A/N: Hey! Thanks for giving this a shot :D Anyways, this is my first ever story. I've had this idea in my head for the longest time! Anyway, this is my second time trying to write it. It was previously called Cell Phone Call but yea, I changed the title and the characters a bit. I don't find myself as much of a writer so bare with me here (: I just hope I'll be able to finish this! I had a sudden urge to write because I was inspired by a poorly-written story / (but with a good plot!) Sorry if that sounds mean / Anyways. I hope you enjoy it! Oh, btw, I didn't proof read this! So, sorry for any mistakes that you might be annoyed with! You can just point them out to me and I'll change it. (: Thanks!
Chapter One
Prologue
"Hello?"
"Hey Danny! Lissen, I jus wanna tell you that-" Christine shouted into the receiver of her cell phone over the blaring music before her brother cut her off.
"Christy?"
"Thas ma name, so..don't wear id out!"
Daniel caught the slurr in her speech. "What the fuck, Christy!? Are you drunk?!"
"Whaaat! Of course not. I'd never." She said with a tone of disbelief then continued happily, "Just tipsy! Why you so surprised? I jus fucking graduated fucking high schoo, man! Don't tell me you din't spect me to partayy!"
Daniel surmised that Christine had to have been really drunk—she never used profanity. He sighed, "All right, sis, I'm already on the road. I'm coming to pick you up so wait by the fucking door. I'm guessing you're at Matt's place?"
She smiled stupidly even though he couldn't see. "Yup, yup!"
He sighed again. "Be there in ten mi—"
Instead of hearing him finish the word 'minute,' she heard a loud honking. Then, the line went dead. Christine pulled her cell phone away from her ear and looked at it with confusion before dialing again.
"I'm sorry, the number you are trying to reach is unavailable or is no longer in service. Please hang up and dial again."
Christine may have been drunk, but she wasn't a stupid drunk. No, she was one of those rare observant drunks; nothing got past her, though she had a habit to assume the worst. This in mind, it only took a moment for her to put the two and two together.
Suddenly, she wasn't so tipsy. Panic rose in her chest. Her eyes went wide and tears began to stream down her smooth cheeks. Her breaths became shorter as her cries came louder. She fell against the wall that was behind her and slid down while her thumbs of both her hands pressed against the palms painfully while the fingers strained straight over the thumbs. She couldn't feel or move her fingers.
"Miss! Miss!" said her best friend, Matthew Linnex, as he crouched down shaking her shoulder. "Miss, please wake up!"
"Huh?" Christine opened her eyes to a concerned flight attendant, whose arm was on her shoulder. Christine blinked her eyes away of the blurriness that she was experiencing and put a hand over her chest to steady her breathing.
"What's your name, sweetheart?" she asked with kind eyes. She looked, maybe, early thirties with blond hair, pale but beautiful complexion, and a slender neck. Beautiful woman. Despite the current and odd situation, she always tended to notice appearances. Christine looked at the silver name tag that was pinned to the woman's navy blue blazer. Nadia Spencer.
Christine blinked a few times more. "Uh, Christine."
"I'm Nadia," she introduced herself (though it was unnecessary but customary). Then with a more concerned voice, "Are you alright, Christine? Here, take this." She handed Christine a handkerchief. She took it wordlessly but with a look of confusion in her eyes. Nadia noticed this. "Your face, it's wet," she pointed out.
Christine, still confused, lifted her hand to her cheeks and indeed, it was wet. From her tears. She hadn't even noticed she'd been crying just like she had in her dream. "Oh," she chuckled embarrassingly, "thank you." After she had pat her cheeks dry, she expected Nadia to just nod politely and go along on her merry, but that, she did not.
She sat down in the empty seat next to her and answered her silent question that followed that action. "As you can see," she gestured to the nearly empty cabin, "I don't have many people to wait on and this is the only cabin that I am to work." She paused. "Bad dream?"
With her eyes cast down to the handkerchief in her hands (that rested on her lap), Christine chuckled with a slight shake of her head. "I wish it were only that." Nadia could tell that whatever Christine was suffering from, the wound was still fresh. She didn't pry. Christine was thankful, she wasn't ready yet.
She placed a hand on Christine's forearm comfortingly. "Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll be able to get through it. Just hold your head up strong and don't let anything bring you down. And when you're finally ready, you should talk to a friend about. You'll feel better. Trust." Nadia got up from the seat but before she strode away, "And it's okay to cry sometimes. A good cry can help relieve you of your stress or tension too."
Christine took a few moments to assess what the flight attendant said to her. She was a bit surprised at how well Nadia was able to read her so easily from the brief interaction.
Christine decided to go to the restroom to freshen up before they landed. As she locked the door, she stared at herself in the mirror. She splashed her face with water and looked down at her attire. She was starting to regret her choice of clothing for the sake of first impressions but was comfortable nevertheless. She sighed and looked once again in the mirror. Her eyes were still slightly puffy and red from crying but it was sure to go away before she presented herself to her new employers.
