12: She's So High
♔Matt Klarner♔
"Emillyyy... Emillyyy... wake up Liquorice..." I shook her, calling her by the nickname she gave herself last night. She was a deep sleeper. I continued to shake her shoulder.
She mumbled and used her hand to push my face away, turning to her side so that her back was facing me.
I tried waking her up at noon, but she wouldn't budge- and I mean literally. I tried lifting her off the bed; nonetheless, her grip on the mattress cover was undefeated. Then came a tug of war of blankets followed by a kick in my stomach when I tickled her feet. So I left to kick the rest of the hungover people out of my house and clean up the mess along with some maids. I never help clean, but I had so much energy -since I didn't drink yesterday- that I decided to help out. There wasn't much I could do anyways. The tennis courts were a bore without anyone to play with, I've seen all the movies in the home theatre and lending a hand to the maids was the least I could do after all the shit they had to put up with. I even bought Emily some breakfast from a nearby restaurant since the chefs were off work, but she didn't wake up so the $15 hot chocolate was left by her side to turn cold.
There were thongs and bras in almost every room upstairs, drugs and cans everywhere and apparently someone thought it would be funny to fill my empty swimming pool with beer. After five hours, I headed back to Natalia's room to once again, try waking up Emily. This time, I went with another approach.
"I had fun last night. Thanks for a great time."
She shot up immediately and looked at me with regret. Her hands went straight to her chest where there was no bra and covered only by Natalia's old sheer nightgown. "Oh my gosh. No, no, no. Did we-? Oh no, we did, didn't we? You asshole! I can't believe it."
Now this was revenge for kicking me in the stomach. I picked up her bra and tossed it to her, only to see her hyperventilate. Her chest rose up and down rapidly and she buried her face in a pillow.
Okay, I'm not that mean. I burst out laughing, "I'm kidding, nothing happened. Is the thought of hooking up with me that bad?"
Catching me off guard when I turned around to get her an Advil for the guaranteed hangover, Emily whipped the pillow at the back of my head. "You asshole!"
"Hey!" I threw it back at her. "I have sex with you, I'm an asshole. I don't have sex with you, I'm still an asshole. Which would you prefer?"
"We didn't... do it, right?"
"No we didn't." I put the pill on her palm. She looked at me questionably. "For the headache."
She swallowed it with the glass of water I handed her right after. "Then why don't I have my bra on?"
"Are you sure you want me to tell you?"
She nodded naively, clueless about all the events from last night.
"Jack drugged you, but I caught him before he could do anything to you. You 'awarded' me with a strip and may I say, it was quite appealing. Oh, and your new stripper name is Liquorice."
Emily groaned painfully and buried her face in the pillow again. "Thanks. For... you know." She mumbled. "What time is it?"
"Five."
She shot up again. "My mom's going to panic!" She jumped off the bed, and picked up the white dress she wore yesterday.
I chuckled at her franticness. "I called her, she said it's fine as long as I bring you back in one piece."
"What?! She said it's fine?"
"Yup," I said popping the P.
"Isn't she worried I'll... I don't know, become a druggie and have a orgy?"
I ruffled her already messy hair when I stood up. "You don't become a druggie overnight and what have you been watching? An orgy? Come on!"
Her face turned red as she tried pulling the white dress back on.
As much as I wanted to see her wear the white dress again, I thought she would be more comfortable in other clothes. I went to the dresser and took Natalia's old clothes out, passing Emily the jeans and t-shirt. Natalia never wore those because she wasn't allowed to be too casual, that was her only normal outfit.
"Thanks. Umm, where's the washroom?" Emily asked me sheepishly.
I was going to tell her that she could change in front of me if she'd like, but I'd probably get another pillow thrown at my face. "Second door to your left."
She came out in a matter of minutes and I was stunned that she could even pull off Natalia's simplest outfit. The jeans were tight and slimming and the t-shirt was body grabbing with lace covering her back.
"So um, I should go. I'll return this to you at school?"
"Stay." I held on to her wrist when she was about to head for the door. I stood still but my eyes were begging her to not go. I didn't want to be alone, any company would make me happy.
"I can't, I have a lot of homework."
"How about we practice our history presentation?"
"We already practiced it. Seriously, I need to go do my homework." She pried open my grasp, finger by finger.
"Please?"
"Go hang out with Tyson."
"He's with Shelby."
"The other guys?"
"They're hungover."
"Me too!"
Because I couldn't convince Emily with words, I picked her up and threw her on my shoulder, carrying her like a potato sack. She did not stay on willingly.
"Matt, what are you doing? Let me go!" Emily used her hands to slap my back which was no use. She was as light as a feather and I carried her down the hall, into the elevator and out of my front door all while she was flailing and hitting my back. We were now leaving the gates of my house and onto the sidewalk.
