White Houses- Chapter 1 (WIP)

         It may seem strange, but for the longest time I thought of my life as a white house. Mrs. Bishop, my Bible study teacher, was the one who planted the idea in my brain. She said our life was pure, innocent, a stereotypical white picket-fenced house of sorts that is the American dream. She said if we followed God and kept ourselves pure, our house would remain white. If we strayed, our house would become dirty; if we stayed on the wrong course, it would be so dirty it would be uninhabitable.
         I may have been a little naïve in elementary school, and I believed her. I didn’t want a dirty life. Every word she said was as good as gold in my book. Even though I stopped attending Bible study when I hit middle school, the white house analogy stayed in my head. I would look at random people on the street and wonder how clean their house was. I strived to keep mine as clean as possible. I thought it would be easy. No one told me it was near impossible.

* * *

         I had never lived on my own before. My eighteen years were spent being sheltered in all that I did. I lived with my parents and younger sister. I went to a private high school, and would have gone to a private college, too, if my parents had had their way. But by graduation, I was itching for some freedom.
         I eventually won out. Because of my less-than-stellar grades, the school I was dying to go to would only accept me if I took summer courses. So a mere week after being liberated from high school, my small Honda was packed full of my worldly possessions and I was on my way to college, five hours away.
         My parents couldn’t come to drop me off because my dad was out of town and my mom preferred to drown in her sorrows at home. I, for one, was partly glad about that. I didn’t want my first impression on others to be my parents. Finally I was going to a place where no one knew me as “Richard Fletcher’s oldest girl” and I preferred it that way.
         So five hours, eight CD changes and countless sticks of gum later I pulled up to the dorm that was to be my new home.
         Sudden nervousness came over me. I turned the car off and just sat, gathering my courage. Someone raced by on a skateboard. Why did my nerves fail at the worst moments?
         Finally, after I began to sweat, I got out of the car and headed for the door. I’d seen the dorms before, but never so full of people. I walked the halls, gazing, taking it all in. A tall, chubby guy putting something up on the bulletin board. Another guy arguing with someone over a cell phone. A strikingly beautiful girl laughing at a magazine a friend was showing her.
         I was so absorbed in my people-watching that I surprised myself when I bumped into a muscular guy around my height. “Excuse me,” I said, “do you know where the RA is?”
         “Sure do.” He smiled and put out his hand. “John Reed, RA for the third floor. Most call me JR.”
         “Katie Fletcher,” I said, shaking his hand.
         “Follow me. I’ll get you everything you need.”
         Ten minutes later, I had my room key in hand and was preparing to meet my roommates for the first time. Why was I so nervous? I’d talked to one- Jenny- over the phone once, and she seemed normal. Or at least as normal as an eighteen year old girl could be. Still telling myself my roommates wouldn’t be ax murderers, I swung the door open.
         “You must be Katie!” a voice from the kitchen called. Then she came out- the same beautiful girl I’d seen in the hall earlier.
          At the nod of my head she rushed up and hugged me. “I’m Jenny.” She broke the embrace and ran her fingers through her long red hair. “Heather ran down to her car. She’ll be back in a minute.” A hand fluttered up to motion around the room. “Not a bad place, eh?”
         I scanned my eyes over the room. The two small bedrooms, living room, kitchen and bathroom were disarrayed from the moving-in process, and I hadn’t brought anything up yet. Already there was a pile of magazines on the coffee table, with Cosmo right on top. Great. Roommates who read Cosmo and the like. I figured I could live with that.
         Just as my eyes drifted from the table Heather came in with another box to add to the mess. Introductions were made. We took a diplomatic turn and played rock-paper-scissors to see who would get the single bedroom. Heather won.
         I was thoroughly enjoying myself as we moved my stuff in. A bond was already forming between the three of us. Jenny was the humorous one, Heather was the wild one and I just absorbed it all. I was so glad my parents hadn’t come.
         Finally there was nothing left in my car except my trunk. It was too heavy for us to lift, so Jenny sent me to the room across the hall from ours. She assured me they would help.
         My knock was answered by a tall guy with curly black hair. The first thing I noticed about him was the lip ring. “Yeah?” he said simply.
         I was caught off guard by him. He was so much taller than me and would seem so imposing, but his smile and the way he leaned against the door gave him an air of gentleness that put me at ease. “I’m Katie, I live across the hall.” I motioned towards my door. “Jenny said you’d help carry my trunk up.”
         “Sure. Let me grab my shoes and my roommate.”
         The smile he gave me as he turned made me smile, too. And blush a little. I peered inside the door he’d left open. The place was a mirror image of ours, only, surprisingly, a lot neater. I noticed an acoustic guitar propped up in one corner and wondered if it belonged to the guy who met me at the door or one of his roommates.
         Suddenly he appeared again, with a blonde guy who was almost as tall as he was. “This is my roommate, Adam,” he said. Then he remembered he hadn’t told me his name. “And I’m Trent.” He shook my hand as Adam acknowledged me with a nod of his head.
         In the parking lot Jenny greeted us as though she hadn’t seen us in years. Trent and Adam lifted the trunk with no problem, then mocked us for being so weak. Heather and Jenny sarcastically defended us, saying everyone knew we were members of the weaker sex and nothing compared to their masculinity. I just smiled and laughed, happy to be surrounded by such great people.