She walked out of the restroom with her hands stuffed inside the pocket of her black hoodie. Right after she sat back down in her seat, she heard the familiar voice of Nadia on the intercom.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please buckle your seat belts as we will be landing shortly. Thank you."
"Jeremy!" Teresa Castor called out to her eldest son as she stood at the foot of the staircase. "Jeremy, sweetie, can you please come down?!"
Jeremy, age 18 with shaggy brown hair, deep blue eyes, and an athletic physique quickly came down the steps. "What's up, Mom?"
"Sweetie, the live-in babysitter will be here in about an hour. Your father is still at the office and he won't be back until six tonight." Jeremy looked at the silver watch on his wrist; it was currently four in the afternoon. He didn't see the point. Teresa read her son well. "Well, dear," speaking to him as if he was nine years old, "I have to go run some important errands and I will probably take an hour or two. I need you to watch Jake and call me on my cell phone once Logan Pierce gets here. Oh, and I've already told Jake. Okay?"
Jeremy nodded and left to the family room where his six-year-old little brother was sitting on the floor playing with his toy truck.
"Bye Jeremy! Bye Jake!" Teresa called out as she walked out of the house.
"Hey, Jake." Jeremy swiftly picked up his little brother and threw him over his shoulder potato-sack style. Jake giggled as he flailed, toy truck still in hand, half-heartedly. Jeremy went back into his room and sat his brother on the carpeted floor then sat himself back at his computer to continue his paper on business ethics.
It was 4:56 when the bell rang and just in time as he typed in the last sentence of his paper. He got up from his chair and told Jake to stay put as he got the door.
Once he was at the door, he looked through the peep hole to see who it was. But all that he saw was the back of a person with a hooded sweatshirt with the hood on. Jeremy raised an eyebrow as he opened the door. The visitor, who he assumed to be Logan Pierce, obviously hadn't heard the door open because his back was still turned. Jeremy waited for a few seconds for him to turn around but then he didn't.
"Logan Pierce?" Jeremy asked with his right eyebrow still raised, startling 'Logan' and causing him to jump.
As 'Logan' turned around slowly, Jeremy quickly gave him a once-over looking at his feet first. 'Logan' was wearing a pair of K Swiss shoes that was partially covered by slightly dark blue jeans. His eyes stopped at his chest as he looked at the Greek lettering that was stitched on the black hoodie. Beta Omega Phi is what the lettering stood for. When his eyes finally reached his face, his eyes widened and his left eyebrow joined his right one.
"Hi," she smiled as she pulled down the hood of her hoodie.
Jeremy sputtered. "Logan Pierce is a girl?!" he asked disbelieving to himself, though not quietly.
'Logan's' smile faltered slightly, confused. "Uh, yes. I, Logan Pierce, am a female."
"Logan Pierce as in the new live-in babysitter for the Castor family?"
"Yes," she said simply.
Jeremy paused for a moment. "Uh, come in. Come in, then."
Logan pulled out the handle of her one large suitcase and rolled it inside. She rolled her suitcase just to the wall next to the door and slipped off her shoes out of habit. Then she looked to Jeremy.
"Follow me," he said distractedly as he led her a little ways down a hallway then turned left into a living room. "Take a seat," he gestured towards the couch. "I'll just be a moment."
Jeremy left the room and went into the kitchen and dialed his mother's cell phone number.
"Hello, Jeremy!" she answered with an overly cheery voice.
"Hi, mom." Jeremy greeted, slightly agitated. "SHE is here."
Teresa ignored his tone of voice. "Oh, that's good. I'll be there in half an hour. Do be nice to her, sweetheart. Bye!"
Jeremy sighed.
As Logan sat nervously on the plush, waiting for Jeremy to return, she took a look around the room. It was a beautiful living room, she had to admit. The couch that she was sitting on was a darker-than-tan color with a crisscross pattern and a few throw pillows, the rug was the same color. The wood frame of the couch was a rick, dark color as was (in slightly different shades) the coffee table (just a couple feet in front of her) and the picture frames that were spread out on the mantle of the fireplace just to her left. Behind her were floor-to-ceiling windows on both side of glass doors leading into what looked like a beautiful garden. Marble tiles surrounded the glass doors as the whole room was carpeted.
"Hello," came the happy greeting of a small, smiling boy. "Are you my new babysitter?"
Logan turned around and smiled at the boy. "Well, that depends. Are you Jake Castor?" she asked playfully.
"Yep! That's me!"
"Then, yes! I am your new babysitter! My name is Logan Pierce." Logan said with so much enthusiasm that she could tell that she instantly won the boy over. Just as Jake was about to speak, Jeremy walked back into the room.
"Jake, what are you doing here? I told you to stay put!"
"I wanted to see who it was!" he pouted.
"Go to your room and I'll come up and get you later. Okay?"
"Oh, fine. You better!" Logan had to smile.
Jeremy watched as Jake walked out of the room then he sat on the cushioned chair that was opposite the couch. "So you're really Logan Pierce, huh."
