the girl in the green house » david dobrik au

five

"Hi, Miss Hijazi," I waved as I pranced in her front door, David following hesitantly behind me. "Thank you for letting us use your house to hang out."

"You know you're always welcome here," she wrapped her arms around me. "Is this the Dobrik boy?"

"Yes ma'am, this is David," I gestured to him, and he politely shook her hand. "We're showing him the ropes of Calhoun."

"How long are you staying, David?" she asked.

"Just for the summer. I'm going to NYU in the fall, so," he explained. "I'm helping my grandma out for the summer."

"What a sweet boy you are," she softly smiled. "The kids are in the basement. Please go outside if you're going to smoke. I swear it stunk for weeks down there last time."

"Sorry about that," I sheepishly grinned, pulling David along with me toward the basement door because I couldn't deal with the awkwardness. On our way down the stairs, I mentioned, "I didn't know you were going to NYU! We're only gonna be, like, an hour away!"

"Really? Where are you going? Harvard?" he joked, and I rolled my eyes at that, mainly because he wasn't necessarily wrong in assuming I'd be stuck at some snobby Ivy League.

"Yale," I sighed. "But you never know, I might end up in the Big Apple every weekend."

"I would love to see you in a city," he chuckled to himself. "Especially New York. I don't think you could handle it. They don't have southern hospitality in New York City."

"I'm sure if I give them hospitality, they'll give it to me, too."

"You're so innocent," he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me in for a side hug, like my words were just so cute that he couldn't contain himself.

"Hey, y'all," I grinned at the group as we finally spotted them in the back room of the basement. Zane was by no means rich, but his basement felt home-y. He had a room with an old pool table they got at a garage sale on year, and another room with three couches that didn't match just for us all to hang out. "Your mama told me we can't smoke in the house."

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her," Zane giggled as he sat his bowl down on the coffee table in the middle. His eyes were droopy and a bit red, and I knew he had already done the worst.

"At least tell me you left some for us," I whined, taking my usual seat on the far end of the right couch, David squeezing in next to me. "It'd be such a waste if I came here for nothing."

"You didn't come for our company?" Corinna playfully scoffed, an amused look glimmering in her eyes.

"Maybe if you didn't show up late," Todd had a sarcastic edge to his words, "we'd have more for you. There's only so much weed in Calhoun, Lulu."

"Just pack another bowl for me and our dear friend, please," I smiled.

"You're lucky you're you, Miss Emmerson," Natalie couldn't help but smile back at me. "If you were anything less than sunshine, we'd start saying no to you."

That was probably true. My friends always did have a hard time saying no to me, but not because I was a Calhoun. It was because I did everything I could for them, meaning they'd do anything they could for me. I took after Cal in that manner. He wouldn't fail to stop to help a stranger on the side of the road or talk to someone in need or even steal a few hundred bucks from my parents' wallets to tip waitresses at the diner close to Christmas.

We smoked and ate three frozen pizzas and watched our latest obsession, America's Next Top Model. The only one who didn't like the show was Todd, but Todd didn't care much for reality TV. He said he got all the drama he needed listening to his mother at supper. While I half agreed with that, I still loved Tyra Banks and all of her insanity.

By eight, I had to leave to beat my dad home. I told David I'd be fine walking if he wanted to stay longer, but he quickly said goodbye to everyone and followed me to his car.

"She's not actually going to be mad that we smoked in the house, right?" he asked.

"No," I shook my head. "We rotate houses, so... by next time we get to all be together again at Zane's, she'll have forgotten about it. The only one who's gotta deal with it is him."

"I can't believe you smoke, to be honest," he commented, not in a judgmental way. There was a curiosity laced in his voice. He was trying so hard to figure me out. "I thought you'd be a good girl."

"I am a good girl," I countered with a laugh. "I don't a lot. Only in the summer. I don't really get to see them when they're in school."

"You don't all go to school together?" he frowned in confusion.

"No. There's only one school in Calhoun, and my mother would have a heart attack knowing I went to a public school like all the rest of the kids," I explained. "I'm surprised she's even letting me go to college, but I guess Yale makes her look good, so she'll allow it."

"So you were homeschooled?"

"Yeah."

"How'd you meet all of them, then?"

"Well... everybody knows everybody in Calhoun, I guess," I said. "Todd and Corinna are always at the country club shit we have to go to, so I was sort of friends with them since I was a kid. I knew who Zane and Natalie were, but we never really talked 'til they all became friends at school in eighth grade. They didn't like me at first."

David half rolled his eyes at that, giving me a look like he didn't believe me for a second. "How's that even possible?"

"Lots of people don't like me just 'cause of my last name. Same way my mother doesn't like them 'cause of their last names," I told him. "It only took one conversation for them to realize I was nothing like my mother. But I remember Corinna and Todd being nervous when they first introduced us. They thought it'd go downhill."

"You won them over, then?"

"Yeah," I kind of laughed, laying my head against the cold window of the car. "Wasn't real hard. I think they like everybody."

"You'd be hard not to like, Lu."

"Not everyone thinks that, sadly," I sighed. "It's kind of my fault, too. It's hard to get to know me when my parents frown upon anyone I try to befriend. I haven't even told them we're friends. Me and you, or me and Zane and Natalie. My mother would have a conniption."

"They really wouldn't like it?" he made the turn into my driveway, and my heart ached knowing I'd have to leave.

"No. God, no," I frowned. "They seem to think I can only be seen with people in our social class, or else it'll look bad on them. My daddy isn't as bad, but my mother is a little crazy when it comes to things like that. If she knew I was hanging out with people, but avoiding Jeff's calls, she'd be real mad. She'd probably lock me in my room 'til I promised to see him."

"I'm sorry you live like that," he said it and truly meant it. "I wish I could trade places with you."

I smiled, a small longing smile, and replied, "I wish you could, too. Will you come at ten tomorrow? Park at the bottom of the hill?"

"Yes ma'am," he nodded. "Goodnight, Lulu."

"Goodnight, David," I climbed out of the car, leaning down to say, "Tell Maude I'm sorry for keeping you all day."

He shrugged, "She probably didn't miss me."

I just watched pride and prejudice for the first time anddddd I AM IN PAIN

like the love the longing im OBSESSEDDDDD

and dont even get me started on the word bewitched okay

xoxo abby