* * *

         Looking back, I realize my first impression of Jenny was nearly dead accurate. She was so pretty and so sure of herself. She appreciated every moment and wanted to cram as much into her life as humanly possible. As I got to know her those first few days, I thought she’d end up doing a foolish thing or two because of her eagerness. I thought myself more clever than her.
         Heather was just a wild child. We found out very quickly that she liked to party hard- and often. Amazingly, though, she never let it interfere with school. She did things because she could, not because she believed there was some great destiny she needed to fulfill before she died. Her limits were known to her, though, and she rarely went beyond them.
         I strived to become more like my roommates. Before I got to college I had been too cautious, so afraid of consequences that I missed out on a lot of fun I could have had. I desperately wanted to break that habit. I knew Jenny and Heather would be there for me if I ever got myself in a situation I couldn’t handle.
         We all crashed on the floor that first night. It was some sort of bonding thing Heather’s older sister had told her about. As we were on our backs, heads together (“Babysitter’s Club style” Jenny said with a laugh) we promised we’d be there for each other until the end. None of us realized at the time how eventful the summer would truly be. But at the moment, it was nice not to be so alone.

***

         That Friday night Jenny insisted all of us- including Trent, Adam, and their roommate Josh- all go out to a local club. On the way out, she invited Anna and Charlotte, who were roommates down the hall from us.
         I had only been to a club once, on my eighteenth birthday. My best friend Mandy had taken me. The place was full of sleazy guys, quickly prompting us to leave. So I was a little leery on the ride over. But the fact that I knew Jenny and Heather would make it fun no matter what made me feel better.
         Inside was hot and loud, but I could tell that it would be way better than my other club experience. Everyone there seemed to be in college. Jenny nudged me and said, “It’s our mission tonight to pick up a guy for each of us.” Heather faked a pout and said she wanted to pick up a guy, too, but couldn’t because of Dave, her boyfriend of nearly two years. Jenny laughed and promised to hook up with one in her honor.
         We found out very quickly that you could buy alcohol without being carded. Slightly buzzed, Jenny hit the dance floor with Adam. Heather and Josh followed. Everyone else wandered off until I found myself alone at the bar with Trent.
         “I’m not into dancing much.” He had to shout to be heard over the music.
         “Me neither.” I busied myself with my drink so I could take my eyes away from his. I had to. They were bright green with a calm intensity about them. I felt as though he could see through me, see my insides and know the inner workings of my mind better than I did. At the same time, I knew he wouldn’t judge me.
         He pointed. Following his outstretched arm with my eyes I saw Jenny in the middle of the dance floor kissing Adam. “Didn’t take them long.”
         Trent laughed and shook his head. “Come on,” he said suddenly, grabbing my hand and leading me towards the dance floor.
         “I just told you I don’t dance!” I said, exasperated, as we reached the edge of the crowd.
         “Well, neither do I, so it’ll be fun.”
         I gave in. I didn’t have much rhythm, but neither did he. We laughed at each other, at ourselves. I was actually letting go and not caring about what anyone else thought, though I think it had more to do with the beer I’d had than any conscience decision on my part.
         My head began to swim from the bad combination of heat, alcohol, and movement. I stumbled, trying to find something to lean on. Trent caught me and put a strong arm around my waist as he led me to the bar.
         “I just need to rest a minute.”
         He nodded his head understandingly, but he didn’t take his arm away. I didn’t want him to. I closed my eyes and leaned my head on his chest, prompting him to ask if I was okay.
         I looked up at his intense eyes. “Never been better.”

