Catch Me

||August 7th||

I walked up the now familiar hill to see you promptly perched in the pavilion sketchbook in hand. When I reached the concrete step of the pavilion words spilled out of your mouth like a tipped glass.

"Mother invited some of her friends over for lunch to help plan my birthday extravaganza for me." You said sourly. "They'll be here any–"

"Lilian!" A woman called sharply. "Victoria and Lenox are here!" She slammed the door shut and I looked at you. Your face was a mixture of disgust and irritation.

"Lily!" screeched a leggy blonde in a very short, white – rich people and the color white, sigh – dress and the highest heels I had ever seen. She half ran-half stumbled down the hill and into the pavilion.

"Lenny," your tone was so fake and yet the girl kept skipping down the rocky hill. The smile barely making your lips move also indicated that this Lenox was not someone you associated as a close friend. I silently hoped that wasn't how you called my name. She rushed in and enveloped you in a hug. Then she pulled back and gave you a bright, wide smile. She was about 5 inches taller than you with her colossal heels and this girl represented your average stuck up, rich girl. She looked to be about 5'4 normally with golden – most likely dyed – hair, a perky chest, and a nicely rounded backside. Her face resembled a porcelain doll with high cheekbones, full, glossy lips, and almond shaped, darkly lashed, sea green eyes. The girl was drop-dead gorgeous but she didn't compare to you even in your sweatpants. You were dressed in baggy sweatpants and a gray cut off that barely exposed the glitzy diamond piercing inlad in your belly button.

"Come on, mom and Viv are waiting for us." She linked arms with you and slightly tugged.

"Um, not yet. My friend is here." You gestured to me and Lenox gave me the look. The look that says, "Who are you and why are you mingling with him," I'd seen it before on the many faces of Morgan girls. Especially on Lenox Watson. The "queen" of Morgan. I laughed to myself. Who am I kidding? High school isn't like that. But, Lenox does think she owns the place because her dad helped found the town. Which gramma protests everytime it's brought up.

"Andrew Woodley?" She asked, her eyes narrowed. I stared blankly at her. Not because I was flustered by her presence but the fact that she had to ask was just plain stupidity. Obviously, I'm Andrew and obviously she knew that.

"Yeah," you replied before I had the chance.

"O-kay but, um, we have to plan the party so," she looked at me with less disdain and more curiousity. 

"And?" You crossed your arms and she stared, doe-eyed. 

"Well, are you going to tell him to go? We have a lot of work to do and," you cut her off.

"And I thought I would invite him to help." You stood your ground and Lenox looked uncomfortable.

"Um, alright. Let's go." She strut up the hill – until her right heel dug into some fresh mud and she toppled over. You and I shared a glance and burst into laughter. We convulsed with laughter as we past her. I turned my head slightly to get a look at her and she was as graceful getting up as a newborn deer. You were still laughing and it was to the point that tears were leaking out of your eyes and an occasional snort here and there. We got up to the patio and sat on the stairs. We couldn't go in without her for some reason but I sat there still as a statue waiting for Lenox. She glared at us and faked laughed as she past us on the stairs. We stood up as she ripped open the glass door and snickered when she stumbled. The thing about the Eventhall lake house is that it is huge. So huge you could probably home the whole town in here, if needed. We walked into a small living room area with the largest tv I had ever seen and to the left was a doorway that led into a large dining area. At the table sat an older, more pristine version of Lenox, a 7 year-old boy playing on some sort of electronic – I think his name is Henry? – and the woman I assumed was your mother. They both looked between you and me. One look was more of a calculated/analytic look while the other was more of a not again.

"Lilian," said older-Lenox, "good to see you, again. Who is this young gentleman?" She said gentleman more like you would say a deadly disease. Like cancer.

"Yes, Lilian who is this?" Your mother said, a warning tone underlying.

"Same, Victoria." Your tone was more of a challenge, as if to prove to these two woman that they did not control you. You would never be the type of woman they are. Although Lenox was; they had their claws dug deep in her. "This is Andrew. I invited him to help us plan."

"I'm sure we can handle it, darling, but it was a nice thought." Victoria said. She was the calculated one.

"Yes, that's what I told her, mother, but she insisted."

"I can come back later," I whispered, slightly backing away. The critical gaze was slighty overwhelming, slightly terrifying.

"No," you whispered fiercely, "I trust his judgement," you said louder. You did your best not to cross your arms over your chest, cock your hip, and-or twirl a piece of hair. All of these things would be signs of submission, nervousness, and unsureness. You could tell Victoria had been a lawyer in her early years and was raised with a strong uprbringing. She walked into a room with grandeur and she always was the belle of the ball. A most stereotypical woman. Most likely a recent divorcee due to the tan line around the area where a 5-carat diamond, definetly gold band and a mother of 3, probably is sleeping with the gardener, and spends most of her days tanning on their gold-painted dock. I'm not some "world class shrink" as in Toby Curtis but word does get around in Morgan. I doubt you knew this but she had lived in Morgan for a good 15-16 or so years, she was raised on a French Chåteau that her dad owned, she went to Harvard for multiple years and worked many renowned cases until she got pregnant with Franklin – her oldest son, now about 24 – and married the father, Warren Campbell; a rich business man determined to settle down with a trophy wife who tended to their 5-6 children. But, when... blah, blah drama, life, Lennox, Henry?'s father dispute, divorce, etc. Back to the future...

"Lilian," your mother said, slightly shaking her head. "Victoria, Lennox, and I all have wonderful taste, love."

"Mom, I'm not going to argue about this." You slightly raised your chin and along went Ms. Eventhall's eyebrows. Victoria pursed her lips and shook her head disapprovingly.

"Why don't you take a seat?" A tight-lipped, bittersweet Victoria said, gesturing to the mighty aray of chairs. "Lana!" She called as if it were her own home. A small, older, maternal-looking woman bustled through the swinging door that led to the kitchen. I pulled a chair out from the table and took a seat.

"Yes, miss Victoria?" Lana's eyes grimaced behind a tight smile.

"Please get us some iced sweet tea."

"Yes, ma'am." She nodded curtly and went back into the kitchen. You leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"Victoria is the only one Lana calls miss. Victoria, like, requires it. She's, like... a modern Hilly Holbrook."

"So," Victoria says, "we were thinking the theme of this year could be a vintage masquerade. Everything vintage!" Victoria smiled like she had just won Miss America.

"Yes, we could have guests and staff dress up in vintage Victorian era dresses, or flapper outfits, basically anything that's not modern. We want nothing that goes past the 1700's. For you, of course, we have something else planned," Ms. Eventhall spoke with the excitement of a child. Her tainted red lips stretched into an ear to ear grin.

"You, my dear, will be dressed in a modern yet vintage Greek style dress. It's aboslutely gorgeous. Lennox did the honor of narrowing our original 3 down to 1. No need to worry we know your measurements," Victoria said, while digging through the shiny Coach purse. "so, we already picked it out and have it on order. It should arrive tomorrow afternoon just in time for the party on Sunday." She whipped out a few sheets of paper with a smile. She gently laid the photos on the table and your jaw dropped to the floor. 

"You want me... to where that?"