STRANGER - CAITLIN CLARK

CHAPTER TWO

「 ✦ STRANGER ✦ 」
CHAPTER TWO

AUGUST 12TH, 2019

"can you take me please?" rory pleads with caitlin over the phone. "her plane lands in like twenty minutes and you know my parents are gone."

it is moments like this that make caitlin regret ever getting her license. she swears she's been her friends personal chauffeur for the past three years.
  
"alright fine." caitlin gives in like she always does. "but we gotta go like now cause the airport is already like fifteen minutes away."
  
rory sighs in relief. "thank you, thank you, thank you."

"yeah yeah i'll be there in five." caitlin says before hanging up.

the familiar scenery on the ride to rory's house fills caitlin with a rare sense of security. her anxiety recently has been out of the roof. having to deal with all of the colleges and offers has the girl feeling like a shell of her old self. it's almost set in stone that she will be going to notre dame but a part of her can't help but wonder if that's really the best choice.

"god, i can't believe we only have a few weeks left of summer." rory complains as soon as she gets in the car.
  
"yeah i know, we gotta make the best of it." caitlin responds starting back on the road.

"what do you think she will be like?" caitlin asks. the she in question being the exchange student rory's family is hosting for the school year.

rory shrugs. "honestly i don't know, we've only messaged a few times back and forth."
 
"do you know what she looks like?"
  
rory shakes her head. "nope. i know her names isabella though."
  
caitlin hums to herself. that's a pretty name. the idea of an exchange student has intrigued caitlin ever since rory told her about it. deep down she wishes her family would be willing to do something like that. an exchange student to dowling catholic has never been done before and she can't help but be a little envious that rory of all people get to host the first and probably last one ever.
  
caitlin parks the car in front of the arrival terminal and looks over at rory. "how will we know it's her if you've never even seen her?"
  
"i don't know. should i meet her at the baggage claim or what?" rory asks.
  
"well, yes?" caitlin says matter of factly. "god, you have no idea what you're doing, do you?"
  
"okay sorry i've never picked someone up from an airport before." rory defends. a look of worry suddenly washes over rory's face. "oh god caitlin what if i lose her or i get lost? what if we both get lost?"
  
"alright how about i go inside then?" caitlin suggests.
  
"you'd really do that for me?"

"don't i do everything for you?" caitlin says unbuckling her seatbelt. "i'll go and meet her even though she will be meeting a complete stranger before the person she's going to be living with for the next nine months."
  
"well when you put it like that you make it sound bad."
  
"good, it should sound bad." caitlin begins to exit the car before remembering she has no idea of where she's going. "what's the gate so i know what baggage claim to wait by."
  
rory scrolls through her phone quickly. "C12."
  
"okay i'll be back."
  
once she gets inside she heads to the baggage claim area looking for the screen that reads C12. she finds it and waits for a few minutes before the passengers start arriving at the claim and the bags start rolling out. she glances around but doesn't spot a teenage girl amongst the crowd of arrivals.

a few more minutes pass and she decides to step forward and check the name of a bag that's already circled around a few times. the name on the tag reads 'isabella carvelli' and she assumes this is the isabella she's looking for. she grabs the suitcase down from the structure and steps back.
  
"hey, that's mine." a voice comes up from behind caitlin. she turns around and is faced with a shorter brunette. "are you rory?" she asks.
  
"caitlin." she corrects subconsciously scanning over the rest of the girl. "rory is my bestfriend."
  
caitlin can't help but notice the tan lines that are sticking out from under her off the shoulder shirt that she's decided to pair with shorts. she's got a nice pair of legs. she must be athletic.
  
"oh, well i'm isabella. its nice to meet you, caitlin." she says a little louder breaking caitlin out of her thoughts about the girls legs that she didn't even know she was having. she holds out her hand and caitlin takes it into her own.

"it's nice to meet you too isabella." caitlin lets go after a moment and motions behind her. "i'm parked just outside, i bet you're ready to get home."
  
"right, home." isabella sighs to herself.
  
caitlin chuckles. "yeah you kinda got the short end of the stick here in iowa, but its not all that bad. i mean, it could be worse."
  
"could it?" isabella asks.
  
"you could've ended up in north dakota."
  
"where?"
  
caitlin nods. "exactly."
  
isabella laughs placing a hand on her arm. "you're funny caitlin."
 
caitlin shakes her head feeling herself blush. she's never learned how to accept compliments. they talk for a little before finally getting to the car. caitlin throws her bags in the trunk as rory gets out to greet isabella. they share a quick hug and rory offers the front seat to her. after a back and forth that lasts longer than caitlin wishes, isabella finally accepts.
  
what they've learned about isabella so far on the ride back to rory's house is that she has younger twin brothers, luca and leo, and she's played both volleyball and soccer her entire life.
  
"what about you guys?" she asks, looking to caitlin first.

"i've actually got two brothers too, blake and colin. blake's older and colin's younger." caitlin responds.

"caitlin come on tell her the thing." rory speaks up from the back seat.

"the thing?" isabella asks.

"no rory don't." caitlin starts.

"but i want to know." isabella says.

"yeah and shes going to find out eventually." rory rolls her eyes and leans forward between their two seats. "caitlin doesn't like to come off as cocky so she never brings it up, but you're in the company of one of the top basketball recruits in all of america."

isabella gently pushes caitlin's shoulder. "what? why wouldn't you want me to know that?"

caitlin awkwardly smiles in embarrassment. "well that's really all there is to me so i don't usually lead off with that."

"i doubt that's true. you seem very interesting." isabella says looking back ahead at the road. "i can't wait to watch you play."

rory leans back feeling accomplished. "i think this will be the best school year yet."

isabella nods placing her eyes back on caitlin. "i think so too."