Summer in Waldorf
Chapter 1: Welcome to Waldorf
By:Kerri Vicious
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I never had been afraid of flying before. But this time it was different. Before September 11th, nobody had to worry about insane men from Afghanistan hijacking planes and having them slammed into skyscrapers. The intense security at the Atlanta airport should have been a comfort but it instead made me more paranoid. I spent the entire flight to Washington D.C. eyeing my fellow passengers suspiciously. My mood shifted tremendously when the plane reached it's destination safely and I think I may have scared a few of the other passengers when I began bouncing on my seat and grinning like a madwoman as we landed.
You'd think all normal warm-blooded college students on summer break, if they were wise enough to give themselves a summer break, would want to head straight for a beach. Not me, I'd rather hang out with my brother and sister-in-law in Waldorf, Maryland. I hardly ever get to see them and it's a big treat to have been invited to come up and spend my vacation with them.
Stepping into the airport terminal from the plane with my blue backpack slung over my shoulder, I tucked a rebellious strand of shoulder-blade length reddish brown hair behind my ear and scanned the area for a familiar face. Not seeing one, I frowned. Sighing, I plopped unceremoniously into the nearest plastic chair and prepared for a long wait. Pulling a book out of my backpack, I began to engross myself into the fantasy world within the story to entertain myself until my brother or sister-in-law arrived to pick me up.
I'm not sure how much time went by, but slowly I came back to reality when I heard my name being repeated over and over again, louder each time as I registered where I was. I looked up to see my sister-in-law, Allison, standing in front of me with her hands resting on her hips and an eyebrow cocked up, her eyes watching me.
The same age as my brother, twenty-five, she was an attractive girl with short blonde hair and emerald eyes. My brother Brett had met her years before when they both attended the same college and meet through mutual friends. I somehow knew they'd end up hitched. They are so much alike that it scares me. They've both got the same twisted sense of humor and a love for extreme things like skydiving and bungee jumping. They were always trying something new and crazy like that. I would rather keep both feet firmly planted on the ground, thank you very much.
"Jesus Eve," she said, shaking her head, "When you get into a book you -really- get into a book."
I grinned lop-sided at her and stood, stretching my legs, "Sorry, I can't help it if fantasy is better than reality."
She picked up my backpack from the floor and handed it to me, "I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes. We're gonna be late if you don't hurry on up."
"And who's fault would that be really, hmm?" I teased, "I'm the one who had to wait-" I looked at my watch and was astonished to see that I had spent three hours reading, "three freaking hours for -you- to show."
She shrugged, "Traffic's a bitch."
"What are we going to be late for?" I inquired, suddenly curious, as I quickly fell in step next to Allison on our way to baggage claim to grab my suitcase and leave.
"A friend of Brett's is in a band and invited us to come hear them play tonight." She replied, "You like punk, right?"
It was my turn to shrug, "It's alright I guess."
"I think you'll like these guys we're going to see." Allison offered, "I've gotten a demo of theirs in the jeep if you want to check them out."
"Nah," I shook my head, "You can't judge a band until you've heard them live. I'll just wait until we get to Waldorf to their show and see." That was the truth. Most groups rely on studio magic to enhance their voices and songs only to feed their fans the illusion that they are good when they may not be. Live shows are a true test of talent.
"Suit yourself." Allison said after I had grabbed my bags from the large rotating thing that passengers' baggage was feed to directly from the planes.
A little later we had made it to the immense parking lot and climbed into Allison's purple Jeep Cherokee, throwing all my stuff into the backseat. She sped away from the airport and onto the freeway that would take us directly to Waldorf.
The drive was nice. We spent the time catching up with each others lives and joking around. I really like Allison. She's really down to earth and sweet. I couldn't ask for a better sister-in-law. She wasn't just an in-law to me, she was like a real sister. It was funny because whenever Brett and I would have a disagreement, she didn't always take his side like you'd think she would since she was his wife. She'd usually be on my side. I know it aggravates my brother like crazy but, hey, when I'm right I'm right.
Thirty minutes later we pulled into a packed parking lot belonging to some club called Twisters, according to the neon sign hanging above the front double doors. I spotted Brett's truck in one of the spots as Allison pulled the jeep into one nearby and grinned. I couldn't wait to see him. We got inside with no problem and scanned the crowd for him. I saw him near the stage talking to some guy with spiky black hair and grabbed Allison's hand, dragging her in that direction. The guy Brett had been talking to looked up and we locked eyes for a second before he broke the contact and said something to my brother, which caused Brett to turn around and look in mine and Allison's direction. He saw us and smiled. Damn, I was hoping to sneak attack Brett with a huge hug.
"Hey baby sister!" Brett greeted me after giving Allison a quick peck on the lips, "It's great to see you again."
"Ditto." I said smiling after hugging him, "I missed you so much. Thanks for inviting me up to spend some time with ya'll."
He laughed, "No problem. Whatcha been up to kiddo?"
I groaned inwardly, I hated it when he called me 'kiddo', made me feel like a seven year old, "Not much, still trying to survive college. I hear somebody got a promotion."
"Yep." Brett beamed, "Fina-freaking-lly! How was your flight?"
"Hell." I said, "But I made it."
Spike Boy coughed as if to get Brett's attention, "Oh yeah, dude sorry. Eve, this is my friend Benji. Benji this is my little sister Eve. She's here for the summer."
I managed a shy 'hello' as the boy called Benji took my hand for a friendly handshake, in which I politely accepted, and said, "Nice to meet you Eve."
"Benji's in the band I was telling you about." Allison spoke up.
"Oh, okay." I responded, "I can't wait to hear your band play."
"Speaking of which," Benji said, "I'd better get my ass ready. See you guys later, right?" With that he disappeared into a doorway leading to what I guessed was the backstage area.
"Count on it." My brother called after him.
I turned to my brother, "How do you know him?"
"I fixed his computer once and he was a little low on cash so we struck a deal that if he'd teach me how to play the guitar I'd forget about the bill." Brett explained.
Smirking, I then looked at Allison, "He any good yet?" The grimace on her face was classic and I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Hey," Brett pouted, "I'm better than I was when I first started learning. Anyway, either of you thirsty? I think I'm going to grab something from the bar."
I grinned, "Did you -have- to ask?"
Brett rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "Oh, right, one Sunkist for baby sister. Like you need any of the caffeine."
I did a fake happy sniffle, "Why Brett, you actually remembered what my favorite drink is. I'm so proud."
While I watched him retreat to the bar, I pondered just exactly how my summer would pass in Waldorf. I hoped that it would be a blast and that maybe I'd meet the guy of my dreams while I was up here. I knew the latter was probably impossible but it wouldn't hurt to look around.
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to be continued? Please review!