River Rock Ch. 01

The girl Isabela smiled proudly, showing her pearly white teeth.

"Welcome to River Rock, Jason. I'm sure we'll be great friends! Shall we go?" Isabela said, raising her eyebrows expectantly to me.

-

Isabela walked me to my first period, English. Hannah had warned me weeks ago that over the summer, students going into senior year were told to read The Great Gatsby and I bought a copy the next day, finished it the day after. The first lesson was spent discussing the themes of Gatsby. The shirt throwing, the billboard sign, even the color of the cars were brought up. I didn't say much, outside of the awkward "new student" introduction thing.

"My name is Jason. I'm happy to be here." I said, Dad told me it was good to play these things safe. Don't try to be funny straight away, it'll come off as desperate, he told me.

I didn't say much of anything for the rest of the class. The bell rung for the second period and there Isabela was, waiting for me in the hall, chipper as ever.

"Hi, Jason! How was English?"

"Fine! What did you have?"

"Oh I was in Advanced English."

"I didn't know we had Advanced English."

"We didn't until I suggested it," she smiled proudly. A cocky, feline smile.

"Great, maybe you can help with my homework." I joked.

"Sure! I can go to your house or you can come to mine, does Saturday work for you?"

"I, uhhh, really?" I couldn't tell if she was joking or being polite or something.

"Yes, really! Unless you don't want my help...?" She tilted her head toward me, eyebrow raised, a smirk curled in the corner of her luscious lips.

"No! I mean, yes! I..." I took a pause, reset, take two, and action. "I'd love your help, Isabel, thank you." I said, overly formal, and she laughed.

"Great! We can exchange numbers later on, for now, onward to math!"

"Oh wait, hold on." I stopped. The hallway was crowded but I was positive I saw Millie.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, its fine...could you wait here a sec?"

She nodded and smiled, and I went to where Millie was, leaning her back against the lockers, laughing with her friends.

She saw me coming, silently gasped and tried to back away in a fight or flight move, but all it did was back her against the lockers in a loud thud.

"Hey, Millie, can we talk a sec?"

"Hi, Millie's secret boyfriend!" One of her friends cut in obnoxiously. Millie was blushing again but she nodded quickly and led us away, away from the laughing of her hyena friends.

"What's all that about?" I said.

"Nothing! What do you want?"

"Whoa, lessen the tude, please. I'm trying to do you a favor. Hannah thinks you ditched assembly, I told her I didn't know anything but if you did, I'm giving you the chance to come up with a very good reason before she ambushes you about it later."

She groans and her shoulders drop, "Oh my godddd! It's just assembly, who the hell cares?"

"Well, she did, and she seemed pissed so...there, fair warning. Sorry to interrupt you and your friends."

I turned to leave, she grabbed my wrist and pulled slightly, stopping me. "Thank you." She said, genuinely, honestly, sincerely. I nodded, no worries, trying to match her sincerity which was a side to her I hadn't seen before.

Heading back to where Isabela was waiting, she motioned to Millie. "So your Millie's boyfriend?"

"She's my- huh?" I didn't think I'd heard her right, but before she repeated herself she seemed to move on.

"We need to get you to Math, Mr Daltry is a sweetheart but you don't want to be late."

-

And that's pretty much how the entire school day went. I'd go to class, Isabela would walk me to the next one. We'd make small talk after each class, about the class.

When the lunch bell rang the hallway of River Rock erupted in hungry students. I didn't even need Isabela to walk me to the cafeteria, all I needed to do was follow the tidal wave of human beings, pushing each other out the way like it was the apocalypse.

"We're lucky," Isabela said, grabbing a tray for herself and I.

"How's that?" I said, taking it from her.

"School starts on the same day every year. You're lucky that your first day here is Pizza Friday." She pulled me in close, so she wouldn't be heard by anyone else. "The lunch lady's name is Linette, ask her how she's doing."

She stepped aside, letting me go first. "Hi, Linette, how're you doing?" I said unconfidently. It didn't seem to matter though. The lunch lady named Linette gave a lovely smile.

"I'm good, thank you so much!"

And that was how I got the corner slice of a square cheese pizza.

I was certain I heard Linette say to Isabela in a low voice "He's cute!" and Isabela returned with a harsh hush.

