New York- Where Dreams are Made

Chapter 14- New Friends

That night Katie, Mitch, and I were sitting at a small booth in a diner Katie really liked when Mitch brought up something else. "So have you introduced Charlotte to the others yet Katie?" I looked at her confused. Katie shook her head. "My lord Katie what have you told her?!" She was talking loudly so I shushed her playfully. She laughed and picked up her phone. "I'm going to call Angel. She will love our new friend." Angel. That's a nice name. She put the phone to her ear and started talking. I didn't listen to their apparently one sided conversation. I looked around the diner, taking everything in. You're really here. Living your dream. I sighed. My eyes fell onto an old dusty jukebox that looked like it hadn't been cleaned in about fifty years. My eyes lit up. Katie noticed because she smiled. "That old jukebox hasn't been used in years." She snickered. Mitch was done on the phone so we started talking again. "Angel is on her way. I finally convinced her to come out of the dorm and socialize." We laughed. I loved meeting all of Katie's friends.

About twenty minutes later a small brunette with large dorky glasses walked into the diner. She spotted us and walked over. She squeezed into our booth next to Katie. She pushed her glasses up awkwardly. "Angel this is Charlotte. She is a new member of our group. And guess what Angel!" The girl raised an eyebrow at her. "Charlotte can speak french! Like bonjour and stuff!" Angel turned to me with a large smile on her face. Behind those large glasses were eyes set ablaze by a fire in her soul. "You speak french? That's so cool! I speak uh french Spanish and a little Japanese oh obviously English too!" I was amazed how many New Yorkers spoke french these days. "Yea I speak french! That's so cool. I usually never find people who speak it fluently. My whole family is french so I was kinda born to be a baguette." She chuckled and so did I. We saw that Katie and Mitch were giving us dirty looks. Mitch held out a hand as if to be receiving something. "Translation?" Angel and I laughed which set our entire table into a frenzy of laughter. "Shut up guys or we're going to get kicked out." I laughed and said. "Whatever we will just come back. VIVA LA REVOLUTION!" Mitch called out. "OM Goodness Mitch you are going to get us all restraining orders." Katie tried to contain herself.

Weeks went by Katie talked about two more people in our group of friends that I just HAD to meet. They were always busy though. It was almost Winter vacation so we might all get together at the very end after everyone was done seeing their family. Family. Yea. I didn't want to go back home. My dad probably wouldn't let me in. I could stay with Kaydance and go see my friends but I didn't have enough money to pay for tickets. Katie offered to help but I told her I didn't want to be a charity case. She just groaned and went back to work.

It is now winter break. Katie hasn't left for Louisiana yet so it's just Katie and I. She was smiling so big I thought her jaw might snap. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She had her hands behind her back. She moved them in front of her. Plane tickets. "I paid for there and back again. You deserve to see your friends sugar." I looked at her happily. "You didn't." She nodded "Oh yes I did." I hugged her neck. It was a little difficult because I am super short and she is almost a foot taller than me but I did it. She handed me the tickets. I felt tears swell up in my eyes. "Thank you."

I left the day after Katie left for Louisiana. I boarded the plane. All of my friends were going to college in Tennessee so I would make it my mission to see all of them within my two week stay. The trip took four hours like it had earlier. I was going to surprise them. After I got off the plane I rented a car and drove straight to Kaydance's house. I hadn't heard anything about my dad so I just sorta pushed it out of my mind. I rang the doorbell. Her mother knew me very well and acted as my second mom after my own passed away. I remembered the day she died.

I banged on Kaydance's door. "Kaydance!" I sniffled. Her mother answered the door. "Oh my goodness! Charlotte what is the matter?" I rubbed my sore red eyes. She and my mother had been good friends. "My m-momma just p-passed away Mrs. Taylor." I whispered holding back tears. Kaydance rounded the corner. "Hey mom was that Charl-" Soon I was wrapped in a warm embrace. It felt as if my mother had never even left. Like she was never ill. Like she was still with me.

Kaydance's mother answered the door and her eyes lit up. I held a finger to my lips and smiled. She nodded and gave me a quick hug before leading me inside. "Kaydance! You have a visitor!" Mrs. Taylor called. Kaydance bounded down the stairs. "Coming mom! Who is it?" She stopped in her tracks. Tears came to her eyes and mine as well. "Hey Kay Kay." I muttered. "Hey Frenchy." She ran to me and we stood there in a warm embrace for a few moments. It wasn't long enough.