Chaotic (Imperfect Perfection) (5 page)

“You really shouldn’t have gone to
all of this trouble, but I love it Grams. It’s perfect. Thanks for putting all
of this together on such short notice. It was kind of a surprise to me too. Dad
didn’t even call to tell me what was going on.”

“He didn’t?” Her brows bunched
together in surprise, and she placed a hand on her hip. “Well, I think I’ll
need to be giving that son of mine a call. You know I’m not making any excuses,
but he is pretty busy with his job. He should always make time for his daughter
though, and I think that’s one of his biggest regrets.”

I knew that much at least. His job
was pretty demanding, and he traveled a lot. Shortly after my mom handed him
divorce papers, he was giving a promotion at the restaurant company that he
worked for and now traveled all over the US helping new franchises get started
up. It was kind of ironic that my mom had left him right before that happened.
She had always wanted a better life and as soon as she decided to drop my dad,
he was able to provide one.

“No worries, Grams. I’m sure we’ll
catch up eventually.”  I crossed my fingers hoping that was the truth, but I
wasn’t holding my breath.

“Okay, Della. Well, I’ll let you
get all settled in and then if you would like, you can come down and help me
fix some supper.” I answered with a nod, and she quietly shut the door. I
dropped down to the floor to start unloading one of my bags that I figured I
would need for the week. I still hadn’t warmed up to the whole idea of living
in the dorms. I hated to say it, but my mom was right when she said I was
pampered.  

It was hard to believe that my life
was all packed away in five suitcases, granted it was all pretty much clothes,
so I guess it did end up being a lot. I’m not sure if my style would really fit
in down here. Fashion was pretty much everything back home. The tag on a shirt
pretty much guaranteed you a spot in society.

I slid tank tops and dresses onto
empty hangers in the small closet that was in the connected bathroom. There was
only room for about half of my stuff, so I had no clue what I was going to do
about that dilemma. I was sure the dorms would be even worse. I texted my mom
before I headed down stairs, figuring she would at least want to know I got
here safely.

“Hey Grams, what can I do to help?”
I entered the kitchen, inhaling deeply the scents wafting through the air. I
couldn’t remember the last time I had a home cooked meal, my mom certainly
never stepped one of her stiletto heels into the kitchen.

Grams wiped her flour covered hands
on her apron that was cinched at the waist and handed me an armful of
vegetables. “You can chop these all up. I’m making chicken and dumplings for
supper. I know that used to be your favorite. And I even have a rhubarb pie for
dessert,” she added with a wink before going back to work on the dumpling
dough.

“That sounds fabulous. I’ll have to
watch what I eat though, or I’ll be gaining ten pounds in the week that I’m
here.”

“Oh honey, no need to worry about
that. As long as you stay active, you can keep it all off and enjoy some home cooking.
It would do you some good to have some meat on those bones anyway.” Oh Grams if
you only knew.

We worked together like we had
never been apart. I had always loved helping Grams in the kitchen, it was her
domain, and I liked to think it had rubbed off on me a bit. After setting the
table, the three of us sat down together, and I savored every last bite.
Grandpa was silent the whole time until his pie was completely cleared off his
plate.

“Now Adelaide,” he said, clearing
his throat and swiping at his mouth with a napkin. “We need to set some ground
rules around here. I know you are an adult now, but you need to prove to us
that you can act like one.” I groaned internally but kept a smile on my face. I
knew this would be coming, and I wasn’t sure if I was prepared for it.

I just had to keep reminding myself
that this would only be for a couple of months and then eventually I would be
able to prove myself. I was hell-bent on getting my credit cards and car back.
I wasn’t quite sure how I would live without them.

“You’re going to need to earn our
trust first of all. The things your father has told us, well, are simply unacceptable.
Grandma all ready has all of the information for your enrollment. Apparently,
that stepfather of yours was able to pull some strings and get you in at the
last minute. You just need to go to the registration office on Monday. We
expect you to check in every day to let us know how your classes are going and
so we can make sure that you are keeping up with your studies. I picked up a
bus schedule for you while I was in town, so that should be helpful.”

