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CHRISSIE
Johnathan says bye to me, after school on the day of the start of the midterm break as well as the day of the party at Shaun’s house. He adds, with a flirtatious smile, “See you tonight, Chrissie Taylor.”
I smile at him, and as always, my traitorous heart, which just does not seem to get the messages my brain is sending it relating the important, ever-present Johnathan situation, jumps frenziedly.
I get dressed nervously, wearing jeans and a nice shirt, it is after all only a house party, and I do not want it to look as if I had gone to too much trouble.
At the entrance to the Golf Estate, my dad waits with me for Anne, and I stand outside the car so she can see me when she arrives.
I see her walking toward me from the direction of the gate. She seems excited, an emotion I have never noticed or realized she possessed. I smile friendly at her and then I lean into the car and kiss my dad on his cheek, goodbye.
“I don’t like this,” he whispers. “I don’t even know where this house is.”
“I’ll be fine dad, just be here at eleven. I’ll be waiting.”
He sighs and says, “Okay then.”
“I’ll be all right, don’t worry,” I convince him, but I can see he is not convinced. He greets Anne friendly and then he starts the car and drives off.
Anne and I walk to the entrance gates of the estate, and then to a golf cart.
“Do you also live here?” I ask her.
“Yes, about four houses from Shaun.”
“Oh. That’s nice.”
“I think, at least forty percent of the kids in our school live here,” she says pensively, and then adds, “You will be the only one at the party tonight, who does not live in this estate.”
“Oh. Why invite me then?” I ask as friendly as I possibly can.
“Chrissie, I don’t know if you haven’t noticed yet, but I don’t have any real friends. However, I feel a sort of kinship with you, and that is why I asked Shaun to invite you after I received my invitation.”
I have also felt before as if I enjoy her company—at times. She could be nicer, but then she just has one of those personalities.
She continues, “I feel as if I can tell you anything. For instance, I told you I have a crush on Vincent. My dad would kill me if I even looked twice at a black boy, so it is not something I would admit to anyone. I felt a connection with you, as if I can tell you anything. You understand what I am trying to say?”
“Yeah, I do.” I smile.
“I know sometimes I have been an awful person, and I hate to admit it, but sometimes I feel insanely jealous of you. You have a thing about you which attracts boys, and you are so ignorant you do not even notice the effect you have on them. I am sorry if I am mean at times, and I really hope we can be friends.”
I get into the golf cart, sitting next to her in the passenger seat, and as she starts the cart, I say, “Sometimes you are a bit over-bearing.” I laugh, so I do not seem too harsh. “But I already think of you as my friend.”
Anne laughs heartily. “You see, look how honest you are with me. How can we not be friends?”
I suddenly like her more than I ever have, and to be honest she has been my friend from day one. We are not a Siamese pair, but still we are friends in the unconventional way.
The Charleston National Country Club consists of 740 acres of property overlooking the marshland of Hamlin Sound, the Intra-Coastal Waterway, and the Isle of Palms. Most of the estate homes are located on the water in this gated section, so after what feels like an eternity, and many mansions, we turn into the driveway of an impressive looking house.
Shaun’s house overlooks the ocean. It is imposing and beautiful. I notice a boat launching area at the back.
“Here we go,” Anne says and stops the golf cart next to the others parked in a row in front of the house.
We walk on the pathway to the front door and Anne promptly opens the door and walks through. I follow herself-consciously. I have never been here before, so it feels awkward not being invited in.
We walk through to the back of the house. The house is huge, the ceilings are high and the rooms we walk past are sparsely furnished. It is most certainly not a cosy home, in my humble opinion.
Everybody is in an entertainment area at the back of the house, which is as big as the entire downstairs of my home. There is a television almost as big as one entire wall on the one side of the room, a pool table in the middle, a large bar the size of my kitchen, a jukebox and leading onto the patio through the French doors a brightly lit pool, and in the far corner beside the pool, a huge trampoline. I take all of this in, in a brief second. I did not want it to look as if I am not used to seeing houses like this, every day.
I notice Johnathan noticing me, and he walks toward me, smiling widely.
He leans closer to me and whispers, “I am glad you came.”
I am irked and thrilled all at the same time while I smile at him, and reply, “Thanks.”
I look away from him and at the other kids standing around, and I observe shocked they are all drinking alcohol. My dad will ground me for the rest of my life if there is even the slightest hint of alcohol on my breath.
Johnathan puts his arm around my waist, and I freeze. I have decided I am not going to let him string me along any longer. I am not going to be one of the many gossiped about girls in Johnathan’s entourage.
Adam, Chris, Stephen, and Anne start to play a game of pool while the rest of us are spectators, and although Johnathan removes his arm from my waist, he stays standing next to me.
After a while, he asks softly, “Do you want to go and sit by the pool?”
I look up at him. He has a clear, suntanned skin, his blonde hair falls casually over his brow, his eyes are the colour of the sea, teeth so white, they sparkle, and I do like him. I desperately wonder if I could ever convince him he likes me, only me, and then he runs his fingers through his hair. I say, unwisely, “Yes, let's.”
We sit down on the trampoline and he starts talking first, “So, where are you from, Chrissie Taylor?”
I look at him stunned, because this is the first time, since I arrived at The Christian Academy someone has asked me this question, and I feel frustrated with myself, for once again falling for Johnathan’s charms, so I mumble sarcastically, “I am from the other side of the railway track.”
“Come on.” He smiles. “Where did you go to school before you came here?”
“I went to public school in Mt. Pleasant.”
