Episode 1 (1.1)
October 2, 2008 07:25 PM
Soundtrack: Yael Naim "New Soul", Kate Nash' "Pumpkin Soup", Mika's "Stuck in the Middle"
As Carleen Hathaway entered the kitchen, the sharp smell of coffee assaulted her nose. She took a beeline to the pot, filling her favorite mug, left out on the counter every night, with the strong brew. She breathed in the strong aroma, then took a sip, savoring the bitter taste. Clasping the mug, Carleen glanced out the kitchen window and surveyed the outside world of Freeboro. The early morning traffic was beginning to filter down the street; soon there would be the buses taking the kids to their first days back to school.
She smiled softly, ruminating back on the days when she would have been rushing her own kids off. The hustle, the arguments, the jostling about in their cramped apartment. Now there was just silence and the distant rumble of far off buses. She’d done her job: Lee was starting his junior year at college and her eldest, Lynne, had graduated years ago. Now she was off...
The kitchen door swung open, missing Carleen by a few inches. She didn’t react; her only movement was raise her mug to her lips and take another long swig. Her daughter rushed in, hands fumbling to pull shoulder-length, scarlet-red hair into a more manageable pony tail. Lynne rushed into the hallway, the door left ajar in her awake. The stairwell led down to the family’s coffee shop and dinette below; Carleen could hear the sound of clinking cups and murmured conversation filtering up the stairs. Her husband, Levy, would be happy with that day’s turnout.
Lynne reemerged into the room, her hands now occupied with tying a dirty apron over a t-shirt and worn jeans. She halted, only just noticing her mother standing quietly by the open doorway. “Wow, sorry mom, totally didn’t see you there! Dad’s being a pain-in-the-ass about me wearing it,” her hand brushed over the apron. “I told him I don’t know why he’s bugging, we already passed inspection over a month ago.” As she spoke, she was already rushing past; soon her footsteps could be heard pounding down steps to her job below.
Carleen closed the door and made her way over to the table; she had a crossword puzzle to finish before work.
* * *
“Shane, let’s go!” Molly Bennet stood at the doorway, arms crossed, a booted foot tapping loudly on the tiled floor. Her long, black hair was pulled back from a face that was currently grimly set. She glanced over at the clock once more, agitation growing more intense within her. There was only an hour before she had to be at Stella’s to open; before that was errands, maybe a bite to eat. Of course, there was also her brother who had to be dropped off at his school because he couldn’t be bothered to take the bus. “SHANE!”
“Fuck, I’m coming!” The door to his bedroom opened and sixteen-year old Shane bounded out, shooting his elder sister a look.
“So’s Christmas.”
Shane offered a grunt in response, then disappeared into the hall closet to grab a pair of sneakers. He emerged and began pulling them on, not bothering to untie the laces before slipping the black and white diesels on. He brushed past her and opened the door, storming outside. Molly rolled her eyes and followed, the door shutting behind her.
* * *
“Morning Mom.” Jason McCaulley brushed past his mother into the kitchen, offering her a slight peck on the cheek as he did. Jillian smiled and then returned to her breakfast and morning news stories. Her eldest son threw a tie and keys unto the counter, then ducked into the refrigerator, rummaging for food; he emerged with an Orange Juice carton and an apple. As he began to take gulps straight from the carton, Alicia stumbled in. She was in the process of buttoning her shirt with one free hand while the other attempted to curl her eyelashes. Jillian appeared ready, for a moment, to provide a warning, but decided to not broach that argument.
“I can’t find my coat!” Alicia chucked her curler unto the counter top, having finished her work. Jillian turned away from the television to regard her youngest daughter, ready to start officially as a senior in High School. Made-up, with a simple black top and pencil skirt, she looked far older than her seventeen years let on.
“Which one?” Jason responded snarkily.
Alicia ignored him, her attention on her mother. “You know, mom, that white one you bought me last week?”
“Did you check in the hallway closet, dear?”
“Why would it be there?! That’s communal!” Jason coughed and nearly choked on the OJ he’d been in the process of drinking. Jillian shot him a look.
“Well, that’s the only place I would have put it if it was lying around.”
“I had it in my room! I bet Isabel took it! I can’t have anything in this house without someone touching it!” Alicia dramatically tossed about her hands as she spoke; her brother dodged underneath the flailing limbs and took his place by his mother.
“Yeah, you know Allen and I; totally interested in stealing all of your hootchie jackets from your closets.”
“Jason!” Jillian shut off her son before Alicia could respond herself. “Alicia, we’ll look around the house this afternoon, but you look fine without the jacket. Now stop wasting time, you and your brother have to get going if you’re going to arrive on time.” Alicia looked ready to further protest, but Jillian held up a hand, “Go! Remember the deal: too many lates and we’ll have to rethink that car.” Alicia’s face contorted and she held her tongue; she shot her brother a look and brushed past him, making sure to bump him slightly. Jason recovered his balance and glanced over at his mother.
