EUPHORIA

Ramsey: the meeting

### Chapter 1: Selfishness and Surprises

Selfish! Me, selfish! The nerve she has. I walked into the parking space and saw a familiar blonde sitting on the hood of my Porsche. Her hair danced freely in the wind, and the sun reflected off her golden skin.

As I approached, she turned to face me as if she had eyes at the back of her head or as if we were somehow connected. She smiled, sending a warm, soothing feeling down my body.

"I assume you know that's my car, right? Or do you just want to frustrate me?" I said, throwing my bag into the passenger seat, where someone else's bag was already sitting. Before I could ask, she got into my car, looking at me as if I were a lost child.

"Aren't we going? My sister bailed on me, and I already missed the bus, so..." Her face was red, and a smile played on her lips. Or maybe it was me. I got in and opened the car roof so her hair could fly with the wind as I drove. She reached her hand to my jacket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses.

"Sorry for intruding like this."

"Like you actually mean it," I scoffed. She turned on the radio, switching from channel to channel until she found a 90s song by Sade titled "Smooth Operator" and started singing along.

To be honest, she was cute, but this wasn’t my song. I reached into my records and pulled out a rock and roll track, but she took it right out of my hands. Once she saw she had finally gotten to me, she smiled, revealing her perfect teeth. I could see her eyes through the glasses.

Wow, she gave blue a new meaning. If I wasn’t driving, I would stare.

Not that I wasn’t already.

She leaned closer to me, and my veins froze. My heart skipped several beats. "Please keep your eyes on the road."

I didn’t want to.

***                   ***               ***

Her house was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by wilderness. You could imagine how she got to school on time. The house was in the middle of acres of land and was magnificent, almost making my house look small.

We were greeted by a caretaker, a puppy I assumed was hers, and the clinical eyes of Margaret, which I ignored with a smile on my face.she
took my hand and led me into her room, the puppy following, of course.

Her room was empty, no posters on the walls, no disorganized stuff lying on the ground, and beyond decent. "So what are we going to..." She paused, the pen falling from her hands and drool rolling down her lips. She stood there as if seeing a ghost while I took off my clothes, going through her wardrobe for anything comfortable. When I turned and caught her staring, I smiled.

I reached out for a set of pajamas and just left my clothes lying on the floor. "So what are we having for dinner? I could really eat anything. What about you?"

Still staring.

She looked away when I refused to button the shirt, leaving my chest exposed. "Michael always makes dinner, but it isn’t until another hour," she said, the words crawling out of her mouth.

Before I could make a remark, the door flew open, and Margaret walked in with what she thought was a smile, but you could see the evil hiding behind it. "Dinner is ready, and Mom and Dad are home," she turned to face me, the smile nowhere to be found. "You can join if you want," her eyes scanned me up and down, lingering on my clothes. To be honest, they did smell like her a little.

"You're always welcome to join. I wouldn’t want you to pass out during study," she said, leading me outside to the dining room, her hands very cold.

"So, what time will you be leaving?" A sweet voice came from behind me, but the person wasn’t sweet. I turned around with a smile, staring straight into her eyes. "I wouldn’t."

Especially now.

Sitting above the dining room was a crystal chandelier that lit up the whole room, giving it a vintage vibe I liked. Her mom sat at one end, and her dad sat at the other. The two sisters sat opposite each other, and I sat beside Caroline, despite the daggers from Margaret.

"So, the first time Caroline brings someone over to my house, it’s a girl. To whom do I owe the pleasure of meeting?" Her dad asked, the chicken grinding in his mouth. Was he happy or not? I couldn’t tell.

"Bell Ramsey, sir. I’m the captain of the female Westfield ice hockey team. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

He scoffed. "Oh, please call me Daniel. 'Sir' makes me feel old." He leaned forward a bit. "So you and Caroline, eh...?"

"Daniel, no, they’re just studying for tonight," her mom interrupted, winking at me with a blissful smile. "She seems nice. I like her already." Just what is wrong with this family?

***                   ***                 ***

After dinner, I followed Caroline back to her room. She remained silent until she locked the door behind us, her face worried and almost afraid. "You look tired. We can call it a day and..." Before I could finish, she walked past me and fell motionless on the bed, her blonde hair in a mess and her skin pale.

I went to Margaret’s room and sat on the bed. It was way more comfortable than Caroline’s. Once Margaret got out of the bathroom, her eyes fell on me, and a frown crossed her face.

"What are you doing in my room?" Her tone was hostile and demanding.

"Your dad," I paused, "what exactly does he do?"

The look on her face was accurate.

"Why do you care what he does? Don’t you have anyone else to bother?" She took off the towel and put on her night robe. Clearly, she didn’t care I was there, but then again, why would she? We’re both girls. "Now leave."

On my way to Caroline’s room, I heard her dad arguing on the phone, something about planes, but I couldn’t get caught eavesdropping.

Yeah, not on my first day.

As I walked in, Caroline had just finished her shower. Her eyes met mine, and she froze, barely holding on to the towel. I couldn’t help but smile at how different the two girls were. "Could you..." she paused, looking at the clothes she was supposed to wear, "maybe look away?" Her eyes were fixed on her feet.

Not saying a word, I leaned closer for a better view. "I need to change, so if you could... just..." I remained silent, still refusing to say a word. "Okay," she mumbled, going into her drawer. With one hand on her towel and the other on her underwear, she looked at me inquisitively. Then I leaned closer again. Any more, and I would be off the chair.

She managed to put on her lingerie, then let the towel fall to the ground, her hands over her chest, now backing me. Her hair swayed freely and ran straight across her back. She put on a yellow short and a blue crop top, then faced me willingly, her eyes furious and mine delighted.

"Did you enjoy the show?" Her voice was low, but you could sense the anger.

"I didn’t enjoy anything. It wasn’t special."

Yes, I did.

"So which side of the bed do you want to sleep on?" she paused in shock.

I was already asleep.