My Path To Serenity

Chapter twenty one

                 ALLISONS POINT OF VIEW

That night, I turned on the toasty warm fire place in the living room and lit a vanilla scented candle before reaching for my parenting book. When I'm not teaching or spending time with my family, I'm reading. Typical teacher stereotype I guess you can say. Charlotte came over to the couch and sat across from me, curling up under the blankets. "Hey sis," I smiled to acknowledge her presence as I flipped the page, completely invested in my book. "Learn anything new?" She pointed at the book. I could tell she was bored without a cell phone. "All kinds of things," I answered back. She was quiet for a moment. "So, it's a Saturday night," Charlotte began. I shrugged, "yep." She laughed, buttering up to me. "So, I was wondering if maybe I could invite my friends over?" I set the book down and looked at her, giving her all my attention. "Aren't you technically supposed to be grounded?" I confronted. "Mom and Dad said you were grounded til they said you weren't any more." She sighed, "I know, I know. It's just, without Tristian here, it's lonely." "You got me." I promised her. "I know that," she sighed. "I guess I just miss seeing my friends. Oliver's been asleep, and I don't work until Monday. I was thinking about ordering a pizza and just playing a couple board games." The idea of playing a game of Monopoly and ordering a pizza sounded innocent, but most of her friends got her in trouble back then. Mom would tell me all kinds of stories. "I figured I could use your computer and email Kate and Greyson." "I don't think so. Sorry." I opened my book back up and carried on reading, but she continued to pester me. "If I can't hang out with them, do you care if I use your laptop to video chat them?" My eyes narrowed to the computer sitting on the coffee table in front of us. "Go ahead," I compromised. She grabbed the computer and ran to her bedroom with it. Peace and quiet once again. The only sound I could hear was the clock faintly ticking, and the sound of Pumpkin drinking water from his dish. Charlotte opened up the laptop and eagerly signed into her email to invite Kate and Greyson to a video chat. After a few rings, Kate answered the call. The background noise was loud, and there seemed to be a few people in the background of her webcam. "Turn that music down!" Was the first thing she heard from her, and once the music turned down she faced the camera and exclaimed, "Hey, Charlotte!" Greyson hopped on the chat as he lit up a cigarette and smoke was the only thing she could see on the camera for a moment. "What's going on?" He slurred, seemingly drunk. "A lot," she confessed. "You two have missed out on quite a lot." Greyson held up a can of beer and smiled, wasted. "You've missed out on a lot too." Kate playfully smacked his arm and laughed, "shut up Greyson. How are you Charlotte?" She huffed, trying to gather her thoughts to form a sentence. "I'm doing fine. I'm going on nineteen weeks pregnant. Oliver's fine, too." "Have you told your parents yet?" Katie shared the cigarette with Greyson. "Why else do you think it took so long to talk to you two again?" Charlotte joked. "Are you having a party?" Kate responded with a shrug and then said, "it's just a little kick back while my parents are out of town for the weekend so I invited over a few friends. You remember Jackie and Dylan, right?" Charlotte shook her head. "I think you may have met them once before in class. Maybe not. I don't know. But yeah I brought them over here and then I think Celine's coming over in a bit. We had Jackie's older sister pick up a case of beer and now we're just hanging out, watching some stupid sports game." Greyson playfully thunked her in the back of the head. Charlotte nodded, feeling a little jealous and left out. "I wish I could be there with you guys." Kate and Greyson smiled. "we wish you could be here, too. Where's Tristian?" Greyson wondered, taking the cigarette back from Kate and leaned in closer to the camera. "Long story," she briefly answered. "We got time," Greyson cracked up. "He's not here right now." "Details!" Kate demanded. "Did you two break up?" "No," she immediately answered, shutting down any possible idea of that. "That doesn't look like your room, where are you?" Kate questioned. "I told you it was a long story," Charlotte nervously laughed. "I decided that I didn't want to stay with my parents any more, so I moved in with my sister instead." Kate's jaw dropped. "You left your parents house? Damn, I'm surprised your mom and dad let you." "They said if I didn't find a job they were going to have to trow me out of the house. But, I got a job at this diner up the street. We actually got robbed from the place the day I got hired and-" Kate cut her off. "hey sorry to interrupt Char, but Celine just got here. It was nice catching up with you for a bit. We'll have to chat later." She nodded, "you, too." "Bye, Charlotte!" Greyson smiled, Kate waved goodbye before shutting her laptop. Charlotte laid on her bed, tired and frustrated at the realization the three of them have become distant now that she's living a different life style than she was before.