Whoa, hold up. The bus? That word
alone made me break out in hives. I was seriously going to have to ride on a
bus? Didn’t they know how germ-infested those things were? The look of horror
that passed over my face must not have fazed Grandpa because he continued on.

“You will also help your
grandmother around the house with chores on the weekends in between studying.
Now, I understand you’re still young and you’re going to want to do things with
friends, that’s understandable, but we need to know what you’re doing and who
you’re doing them with at all times.”

Yeah, right. I figured I could
behave myself for the most part, but there was no way in hell my grandparents
would be knowing my whereabouts every single minute of the day. I let out a
deep breath. “Okay, I don’t think I’ll have any problems following those
rules.” Hopefully. Sometimes I just needed an escape, but I’m sure if I
explained that to Grandpa, he wouldn’t find my explanation acceptable.

“And one last thing,” he added,
wagging a finger at me. “You will be attending church with us every Sunday.”

“Wh-at?” I stammered out. “I can’t
do that.” I couldn’t remember the last time I had been to church and I was
pretty sure if I stepped into one, I would probably catch on fire.

“Adelaide, God is very forgiving.
Now is the time that you need to be looking for guidance and the church is one
of the best places for that. It is not up for discussion, so be ready at nine
o’clock sharp.” He pushed in his chair and stood with his plate in his hand
before heading to the kitchen. Grams gave me a small, reassuring smile before
doing the same, leaving me at the table alone.

Today had been exhausting to say
the least, and I had
so
much to look forward to tomorrow. Maybe thinking
I would get a fresh start here was completely wrong. It seemed like my past
would always catch up with me.

Church had been…interesting. I was
introduced to just about every member there, very few being under the age of
thirty. I couldn’t help but think that everyone was judging me as I sat there,
but they all seemed friendly enough.

I collapsed on the porch swing when
my grandparents dropped me off before heading into town and squeezed my eyes
shut. I wasn’t used to getting up that early and had caught myself falling
asleep on more than one occasion. I really needed to rest up for tomorrow since
it would be moving day, and I would be meeting my two roommates that I knew
absolutely nothing about. Fun times.

“Della?” A deep voice called out
forcing me to open my eyes, and I sat up straight when I saw who was standing
in front of me.

He, of course, had changed over the
years, but those brown eyes still twinkled with amusement and I would recognize
them anywhere. His nose still remained crooked, which I knew for a fact was
that way because a certain girl had punched him square in the nose for
insulting her frilly pink dress.

He had grown over the years and was
now most certainly even taller than me. He was lean and fit but not too muscular
that he looked like a body builder, and I noticed the cords in his arms when he
reached one hand up to rub at the stubble on his head as I stared at him, just
glimpsing a flash of a tattoo on his forearm. His sandy brown hair that used to
grow wild was now closely shaved and looked even lighter than I remembered
against his deep brown tan.

The smirk that crossed his lips
brought back memories of all of the adventures he used to drag me on over the
years, no matter how unwilling I was.

Nash Griffin.

One of the truly real best friends
I have ever had.

“Well, are you just going to stare
all day, or are you going to give me a hug?” I jumped up, tearing my eyes away
from this grown up Nash that I wasn’t used to, and he wrapped his arms around
me, lifting my feet off the porch. I buried my nose in the crook of his neck,
breathing in the soapy smell that was one of the most comforting things about
Nash and now was mixed with spicy cologne.

He finally set me back down on my
feet, pushing back a strand of my hair and grabbing on to one of my hands to
drag me back onto the porch swing. “Are you going to say anything? Shouldn’t I
be the one surprised that you are here? You figured you would see me, right?”

I cleared my throat, turning
sideways to look at him. “Sorry, of course I figured I would see you. I guess I
just didn’t really have time to think about it since coming here was sort of a
surprise for me too. It’s good to see you, Nash. I’ve missed you.”

