Excerpt: Untitled

Karen
“Here it is, Aunt Karen!” my five-year-old niece, Joan exclaimed pointing to the dorm room. “See, that’s the number six!”
“Thank you, Joan,” I replied, taking her back by the hand. “Don’t run off. There are a lot of big kids here you could get lost.”
“I’m sorry.” She started to pout until I snapped my fingers.
“None of that today.” I turned and waved to my dad at the other end of the hall who was dragging my suitcase with one hand and my half-sleeping nephew, Hunter with the other.
Joan grabbed onto my jeans pocket as I shuffled through my purse for the dorm key. I handed Joan a handful of candy wrappers, a package of tissues, my wallet. “You put in the side pocket,” Dad said, stopping behind me now with Hunter on his hip.
I unzipped the pocket and pulled the key out. “Duh,” I replied. I held the purse open for Joan as she dumped the contents back inside.
I heard Dad mumble behind me, “Just like her mother.” I shot him a dirty look before sticking the key in the lock and giving it a turn. I turned the knob and pushed but the door didn’t budge.
“You have to kick it!” I heard someone yell from the other side of the door.
“Okay…stand back!” I turned the knob and kicked the door open. Pain shot up from my big toe to my thigh. “Ouch.”
“Are you okay?” the brunette girl said, from the other side of the room.
“Yeah, yeah, I think I’m fine,” I limped into the room and sat on the nearest bed. I took my shoe off and rubbed my toe. “I’m Karen, by the way. This is my dad, my lovely niece, Joan, and my sleeping nephew, Hunter.”
“I’m Lauren. My mom and step dad took my siblings to the smoothie place across the street from the school,” she said. “They should all be coming back in a few minutes.”
“Grandpa, I have to pee,” Joan said, dancing around.
Hunter sat up, and wiped the sleep from his hazel eyes. “Me, too,” he replied.
“Okay, I think I saw the bathroom down the hall,” Dad laughed. “Let’s leave Aunt Karen to talk to her new friend.”
Usually, Joan would object to having a “boy” take her to the bathroom but she must’ve really had to go to the bathroom. Lauren sat down in the desk chair. “They are so cute,” she said.
“Yep,” I replied. “That’s the beauty of being the youngest of six. The older siblings give me nieces and nephews.”
“Brothers or sisters?” she asked.
“No sisters.”
“Wow.” Lauren pulled her ponytail around to her front and played with the curls. “I have a sister, three stepsisters, a stepbrother, a half brother, and two half sisters. And until last year all of us were living under the same roof. You had to get up two hours early for time in the bathroom.”
“That sounds like a real nightmare,” I said. “My brothers took turns raising me. It was actually my brother, Joey who told me about this fashion thing. He always said I was pretty enough to be a model.” I combed my fingers through my recently-dyed red hair.
“So you have no modeling experience whatsoever?” Lauren asked.
I shook my head, and bit my lip.
“Don’t worry I’m not trying to psych you out or anything,” she said, standing up to continue unpacking. “We would be in two totally different divisions.”
“How do you mean?” I asked.
“You’re an ideal model. What are you size two?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“I’m a plus-sized model,” she said.
Lauren stood with a hand on her hip, she had curves that I would kill to have. I know absolutely nothing about fashion, as my t-shirt currently read, “I’m a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl.” I don’t look good in pictures and I can hardly walk barefoot without tripping.
We heard a tap on the door followed by a high-pitched, “Knock, knock!”
I glanced over at my shoulder as a woman entered the room carrying a box. “Hi, you must be Karen and Lauren. I’m Caiti’s mom, Eleanor. Caiti had to stop at the bathroom so I just came ahead of her.” Eleanor frowned in the direction of Lauren’s bed. “Oh dear.”
“What’s wrong?” Lauren asked.
“It’s just…Caiti likes to sleep facing the window. But it looks like someone’s staked a claim on it.”
“I’m…sorry?” Lauren apologized. “I just picked a bed.”
“It’s fine, Mom,” an Asian girl said, walking in behind the crazy lady. “I don’t need to sleep by the window.”
“Are you sure, Caiti bug?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. This bed will be just fine.” Caiti pointed at the bed next to mine, she glanced up at me and blushed. She dropped her eyes and readjusted her black horn-rimmed glasses. She had streaks of blue and purple running through her shoulder-length jet black hair.
