Not That Kind Of Girl

Chapter 2- Home Is Where The Hart Is

Josh had been waiting for me and didn't let me live down that I had gotten detention. Jamie was in the back but to my dismay was fast asleep, his chubby cheek squished against the leather belt. God was he cute, I would never forgive Aden for making me miss the first pick-up of kindergarten, but seeing Jamie soothed my anger.

Before needing to go to work that night, Josh had asked me a million questions about my day and if I was alright to go tomorrow.
The truth was, I felt fine. My ptsd hadn't been present for nearly two months now and I was mentally okay.
With a few more questions out of the way he went off to work, covering my shift at a diner we worked for, because I was up to my ears with homework that had to be done. I had finished about an hour ago and was waiting for Jamie to wake up so the house wouldn't be so quiet anymore. My dad had come home for the briefest of moments, only to collect some things and left again, leaving behind money and the echo of a muffled 'bye, love you' and a closing door before I could reply.

When my phone vibrated I jumped, nearly falling off the bed as it broke through the silence. I checked the screen and saw the familiar number. Caroline.
"Hey C," I said answering, flipping through the pages of a Girlfriend magazine.

"Hey Rach. How was detention?" she said laughing hysterically.

I didn't understand the hysteria to her tone. How had she found out I had gotten detention, I hadn't seen her all day today. Not even at lunch, because I had to help the dance committee with the upcoming charity ball. I had been persuaded to join by Caroline and she never even went to the damn meetings, I would have to bring that up, if I got words in.

"Frustrating. Michael's made us organize at least ten boxes filled with book-"

"That's not what I'm talking about Rach!" she said loudly, making me jump again.

"Then what the hell are you on abou-"

She didn't even let me finish, interjecting, "How was detention with Aden?" His name sounded like lyrics on her lips.

I sighed in exasperation. "Okay, firstly...Stop yelling at me!" I shouted. "Secondly, there's no words to describe what an ass he is, and I'm completely missing the reason why everyone is still obsessed with him."

"Not obsessed...just infatuated. There's a difference," she said sarcastically.
Caroline wasn't obsessed or 'infatuated' to say the least, she just wanted to sleep with Aden to see what the fuss was about, which was something I didn't understand either. Yet, I admired how Caroline was so comfortable with herself and being sexually forward.
"But tell me how it was," she asked sounding slightly distracted. "Did he say anything about how he is in bed?"
My face screwed up in disgust, choosing to ignore her second question I said, "He was arrogant and a totally pig." I yawned, bored with this conversation.
She grunted, and I could feel her frustration with me through the phone. Caroline lived for the gossip, I believed it was the only reason she had survived this long in school.
"I don't know what you want me to tell you, nothing really happened." Lies!
Caroline was smarter than she let on, she knew I was lying and I knew better than to lie to her, she was my best friend, of course she would know if I was bluffing. When I lied to her it was like trying to get someone to look at the colour purple and tell them it was green.
"Not buying that," she accused flatly. "What actually happened?" changing her tone back to the enthused one, she pleaded.
Sometimes I swear Caroline was bi-polar, but hey I loved her for those random mood swings, she made everything in life so much better. Kept me continuously on my toes.
"Come on Rachel! I need information, its the only way I survuve that hell-hole of a school," she said impatiently.
Knew it!
I sighed and gave up on my charade, I told her exactly what happened, from this morning when I had turned his advances down in front of his friends, to the end of detention when he had pressed up against me and practically violated my thoughts with his voice...smell....body, I swallowed hard. I didn't tell her that in so much detail because Caroline would be on another wavelength of annoying questions. He was really starting to mess with my head!

"Wow...um...wow," she kept starting a sentence and then would stop unsure what to say, this went on for a minute.

I rolled my eyes and hoped that she would just drop it. But this was Caroline, of course she wouldn't, she was more than a little 'infatuated' with my life and what I did, she was full on bat-shit crazy obsessed with the boring life of Rachel Hart Saga, and if Aden Lyons was in anyway part of that novel, well Caroline would be the new lead character plotting a new angle to sleep with him.

