Curiosity Ch. 02

I drove like a mad man through the streets on our way to Café Botanique. Lynne looked petrified in the passenger seat as I wove in and out of traffic. I screeched to a stop outside of the building and Lynne hopped out as fast as she could. I stepped out of the car and she turned to look at me, her blue eyes narrowed in frustration.

"You know, Kris, I can understand that you're upset and all, but that is no reason to drive like an idiot!" she shouted.

I smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Sorry . . ."

She huffed and turned to open the door. We walked into the quiet little coffee shop, the smell of espresso invading our senses. I loved this place so much.

When I was a freshman, my friends and I would come to the café after school to chit chat or do school work. We had our own little table in the back, and would sometimes fight over the couch. If it was really nice outside, like during the summer months, we would sit outside on the patio and people watch. The ambiance was so calming, and the coffee was the best. It may have been a little overpriced, but it was worth it. The people who worked there were really easygoing. I befriended them over a course of two years, and I eventually applied for a job there. Four years of homemade white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, group studying, and raspberry lattes, and I still wasn't tired of being there.

Lynne and I walked out to the patio and set our bags down. She plopped herself down onto the cushioned green lawn chair and sighed tiredly. "Kris, do you mind getting me a latte? I'm tired." She gave me a pout and I rolled my eyes.

"I guess. Mocha or caramel?"

"Mocha. Thank you!"

I walked back inside and almost ran over Joey, my coworker and ex-boyfriend. He was a cutie pie, about 5'11" with blonde hair, blue-green eyes, and extremely rosy red cheeks, like he was constantly embarrassed. When he saw me, he gave me a wide toothy grin and pulled me into a warm hug.

"Hey Kristi! What are you doing here?" he said. He released me and I followed him to behind the tall wooden counter.

"Oh, I'm just here to relax a bit," I said.

"At work?" he asked, raising his left eyebrow.

"Yeah. Is there a problem with that?"

He gave me a weary look and turned to the espresso machine. "No. There's no problem." He looked back at me and gave me a smile. I countered with a bored look. He laughed.

"Are you going to Andrea's party tonight?" I asked as I grabbed two coffee cups.

"You're kidding, right? Why would you ask me that? I would never pass up the chance to hook up with the beautiful and busty Melinda Goldstein, who just so happened to break up with that dickbag . . . uhm, what's his name? Brantley? What the hell kind of name is that?"

I stood in front of the espresso machine, filling both coffee cups, laughing at what Joey had said. "Like you could ever convince her to even touch you, let alone have sex with you. She's a stuck up sophomore who comes from a wealthy and respected Jewish family. They practically own this town. She probably thinks she's too good for you," I said after topping off the hazelnut flavored coffee with tons of whipped cream. I grabbed the bottle of mocha and drizzled the thick syrup onto the whipped cream in a criss-cross pattern. It looked better than anything one would get at Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, and probably tasted better, too.

"Besides," I continued, "she's so much younger than you, weirdo. Why don't you start hitting on some cute college girl instead?" I picked the mugs up from the counter, turned around, and looked at him, cocking my head to the side.

He let out an exasperated sigh. "I have the next four or so years of my life to hit on 'cute college girls.' So cut me some slack, alright?" We both chuckled and he turned to a customer who was in need of service. I shook my head at his silliness and walked back out to the patio.

I placed the cups on the table and sat down. Lynne grabbed for hers, and we each took a sip of our lattes, sighing with contentment. You couldn't find a better latte anywhere else.

I sat back watched Lynne as she sat deep in thought, her blue eyes unfocused as she stared off in the distance, her delicate pale fingers tracing circles on the side of her mug. Boy did that girl love to daydream.

I looked away and began people watching – my favorite pastime. The café was smack in the center of town and across from the duck pond. The way the sun reflected off of the pond made it look like thousands of tiny diamonds floating on the surface of the water. It was mesmerizing. Parents came with their children downtown with bags filled with stale bread to feed to the ducks with, while elderly couples sat down on benches holding hands. Off to the side of the duck pond was the playground, where I could see and hear little kids jumping and running and laughing and shouting. Such a beautiful day, where everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, yet I was still absolutely miserable. I continued to sip my latte, a slight frown on my face.Oh well,I thought,at least I'm no-.