"You didn't want to stay so I'm walking you home."
"You're crazy! Let me go!"
"Not until you say you will stay."
"No! Now put me down."
My neighbours stared at us. The old snotty guy across the street who was watering his flowers, looked at us disapprovingly. I smiled and wave mockingly then laughed at our situation.
I took off Emily's shoe and tickled the bottom of her feet.
"You! I... hate... you!" Emily laughed.
"Say you will stay."
"Nev...er."
I continued tickling her.
"Fine. I'll stay, I'll stay."
"Good. Now say I'm awesome."
"I'm awesome."
"No I meant Matt's awesome."
"Ugh, Matt's awesome. Now let me down."
I slid on her shoes and put her down on the sidewalk. The minute the soles of her shoes landed on the cement, she sprinted away from me. Tsk, tsk doesn't she know I'm a soccer player?
It didn't take me very long to catch up to her, but she did put up a pretty good fight. We were a couple blocks from my house and panting for each other's life. "You tricked me."
"So did you. You said you would put me down if I said I'd stay, but you didn't. You made me say that you were awesome then you put me down."
"So?"
"Technically, we're even." Emily smiled smugly.
I sighed in defeat and pulled myself together. "Let's go, I can give you a ride home."
"Okay, thanks. You can have dinner at my house if you want."
"Nah, I feel like I'm intruding since I had it there last time. How about you have dinner at my house? Oh wait, the chefs aren't here."
"I can cook."
My eyes lit up as I thought about the delicious Kraft Dinner I had at her house before. "Mac and cheese?"
"That's my specialty."
"Great, we have to buy some supplies first. I don't own that kind of stuff."
"What the heck do you eat then?"
"Steak, caviar... whatever the chefs make." My dad never let me eat anything considered 'conventional' or 'for the poor people'. So after my mom walked out on us, he hired top chefs to cook for me while he was out and even when he came back home for a couple of days, he was always locked in his home office. There's no such thing as pizza or hot dogs in the chef's menu.
"That sucks."
We walked to the nearest grocery store together and it was pretty relaxing. I was always out with the boys or at soccer- too busy to take time for a stroll. This was refreshing, especially with someone who takes the time to deal with me by my side.
***
Being the first time in a grocery store, I went wild. My cart glided up and down the aisle and I threw whatever I wanted into the cart.
Captain Crunch... yup.
Microwavable popcorn... yup.
Salt and Vinegar Chips... for sure.
By the time I got to the very end of the aisle, my cart was completely brimmed. Junk food was overflowing and I knew that I would get a lot of aspersions from the chef if I put any of these in their kitchen. Emily and I met up at cashier station number 5. She looked like she was waiting there for a long time and her cart contained actual food compared to mine.
"Are you trying to become obese?" She asked me incredulously, scrutinizing my carefully selected bunch of food and giving me a disparaging look.
"I haven't had Captain Crunch in five years!"
We heaved all of the food onto the counter where the cashier was scanning everything. 'You're total comes to $245."
I didn't know food was that cheap! At the restaurants I usually went to, a dinner for two was already the same price. I smiled proudly at my 'smart shopper' moves and reached my hand into the back pocket of my jeans to get out my wallet. There was nothing. I searched the other pockets, but my wallet wasn't there either. "Fuck."
"What?" Emily asked.
The chubby cashier looked at me impatiently, using his spatulate fingers to scratch the messy beard he was sporting.
"I forgot my wallet."
The cashier gave a furious look for wasting his time.
How on earth could I have forgotten my wallet? Maybe I could put all of this to the side and come back with the money. I looked at my watch- 6:00pm. It would be a waste of time if we walked home just to get my wallet. Suddenly, I thought of a brilliant idea. I took of my watch and put it in front of the cashier. "This is a $15,000 Rolex, give me the groceries and you can have this."
The cashier grabbed the Rolex out of my palms hungrily and smiled like he won the lottery when he tried on the watch. "Okay, you can go."
We walked back to my house while carrying the groceries. I offered to carry all of them, but Emily insisted on splitting it in half. On our way there, we got into a heated competition of 'who can lift the groceries up the most amount of times' like weights. Emily and I were both on a hundred something, I had the duty of counting.
"156, 157, look at the guy, he's such a tool watering his lawn in boxers. 155, 156, 157..."
"Didn't you already count 156?" Emily questioned suspiciously.
"No, 113, 114..."
"You're not even counting in order!"
"Stop distracting me. I'm on a roll here. 114, 115, 116..."
"I've probably done like 300 of these already. I quit."
"That means I win."
She didn't reply, but I knew she was just upset I beat her. Working out in the gym had to be put in use sometime and I won this grocery challenge with flying colours. We arrived at my house shortly and I buzzed the gate to be let in. The food was put on the counter of our second kitchen, the one the chefs didn't use because of its limited appliances.
