a better feel for them.

“If anyone is going to California, it should be me.” Sarah lip pouted out and I felt bad, realizing just how badly she wanted to meet the Internet guy.

“Checking out schools could work. My mom wouldn’t check it if it was a domestic trip and I could say I needed it because it's a better ID. I wouldn’t even have to sneak it.”

“As long as she doesn’t check it when you get back,” added Jessica.

“No, this could work,” I said. “I’m an adult. What can they do after the fact?” And though I sounded tough, I knew there was plenty my parents could do if they found out. “Those tracking devices they used in Hunger Games are illegal, right?”

“They wouldn’t need that. They would just lock you in your room,” said Megan before taking a sip of her iced tea.

“No I still have to become a doctor. I think they would go with a tracking device—probably put it in while I was sleeping.”

“You’d wake up with a big needle mark on your arm and a lump under your skin. And when you left the house it would glow green,” added Sarah with a chuckle.

“OK. We all know what my parents are capable of, but I think it’s my best bet. At least I will get to go.”

“My sister lost her passport once and had to get a duplicate. You could just tell your parents that you can’t find it. They’ll be angry at you, but probably not as mad as they would be if they found out that you shared a week of unwed pleasure with Thor,” stated Jessica.

I shook my head. I wasn’t even sure I would sleep with him. “I can deal with my parents.” Who was I kidding—my parents scared me to death. “I’m more worried about being alone with Thor. Tell me what I don’t know about him.”

“He told you about what broke up his engagement, right?” asked Sarah.

“Yes, but not until I completely embarrassed myself in front of his brothers.” I shared the story of what had happened on Friday night and how Thor said I was the only one who hadn’t treated him like he was suicidal. I told my friends everything and in the end they understood why I had to go on the trip. Thor may not have been suicidal, but he really needed a friend and I knew I could be that for him.

We used our phones to look up hotels and flights to make our school visitation story realistic just in case my parents wanted details. Sarah said she would drive me to meet Thor on Saturday and Megan promised to avoid Sarah’s and Jessica’s parents for the week. It appeared as if my deception would work. Now all I had to do was tell my parents.
Copyright 2014 Susan Schussler

Blonde Chicks Preferred: May 31, 2013

Liam Nordstrom: May 31, 2013

As my bike rounded the last curve before the house, I could see the news vans backed up along the street. White truck after white truck with telescoping dishes, lined the road all the way down, intertwined with the paparazzi vehicles. I had spent enough time with Will to recognize vultures. Blue and red lights sprung from the cop car, bouncing in all directions as the officer tried to manage the traffic on the narrow street. Jared Borne’s girlfriend Penelope in her white BMW convertible stopped in the middle of the road ahead of me and I slowed my bike. As she handed her license to the policeman, she glared at me in her rearview mirror.

I didn’t have time to worry about pissing her off because the crowd recognized me. Even with my dark helmet, they knew. With cameras raised the reporters locked me in their sights and descended upon my bike, like a pack of hyenas. I wasn’t going to wait to be swallowed by them, so I squeezed my motorcycle past Penelope hoping the cop would understand. When I pulled up to the top of the drive bright lights from the news trucks burst on. I kicked down the stand and rocked my ride back securely onto its mount. I hesitated for a moment, knowing I would be bombarded with accusations any second. Unsure if I should head off the speculation or avoid interaction with the trolls, I dismounted my bike and pull my helmet off. I thought leaving the helmet on would be a sign of weakness or guilt and I had neither.

“Liam.”

“Liam, did you know she was underage?” asked a faceless woman, holding a mic out like a torch under my nose. Seriously, did the girl hold a press conference already?

“Did she change her mind? We’ve all been there. Tell us your side,” came a shout from the darkness created by the blinding lights. The crowd revved around me and the noise blended together, leaving no distinguishable allegations.

I pushed my way to the front door just as it opened. My roommate Nak stood inside, his dark hair messed and his shirt askew. He moved just enough for me to get through and once I was in, he slammed the door closed, catching a microphone in the fissure. After three attempts to secure the door, he snap the lock.

“Tough day, eh?” he said. Nak didn’t usually talk like that, but it was a standing joke we had about his Canadian upbringing and he knew it would lighten my mood.

“Yep. So much for a quiet evening at home.” I glanced over to Leslie sprawled on the couch, looking not quite her pulled together self. “Sorry about the feces on the driveway,” I added. They knew what I meant. Nak shrugged. Nothing ever bothered him. That’s why we got along so well. “Have they been out there long?”

