Perfect Strangers

First off, I must say this.

Clayton and I are getting married.

It's a shotgun wedding, we'll be in Vegas this weekend. All of you are welcome to join us. We'll be in a chapel on the strip, and it shall be a glorious wedding. We're both excited. We figured if we were going to get married during the school year, we may as well do it on a three day weekend. Beyond that, I decided to keep writing my Perfect Strangers story a little bit, we'll see how this goes, its off the top of my head. I'm playing with the characters... trying to figure out how they tick.I've got to get into their heads, once that happens things will run a lot smoother. Some of the names here are odd, but I congratulate myself on being able to keep it original. Mostly. And for all you who are worried about Clayton and I, please don't be. It's all in our heads. There's no wedding.

     I stared at the necklace in my hands. There was something about it that seemed... odd. It refracted the light in such a way that the tiny wings looked as if they were beating in slow motion. I stroked the long body of the butterfly with my finger and I swear it shuddered. Not wanting to question my sanity more, I stuffed it into my pocket and headed back down the hall to my room. I needed to unpack and get settled, and call Tony. That was the first thing I needed to do. Hear Tony's voice. Especially after that encounter with Stitch. It made me nervous and I longed to hear a familiar voice.

    Once I entered the room, er suite, I was careful to avoid the seething glares of the other girls. I wondered what was so special about Stitch that made me the instant enemy because he and I were speaking. Sure, he was attractive and all, but if that was the only reason I knew I was going to have a hard time here. Quietly I entered my room and glanced around. I dragged my belongings out of the doorway and into the room. It was larger than my room back home and felt empty. I needed to get my pictures up. First thing I retrieved from my bag were my speakers and my Ipod. I plugged them into the wall and let the sweet sounds of Breaking Benjamin fill my room. Now, don't get me wrong, just because I listen to bands like Breaking Benjamin and Three Days Grace doesn't mean I'm some child that hates the world or my life, because I don't, I just like the uniqueness of their songs. They don't write about girls all the time. They've got a way with expressing other problems in the world and I quite enjoy it. After that I seemed to move exponentially quicker. My room was set up in a few hours and I felt right at home. The last thing I placed on my dresser were pictures of my friends and family back home. I noticed that my father never really was in any of the pictures of our family. Just my mom and my little brother Kyler. Turning away from the dresser I extracted the last picture from my bag. A photo of me and Tony at the Sweetheart's Ball. We had been caught off guard and were cracking up. Him in his tux and me in my burgundy ball gown. We had an amazing time that night, and that picture captured it all.

   I placed the picture on the small nightstand next to my bed and laid down on top of the new downy comforter my mom sent with me. I extracted my phone from my pocket and dialed Tony's number. He picked up on the fourth ring, just like he always did.

     "Hey beautiful," he crooned, his voice made me shiver. "Miss me already?"

     "I missed you the second I stepped onto that plane." I replied, fighting tears as a wave of home-sickness washed over me. "I miss everyone. This place is ridiculous."

    "As in? The people, or the place."

     "Both. This place is costing my father ten grand a year to keep me here, and the room is like a hotel suite. My roommates are... well let's just say I already have a few enemies. I haven't lived here for four hours and people already want my head on a platter. Things were just so much more simple back home in the States." I sighed. "Speaking of the States, how was school yesterday?"

     "Empty without you. Everyone was lost without you. We need our comic relief back. You always made things interesting and without you, math just isn't the same." he said, laughing slightly, "Though I must say that Mr. Torgi isn't missing you too badly."

    I laughed. "Of course he's not. The man was probably celebrating and rejoicing to high heaven that I'm out of his hair. How's Keltie?"

     "She's missing you bad. She wanders around like a lost puppy without you. Even Rush is having a hard time."

     "Rush? Like, big, tough, football player. That Rush?" I found myself wishing I was back in Florida with my friends. You know things are bad when the football players start to miss you.

     "Yeah, the kid looked like he was going to cry. You were doing so much for him, and I was proud of you. He's been clean for three months, and now you're gone. He's afraid he's gonna go back to the booze. He left school in a panic. I think he's chained himself to his bed."