-

We sat at the end of a long table, facing each other.

"So Jason, how're you finding River Rock so far?"

I swallowed what food I was chewing, and thought for a moment. "It's good. I guess it's just like living anywhere. Everywhere's got their own little social rules, it's just a case of figuring them out. Like the pizza thing, how did you know to ask about the lunch lady?"

"I didn't know, I just asked her how she was doing one day, she gave me one of the less greasier burritos and I just kept doing it."

"I should stick with you then, huh?"

"Guess you'd better, you'll learn River Rock's secret language", she said the last few words wiggling her fingers like she was telling a ghost story.

I scanned the cafeteria, trying to figure out who to stay away from. Every school has one, it was just a case of identifying them and avoiding them. I didn't come here to make waves.

I didn't find anyone glaringly obvious to avoid, but I could see Millie. I didn't know at the time if that could be foreshadowing or not so don't read into that.

She didn't have pizza like almost everyone else, she had a small plate of fries. How could someone look so perfect just eating fries? She picked them up with her thumb and middle finger, delicately like she was trying not to hurt it before taking little bites from each fry. Obviously she was trying to not do too much damage to her makeup.

A guy came up behind her, he was staring at her, holding a football. Why is it that they're always holding footballs? Millie was clearly uncomfortable with him just being there.

"Who's that guy behind Millie?"

Isabela turned around, "Oh that's Roy Mckenna. I think they used to date a while back? If that's who I'm thinking of. Maybe she dated Lenny Pearson, the guy standing next to him."

I waited and watched from across the room, the second Millie looked anything more than uncomfortable, I would have to do something. What would I do? I've been in a few fights but not with someone I didn't know! Why did that make it worse in my head?

Either way, Lenny Pearson, the guy standing next to Roy Mckenna saw me looking. He pat his friend on the shoulder, whispered something and then Roy was looking at me. He didn't bother Millie for the rest of lunch, but I could feel that I might have painted a target on my own back. I told Dad I wouldn't make trouble.

"You want my number?" Isabela said, thankfully stepping in front of the overthinking train of thought I was barrelling down. "So we can organise for our homework sessions?"

"Sessions, plural?" I said, reaching into my jacket pocket and pulling my phone.

"Rome wasn't built in a day, Jason, and the year has only just begun. You're going to need my help, and that I volunteer my time to help a student in need looks great on any college application."

I unlocked my phone and gave it to her. "Student in need," I repeated, muttering under my breath, laughing.

She dialled her number into my phone, adding herself to my contacts. "Besides, you're new in town. Can't hurt to make all the friends you can, right?"

I nodded, smiling. "Yeah, right."

Biting her lip slightly, she pressed call and showed me her own phone, ringing. "It's really me, don't worry." She cancelled the call on my phone before handing it back to me.

After we finished our food she stood up. "Right! We need to head to your next class a little early. I have student council stuff I can't miss or be late for so we have to go a little early, ok?"

"Sure, yeah, no problem. Shall we go?" I said, quoting her from back in Hannah's office. That seemed so long ago, it had only been a few hours.

"We shall. After you."

-

It was the end of the school day. Five minutes after all the buses had left already, which was fifteen minutes after the final bell had rung, and I was still there, in the parking bay area of the school. Sitting like a creep in my truck, waiting for Millie. I sent her a text asking where she was, getting angrier by the minute.

Another five minutes later I received an answer.

Millie: You go home, I'm going to Laura's, I'll get a ride later x

I practically threw my phone onto the passenger seat before starting the engine and heading home.

-

Walking through the door, I received another text. This one from Hannah.

Hannah: Hope you had an amazing first day! I'll hear all about it tomorrow. Me and some of the teachers are going out for a drink xx

Jason: Have fun! School was okay! The principal's kind of a pill though Xx

Hannah: Grounded AND detention in one text message, must be a world record ;) xx

I smiled at the massage, made myself a drink and watched TV.

-

It was nearly midnight when I woke up on the couch to the sound of my phone ringing, the tv still playing. I reached over and grabbed the phone: unrecognised number. I groaned and denied the call.

I was too tired for this. I got up, turned my phone on vibrate and made a move to go to bed, when the phone buzzed in my hand again.