“A couple of hours. They’ve been at the door several times, but we ignored them. Do you want to talk about it?”

I shook my head. “Some teenage girl is accusing me of statutory rape. It wasn’t me. I’d never seen her before in my life and I was with Kelsey that night. Besides the girl’s a brunet,” I said, as if my last sentence completely put to rest any doubt.

I knew Nak and Leslie were planning, a long time coming, quiet evening in and I didn’t want to take any more of their night. “Is Kelsey in there?” I pointed toward my room.

“Yeah. When did you give her the key?” asked Nak, settling next to Leslie and propping his feet up on the coffee table.

“This morning,” I admitted with raised eyebrows, anticipating their comments.

“Getting serious,” Leslie announced with a smirk, as if I hadn’t realized what giving her a key meant.

I shrugged and took off down the hall to my room.

Kelsey slept curled in a small ball on my bed, classical music leaking from her headphones. Still wearing her shorts and tank, her face was clear of makeup—natural and beautiful. She probably washed it off minutes after she arrived. For someone whose career involved applying layer upon layer of cosmetics to other’s faces, I always thought it strange that she peeled hers off the first chance she got.

I grabbed a quick shower without waking her and snuck into the kitchen for a sandwich, bringing it back to my room to avoid messing up Nak’s night anymore then I already had. Kelsey was sleeping on her stomach, now, with her knee bent and her butt up in the air. Hmm—love those shorts. The girl could sleep through anything. I doubt she would notice if I removed them.

I slid her iPad out from under her right thigh, where it was trapped, with full intention of turning off her music, when the picture left from her last Internet search popped before my eyes—the now familiar face of the girl who accused me of assault stared back at me as she leaned against my motorcycle. Oh Crap!  
Copyright 2014 Susan Schussler  

Perfect Alli: June 1, 2013

Alli:  June 1, 2013

I drove to Thor’s apartment last night. He had offered to pick me up at my parent’s, but there was no way I wanted them to know where I was going. I couldn’t believe it when my GPS took me right past the house that the girls and I rent during the school year. He lives only eight blocks from it. I parked on the street in front of the brick building. I wasn’t sure what to expect for the evening. He never really said what our plans were, just to come over around 6:30.

Thor met me near the entrance. His eyes perused my form and he smiled, saying, “You look great.” His hand found the small of my back and as we walked up the stairs he began warning me about his obnoxious brother Grayson whom I would be meeting as soon as we reached the apartment. “Ignore everything he says. Actually, you should just ignore him completely. Pretend he’s not there.” His voice rang with a nervous nerdiness that did not match his confident looks, and I wondered which personality was real, the nerd or the flirt.

When we entered the apartment I could feel ten pairs of eyes scan my body, assessing me and I worried that my blouse and maxi-skirt were too see-through. Thor led me around the room, introducing me to the guests and I immediately forgot their names. As we approached the last cluster of guests, three guys and one woman, I could tell right away that the guys were his brothers. They all had the same dark hair and dark eyes but varied in their other features.

Grayson, not the tallest, but easily the best looking of all the men in the room stepped forward and said, “Welcome to our apartment, Allison. Did my little brother offer you a drink yet?” He turned. Behind him a decorative ice tub bathed bottles of beer and wine, while others sat opened on the counter. We’ve got Chardonnay, Merlot, Malbec or Moscato for wine and for beer we have Summit Pale Ale, Fat Tire or Leinenkugel’s. It’s just the regular Leinie’s, not the Summer Shandy or Honey Weiss.” His dark brown eyes eagerly awaited my answer, as if I had a clue what he had just said.

I wasn’t used to grown-up parties. My parents don’t drink, so I haven’t had a lot of experience choosing wine or beer and I've only been twenty-one since February. I turned to Thor for some help. “A white wine?” I said, but it came out as a question. I had never tasted a good red and I wasn’t sure which one was white.

“The Chardonnay,” Thor said, saving me. We chatted with his brothers for several minutes until the brother who was literally a chef and was making dinner shooed us out of the kitchen.

The apartment had real furniture, not the disposable kind found in student housing and I liked the contemporary style of it. Thor and I settled on the couch, with our drinks, and his arm wrapped around my shoulders. I would have felt very comfortable there, very sophisticated, if it hadn’t been for the nasty sideways glances I was getting from the female party guests. The women at the party seemed annoyed by my presence and I started to get the feeling that they were all friends with Thor’s ex.

