Tales From Another Oakland Home (sequel to "The Summer of our Lives), New & Improved Version, chapter 5
The first thing I heard was, "Ladies and gentlemen, American Airlines Flight 1039 non-stop from New York has just arrived in Gate B20." The second thing was "Cassie! There you are!" My cousin's joyful shout was probably heard as far as the next terminal, but she didn't care. "Oh my God, I haven't seen you in... FOREVER!" Chrysti wrapped her arms around me.
"I know. I haven't been here to see you since..." I paused to count on my fingers. "Almost three years. I was eleven. I think." Then I stepped back and looked at my cousin full-on for the first time. "Oh my God!" I exclaimed. "What happened to your hair?" I said this on account of how her short, spiked brown hair had been dyed ebony black, with wide streaks of bright crimson.
Chrysti ran her fingers through it. "Like it?" she asked.
"Love it!" We high-fived each other, then I turned to Liv and Alice, who had been standing awkwardly off to the side. "These are my friends," I said.
Chrysti smiled. "As long as they're not convicted felons, they can crash at the Addams apartment," she said. "So your names are..."
"Liv. Olivia Thompson." Liv stuck out her hand and shook my cousin's.
Alice told her, "María Alícia González. But PLEASE don't call me that; it means Mary Alice in English and I hate it. Just call me Alíce, or just plain Leece. Or Alice." She shook my cousin's hand.
Once the formalities were over, Chrysti pounced. "Sooo...tell me about meeting Green Day! I cannot believe you didn't tell me!" I just shrugged, trying to avoid the whole I-didn't-want-to-because-when-everyone-at-school-found-out-they-went-completely-insane thing. Chrysti steered us towards the baggage claim as Liv launched into how she had won the contest in the mail and we went to their concert. We got our luggage off the carousel and headed for the exit. Our story lasted the whole way to Chrysti's apartment, with Liv and I alternating telling it, Alice interrupting to ask questions, and Chrysti saying, "Holy crap!" in all the right places.
It was about ten when we reached the apartment building. It was a plain-looking brick building in the middle of an only slightly shabby-looking street. Chrysti led us into the doorway and up two flights of stairs. Finally she threw open the door and hollered, "Ta-DA!" We stepped inside and looked around.
Liv let out a low whistle. "Wow."
"Holy crap!" I exclaimed.
"Mi Dios," Alícia muttered in Spanish. "Oh my God."
The apartment wasn't the fanciest one you ever saw, of course. This was my cousin's first place; it was all she could afford. But Chrysti had made it her own, by decorating the little rooms with what she liked best - music. Posters of Green Day, Blink 182, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and bands that even I could not identify were tacked on the plain off-white walls. And Chrysti had scrubbed and scoured every inch of the place - you could tell by how much it shone. There was a pair of curtains in every window. You could really tell how hard she had worked to turn this place into her home.
"Like it?" Chrysti asked shyly.
"Hell yeah!" the three of us responded loudly, before putting our bags down in the tiny guest room. There were four rooms: the kitchen, the bathroom, Chrysti's room, and our room. Our room had a bunk bed squeezed into it and a closet, where we promptly threw our duffel bag and carry-on bags. Pretty soon a mattress was unearthed from somewhere, and we decided to take turns sleeping on it. We hung out for a while, examining the apartment and the building. There was an alleyway off to the side of the building, and a Dumpster to throw all the trash and stuff every night. The neighborhood seemed pretty nice, no stalkers or ex-felons. So basically, it was heaven on Earth for us.
A while later, we stumbled back into the kitchen of the apartment. I was leading my two friends in a spirited performance of "Welcome to Paradise." The sun wasn't shining as brightly as before; it was golden-orange since it had begun to set. I looked at the little clock on the stove. 5:30.
"Chrys, when do we eat?" I asked. "I'm hungry..." I clutched my stomach for the dramatic affect.