* * *

         The next day I woke up with an intense headache. I stumbled into the living room wishing I hadn’t had so much to drink.
         “Have fun last night?” Jenny asked mockingly from the couch.
         “I think so,” I muttered as I sat next to her.
         She scooted so close to me a piece of paper couldn’t have been wedged between us. “So, did you and Trent hook up or what?”
         “No. At least, I don’t think so.” Then I remembered Trent pointing. “But you and Adam so did!”
         She smiled sheepishly. “Well, we didn’t actually do anything.” I nodded my head. “I didn’t want to lose it last night,” she whispered.
         Whether it was my hangover or her vagueness, I didn’t understand. “Lose what?”
         It was the first time I saw Jenny falter. She took a deep breath and leaned her head on the back of the couch, eyes fixed on the ceiling. “I’m still a virgin, Katie.”
         I looked at her, dumbfounded. I had assumed that her looks had attracted more than a few guys. “Are you serious?” I knew the question was wrong as soon as it came out.
         “You can’t tell anyone!” she pleaded, lifting her head to look me in the eyes. “You can’t!”
         “Don’t worry. I am, too.” The old fear that I would be the only one on campus quickly melted away.
         “I won’t tell, you won’t tell.” And even though it was very middle school, we pinky swore on it.
         Heather walked in just then. “I brought donuts!”
         “Where’d you go? You were gone before I woke up,” Jenny asked.
         Heather placed the box of donuts on the coffee table on top of the pile of magazines. “I went to buy Dave an ‘I miss you’ card. Then I had to fill it out and mail it.” She jumped on the couch next to Jenny. “So, I noticed you drove home with Adam last night. Anything happen that we should know about?” she asked with a nudge.
         I wondered if she knew, too. Would Jenny tell her? Why wouldn’t she?
         “Wouldn’t you like to know.” She threw her head back and laughed at Heather’s feigned annoyance. “No, we didn’t.” Then, “I only sleep with guys after knowing them for a week. And Adam hasn’t reached that mark yet.” She tried to keep an air of seriousness, but couldn’t. Her mouth upturned into a smile, and we laughed with her.
         I wondered why she hadn’t told Heather she doesn’t sleep with anyone. Why did she trust me and not her? Maybe she felt comfortable admitting it to another virgin, and we all knew that wasn’t Heather.
         Was it that obvious that I had never had sex? I hoped it wasn’t.

