Ruthless People
Chapter IV
Karen Miller’s house was somewhat like a mansion compared to where Lucy was living now. She hated DC, her house and her school. She hated her dad for doing what he done and she hated her mom for dragging them across the country and forcing her to start a new life; she liked her old life just fine.
At least she liked her teachers, even if some of them were a little strange. So far she‘d discovered she really liked studying any and all kinds of science, but that was only because her teacher, Ms Sciuto, made the whole subject fun. She supposed it was something her mother would be proud of, if Lucy ever decided to follow in her footsteps. Mr Sachs and Mr Kort, her geography and math teachers were creepy, but they got their point across when it came to what they taught. Everyone else on the teaching board seemed pretty down to earth and likeable.
In her first week at Hardy, Lucy had already signed up for band, the soccer team and joined several after school clubs. She wanted to be out there doing something, instead of being at home babysitting or with her grandparents. She wanted the life she had in LA, and although she knew it was never going to be the same, she was willing to try for her mom. This was why when Karen Miller, one of the popular girls in her school, asked her to sit with them at lunch the previous Wednesday, Lucy jumped at the chance.
Karen had been really nice, showing her around, introducing her to people and it was she who convinced Lucy to try out for the soccer team as they were looking for a new player for the season. At least one of the players was someone Lucy knew extremely well; her cousin Natalie. She had been surprised when she met Natalie in gym, not having realised she attended Hardy’s. Lucy had been thrilled to see a welcoming and familiar face amongst everyone. Up until Wednesday, Lucy had been sitting with Natalie and her friend Maxine, but recently she hadn’t really spoken to them much; not now she was a part of the ‘in’ crowd.
Natalie, having known Karen and her friends since kindergarten, tried to warn Lucy of what she was getting herself into, but Lucy being the headstrong girl she was didn’t take the advice of her cousin. Lucy wouldn’t be the only girl Natalie knew of to get sucked into Karen’s crowd; flattered by the acceptance of the group and how easily she fit in with everyone; attracted by the popularity of them.
Lucy felt Natalie was jealous because she wasn’t spending any time with her, the way they used to over holidays. And it wasn’t that she didn’t want to hang out with her cousin, because she did, it’s just that Natalie wasn’t exactly in the same league of people Lucy had been friends with in LA, and she simply wanted to recreate the lifestyle she had with people who shared her interests; Natalie unfortunately didn’t quite fit that criteria.
But she had noticed, over the time she’d known Karen, how nasty she could be. She was the typical type that was nice to your face, but slagged you off behind your back. Lucy had watched how Amanda Carmichael, one of the cheerleaders and Karen’s best friend, had torn a girl apart for the type of shoes she wore but was nice as pie to her the next day; and throughout all of this Karen was saying things that were just as bad.
Being around Karen now, having witnessed that, made Lucy feel uneasy and worried that she may have been a potential victim for them.
“Karen, I gotta go. I promised my mom I’d take Kevin to the park while she unpacked.”
“Oh, sure. I’ll call you later, hon, and you can tell me in detail what was going on between you and Patrick on the benches today, since you‘re totally bailing now.”
“Nothing was going on, honest. I’ll catch you later.”
It wasn’t in Lucy’s nature to lie; not to her parents, her teachers or her friends, but what Natalie had said was starting to ring true; something about Karen couldn’t be trusted. If she were honest, nothing about Hardy and DC really felt right to her and because of that, all she really wanted then and there was a hug from one person.
***
“Kevin, wash your hands.”
“I did, momma.”
“And I’m the Queen of Sheba. Come on, bathroom.”
As she was ushering Kevin upstairs, Kate heard the front door open and turned to find Lucy walking in. She hadn’t expected her home quite so early, as for the past few nights she’d been spending her free after school time getting to know her new friends. Kate couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong with her eldest child, beside the obvious unsettlement she’d gone through.
“Hey, kid. I just made dinner; I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.”
“I just thought I’d help you unpack some. I wasn’t really in the mood to hang out with anyone today.”
“Who are you and what have you done with my sad, angry, unhelpful daughter?”
“Mom…”
Sending Kevin on his way upstairs, telling him to use soap or she’d know, Kate focused on Lucy who was still hovering by the door. Dropping her rucksack by the coat stand, Lucy headed to the kitchen followed by Kate, who took a seat at the table and watched Lucy wash the apple she’d grabbed from the bowl on the way past.
“You have much homework?”
Shaking her head, Lucy set the apple down on the counter and went to stand by Kate before finally positioning herself as best she could on her lap and resting her head against Kate‘s shoulder. Wrapping her arms round her, Kate rocked them slightly, surprised by Lucy’s sudden willingness to come to her and possibly open up about her fears.
“You wanna tell me about it?”
“I miss LA, mom. I miss my friends and my school. I miss Caro and Nana Vivi. I just wish everything was normal, like it was; before dad done what he did to us.”
“Believe me, sweetie, I’d give anything for you and Kevin to have that life again; to be somewhere familiar. I wish he hadn’t done it either, but he did and here we are. I know it sucks, being in a new place where you don’t know anyone, but I’m feeling exactly the same way; confused, scared and a little bit alone sometimes. You just have to give it time.”
“But what if it doesn’t work out here for us?”
Moving Lucy to better see her face, Kate brushed the hair from her eyes and the tears from her cheeks. She wanted, needed, Lucy to see her truth; her honesty. Lucy needed assurance that they were in it for the long haul.
“We’ll make it work. I promise. Now I want you to forget all about what happened in LA, feed Nacho and then wash up for dinner, okay.”
“You sure there’s enough?”
“Course I’m sure; you know I always make too much. And…on Saturday, I’m not working so, I’ll take Kevin to Grams’ and we can have a day, just you and me; I’ll even make cookies.”
“Deal, mom.”
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.