Tightrope

A Pure Southern American Belle

"I don't think she knows yet," said Kaelin. "She's confused."

"I support you either way, honey!" he said.

"Thanks, Dad."

He pulled off the freeway at the next exit, turning through the complex web of streets and rolling around the roundabouts with the effortless practise that years of dropping me at the Krisler residence had bestowed upon him. While our house had always been the favoured hangout destination—a professional chef tended to sweeten the deal—we had known each other long enough that all of their houses were as familiar to me as my own.

When Dad pulled up in front of the Krisler's cute single-story home, I texted Alex to let him know of our arrival.

Moments later, Alex and an unfamiliar blonde girl emerged from the front door. Alex was wearing his familiar mischievous grin, along with a band t-shirt and deeply embarrassing dad shorts. His new blonde friend embodied the girl-next-door look; her hair was twisted into two delicate braids, and her top was a cute, flirty yellow tie-top, paired with a short white skirt and matching white sneakers. She was, quite frankly, gorgeous. Cady beautiful, but with a sunny smile that Cady wouldn't be caught dead in.

The pair raced down the driveway, laughing. Knight followed at a leisurely pace, strolling and holding his hand up to block the sun as it beat down into his eyes. Alex and the new girl reached the car first and slid into the seats next to Kaelin. The new girl's eyes were alight with amusement. I liked her already.

Knight moved around the back of the car, popping the boot and sliding into the extra seat at the back. "Oh, holy shit," said Knight, when he saw the food packed into the back. "I didn't realise we were making a detour through all of South America feeding the children."

"Did I go overboard?" I asked him.

"No, your ship sunk under the weight of an entire supermarket."

"Thank you for the lift, David," said Alex, breathless from running and laughter. "What's up, girls? This is Callie Mason. She's in my French class."

Callie smiled sweetly. It was the kind of smile I'd seen from Daria or McKenna. Kind and friendly. "Hi. Lena and Kaelin, right? It's so nice to meet you, I've heard so many good things." Her accent was American, a pure southern American belle.

"Really nice to meet you too, Callie," I said. "Hey Alex, hey Knight."

Knight nodded at me and winked. "Long time no see."

"Oh, it's been ages. I barely remembered what you looked like!" I exclaimed.

He grinned.

"So, Callie," said Kaelin, appraising the new girl with a welcoming expression. Kaelin was totally weird—arguably a complete nutjob, an absolute basket case—but she had always had the knack for making people feel comfortable. "Did you just transfer to our school this semester?"

"Yeah!" Callie said. "I'm here for a year on an exchange program. I've always wanted to come here, and I thought it would be a lovely change of scenery for my senior year."

"Senior year," Alex repeated. "The lingo is so weird to hear in real life."

Callie shoved his arm lightly. "And I find your lingo weird. But yeah, I'm so excited, and everyone here is so lovely. I mean, Alex has been incredible. I'm so lucky to have found a friend so quickly. Although, I think his brother hates me. He convinced me to help him draw a penis on Chance's cheek while he was sleeping. I really hope he didn't cop a look at my face. Maybe I can pretend it was someone else."

Alex grimaced. "Hence why Chance ditched me and drove Cady. I used permanent marker. He isn't thrilled."

Well, that mystery was solved. Alex's penchant for penis pictures strikes again.