Exhaling deeply, I answered it. "Hello?" I mumbled, still not awake fully yet.

"Hi, uh, is this Jason?" The voice of a girl came from the other end of the call, one I didn't recognise, but she sounded panicked.

"Yeah, who's this?"

"You're Millie's boyfriend, right? I'm talking on her phone. Look, can you come get her. She's, like, crying and we're getting worried."

"No, I'm n- Wait, what do you mean? Where the hell is she?"

"That's what I'm saying, she's at my house and we need you to pick her up."

Her house. So this was Laura. Every second woke me up more and I became more aware. I could hear faint music thumping away in the background, as well as a lot of talking. She went to a party.

"Okay, I'll be there soon. Text me your address."

-

I pulled up on the driveway to what I was almost positive was Laura's house. It was massive, the centre of River Rock suburbia. I could see shadows dancing through the blinds of the bottom floor, up above I saw shadows making out in someone's bedroom. On the curb outside where two girls, one leaned over and trying to throw up while the other one held her hair.

"Excuse me, is this Laura's house?"

"BLUUUUUGGGGHHHHHHHRR" the first girl replied, sending her guts up through her mouth.

"Thank you..."

The second girl chimed in. "She's in the house."

"Oh, thank you." I went on up the driveway.

I knocked on the door, but I was sure that no one could hear me over the music. I opened the door myself and stepped inside.

It had stopped being a fun senior party a while ago from the looks of things, and especially from the smell of things. It was crowded, sweaty and the combined smells of the vomit from the bathroom to the overwhelming multitude of cologne and perfume nearly drove me right back out the front door.

"Where is Laura?" I asked one of the party goers who shrugged me off like I'd asked something unreasonable.

"Hey, have you seen Laura?" I asked another.

"Get off me, man!" He pushed me back slightly and I nearly threw him through a wall before I heard a voice from beside me.

"Jason! Up here!" She was one of the girls in Millie's clique. It was who I assumed was Laura, standing at the top of the stairs, waving me to come up.

"Where's Millie?"

"In my bedroom, through here." She took me by the hand and led me through to her room where Millie was groaning in the bed, a wet washcloth on her forehead as she slept. I could tell she was going to have the mother of all hangovers tomorrow.

"Is she okay?" I sat on the bed and checked on her.

"Yeah, like I said she just started crying and she wouldn't stop so I thought it was time she went home, y'know?"

"Thanks for calling me." I looked up at Laura, and I spoke with sincerity which apparently took her off guard.

"Y-yeah, no problem."

"Okay, could you clear a path for me please?" I said, wrapping my left arm underneath the fold her Millie's legs, and the other arm around her back and shoulder. Holding her body to mine I carried her out of Laura's room while she kindly asked her friends to move.

Watching her head as I stepped sideways through the door, Millie seemed to wake up. She didn't say anything at first but I could feel her getting herself more comfortable in my arms, her arms reaching up and bending around my shoulder and resting her head into my neck.

"Mmmmmhey, Jayjay."

"Hi, Millie."

"Is Mom angry?"

"Lucky for you, she went out drinking so she doesn't know."

"You're not going to let me live this down, huh?" She said, I could feel her lips brushing against my ear as she spoke, her hot breath on my skin sending shivers up my entire body. I held her tighter to me out of fear my strength would suddenly give out.

We got to the truck, and I opened the passenger door, having to remove the hand at her legs and move it closer to her ass so she didn't fall and I swung the door open.

It took a lot of effort, despite her small size, to life her in the truck. Not that she helped me in anyway. When I was sure that she was in her seat, I let go of her.

"Okay, you'll be home soon, alright? Another couple minutes."

I could see her lips moving as if she was trying to speak.

"What's that? Millie, what are you saying?" I lean in a little closer.

"Cloooosserrr" she says, playfully. I seriously can't be bothered with this, but I leaned in anyway.

And with that, as soon as I was close enough to her I felt her arm wrap around the back of my neck and she pulled my face to hers. It was different from most other drunken kisses, not as random or as gross or as ugly. The feeling of her soft tongue, playfully licking at the tip of mine, challenging it. The way her soft, perfect lips closed in around my bottom lip, almost nibbling at it with her teeth. She was trying to urge me on, and it was working. For a brief moment I gave way to all instinct, allowing my tongue to fight with hers as they wrestled in our mouths for dominance. She moaned as my hand touched her cheek, holding her head in place as we made out.