“Allison, Ted says you’re planning on going to medical school. Where do you want to go?” asked Paul, the brother who was doing his residency in Boston.

“I’ve looked at John Hopkins, Ann Arbor, and Seattle, but I would really like to just stay here at the U of M.” We talked about medical school for a good twenty minutes until a loud crash and cursing bellowed from the kitchen and Paul excused himself to help the chef.

Thor leaned in and whispered, “They are very impressed with you. I’m glad I didn’t have to face them alone tonight. Thanks for coming.” His hot breath in my ear sent a shiver down my spine and I turned with a smile. “We can skip out after dinner. They’ll be here for hours and won’t even notice we’re missing,” his eyes dark and playful. I nodded.

As the evening progressed, the group emptied all the wine and I finished one of the best meals that I had ever eaten. Unfortunately, there was a lot that I didn’t’ know about Thor’s breakup and I was the only one out of the loop. My embarrassment started when I remembered that Thor had four brothers and only three were present. Of course, I asked, “Where’s your other brother? There’s five of you, right?”

“Oh my God. You didn’t tell her. Maybe you should tell Alli why our dear brother Harry isn’t here,” stated Grayson.

Thor shot him a death glare. “Just…don’t.” Several curses followed and he added, “The effer died. Let’s leave it at that.” Only he didn’t say effer.

“Tell us how you really feel, Ted,” blared one of my haters in a shrill voice.

“Ted, you should bring your new girlfriend on that little vacation you have coming up. Wouldn’t that be perfect?” said Paul.

“Alli and I are leaving now. Hope you all rot in hell. Come on.” Thor motioned toward the door.

“Don’t go. We’re just joking around,” pleaded Grayson.

We left and Thor apologized for his family. We walked six blocks, without much conversation, to an ice cream shop. I figured Thor needed to recover from his family’s reaction to my question. I was sure his brother hadn’t really died but was dead to Thor. I didn’t have to fret long about it, because after he bought me an ice cream cone, he explained it all to me.

He had stopped by Nora’s apartment unexpectedly one morning and found his brother’s car in the lot. He knew right away something was going on between them, but he had to see it for himself. Now he wished he had just walked away. The visual of his fiancée and brother going at it in the shower made him want to gouge his eyes out. She had admitted to cheating with Harry off and on for six months. She said it didn’t mean anything, that she still wanted to get married, that she would never see Harry again. Even as she pleaded with him, he knew it was something he couldn’t get past. “It would be like having sex with my brother,” he said. He canceled the wedding that morning, but the honeymoon was nonrefundable.
 
“You should come with me. I’ve already paid for the trip. Otherwise I’ll just be sitting at home. I’m not going by myself.”

I stared at my dripping ice cream. I was really too full to eat it. I couldn’t take a trip with him. I didn’t even know him. “Um.” I rose off the bench, where we were sitting, and threw my cone in the trash. When I returned to the bench, his hand covered mine.

“You are the only person, I’ve told, who doesn’t look at me like I’m a dying puppy. Everyone acts as if I’m one step from suicide. But I’m not. I’m just mad as hell. What if I hadn’t found out? What if we’d gotten married? I’m much better off this way. I can move on.” He squeezed my hand. “Next week is going to suck whether I’m here or on a beach in Mexico. I’d love you to come. Just think about it. Maybe your friends can cover for you with your parents. They wouldn’t even have to know.”

I met his eyes, unsure what to say. I’m not the kind of girl who runs off with a stranger to a foreign country. I already told him that my job didn’t start for two weeks, so I couldn’t use it as an excuse. I didn’t need an excuse, though. I could have just said no. I felt the word forming on my tongue. But when he smoothed my hand against his hard abdomen and a cocky smile spread across his face, I knew I could come up with a lie to tell my parents. I’d gotten good at misleading them over the years. The truth was, I wanted to go. I liked Thor. And I needed some life experience before medical school consumed me. I pressed my lips together still debating, then took a deep breath and asked, “When do we leave?”
Copyright 2014 Susan Schussler

Jessica's Way: June 1, 2013

Jessica:  June 1, 2013

Thor. I’m not sure what to think about him. He’s Jeff’s best friend. They were roommates for two years and they get along really well, but I just don’t know if I like him. Honestly, I don’t really know him that well. I’ve only met him a couple of times when he and Nora came to the Cities to visit. He was always with Nora and he seemed so different last weekend now that she is no longer in the picture.

