Vanilla

Chapter Four

Dedicated to PurplePencils for her lovely comment on Chapter Three, and for analysing some of the things I'd written to have some kind of deeper meaning when I hadn't even thought of them myself. (Carry on doing that, you're making me look smart.)

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            “Nice English weather, huh?”

            Daniel smiled wryly as he flicked the windscreen wiper setting up a notch. The rain was hitting the glass with battering sound effects, and what of it had come down on me was now seeping unpleasantly through the fabric of my top.

            “Very.” I paused, the question frozen on the tip of my tongue. “So, um… who’s Collette?”

            He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, keeping his eyes fixed on the road ahead. “A friend,” he told me plainly, but I could’ve sworn there was a hint of hesitance in his tone. “She’s nice. We all are. I promise.”

            A breathy laugh escaped me. “How modest.”

            “Well, I wouldn’t want to scare you off,” he said, shooting a grin in my direction that pushed my heart into overdrive. “It’s not often we get anyone new around here. I mean, it’s really just been the five of us since Scott moved here a couple of years ago. There are very few others our age – ones that stay longer than week, that is.” The end of the beach emerged on the horizon as the car continued along the road; a few moments later, Daniel hit the indicator and took a left. We were soon moving through a residential part of town I’d yet to venture into. “Walden’s not exactly a happening place for teens, believe it or not.”

            I quirked an eyebrow. “Did you just say ‘happening’?”

            He groaned. “See what I mean? That’s what spending too much time with your mum does to you. This is exactly why I pounce on anybody our age who moves here.”

            “I feel like I should be scared.”

            To this, he laughed. “Nah, you’re alright. You’ll get used to the Walden bubble soon enough.”

            “You’ve lived here all your life?”

            “Yup. My mum and dad, too. My whole family’s been here ages.”

            “I see.” My gaze trailed back to the windscreen. I watched as droplets of water hit the glass, as quickly as the wipers removed them. “Well, this place is different to London, I can tell you that.”

            “Oh, I can imagine.”

            We were already beginning to slow down, though we’d barely been driving two minutes. I gathered Collette’s house was not a distant destination. Rolling up to the end of the road, we finally pulled up outside a large detached house that seemed to subtly dominate its neighbours. Maybe it was the large front door, or the iron fence that marked the perimeter of the garden, or the way the lawn was mowed in a perfect vertical line pattern. Needless to say, it was a far cry from the quirky cottages in Gram’s neighbourhood.

            “I think the other guys are here already,” Daniel said, shutting off the engine and pulling the key from the ignition.

            “Oh, okay.” I was sure my quiet response was barely audible, but I couldn’t help it. A clenching feeling had started up in my stomach, my palms already sweating. It’s just a party, Flo, I told myself as I followed Daniel’s lead and got out of the car. The rain was showing no signs of letting up, still beating down as ferociously as ever, leaving little time for admiration as we hurried up the front path and dived under the house’s porch.