Ill Appearances

Chapter 4: Carmen

I arrived at Andy's house a little bit after six o'clock. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but the house itself was beautiful. It was picture perfect, and kind of looked like a stock photo. My favorite thing had to be the rose bushes.

I walked up the front steps cautiously, then rung the door bell.

Not even ten seconds later the door swung open. A small girl with bright green eyes and platinum blonde hair looked up at me. She blinked a few times, then giggled. "You're pretty," she said.

I smiled, leaning down to her height. "You want to know a secret?"

She nodded vigorously.

"You're pretty too."

She giggled again.

Just then, a woman's voice yelled from inside the house, "Lou Ellen Mills! What have I told you about opening the door without my permission?!"

I put my hand over my mouth to stifle a laugh.

The woman appeared in the doorway. "I'm sorry about that," she apologized. "I was a bit preoccupied. Please come in."

I stepped inside. "Thank you Mrs...Mills?"

The woman chuckled. "Call me Regina." She turned to Lou Ellen. "Go tell Andy that his friend is here."

I looked around the entryway with wide eyes. The house was huge.

Regina led me into the living room. "My brother hasn't been working you too hard, has he?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No. I don't really do very difficult things for him, normally that is. It's sort of—" I stopped mid-sentence at the smell of mashed potatoes.

Regina smiled, seeming to have read my thoughts. "I forgot to mention, we were about to eat dinner. You should join us."

I hadn't eaten since lunch at school. In fact, I could hear my stomach grumbling at that very moment. "If it's not any trouble," I replied timidly.

"She's not my girlfriend, Lou!" I heard Andy's voice snap. He appeared in the stairway, a frowning Lou Ellen riding on his back.

"But you said—" she began.

"I said nothing," Andy interrupted. He set Lou Ellen down at the bottom of the steps.

She proceeded to run up to me and pull on my hand. "Are you dating me brother?" she asked.

"Who taught you what those words mean?" Andy grumbled.

Lou stuck her tongue out at him. "The TV!"

I laughed. "No, Andy and I aren't dating," I said. "Although, I'm sure he's never had a girlfriend, right?"

Lou Ellen nodded. "He's a real bum. Daddy says he needs to get off his butt and find a wife."

I bursted into laughter.

Andy facepalmed. "I...I have no words...Nothing can redeem me from such humiliation.."

Regina smiled again. "You all go sit down at the table," she said. "I'll begin serving."

Lou Ellen led me to the dining room. "You should sit next to Andy," she said happily.

"Why?" Andy mumbled.

I smirked. "You scared?"

He scowled. "Just sit down."

I laughed, pulling out the chair. Shortly after, Regina came in with plates of steaming hot mashed potatoes and green beans.