I forgot where I was, who Millie was, who was looking at us from just a couple dozen feet away. I turned my head to see Laura whooping and laughing at our display.

"Millie, stop!" I say, trying to push her away but both her arms are wrapped tight around my neck as she peppered my face with kisses and licks at my ear.

I heard Laura shout from the front door, "If you guys wanted space I would have given you my bed!" As her friends laughed, I felt my heart drop. Color left my face as I then felt like I was the one that needed to throw up.

Putting my arms on Millie's shoulders I gave her one hard shove, finally breaking her hold on me. She thought we were still playing, even in her half dazed drunken state, moaning as I displayed force to her and bit her lip. I shut the door and climbed in on the driver's side.

I reached over her shoulder to find the seatbelt, she took this as another invitation and started feeling for my abs.

"Millie, no!" I said sharply, maybe a little too harshly since she flinched and started fidgeting with the sleeves of her cardigan. I fastened her seatbelt, sat back in my seat and fastened my own and we made our way home.

After a few minutes, after I let my anger, my nerves and my erection die dow I felt safe to speak, but turning to the passenger side I could see she was asleep once again.

How could I let this happen?

-

Back at the house, Millie once again fell asleep in my arms (although she may have been faking from the way she moaned as I held her up by her thigh again to fish my key out of my pocket) I opened the door and I felt the safety of home wash over me. Huh, that was the first time I'd thought of this house as home.

But something was wrong. Closing the door behind me there was still a draft, had I left the patio door open? I made a very quick note of all the expensive things on this floor but it was all still here. The TV, record player, game console, everything. Then a calm washed over me when I heard the voice.

"What time do you call this?" said the voice of Hannah's other daughter, Madelyn from out on the patio.

Millie still in my arms, I stepped out. Madelyn, as opposed to her blonde mother and sister, had dyed her hair jet black. Her lips were very pouty and this combined with her severe stare from her brown eyes, and the small nose ring, gave her a resting bitch face that I was lucky enough to see through. Not many people in this world are that lucky.

Madelyn wore a baggy t-shirt that hung down past her waist, and a pair of short short shorts that barely covered anything. They barely covered her incredible ass, that often took me by surprise.

She sat by the pool, which underneath the night sky looked like a puddle of pure shadow, on the lounger chair with a cigarette hanging between her index and middle finger.

"Did you have fun?"

I held Millie up, as if she couldn't see her already. "She did. I'm just clean-up."

Madelyn smiled. You wouldn't think just looking at her but she had a genuinely beautiful smile that made your heart flutter at the knowledge that you were the cause.

"You're a good guy."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't have picked her up."

I paused for a second. "Listen, Hannah asked me to look after Millie this year. I don't want her to know how badly I messed up. Could you please not tell her about this?"

Madelyn took a pause to lift the cigarette to her lips and puff. "Tell her about what?"

I smiled. "You're the best Madelyn."

"I know." She sat back in her lounger chair.

"Y'know you might have more fun doing this during the day time?" I said.

"Why? That's when all the people are out."

I laughed and headed back inside, wishing Madelyn goodnight. I brought Millie to her bedroom, and laid her in her absurdly large bed, beside the vast bookshelf of spicy romance books.

I removed her shoes gently, not wanting her to wake up to someone manhandling her feet, and lay the shoes on the ground. That was the ONLY thing I'd be removing of her's, I don't care if she's uncomfortable. She's alive, my job was done for the day.

I almost left her, was almost completely free for the night but one lingering, overthinking question kept giving me pause.

What if she vomited in her sleep? What if she choked? Would that be my fault? Surely, not, she's the one that went to a party. But Hannah told me to steer her right, she told me to keep an eye on her.

Why couldn't my mind leave me alone. Weren't we on the same team? Shouldn't it want me to be happy? Then why won't it let me? Why must I overthink everything?

I sat on Millie's bed, beside her sleeping body. I lay my head down beside hers, and I fell asleep instantly, clothes and all.