"That's it!" Lynne shouted, startling me out of my reverie.

"What is it?" I said. "And why are you shouting? People are staring," which was true; the soft chatter of the patio died immediately after Lynne's random outburst.

"I have the perfect plan to get revenge on Carter!" she said excitedly.

I rolled my eyes at her again and took another sip of my drink.

"C'mon, Kris, at least listen to what I have to say. Please?" She arranged her large pink lips into another pout. Did those things really work on guys?

I sighed in defeat, looked at her and said, "I'll listen, but that does not mean it'll be a good idea and definitely doesn't mean we have to go through with it."

"Trust me. This plan is perfect. It is both flawless and original." Lynne's face beamed with pride.

"Well, let's hear it," I said.

"Okay. Well, you know how while you and Carter were dating, he hated all of your guy friends and ex-boyfriends? Especially Joey?" I nodded, trying to figure out where this was going. "You should take one to Andrea's party tonight!" Her smile widened. "He will seethe with jealousy."

I stared at her blankly. Somehow, she took it as me being speechless with pride or something like that.

"You love it, don't you? I knew you would!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands and doing a little dance in her chair.

I realized I still hadn't said anything, and it was clearly sending the wrong signals. "Lynne, I'm sorry, but that had to be the most unoriginal plan I've ever heard." I felt bad for bursting her bubble, but it didn't seem like it would do the trick. Not only that, but I didn't feel like "getting revenge." "It's also full of flaws. What if he doesn't give a shit? What if he gets too angry? It's tacky. I'm not sure how I feel about this."

Despite what I said, her good mood didn't seem to falter.

"It'll be just fine. Trust me." She looked around to try to see where Joey had gone. "Joey! Hey, Joe! JOE!" she shouted. We started getting awkward stares from passersby.

"Lynne! Shut the fuck up!" I whispered loudly. I hated attracting unnecessary attention.

Joey peeked his head out, giving her a confused look. She waved him over and he took a seat at our table.

"Joey, we have a small favor to ask of you." Lynne gave him a small smile, and he smiled back. I sat there quietly, eyes closed, elbow on the table, my fingers pinching the bridge of my nose. This was ridiculous.

"Well, ladies, what do you need?"

Lynne excitedly told him her "wonderful" idea while I fought the urge to sigh and roll my eyes repeatedly. I could see the wheels churning in his head when she finished. A small smile slowly crept up on his face.

"Well, I really did hate Carter, and I wouldn't mind intentionally pissing him off, so I'm up for it," he stated. "Nice one, Lynne." They both pounded fists.

I let out a frustrated groan. "Wow. You guys cannot be serious."

"Well, Kris, it's better than doing nothing and letting them get away with what they did."

"But this seems so childish," I said. I hung my head and my long black hair fell around my face. I was at a crossroads: if I went through with this, I would either get my revenge, or I would end up embarrassing myself. I didn't want to risk it, but I sort of did want to try it. Carter used to get really jealous of my close guy friends, and I was curious to see how he reacted to me being with an ex-boyfriend. At that moment, I was convinced.

"Okay, fine, I'll do it."

Lynne threw her arms in the air like an excited three year-old and high fived me and Joey. I laughed.

"So, how about I pick you up tonight, Kristi?" said Joey.

"No. That might be overkill. I'll get there at around 8:30 and you can wait for me outside, though, and walk me in," I suggested. "That way, people will see us together and automatically do what they do best – assume. Oh, and I'll probably leave a little early as well, maybe around 11 . . ."

"Why?" Lynne and Joey asked.

"Oh, uhm, I don't wanna stay out too late. My mom's still pissed about last night, you know . . ." I said nervously. I looked away and drank the last of my drink.

They obviously didn't push the subject, so I knew I was off the hook. If I mentioned the meadow, I wouldn't hear the end of it.

I was excited and nervous at the same time. I couldn't wait for night to come. I wanted to see Carter's reaction to me moving on to someone else so suddenly. I wanted him to feel as badly as I did. Not only that, but I was excited to venture back to the meadow. I felt such a strong pull towards that place, and I couldn't explain it.Tonight is going to be epic,I thought to myself. Little did I know just how epic it was going to be.