* * *

         A few days later, I was walking back to the dorm after my English class when I saw Trent sitting alone on a bench, writing. We hadn’t spoken about the night in the club. Then again, we really hadn’t had the chance to. But I felt as though I had been downgraded in his eyes, and I desperately wanted to remedy that.
         “Hey,” I said, sitting down next to him.
         He didn’t respond; instead, he kept on writing. I feared he was ignoring me. Then he slowly raised his eyes to mine. “Hey, Katie. I had to get this idea down.” He tapped the paper with his pen.
         I nodded, faltering. I noticed his bright red shirt, and stared intently at it.
         “It’s a new song I’m working on,” he said slowly.
         His voice startled me, and I felt idiotic. I had to redeem myself. “That’s cool. Look, Trent, about the other night-”
         “I get it,” he interrupted. “You were drunk off your ass.” He spoke softly.
         “Yeah, I was. But I meant what I said- about it being the best night of my life.”
         He looked at me and pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek, a habit of I’d noticed he does when he’s considering something. Finally he said, “Good. Because I was hoping that wasn’t the alcohol talking.” He smiled, making me smile, too.
         “I promise not to get that drunk again.”
         “Thank God for that,” he laughed. “Look, my band’s playing tomorrow night at Fusion, and- if you don’t have an early morning class the next day- you and Jenny and Heather should come watch.”
         I quickly ran through my schedule in my head. “Sure. I’ve got a late class the next day.”
         “Good.” He checked his watch. “I gotta go, or I’ll be late.”
         I watched his bright red shirt fade as he hurried to class. I didn’t know it at the time, but that shirt would be forever burned in my memory.