Emily circled the island three times with her fingers gently sliding along the surface of the marble countertop. She opened the double fridge and pressed every button on the outside, releasing water and ice everywhere by accident. "Oops, sorry. I'll clean that up. You're kitchen is so big!"
I gazed down despondently. "It's no use having a big kitchen when no one is cooking a typical home meal anymore."
"That's why we're going to make something delicious!" She responded, trying to cheer me up. "I'm like the Gordon Ramsay of our generation."
I turned on the radio to hear Tal Bachman's 'She's So High' rock the quiet state of my kitchen.
I know where I belong
And nothing's gonna happen
Yeah, yeah
'Cause she's so high; high above me, she's so lovely
She's so high; like Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, or Aphrodite
She's so high; high above me
Both of us danced as we cooked. Emily boiled the macaroni and I grated the cheese. Our heads bobbed up and down to the beats while we sang the words off pitch especially when the notes got really high.
The last time I cooked in this kitchen with the same old radio was before my mom left. Emily brought all the fun memories back and I was glad and having more fun than I have had in a long time.
"You don't need that much," I told Emily when she scooped a spoonful of butter. She smirked and swiped it on my cheek. "Hey!" I picked up the entire bar of butter and chased her with it, threatening to wipe it on her face.
She kept running and wow, I was getting a lot of exercise hanging out with her. Finally, when I was close enough, I wrapped one of my arms around her stomach from behind and picked her up onto the island. We both bursted out laughing on the counter at how immature we were. I lifted up the bar of butter to put it on her, but she stopped me. "The mac and cheese is done!"
***
"Bye Emily, thanks for staying with me." I was at the door of her house. Her face lit up from the lamps in her house compared to the dark nighttime.
She smiled sweetly and sincerely. "Well I had fun."
I turned around and started walking off her porch steps.
"Matt, wait!" She hesitated and then randomly said, "remember to take off the Saran Wrap when you microwave the mac & cheese."
"I will."
I started my motorcycle and biked home, taking notice of the billboard by Emily's house- Lakefall Developements. When I got back to the kitchen to eat more of the perfected mac & cheese we made, I noticed that all the dishes were washed and the place was spotless. I pressed on the intercom and told one of the maids, "I can wash my own dishes next time. Thanks."
"Are- are you sure Mr. Klarner?" The maid stuttered.
"Yes, and why don't you guys take tomorrow off? It's been a long day."
"Rea-really Mr. Klarner?"
"And just call me Matt."
"Okay Mr. Klarner, I mean Matt."
I got out my iPhone next and called a certain company. "Hi, this is Matthew calling from Klarner Industries. I need to talk to the chairman of Lakefall Developments." I knew that Klarner Industries, my dad's company that makes weapons for the government, had no relation with a development company, but the secretary won't let me through unless I was eligible by rank to speak to the chairman.
"Of course, I'll put you on his line."
I waited and listened to the cheesy music at my end of the receiver. He finally picked up. "Bob Chabert."
Chabert? Isn't that Bridget's last name? I knew her dad owned a development company, but I didn't know it was Lakefall. Maybe it was another Chabert. "Uh... Mr. Chabert?"
"Matthew! How are you? You could have just called my cell if you wanted to talk to me."
Holy shit it is my girlfriend's dad. "Hi, I'm fine. I was just inquiring about the piece of land you bought recently?"
"Yes! Bridget told me about how great it was and I bought it. The crap laying around is going to be transformed into a one of a kind hotel and residency building."
Bridget told him about it? I can't believe she would do that! My grip on the phone was brutally tight. "If you were to sell that land, how much would it be worth?"
"Why are you asking me this?"
"Just out of curiosity. I'm interested in construction," I lied.
"I don't know, I can only give you a rough estimate. Maybe around 15 million?"
"Okay thank you."
We hung up and the last person I wanted to be calling for help was the only person I could go to right now in order to save Emily's home. I couldn't let another important person walk out of my life. "Hey dad? Can I borrow 15 million?" I gritted my teeth as the word 'dad' seeped through my mouth.
The line went silent. He's probably going to interrogate me even though 15 million was like pocket money to him. "Sure son!"
"Aren't you going to ask me for what?"
"No, anything for my son. I will have it delivered to you asap."
The line went dead and I was confused out of my mind. Did my dad just give me 15 million without questioning me? I couldn't think anymore, at least now I can buy the land from Mr. Chabert.
...............................................................
Author's Note:
I wasn't going to upload this till next week, but since you guys are so awesome for voting and commenting, I decided to write it today. This whole thing is from Matt's POV! This chapter seems a little bit rushed to me so I might edit it later on, but I can't do it now because I'm going out :D
xoxo
_holy_crap_
Song of the chapter: "She's So High" by Tal Bachman