"Okay, if you don't start saying words that are coherent, I'm just going to hang up," I interjected flatly, irritated with her babbling "wow's" and "um's".
"So he tried to kiss you?" She said in surprise, there was emphasis on the way she had asked, as if in disbelief that had wanted to kiss me.
I was a little annoyed but swallowed down the snappy tone that wanted to defend me.
"More like tried to violate my personal bubble with his arrogance-"

"Oh shut up! Damn, he plays a good game! Urgh, I would play that game with him." She said softly. I wasn't sure if she was talking to me or lost in her own fantasy.
"He's such a public nuisance,"I whined.
"Most girls think that's damn sexy," she paused on purpose, I figured it was for dramatic effect. After a moment she sighed and continued, "Well, most girls do. Except for you, I don't get you Rach, you have the most gorgeous guy begging for your attention and you're practically giving him the middle finger-"
My roaring laughter stopped her midsentence; I tried to compose myself to speak. "I did do that too," I said through muffled laughter.
"You did what!" she asked me, outraged that I had done such a thing to the king. "Are you trying to ruin my chances of getting with him?" She snickered.
More like getting him in you.
Despite her anger I was laughing without control and rolled, falling with a thud onto the floor.
"Ow!"
"You okay, Rachy?" I looked up to Jamie, who stood at the door rubbing his eyes with his little fists.
I nodded and smiled at him so excited that he was awake.
"Hey C, I have to go. Going to give Jamie some dinner before Josh gets home from work. Okay? I'll talk to you tomorrow."
I hung up before she could protest.
I looked back to Jamie. "Hey honey. How was school?"
He ran to me and propped his self on my bed.
"Good. I have a girlfriend," he giggled, smiling timidly at me.
I laughed but tried hard to contain myself so I wouldn't hurt his feelings.
"Really? What's her name?" I asked, whilst my fingers pushed the locks of his hair out of his face.
"Ally. She's pretty and has a Spiderman bag too, like me," he enthused, excitement brewing in his big adorable puppy-like brown eyes.
"Oh, okay." I was trying so hard not to laugh as he talked about Ally, who apparently had "yellow hair" and "really liked chocolate milk".
I guessed a Spider-Man bag, some yellow hair and the mutual love of chocolate milk was how you catch a great guy now.
"So kids were nice to you?" I asked as I stood up and he slid off the bed.
"Yup," he let the "p" pop at the end.
"Good."
"Can she come over tomorrow and play, please?" I wasn't good at saying no to Jamie, that was Josh's job, I couldn't, he was just too damn adorable.
"Yeah of course." He walked alongside me until we were in the kitchen. I lifted him onto the counter top.
"Four clock she's coming." I could see from his giant smile that he was excited. I couldn't blame him, the kid was was five, anything remotely eventful was exciting to him.
"Alright," I said, reheating some left over lasagna from last night's dinner.
"Her sister is bringing her, I gave her our house number," he said with a toothy grin, he hopped off the counter as I handed him his bowl.
We would need to discuss stranger danger again, and the importance of not handing our address out. But for now we could let it slide.
"Can I watch The Simpsons?" He was already gone before I answered and I just laughed.
"I can't say no to you anyway kid," I muttered to myself.
He had a girlfriend. My five year old brother had a girlfriend and here I was dragging in dirt like Aden Lyons.
"Hey Josh!" I heard Jamie cry as the front door opened and closed.
"Hey little man. Rach?" he called from the doorway.
"I'm in the kitchen!" I called placing a plate of food down on the counter for Josh and myself.
He came in looking mad, and it worried me.
"They're not home?" he demanded.
I gave Josh a soft smile, our parents absence hurt him more than it did me. I guess because I had him to protect me and Jamie to run around after and keep me distracted I never really paused long enough to think about it. The only thing that made me mad was their lack of help and attention with raising Jamie. Throwing cash our way didn't amount to raising a child.
"Dad came home to get some paperwork and more clothes, and then he left. He took the bills, but left a lot of money, and told me he was staying at the apartment he and mum bought last year in Manhattan." I looked away so the hurt on my face wouldn't show.
We said no more on the subject.
The rest of the night was quiet and uneventful.