"Yeah," Alice said. "It's what, eight thirty back home? We need FOOD!"
Liv nodded. "Seriously. What's for dinner?"
Chrysti just smiled. "For your first night at the Chrysti Addams Oakland Residence, I'm taking you girls out."
"I know. I haven't been here to see you since..." I paused to count on my fingers. "Almost three years. I was eleven. I think." Then I stepped back and looked at my cousin full-on for the first time. "Oh my God!" I exclaimed. "What happened to your hair?" I said this on account of how her short, spiked brown hair had been dyed ebony black, with wide streaks of bright crimson.
Chrysti ran her fingers through it. "Like it?" she asked.
"Love it!" We high-fived each other, then I turned to Liv and Alice, who had been standing awkwardly off to the side. "These are my friends," I said.
Chrysti smiled. "As long as they're not convicted felons, they can crash at the Addams apartment," she said. "So your names are..."
"Liv. Olivia Thompson." Liv stuck out her hand and shook my cousin's.
Alice told her, "María Alícia González. But PLEASE don't call me that; it means Mary Alice in English and I hate it. Just call me Alíce, or just plain Leece. Or Alice." She shook my cousin's hand.
Once the formalities were over, Chrysti pounced. "Sooo...tell me about meeting Green Day! I cannot believe you didn't tell me!" I just shrugged, trying to avoid the whole I-didn't-want-to-because-when-everyone-at-school-found-out-they-went-completely-insane thing. Chrysti steered us towards the baggage claim as Liv launched into how she had won the contest in the mail and we went to their concert. We got our luggage off the carousel and headed for the exit. Our story lasted the whole way to Chrysti's apartment, with Liv and I alternating telling it, Alice interrupting to ask questions, and Chrysti saying, "Holy crap!" in all the right places.
It was about ten when we reached the apartment building. It was a plain-looking brick building in the middle of an only slightly shabby-looking street. Chrysti led us into the doorway and up two flights of stairs. Finally she threw open the door and hollered, "Ta-DA!" We stepped inside and looked around.
Liv let out a low whistle. "Wow."
"Holy crap!" I exclaimed.
"Mi Dios," Alícia muttered in Spanish. "Oh my God."
The apartment wasn't the fanciest one you ever saw, of course. This was my cousin's first place; it was all she could afford. But Chrysti had made it her own, by decorating the little rooms with what she liked best - music. Posters of Green Day, Blink 182, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and bands that even I could not identify were tacked on the plain off-white walls. And Chrysti had scrubbed and scoured every inch of the place - you could tell by how much it shone. There was a pair of curtains in every window. You could really tell how hard she had worked to turn this place into her home.
"Like it?" Chrysti asked shyly.
"Hell yeah!" the three of us responded loudly, before putting our bags down in the tiny guest room. There were four rooms: the kitchen, the bathroom, Chrysti's room, and our room. Our room had a bunk bed squeezed into it and a closet, where we promptly threw our duffel bag and carry-on bags. Pretty soon a mattress was unearthed from somewhere, and we decided to take turns sleeping on it. We hung out for a while, examining the apartment and the building. There was an alleyway off to the side of the building, and a Dumpster to throw all the trash and stuff every night. The neighborhood seemed pretty nice, no stalkers or ex-felons. So basically, it was heaven on Earth for us.
A while later, we stumbled back into the kitchen of the apartment. I was leading my two friends in a spirited performance of "Welcome to Paradise." The sun wasn't shining as brightly as before; it was golden-orange since it had begun to set. I looked at the little clock on the stove. 5:30.
"Chrys, when do we eat?" I asked. "I'm hungry..." I clutched my stomach for the dramatic affect.
"Yeah," Alice said. "It's what, eight thirty back home? We need FOOD!"
Liv nodded. "Seriously. What's for dinner?"
Chrysti just smiled. "For your first night at the Chrysti Addams Oakland Residence, I'm taking you girls out."
