windfall

thirteen: "when you say it like that it sounds so dirty"

Normal: Kat Torres
Bold: Easton Adley

~

Today 11:39 am

so uh i was thinking

do you maybe wanna video chat

Like facetime?

yeah

if you want

you don't have to, it's okay

No!

I mean yes

I mean no I don't not want to

i think i'm confused again

Hang on

"Hey."

"Okay, whew, I was so confused for a second there. I thought I was being blown off."

"Oh, sorry. I was just... surprised, you know?"

"That I was the one that suggested it even though I was hesitant about exchanging pics?"

"Oh God, when you put it like that it sounds so dirty!"

"That was the point."

"Ew, stop wiggling your eyebrows! Dork."

"Dweeb. Is that your bedroom?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Well, it's more of a guest room. I don't really like staying with my dad."

"I hope you're not going to badmouth my city so I'm just going to assume it's because of your stepmom."

"Mostly. Vanessa is definitely a problem, not to mention her evil daughter, but my dad's a big part of it too."

"Want to share?"

"Not with that intense look on your face, no. Maybe just like, stop scrunching your eyebrows. And relax your jaw. Yeah, that's better, you're more nonchalant."

"You sound like my mom when she's taking family pictures. 'Easton, move over. Roger, stop scowling.'"

"Is Roger your dad?"

"Yep."

"The 'worst person in the universe'?"

"I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours."

"Yeah, okay. So if you wanna like, actually understand this, you have to know that my parents were never married. They didn't believe in marriage, so they were just one of those couples that lived together and had kids together and everything."

"Kids? Plural?"

"Me and my brother. He's twelve, but he goes to this private school with in-school living."

"Sweet."

"Yeah. Uh, when I was ten, my parents started having these problems - regular couple problems. Then my dad left. He literally took off to the other end of the country. There was no separation or divorce or anything because they were never married, and my dad didn't want any of their stuff except for his car. For a while, me and Nolan lived with him every other week until he met Vanessa. Neither of us liked her so we stayed away. Then a couple months later, he told us he was marrying her."

"Thought he didn't believe in marriage."

"I know, right? So obviously I was super mad and it didn't help that Vanessa and her daughter, Stephanie, treated me and Nolan like trash. They're the type of people that think they're upper class with their knock-off Gucci and their sophisticated etiquette. Ugh, she's been married to my dad for seven years now, and still thinks she's the queen of Long Island, if not the entire world."

"So your dad is a hypocrite, he married a Lady Tremaine, and your stepmom and step-sister are basically the worst people in the world."

"Pretty much, unless your dad takes the prize."

"No wonder you don't like staying with him."

"I hear the scoff, I acknowledge the scoff and I completely and totally agree with the scoff. What about your dad? What's up with him?"

"He's a jerk. Goes out for days at a time and comes home completely hungover, and my mom waits on him hand and foot. His 'office' is a pigsty. He expects greatness from me and my brother even though he's a lazy drunk himself. My brother is eight years old, and he's already learned to take the crap my dad dishes."

"Jeez, East."

"You know that's not even the worst part?"

"What is?"

"The fact that my mom can't tell she married a freeloader. She still completely adores him."

"I... I don't know what to say. I'm sorry you had to grow up with that, Easton."

"Can you say that again?"

"What?"

"My name. I love hearing my name coming from you."

"Easton. You have a really great smile, you know that? It's... beautiful."
"I'm so glad I had the balls to call you the very first time. You have no idea what you've done for me Kat."

"I'm so glad I had the balls to toss my phone number into the beach like an idiot."

"It was actually a pretty cool thing. I'm not even lying."

"Yeah, sure."

"No, seriously! Look at my face! This is a totally innocent face right here! Totally truthful!"

"You're such a dork."

"But I'm your dork."

"Nice finger guns."

"Thanks, I went to a class."

"Oh my gosh. I'm talking to a total cheeseball."

"Hey, what was that noise?"

"Just my dumb step-sister. Don't worry about it."

"She sounds upset. You should check on her."

"Did you miss the whole part about us hating each other, or do you need me to repeat it? We're not close, East. We don't like each other. We barely even tolerate each other."

"I'm not saying become her best friend. At the end of the day, she's still your kinda sister. See if she's alright."

"Is that what you would do if it was your dad?"

"Well, now see, that's different."

"Is it? Please enlighten me on how."

"I've had to deal with it my whole life, Kat. I know nothing is ever going to change between us, but there still could be hope for you two."

"Look, Easton. I know you're just trying to help, but me asking Stephanie if she's okay is just an invitation for her to bite my head off and for her mother to use the stupid condescending tone. I'm really not in the mood for a whole big thing right now."

"So you're not going to even try?"

"Not trying has kept me sane in this house for seven years."

"I think you're making a mistake, Kat."

"I guess I'll learn the hard way if I am."

"Kat - "

"Ah great. She hung up. Fan-freaking-tastic."