     "Very funny. I'm gonna give him a call. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

     "'Kay, love you, Laela." he said. "Wish I could kiss ya."

     "Kisses, love you." I hung up and dialed Rush's number quickly. It rang and rang and rang, and just as I was about to hang up, he answered.

     "OH SWEET MOTHER! YOU CALLED!!!" Rush sounded close to tears.

     "Hey, Rush. Tony said you were having a hard time yesterday. Want to talk about it?" I asked; I never tried to act like his psychologist, but sometimes things just came out sounding like that. I think secretly he appreciates it.

     "I'm scared, Laela. I don't know what I'm gonna do now that you're gone." he sighed, "What if I'm at a party and because you're not there, I start drinking again? I don't want to be addicted to the stuff, but I know that if I take another drink, I'll be right back in that hole you pulled me out of."

    "I'll tell you what you do. If you're at a party, and you know there's alcohol there, avoid it. I know you can do it. And if it helps, picture me guarding the drinks with a rifle. I'll shoot you if you try to take a drink. You know how mean I can get with a gun." I heard him mumble 'I know,' on the other end and smiled to myself. "Just think that if you come close, I'll shoot you, and I wont shoot to kill. I'll maim you and cripple you for the rest of your life because that's what alcohol does to you. You've been sober for three months, and you've made so much progress. Listen.... what time is it now?"

     "Noon..." he replied.

     "Okay, that's not going to work. What time do you get done with practice after school?"

     "Around five or so. Usually."

     "Okay, that would make it.... ten here. So everyday after practice I want you to call me. Tell me about your day, just talk. Talk and I'll listen. I'll always be there, even if I'm not there physically."

     "That's really late, Laela. Are you sure you want me calling you that late? I can always call in the morning."

     "That wont work because we're five hours ahead of you guys back in Florida. I'll be fine. You are what matters. Just remember to call, okay?" There was a harsh knock at my door and a muffled voice yelling something at me. "Hang on, Rush," I stepped off my bed and went to the door. When I opened it I nearly got hit in the face by the descending fist. "Geez, don't smash my face. Can I help you?"

     The girl standing there was pale; pale and perfect. Her eyes were bright green, just like Stitch's. Her hair was dark auburn and had a slight curl to it. She smiled, "Sorry, I didn't know if you could hear me over that music." She said kindly, "Dinner's starting. I figured since you are new here I'd take you down there."

     "Oh, uh, sure, just let me get my shoes on. Hang on." I put the phone back to my ear while I pulled my shoes on. "Hey, Rush, I'm going to dinner now, but I promise that we'll talk later. I believe in you. You're strong, and I know what you're capable of."

     "Thanks, Laela. Have a good time. Don't talk to strangers." I could hear the smirk in his voice.

     "Bye Rush," I hung up, laughing to myself.

    I yanked my boots on and stepped out of my room. The girl turned back to face me as  we exited the room.

    "I'm Kitty, and yes, that's my real name. My parents thought it was cute. And you're Laela, the new girl and talk of the room. It seems that Molly's hating you pretty hard here. She's not used to competition."

     "Who's Molly?" I felt stupid, like I should know the answer already. "Is she that red-head?"

     Kitty nodded. "She's laid claim on Stitch, but doesn't seem to see that he's not interested in her. I don't think he ever will be. She's not really his type."

     "He has a type?" Suddenly I wished I hadn't said anything. Kitty was staring at me with a sly smile. It reminded me of a fox. "I mean, Molly's gorgeous, why wouldn't he like her?"

     "She's a witch with a capital 'B'. But you're gorgeous too, and you seem to have his attention. He's got a type," she paused to press the elevator button, "and you definitely fit it. I've seen his sketches. He told me one day when I asked why he always drew girls that looked the same, he leaned in real close and whispered," she leaned in to demonstrate, "'Because she's the perfect girl. Always has been, and always will be.'" She laughed, "Come to think of it, his drawings look a lot like you. Strange coincidence."

     Coincidence... Somehow I just didn't believe that.