Sarah said that he was flirting with her even after she told him she wasn’t interested. And normally that wouldn’t have bothered her, but somehow his hand, not so innocently, kept landing on the top of her thigh or touching her breast. As much as guys hate to admit it, women balance them. I think he and Nora dated for four years. Maybe Nora balanced Thor or maybe he just lost it because he hasn’t been single for so long. Alli had a date with him last night and I tried to warn her beforehand that he’d been a little off since his break up, but of course, she wouldn’t listen. She never listens. She said she wanted to form her own opinion. I said, “Fine. I’ve got my own problems to handle.” And I did.

Jeff and I hadn't spoken all week. He had apologized, via text, for the lack of contact on Monday night. He said that he met Thor at the bar after he dropped me off and he just lost track of time. By the time he got home, he figured I was already asleep. Really? He was out with Thor? I thought he had to work in the morning?

Frustrated by Jeff’s lack of attention during the week, and convinced that Thor’s breakup was to blame, I sent Jeff the dreaded text that no man ever wants to see from his girlfriend. I didn’t know what else to do.

We need to talk.

I’ll be over after work tomorrow, he replied.

The next day when I opened the door to let him in he watched me apprehensively, his eyes wide. He followed me up to my room without a word. Once inside, he leaned against the door until it clicked closed, and then slid to the floor with his back propped against the exit.

Even though I had contemplated what I would say for days, the words were gone, my mind blank. We stared at each other for what seemed like forever before my tongue started to move. “What the hell is going on? I know that what happened to Thor was horrible, but it has nothing to do with us. I’m not Nora and I’m not cheating on you with your brother. You can’t treat me like this. I don’t deserve it.”

The corners of his lips turned up just a little. “I don’t have a brother and I’m pretty sure Sarah is straight.”

It wasn’t funny. I glared at him.

“I love you,” he mumbled looking down as his finger traced the hole in his distressed jeans.

“What?” How dare he? Couldn’t he tell I was pissed?

“I love you, Jess. I have for a while. I’m sorry if it freaks you out. I know you hate how quickly your dad falls for someone, but this is real. My feelings are real. I don’t…want to break up,” he stumbled on his words.

I looked at him confused, shaking my head.

“I thought you were going to break up with me because you overheard that conversation with my mom. You don’t send a guy a text that says ‘we have to talk’ unless you’re ending it.” He looked up and the muscles of his jaw tightened as an epiphany washed over his face. “Or pregnant?” Pinning me with his eyes, he got up, crossed the room and sat next to me on the edge of the bed. He wrapped his arm around me and whispered in my ear, “If you’re pregnant. We can make it work. You can still finish school. We can get an apartment.” His words seemed rushed like he couldn’t get them out fast enough.

“I’m not pregnant. Why have you been avoiding me? I thought it was the whole Thor/Nora thing. I’ve been calling and texting all week and you never responded, not until the text last night.”

“Jess, I’ve had the worst week of my life. We’re supposed to present the prototype of the 2412 to the VP’s next week and Gary asked me, on Tuesday, to change ‘one little component’ on it. I came so close to telling my boss to F-off. I’ve been working for six months to design the damn thing and he wants to change it the week before we present? I couldn’t get it to work right with the changes, and then the 3D printer blew up. The manufacturer came out to repair it, but it still delayed my work for almost a day. I’ve been at the lab every night until nine and I’m probably going to have to go in this weekend too. You know I don’t get great cell service at the lab. I had to keep my phone plugged in on my desk because the battery drains searching for a signal. I didn’t have it on me. I haven't had time to check the back messages. I just happen to be at my desk when your text came last night.” A defeated expression masked his gorgeous face as he looked up.

His earlier words filled me. Thor hadn’t brought this on. Jeff wasn’t scared. “I love you too,” I said before crushing my lips to his. I knew it was passive aggressive, but I wanted to reassure him and myself that we were OK the quickest way I could. It didn’t take more than a second for him to respond. His hands grasped my waist, pulling me onto his lap as he scooted backward on the bed. Before I could catch a breath, he flipped me under him, pressing me into the mattress, never breaking the kiss. The kiss was tender, but bruising, and gave me all the reassurance I needed. We skipped dinner in favor of christening my childhood bed (twice) and I fell asleep in his arms, hoping one of us had remembered to lock the door, but too exhausted to check.
Copyright 2014 Susan Schussler