“I swear, if it wasn’t bad enough I was starting a new job, I gotta worry about doing it in the same school as that?” He grabbed the tie and pushed up the collar of his shirt; After two tries, he seemed satisfied. Jillians ran her hands over the collar and pushed it down, making sure to smooth it out.
“Jason, you’ll be fine.” She regarded her eldest son, momentarily taken aback at how mature he’d come to look; a miniature version of his father at that age. “They wouldn’t have hired you if they hadn’t been impressed with your student teaching. Don’t worry about Alicia, she’s just having a difficult transition period.”
“Yeah, it’s called the last seventeen years of her life, mom.” But Jason seemed to have calmed down slightly, reassured by his mother’s confidence in his abilities. He pocketed the apple and grabbed his keys, then bolted out the front door. As it closed, Jillian could hear her children resuming an argument outside. She sat back down in her chair and returned to her morning programs.
* * *
The door swung open and the two best friends spilled into the frat house’s common area. Jackson “Jack” Brady was first, carrying with him two large cardboard boxes with labels, written boldly with black sharpie, that betrayed their contents: cds, books, clothes. Directly behind him was Allen McCaulley, struggling slightly under the weight of his own load: a rather large television set. Jackson glanced around, judging for a good spot, then dropped the boxes casually to the floor. He turned to offer Allen a hand, but was shaken off. With a few grunts, the set soon found it’s place beside the boxes.
Allen stretched, arms reaching over his head; despite a red-face, he seems to have felt no ill effects from the heavy set. Jackson stepped back, for the first time surveying their half hours’ work. The twenty-something boxes the two had previously carried in towered before them; each had their own neatly written label.
“Dude, I want you to take this personally... I bet your sisters pack lighter than you do!” As Jackson spoke, his distinctive wide smile spread across his face. Jason glanced at their load the two had previously packed the night before with the help of his mother, Jillian. They’d left early this morning for the half hour drive to their alma mater, Cole University, and their home on frat row.
“You think we got everything?”
Jackson couldn’t help but bust out a laugh. “Dude, I think we got your entire house in here! Fuck, I bet we have some of your siblings shit in those boxes too!”
Allen seemed not to be assured, “I just hate forgetting things.” He ran a hand through dirty blonde hair, biting slightly into his lip as he spoke.
“Al, we’re thirty minutes away. Besides, you got a mom who’s willing to drop anything to rush out here and check on her baby boy. I think you’re set if you happened to forget a shirt or two.” Jackson turned away from his best friend, for the first time noticing the state of the frat house around them. The couches, usually covered with college debris, were clean; the walls spotless, the hardwood floors actually shining in places. “Yo man, are we in the right house, cause this don’t look right.”
Allen’s eyes darted back and forth, “Maybe the pledges got put to work early?”
Before Jackson could respond, another of their frat brothers stumbled down the steps into the foyer and common area. Tyke Diore blearily stared at the two before recognition popped into his dazed mind; He stumbled towards them and clasped them both in a tight bear hug. “Al! Jack! My sweet black bro and his white mancrush!” Allen and Jackson winced at Tyke’s breath; the stale smell of whiskey and cigarettes was putrid that early in the morning. Their friend released them and stumbled back, nearly tripping over the television set. Dramatic arm movements allowed him to recover his balance and he swayed into a standing position. “’Bout time you dudes came back, you were missing the partying!”
Jackson glanced around, “Doesn’t look like there’s been much partying going on here.”
Tyke grinned and whispered cospiratively at them, “I know, that’s cause we want to look presentable.”
Allen took the bait, “For what?”
“For the biggest fucking party this year. Tonight we’re gonna kick off this season and put the rest of Frat Row to shame, bitches!”
Allen and Jackson glanced at each other; Jackson was the first to speak. “College fucking rocks, bro.”
* * *
Isabel McCaulley dabbed at her eyes with the tissue; bitterly she noted that it wouldn’t be hard to tell she’d spent the last five hours crying. It was really over now, there was no turning back. They’d officially ended things after three fucking years of her life and there would be no turning back. She pulled out the makeup pouch from her bag and hastily began applying her face for the day. Well, she’d spent nearly three years with him and he’d been unwilling to change; now he was on a plane to California. It was his loss!
She threw the bag to the floor and gave herself a once over in the rear view mirror. Her hand reached into a bag and pulled out a prescription bottle. Downing four pills, she stepped out into the early morning light. Door shut and locked, she began making her way across the mall parking lot towards Stella’s.
WEDNESDAY: Isabel tries to move on with her life! Allen and Jackson prepare for the biggest party of the year! More characters introduced!
Posted at 10/02/2008 by beck | Comments? (1)