“Are you a model, too?” I asked.
She shook her head, keeping her eyes to the hardwood floor below our feet. “Designer.”
“Cool,” Lauren said.
“Yes, my Caiti has been knitting since she was three, sewing at nine and she is learning how to crochet. But she’s been drawing since she was old enough to hold a pencil,” Eleanor replied, tucking some of Caiti’s hair behind her ear. Caiti swatted her mother’s hand away.
“Lauren, we’re back,” a woman replied, entering the room with a cup in her hand. “Oh, hello.” She handed Lauren the cup. “I didn’t know what you wanted so I got you a PBB Shocker. It’s banana ice cream with peanut butter mixed in. It is amazing!”
“Sounds like it,” Lauren said. “Oh, Mom. This is Karen, Caiti, and Caiti’s mom.”
“Hi,” Lauren’s mother smiled. She and Lauren had the same big, brown eyes. “The name’s Claire. Lauren has my number if you girls should need anything I’ll be here in no time.”
“You’ve never seen Eleanor Watts drive?” Caiti remarked.
“Caitlin!” Eleanor scolded. She laughed. “Claire, I think we should exchange numbers.”
I looked around the room and realized that Dad must’ve either gotten lost or overwhelmed. He had objected from the idea that I come here from the moment Joey suggested it. “She’s too young,” he had said.
“Dad, she’s going to be going off to college in two years. This’ll give her a chance to experience dorm life. Plus, Karen is beautiful she could a modeling contract. She could pay for her own college and she’d get to travel. You know how much Karen wants to see Ireland,” Joey had argued.
It took him two weeks to finally give in. I slipped my shoe back on, grabbed my purse and walked out into the hallway, the pain had finally left my toe but I wasn’t sure how I was going to survive an entire summer of kicking the crap out of my door. The hall was full of students moving in, getting to know each other, students that had attended last year reuniting with their friends. I opened my purse and dug around looking for my cell phone. Someone backed into me and I fell to the ground.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” I heard a masculine voice say. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I was use to carpet burns, what with falling and wrestling with my brothers all my life.
The guy set his box down and helped me up. “I’m sorry. I’m a dork when it comes to walking.”
“Same here,” I said. I felt myself blush. He was extremely cute. His shaggy, brown hair fell into his chocolate-colored eyes. “I’m Karen Greene.”
“Matt Philpot. I’m in room ten. I think we’re in the same group actually.”
“Yeah, I think so, too.”
“That’s cool. Model, right?”
“Yeah, you?”
“Hell no,” he said. “Designer, actually.”
“Fun,” I replied. “Can’t wait to work with you. I actually have to find my dad and my niece and nephew. They took off to the bathroom forever ago so—”
“That’s fine,” Matt said. “I was going to see if we could all get together tonight and just hang out.”
I shrugged. “Sure. Um, I’m in room,” I scratched my forehead. What room was I in? I just walked out of it. “I think I’m in room six?”
“You think?” he asked.
“I’m not good at remembering stuff,” I replied. “Except for names. I’m really good with names.”
“I’m not. But I’m good with numbers. So if you ever forget which room you’re in. I’ll be able to tell you. And if I ever forget who I am I’ll try and remember who are so you can tell me.”
I laughed. “Sounds like a deal.” I waved at him and turned, nearly running into a tall girl.
“Walk much?” she snarled.
“Sorry,” I replied.
She rolled her icy blue eyes. “Whatever,” she stepped around me and walked down the hall, flipping her fake blond extensions over her shoulder.
I pressed myself against the wall to avoid another collision while I searched for my phone. I flipped it open and punched number one on speed dial.
“Don’t tell me you’re ready to leave so soon?” Dad’s voice came across the other end.
“No. I’m just looking for you. How long does it take for the twins to go to the bathroom?” I asked.
“Sorry. I called you three times but you must’ve had your sound turned off. The twins were getting hungry so I brought them over to the pizza place across the street. If you hurry we’ll save you a slice.”
I laughed. “I’m on my way.”
I hung up my phone and finally noticed the three missed calls from Dad, but the sound was turned all the way up. “Stupid phone,” I hissed at it. I threw it in my purse and made my way outside.