"Yes, I am Logan Pierce." She said with a hint of finality. Jeremy didn't notice.
"Logan's a guy name."
"And yet," she began, starting to get exasperated, "here I am with breasts and a vagina and with the name Logan. What are you trying to say?" If Jeremy caught the sarcasm, he didn't show it.
He smiled slightly. "Nothing, just a bit surprised is all. Seems like my mother has managed never to use pronouns when talking about you."
"Hm. Yeah." She didn't know what else to say so she stayed silent, letting her eyes wander around the room.
The awkward silence stretched on and on until she realized that she didn't know what his name was. Teresa, as she insisted that Logan call her by her first name, had mentioned him once or twice but she had forgotten about him along the way.
"Ahem, so, do you have name?" she asked.
"Jeremy."
"Oh. Right."
Well, this isn't awkward at all. Nope, not awkward. She thought. Ugh…awkward turtle!
A few more minutes had passed when the sound of keys jingling was heard. It didn't take long for Teresa to finally enter the living room.
"Oh! Logan!" Teresa walked towards Logan with her arms wide open. Logan stood up and they exchanged a hug. "It's so nice to see you again!"
"It's nice to see you too, Mrs. Castor," she wasn't sure if she should still call her by her first name.
"What did I tell you before? Call me Teresa," she smiled.
"So, mom, why didn't you tell us that Logan was a girl?"
"Well! I thought it was quite obvious; didn't think I needed to explain what her gender was."
Jeremy just rolled his eyes. "Dad's not going to like it," he said in a slight singsong voice.
"Never mind him! Sit, sit!" Teresa took a seat next to Logan. "So, Logan, how have you been? I trust that the flight was enjoyable? Oh, and I also want to say: Welcome to Los Angeles!"
Logan chuckled. "I've been good, thanks. Yes, I enjoyed the flight every much. Thank you again for the first class ticket."
"It's the least we could do!"
"So, I was wondering. Why haven't you told Jeremy? And I'm going to guess that you haven't told Mr. Castor either?"
"Well, sweetie, we'd been looking for a live-in babysitter for months but we just couldn't find the right one. So when I met you at the Linnex's, I just knew you were perfect!"
Logan didn't know what to say but she did blush.
The sound of keys jingling was once again heard. This time, it was an older version of Jeremy who entered the room; Mr. Castor or John. Teresa got up and greeted her husband with a kiss on a cheek.
"Hello Teresa," he said as he returned the affections. His eyes drifted towards Logan. "And who is this?"
"Sweetie," she began, nervous, "this is Logan Pierce!"
Logan knew it was her cue to stand up and greet him. She gave him a firm handshake and smiled. "Hello Mr. Castor."
"Uh, hello," he said hesitantly. "You are Logan Pierce…the live-in babysitter that my wife has hired? A girl?"
God, she thought, what is with the Castor men? I mean, I get that they're surprised but seriously! It's pretty obvious that I am FEMALE! "Yes, that would be correct, sir."
"Teresa, can I speak with you for a moment? Excuse us." The last sentence directed towards Logan.
Teresa and John walked out of the room though stayed near the doorway where Logan could hear the hushed voices. She could automatically tell that John did not like that she was girl, especially considering Jeremy's comment earlier.
After a few moments, Logan made a decision. She walked outside to where Teresa and John were standing.
"Uh, excuse me," she said meekly while they turned to look at her with questioning gazes. "I don't want to cause any trouble so I can go. I have enough money for a hotel room...or, more like a motel room but whichever. I'm sorry for the inconvenience." She smiled lightly then turned to go.
"No, Logan, wait!" Teresa called before she could take another step. "There's no reason for you to be sorry and there is no inconvenience. Isn't that right John?" The last part was asked with the you-better-agree-with-me-or-else tone.
"That's right, honey," he said with an uneasy smile. "I'm sorry if I caused you to think otherwise, Logan."
"Oh, that's really okay, Mr. Castor." At this, Teresa gave her husband a pointed look.
"Ah, please call me John." Teresa beamed then continued with Logan to the door.
"Let's get that suitcase of yours, Logan. I'll have Jeremy show you your room."
Once she had her suitcase and was standing next to Teresa at the bottom of the stairs, Jeremy was called down.
"Sweetheart, please show Logan her room and help get situated. Okay? Okay."
Jeremy nodded. "Here, let me take that hope for you." As he took the handle from her, their hands brushed. She felt a tingle shoot up her arm from her hand but chose to ignore the meaning.
Jeremy led me up the stairs and down a long hall. We stopped at the very end of the all and Jeremy labeled the doors. The room last room at the end, on the right side, was his room. The room next to his was Jake's. He explained how his parents' room was downstairs. Then he opened the door that was directly across from his room.
"And this is your room."
A/N: Yay! You've finished reading! Thanks a bunch . ! I'd REALLY appreciate it if you could give me your thoughts by REVIEWINGGGG! Since I'm a new writer and all, I'll need all the constructive criticism I can get. Haha. :) So please review! I'll post up the next chapter soon!
xoxo,
clear vision.