Chapter Five
Lia was in the shower. She just got home from the bookstore. The water was warm. She pushed her hair back as the water fell over her face. The 1975 blared in the background. She washed her hair with coconut shampoo. Harry lingered into her thoughts. Probably not the best idea while she was in the shower. She tried to wash away those thoughts. She wanted to be his friend. A simple distraction. But he doesn’t deserve a half-ass friendship. Harry seemed to be a serious person about his friends. She just got that vibe from him. Of course, she didn’t really know that much about him. But that’s just how he made her feel.
She got out of the shower and dried off. Lia went to her room to find her mother in there. Her mother was in a robe, with her hair in curlers. Her make-up was already done. “Lia what are you wearing tonight?” Lia shrugged and adjusted her towel. “I don’t know, maybe the dress I got for my birthday.” Her mother went to her closet and pulled the red dress from the rack. “This one?” Lia nodded.
“It’s perfect for tonight,” her mother laid the dress on the bed. “Get ready!”
~ ~ ~
Lia was on her way to the Parks house. Her make-up was simple: a little blush, black eyeliner, mascara, and a bright red lipstick. Her hair was braided into a bun—her mother did it, Lia wasn’t that good with hair. The dress she was wearing was a gift from her aunt and uncle for her 18th birthday. It was silk. It was from Paris. And it was expensive. The straps were braided and hung off her shoulders resting on her upper arms, showing off her shoulders and clavicle. Her bust was accentuated and so was her waist from the corset type fit it had on her. The dress was loose around her legs, stopping just at her mid-thigh. Her mother told her she looked beautiful and her dad made a typical dad remark on how he should buy a bat to keep the boys away. There weren’t any boys to keep away.
And then she thought of Harry again. His crazy words, his green eyes, the bookstore. She smiled.
“What are you smiling about?” Her mother asked when they pulled up to the Parks house. “Carter, perhaps?”
Lia shook her head. “No, just thought of something funny.”
“Carter is a nice boy.” Her father reminded her.
"Dad, I feel like by a normal stereotype, dad’s do not encourage teenage boys.” Lia got out of the car and smoothed her dress out.
“Well, honey, you’re not a normal teenage girl and he’s not a normal teenage boy.” He smiled warmly. “You two are going places.”
Her mother rang the doorbell. Mr. and Mrs. Parks both answered. There was a chorus of “Hello!” and “How are you?” And kissing on the cheek. Mrs. Parks greeted her with a hug and told Lia she looked ravishing. Mr. Parks hugged her and told her she looked pretty. She said her thank yous and followed her family inside.
“Carter!” Mrs. Parks called. “Carter, Lia is here!”
Carter appeared from the top of the stairwell. The Parks house was flawless and designed to perfection. It smelt like a home. Warm and home cooked food. Carter smiled as he walked down the stairs. “Hi, Lia!” He said. He wore a blue button up and a pair of khakis. He was dashingly handsome with dark brown eyes and dirty blonde hair. Even in Lia’s golden heels, he had her by two or three inches. He pulled her into a hug. “You look beautiful, Lia.”
She didn’t blush. “Thank you, Carter. You clean up nicely, yourself.”
He smiled larger and his dimples showed. He was a beautiful boy, maybe not an artistically beautiful or even classical. More, All-American. Minus, the blue eyes. He was smart too. He planned to be a lawyer. Lia’s dad was right, he was a nice boy. He had a lot going for him, he just didn’t have stories to tell. Lia loved to listen to stories. He was just the basic All-American-Boy who played football did well in school and had big dreams for his future. There was nothing wrong with that or even him. She was attracted to him, but not in the way he wanted her to be. They had talked before about maybe dating, it just never happened.