***

I pulled up in front of my house, excited about the party and what other things the night was going to bring. I noticed my mom's car wasn't in the driveway, so if I showered and dressed quickly, I would most likely be successful in avoiding them for a whole day.

Lynne and I jumped out of my car and ran to our respective houses. "You're going to take your own car, right?" I asked her, opening the front door.

"Yeah, I'm gonna get there before you. You better show up! And don't come too late, okay?"

"I know, I know, I'll be there. See you then."

I shut and locked the front door and made my way upstairs to my bedroom. Tossing my stuff onto my bed, I waltzed over to the closet to pick out the clothes I was going to wear that night. It really wasn't going to be that big of a party, and I wouldn't be there that long,butI still wanted look kind of adorable. Anything to make Carterthatmuch more jealous.

I settled for my pea green short-sleeve cotton blouse with a white full skirt that fell to my knees. I would wear my black knee high Chuck Taylors with the outfit and leave my hair down, pinning my side swept bangs with a small white bow clip. The outfit was perfect – cute without looking like I tried too hard.

I grabbed a white terrycloth towel from the linen closet and headed towards the bathroom. I stripped naked and leaned over to turn on the shower. While coming up, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I stood at full height looking at my body somewhat admiringly. My breasts stood high and proud, my dark brown nipples hardening from the cool air. My stomach was flat and somewhat toned (like my legs) from the intense workouts I did in track and had an even brown color. I ran my hands down my sides, reveling in the feel of my curves as they dipped by my waist and flared out at my hips. Damn, did I have a big ass.

I moved my hands from my hips to my face, patting my cheeks. People couldn't get enough of my squishy cheeks, and I hated them. They used to be huge when I was a baby, but they haven't really gotten any smaller. Just one of those traits that would not go away. My nose was kind of big, in a broad sense. It was just really wide. I had a scar on the left nostril from when I had gotten it pierced, but I no longer wore any jewelry in it. I looked into my eyes and saw deep pools of chocolate. They were wide and expressive and framed by long lashes; I considered them my best feature. My ears were also somewhat big, but that didn't really matter. I had size 00 black plugs and two other lobe piercings in both ears, an industrial in my left ear, and a daith piercing in my right. To say I merely "liked" piercings would be an understatement.

But, all in all, I wasn't a bad looking girl. I enjoyed looking at myself in the mirror and feeling great about the way I looked. "Carter should kick himself in the ass hard for letting this go," I said confidently to myself. "Oh well . . ."

I climbed into the shower and took my time washing myself off. All I could think about was the night ahead. Yet, the more I thought about it, the more nervous I got. I kept overanalyzing, thinking about the "what if's" and all of the negative outcomes. While something good would happen (like me getting the satisfaction of seeing Carter squirm like a caterpillar), something really bad could happen at the same time (like embarrassing myself in front of the whole senior class).

I stepped out of the shower with knots in my stomach.This is what happens when I obsess over things!I dried off and walked into my room, still extremely anxious. I almost didn't want to go anymore, but I couldn't be a baby. Just like the first time I got my ears pierced when I was five years old. I was as nervous as hell, but when I got them done the pain wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, and I ended up wanting more.

"I'm done running away from all of this. I'm gonna do this, and it's going to turn out great," I said, smiling at myself in the mirror. Too bad the feeling didn't last. What the hell was I going to do?

***

At around 8:40, I arrived in my old beat up maroon Audi A2, nervous as fuck. From the time I agreed to the idea to the time I had gotten into the shower, I was fine. But on the car ride to the party, I began to over-analyze the whole situation, and I was beginning to worry that things might not go over too well. I sat in my car two houses away from where the party was supposed to be, took a deep breath, and stepped out, purse clutched close to my side. So much for trying to calm down.

Andrea Miller's home was on the rich side of town, a large newly built home with a wide, freshly manicured lawn, spacious driveway, and an almost regal appearance; it was overall an very nice, but very typical richy-rich person house. Not that Andrea was a snooty individual . . . but you understand what I mean.

Kids were milling in the front and around the sides of the house, talking in groups while holding cigarettes and their typical red Solo cups. A few waved hellos and I gave them a small smile. I looked up the brick path leading to the door and saw Joey and Lynne waiting for me, drinks in their hands. When I approached them, Joey grabbed me by my waist with his free hand, pulled me close, and kissed me on top of my head. I looked up at him with a puzzled look on my face and asked, "What was that for?"