“I also used to go to a public school,” he says. “Imagine. We have more in common than I initially thought.”
I look over to the others still playing pool, and I notice Anne enjoying all the attention. Looking back at Johnathan, I laugh softly. “You are joking, right?”
“No, and there is nothing wrong with public school, my parents weren’t always wealthy. I only came here two years ago.”
“Just to be clear. We have nothing in common.” I look at him stubbornly.
He leans closer to me, and then softly, he says, “Yes we do. We both like each other.”
I just sigh and shake my head.
“What?” He laughs.
“One day, hopefully soon, your charms will stop working.”
The game of pool is finished, and the others come outside before he can reply.
We all sit around talking, some with their feet in the pool, some on chairs. We eat and drink – no alcohol for me.
Later we make turns jumping on the trampoline. After my turn, when I jump off excitedly, Johnathan catches me, and he hugs me close to him.
He leans down to me, and then he kisses me softly, briefly on my lips. He smiles sweetly at me and without meaning to, I notice from the corner of my eye, the clock hanging against the wall.
I realize with surprise it is a quarter to eleven. My dad is probably waiting for me already and I would be late if I did not leave soon, making my dad more worried than necessary.
I sigh softly, as I push myself away from him gently. “I have to go. My dad is picking me up at eleven.”
“Okay, let me take you back to the gate,” he offers.
I cannot see Anne anywhere, so I accept.
We drive down to the gate in a golf cart and I ask him seriously, bravely, “Why do you do this, string girls along?”
“I don’t actually. I am nice, I am friendly and sometimes girls just take it the wrong way.”
I frown when I look at him. “No, I don’t think girls take it the wrong way, I think it is your intention all along.”
“No,” he says softly, defensively.
I suddenly feel cynical. “Yes. For one you always look into a girl's eyes when you talk to her, you always touch them while you are talking, you always stand very close, you smile charmingly, you say all the right things, and this I am afraid does not come naturally. So, my friend, you are doing it purposefully.”
He laughs boisterously, looking at me amused. “I do that?”
I sigh frustrated and honestly, what is the point anyway. I cannot possibly hope to change him, but I can most certainly control my own feelings.
When we stop at the gate, he gets out of the golf cart as well.
I walk away to the gate without looking back or without saying anything, and then I hear him call my name, “Chrissie?” I sigh and turn around. I wanted to make a quick get- away, resolute in my decision to get over my feelings for him because they were insulting and hurtful.
He walks to me. “I know you won’t believe a word I say now, but I do like you, from that first day when you told me I was gross. I just didn’t want you to know you had such a massive impact on me.”
I frown, looking up at him. “So, you carry on flirting with other girls?”
“I don’t mean to, but I honestly like you very much.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“How do I convince you?” He asks exasperated.
“You can’t, and I have to go,” I say hurriedly.
I turn away from him, but he grasps me by my arm. I frown as I look up at him, and I am about to ask him to let me go, when he kisses me.
The fleeting kiss earlier did nothing to move my world, but now I feel my feet lift off from the ground. I feel myself float up into the air, and when he moves away from me, I have to catch my breath.
“I truthfully do like you very much,” he whispers close to my face.
Trying to look nonchalant, knowing when we get back to school, he will be his usual self again, I look toward the parking area and see my dad’s car. “I have to go. My dad is waiting for me.”
“Okay,” he says.
When I walk through the gate, I hear him call, “Good night, Chrissie Taylor.”
I smile, pleased, and then reprimand myself at the same time, while I walk away from him without looking back. I get to my dad’s car and after I open the passenger door, I allow myself to look back. He is still standing inside the gate, following me with his gaze. I wave goodbye and smile.
I sigh blissfully when I get into the car. Worried dad looks at me. “How was it?”
“It was very nice. I enjoyed myself.”
“I’m glad, Chrissie, that you are fitting in. You know there is a bigger purpose behind me wanting you to go to this school?”
“Yes, Dad. It is so I can have a brighter future, and don’t worry, I won’t disappoint you.”
He smiles and then starts the car and we drive off. It is a distance to my suburb, and when we get there, it is almost morning.
I am truthfully grateful he keeps driving me around, and I am standing by the stairs, on my way up to my room, when I turn to him, and say, “Thank you, for driving me around, I know...”
He dismisses me, saying, “Soon you will be grown up and then you will not need me anymore, so I would rather keep my little girl for a while longer.”
He gives me a bear hug and letting me go, I say, “Good night, Dad. You know, of course, you are the best.”
He laughs. “Stop your flattering and go to bed.”
I go to my room, put on my pyjamas, and then log onto my Facebook page. I see excitedly I have a friend request from Johnathan. I accept without hesitation and almost immediately, the pop-up indicates Johnathan is online, and then I see he has IM’d me.
Johnathan: Hi
Chrissie: Hya
Johnathan: Hme alredy
Chrissie: Jst gt ere, nd u?
Johnathan: afta u lft, d prty gt borin!! :(
Chrissie: I’m sori :)
Johnathan: missin me yet?
Chrissie: way 2 mch ;)
I laugh softly at myself.
Johnathan: I ment wat I said, I do lyk u
Chrissie: I lyk u 2...
Chrissie: Nyt.x
I log off from Facebook quickly because although this is a very impersonal conversation, and not face to face, it still says more than it should.
I get into bed and sigh ecstatically as I lie back. Memories fill my mind of our kiss. It is everything I hoped it would be. I like Johnathan very much, and I really hope he is genuine when he says he likes me.