* * *

         Knowing I wouldn’t have time that night and I would probably be too tired the next day, I spent a good chunk of the day studying and wondering why a band would book a show on a Wednesday night. Jenny and Heather wandered in and out through the day and Anna and Charlotte stopped by for a while. Everyone but Heather, who had an early morning class on Thursday, would be going to see Trent play.
         The door swung open suddenly to reveal a very excited Jenny. Startled, I caught the clock- just after five.
         “What are you so excited about?” I asked, placing my biology book on the coffee table on top of the pile of magazines that never disappeared.
         She rushed over and jumped on the couch next to me. “Adam’s having a huge party at his parent’s house next weekend.”
         “With his parents there? That’s-”
         “No, not with his parents there!” She laughed. “They’re going out of town for two weeks.” I nodded. “They live in this huge mansion place outside of town. I mean, this place is like a castle.”
         “How do you know?”
         “Josh told me. It’s going to be so great. Everyone’s invited, of course.”
         “Of course.”
         “We have to start getting ready!” She went and set up the ironing board. “Don’t forget to dress nice!” she said with a smile.
         It was an hour’s drive to Fusion, and though Trent’s band, Random Task, didn’t go on until nine, we were all going out for dinner first. Jenny went through outfit after outfit, but I stuck with my first choice- a new pair of jeans and a green tank top.
         “You look cute!” Jenny said when she had finally decided on a jean skirt and blue-striped button up shirt.
         It was almost six by now. Adam came to see if we were almost ready. Heather came to say goodbye and jokingly tried to make us feel guilty for going without her.
         Ten minutes later I was in Charlotte’s backseat next to Jenny. “I wonder if Trent has any groupies,” Anna joked from the backseat.
         “He’s cute enough to,” Charlotte said.
         Jenny shot me a glance. She knew everything that had happened between us and had high hopes for tonight. “He wouldn’t have invited you if he didn’t want to see you,” she had told me. I hoped she wouldn’t say anything to Charlotte and Anna.
         Luckily a call on my cell phone broke everyone’s thoughts.
         “Hey, turn around,” the voice said at my answer. I recognized it as Trent’s.
         I twisted in my seat and looked out the back window to see Trent and Ethan, the drummer, in Trent’s car. “Hi.” I smiled and waved.
         The corner of his mouth turned up into a smile that made me blush a little. He had a way of doing that. “I’m really looking forward to tonight.”
         “Me too.”
         “Hey, I’ve got an incoming call. I’ll see you in a little while.”
         “I know who Trent’s groupie is,” Charlotte said when I hung up. Everyone laughed.
         “Well, what can I say…” I joked.
         We bantered the rest of the way to the restaurant, touching on everything from the government to John Travolta. I was growing closer to Charlotte and Anna. How could I have ever thought that high school was the best time of my life?
         At the restaurant we crowded around a big round table. Trent sat to my left, Jenny to my right. With everyone laughing and joking, it felt like a scene from a movie. Rick, Trent’s best friend and bassist extraordinaire, was noticeably hitting on Charlotte.
         I was talking to Trent about Gone With The Wind when my cell phone rang. It was Mandy, my best friend from high school.
         “Where are you?” she asked in reaction to all the noise.
         “At dinner with some friends.”
         We talked for a few minutes. She wanted me to come home for the weekend. As I told her I would, it amazed me how little we had talked since graduation. We had been best friends since sixth grade and virtually inseparable.
         “I’m going home this weekend,” I announced after I hung up.
         Jenny furrowed her eyebrows and asked why. Trent looked away.
         “We’ve barely been here a week,” Jenny said.
         “I know, but if I go soon I can stay here longer without anyone getting on my back. Plus, if I go next weekend I’ll miss Adam’s party.”
         “True. If you miss that I’ll kill you.”
         Around 8:30 we piled into our respective vehicles and went to Fusion. Trent, Rick, and Ethan began unloading the gear they had so carefully packed into two cars while everyone else went inside.
         The place was small. The stage was a two-foot tall platform in one corner. Adam and Josh went back outside to help unload as all the girls piled into a booth. “I hope they don’t blow the windows out or something with their amps,” Jenny commented idly.
         I looked around. There was a jukebox a little ways away from an electronic dartboard. They bar was pretty crowded. I spotted a guy with a green mohawk and smiled to myself. A baseball game was playing on a big screen TV.
         My eyes drifted back to the door just as Ethan, arms full, kicked it open. Trent followed behind, equally bogged down with gear. I wanted to help, just to be near Trent, to make him smile, but I was pinned next to the window by Jenny.
         Twenty minutes later the guys took the stage and the first notes from Trent’s Fender Stat penetrated our eardrums. Jenny grabbed my hand and pulled me from the booth towards the stage, where a crowd was gathering. Trent’s strong, clear voice came out. “Who knew he could sing so good?” Jenny shouted in my ear. I still had to strain to hear her.
         “Hey everyone,” Trent addressed the crowd after two songs. “You may or may not know, but we’re Routine Riot.” Jenny, Charlotte, Anna, and I cheered at the top of our lungs, prompting everyone in the band to smile. “I’ve got a lot of friends here, so no one can boo us tonight,” he joked.
         “It also means you can’t mess up,” Rick poked. Ethan did a rim shot.
         “Nope, nope, I need to impress them.” He looked right at me as he said it, a smile on his lips. Jenny elbowed me in the ribs. “Okay, in just a short while our good friends in Insomniac Confessions will take the stage. We’ll play for you until then.”
         I fell in love with the infectious pop-punk melodies and Trent’s voice. It was a voice that could sing you to a peaceful sleep. His voice was low and calm, and when he sang it echoed with intensity. Calm intensity. Like his eyes.
         Forty-five minutes later Routine Riot wrapped up their set. It seemed like mere seconds to me. They packed their equipment away while Insomniac Confessions set theirs up.
         I saw Trent walk outside alone. I left the group and followed him. I found him alone at his car, changing shirts. For the first time I saw a Celtic tattoo on his right arm.
         “You did really good tonight.”
         He tossed his dirty shirt into the trunk, closed it and turned to face me. The only light was from a weak lamp two parking spaces away, casting him in a half light that make me think of a love scene in a movie. “Thanks,” he said simply.
         “You don’t have to try to impress me, you know.”
         He smiled and shrugged. “Do I?”
         I wanted to jest with him, joke that he would never be able to impress me. But all I could manage was a nod. Taking a step towards me, he nodded too. Before I knew what was happening, he leaned down and kissed me.