He quirked an eyebrow, leaned down by my ear and whispered, "I'm trying to make it look like we're supposed to be here together as a couple, like we planned this afternoon."

I didn't think he'd take it that far, though, especially when I had just gotten there. It made me imagine what he would do to me in front of Carter. My hand started to shake at that thought – maybe this wasn't such a good idea anymore.

"You guys look perfect, just how I envisioned. I knew this plan would work," Lynne stated confidently. She winked at us and took another sip of her drink. I took another deep breath in a valiant attempt to calm my nerves. If I kept this up, it was going to be one long ass night.

I could hear the bass boom from Lady Gaga's "Pokerface" when we walked inside. There were so many people in the house, yet one could still walk around comfortably without feeling claustrophobic. I guess that's what happens when both of your parents are doctors.

Joey still had his arm around my waist as we walked through the house to the back porch that overlooked the pool. A game of beer pong was set up on the deck, red Solo cups on one side, blue on the other. As we walked towards the table, we attracted stares from people. I could see them whispering to one another, most likely about me. Whatever exaggerated claim they had bouncing around in their head would eventually get out, and within five or ten minutes, everyone at the party will think that Joey was my fuck-buddy after my break up with Carter; I could see it already. Call me paranoid, but it seriously does happen. And it most likely would.

I saw no sign of either Carter or Ariel when I arrived, which was sort of a good thing – I still wasn't ready to confront them. But looking over the side of the deck I saw Carter and one of his jock buddies playing another game of beer pong next to the pool. My heart swelled a little bit and my stomach clenched at the sight of him. He had only blue swim trunks on, and, man, did that boy look fine. His hair and chest still had droplets of water on it, and I felt myself wanting to dry him off with my tongue. But my erotic thoughts ended quickly when I realized that below his abs and lightly tanned skin was nothing but pure evil. Oh, but if evil didn't look so sexy . . .

I turned my attention back to Joey and leaned my head on his shoulder. "Can you grab me a drink, Joey?" I said, fluttering my eyelashes. He chuckled and nodded his head. He released me so he could go inside, not before placing another kiss on my forehead. I heard some "ooohh!"'s from the people and the deck, and hung my head in embarrassment. Apparently, the "ooohh!"'s caught the attention of the people below, and almost everyone had their eyes on me, including Carter. I couldn't read the expression on his face, and his baby blues eyes burned with . . . something. Jealousy, I had hoped. We made eye contact for a few seconds, and then I looked away.Oof, I thought,this is so embarrassing.I smiled shyly at the people below until they finally looked away.

The rest of the night pretty much went the same way. Joey and I shared small hugs and kisses and stayed by each other the whole night. We tried to make a show of it in front of Carter without making it too obvious that it was all a ruse.

At around 10, I felt looser and a lot less worried about the plan. The many beers and cigarettes definitely factored into me being calmer, and helped things go smoother and come naturally. I sometimes had to remind myself that it was only a plan and that Joey and I weren't really a couple; that's how into it we were.

It was amazingly obvious how pissed off Carter was about the fact that I came to the party with an ex-boyfriend. I wasn't sure what was going on in his mind, but the look on his face said it all. When Joey and I got touchy-feely in front of him, a small flush would creep up on his neck. It made me smile on the inside.Take that, asshole,I would think to myself. I never thought I would enjoy pushing his buttons so much.

It was about 10:30, when it happened.

Like I had said, everything that night went smoothly. Joey, Lynne, Adam, Jaime, Tim (another ex-boyfriend), and I were standing outside by the side of the house by ourselves chit-chatting when Carter and a few of his friends came up to us. Joey grabbed me around my waist again and pulled me close to his side protectively.

Carter was breathing heavily through his nose and looked at me with the most hateful look on his face. I didn't know whether to be angry or scared, but my stomach clenched in anticipation.

"You know, Kristi," he said coldly, "I never would have thought you were such a disgusting slut, prancing around this party with this dumbass." He nodded over to Joey, who tensed up and pulled me closer. "You've got a lot of fucking nerve getting mad at me for cheating on you when you've probably been fucking this prick since before you broke up with me!" he spat, his voice getting gradually louder, grabbing the attention of the people around us.