He squeezed my hand lightly before
pushing off the porch and swinging us as high as possible. The simplest things
were all about the thrill for Nash ever since I had known him. “I’ve missed you
too, Della,” he replied quietly. “And I’m glad you’re back. How long are you
visiting for?”

“Actually, I’m back for awhile. I
start at UNC next week, and I’m moving into the dorms tomorrow.”

“Really?” His brows shot up, and he
gave me a wide smile. “That’s awesome, Della. I guess we’ll finally be able to
catch up after all of these years. I can’t wait to hang out.” We both turned
when we heard the crunching of gravel, and Nash quickly let go of my hand when
a black car pulled into his driveway.

“We’ll have to catch up later
though. Let me know if you need any help moving in tomorrow.” He skipped the
steps, hopping straight off the porch and gave me a wave while jogging
backwards. “Glad you’re back, Della.”

“Me too,” I shouted after him. I
watched as he ran back over to his house and yanked on the driver’s door that
had just pulled in.

A girl with stick straight black
hair and dark mocha skin stepped out, instantly throwing her arms around Nash’s
neck and planting a kiss on his lips. For some reason, a shot of jealousy ran
through me that I had never felt before. I had no idea why.

Nash and I had only ever been
friends. We had been too young before to really ever have any romantic
feelings. I just didn’t see him that way. I finally tore my eyes away once they
disappeared into the house. I was glad Nash didn’t seem upset with me that I
hadn’t kept in contact over the years.

When I had moved to Connecticut, my
life had basically been turned upside down, and I tried to just focus on
putting it together as much as I could. I had missed Nash though, and I was
glad that he seemed like he wanted to pick up our friendship right where we
left off.

                                                                                  
*********

I smoothed down the white tunic I
had chosen over a pair of black leggings along with wedge booties as I stood in
front of the room I had been assigned for the next year. For some reason, my
hands were sweaty, and I felt slightly shaky. I had no idea why I was so
nervous, I had no problem meeting new people before, and I wasn’t about to let
this get to me. I took a deep breath and pushed open the door, scanning my
surroundings that looked to be covered with boxes and strewn contents.

I dropped my handbag on the floor,
looking at the dorm. Basically, the whole thing could be seen from the front
door. A small kitchenette was tucked into one corner and opened up into a small
living room. Three doors were open, which I assumed were the bedrooms and a
sliding glass door led out to a small patio. All in all, it wasn’t as horrible
as I thought. I guess upperclassmen had the better pick when it came to dorm
rooms.

“Hey,” I heard yelled from one of
the bedrooms. “Callie, if that’s you, you better get your ass in here and get
your shit out of my room. I’m not letting you take over my closet again this
year.” I wasn’t sure how to reply, so I stuck my head into the room, my eyes
landing on a girl with auburn hair, creamy white skin, and an array of
freckles.

Her green eyes widened when she saw
me and she covered her mouth. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” She jumped to her
feet, walking over piles of clothing that basically covered every inch of
carpeting. “I’m not normally
that
big of a bitch. You must be, Adelaide,
the new roomy. Welcome, sorry it’s such a mess, but you’re probably going to
have to get used to it with Callie around. I really have no idea why I agreed
to live with her again. I’m Zoey by the way.”

“Oh, please. You know you love me.”
I spun around and came face to face with a perky looking girl who had curly
chin length blonde hair and was dressed head to toe in pink. And when I said
head to toe, I really meant head to toe. Even her hair had streaks of pink
running through it.

“Hi! You’re obviously Adelaide, I’d
recognize you anywhere. I loved you on Unrehearsed; now those other two that
you hung out with, not so much. I was so surprised to see you listed as our new
roommate. I figured you were off at college with Madison and Marley.”

“Surprised is putting it mildly,”
Zoey piped in blandly. “More like bouncing off the walls with glee, I’m
surprised she hasn’t asked you for your autograph yet.”

“Well, it’s not like I’m a
celebrity or anything, and the show’s been over for two years, so not too many
people recognize me anymore, but thanks. You can call me Della by the way.”