Surviving the Andersen Brothers

The Real Charlotte

A/N: There is something wrong with this chapter. If you are having trouble viewing any of the pages, go to the bottom right of the first page and there is a gray box with a white plus(+) sign. Click it so the whole chapter is on one page. I am sorry for any inconvience. 

~Ace

James and I slaved over the dinner one Wednesday night, two days before the final day of school. We were preparing Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo—a favorite meal of the Mrs. Andersen, apparently. James had asked me to prepare the meal, special, for his lovely, five-month pregnant, wife. I only agreed to make it as long as he helped—to show his wife that it truly was special.

            “Jasmine, do you have a valid passport?” James asked.

            I was confused about the sudden change in topic—we had been talking about the birth of all seven of his grown boys and possible names for the bun in the oven; I liked Andrew or Sean. “No, I don’t. I have never been out of the country before so I never really had the need for one,” I told him.

            “Really?” he wondered, surprised. “Then maybe I should ask if you would like to go before buying the ticket…. The family—Lilly, the boys, and I—will be going to the Greek island of Kythnos in a few weeks for a week or two on our family vacation. Would you like to go?”

            Greece?! Their family vacation is in Greece?! Didn’t normal families go to Yellow Stone National Park or some other not-so-exciting place? The Andersens were not normal; they were ridiculously wealthy and exciting. They went on family vacations in exotic places like the Greek island of Kythnos for crying out loud!

            “Yes, I would like to go,” I answered simply.

            “Great!” he exclaimed. “Greece is very beautiful, the water there is like glass—we will have to get your passport. This will be a perfect vacation before Vincent goes off to Harvard in the fall.”

            I was taken aback by the information but I did not let it show. This was a complete surprise to me. “Harvard University…. What?”

            “Yes,” James said slowly, sensing my surprise. “….He didn’t tell you? He got a partial scholarship to Harvard over Christmas Break. It’s good, especially with their medical program….” He trailed off, realizing he got off topic slightly.

            James seemed just as confused as I was.

            Harvard University! That was all the way across the country! We were getting so close to each other for what? So he could go off and start his life while I sat back home twiddling my thumbs? Why were we even doing this? I felt so foolish. Why didn’t this come to my mind before? I guess I thought he would be attending the college near us, like Walter and Michael. I beat myself up on the inside.

            I guess it was time to rebuild that invisible wall….

            “No, this is the first I have heard of it,” I told him. I forced a smile. James didn’t need to feel bad for me. “Good for him. Harvard is a great school.”

            I was naïve to think anything would come of this.

            The timer went off, indicating that the Chicken was done in the oven. It was time to get everything on the serving platters and on to the table.

            “Oh, look at that. The chicken is done,” I said to James, thankful for the distraction. “You get the chicken and I will get the serving plate. Cut the chicken into thin slices.”