Randi parked her car in the empty driveway and climbed out of it, downing the last of her coffee as she closed the door. She could already feel the caffeine working it's magic on her. The yawns that had been forced out of her since she woke up had already stopped, and she was feeling way more alert. She tossed the cup into the trash as she passed it and made her way to the door. As soon as she opened it, she could hear yelling from the living room that had to be her brother and his friends. She stepped in, kicking her shoes off, and walked over to the door.
"Brandon? Mom and dad are out?"
"Yeah, they had to go meet some people." He barely looked her way, too focused on the video game that he and his friends were playing. The other two... Josh and Pete, was it? She couldn't keep all of Brandon's friends straight.
"Very descriptive. Did they say when they'd be back?"
"By dinner."
"Okay. I probably won't be here, gonna go to Sarah's place."
"You can let mom know," Brandon said, turning to actually look at her this time. "She freaked when you went MIA yesterday."
Randi grimaced. "I didn't go MIA," she said. "I told her I was seeing my friends."
"And then you fell asleep there. If I had done that I'd have gotten grounded..."
Doubtful, Randi thought. "I'll let her know." She left the kids to their game and made her way to her room. She still wasn't used to it, even with it feeling more familiar now. She could remember picking a lot of the furniture and decorations out with her mother. She sighed, picking out some clothes. She settled on a tank top and shorts. She could wear her bathing suit underneath. She really wanted to shower, but if she was going to be swimming then it would make more sense to shower after...
She groaned and decided to have a quick shower, and she could take another later to get the chlorine off. It wasn't like she wasn't used to that. A shower after morning practice, another in the evening after a second practice of the gym. She cleaned herself quickly and then dressed in the bathroom. Done with that, she tossed her clothes in the hamper and headed to the kitchen for a snack and a drink. Some carrots and water sufficed. She knew her mom would freak if she knew she had a bagel in the morning. It was a stark contrast to Randy's experience. He had needed to bulk up, to build muscle. Miranda needed to stay fit.
While she ate, she texted her mom to let her know her plans. She promised to be home at a reasonable hour and chalked the gathering as cheerleader stuff. Unsurprisingly, her mother was thrilled and okayed it. The entire conversation had the backdrop of the boys yelling, and with her communication with her mom done she focused on that.
"Shut up," Brandon said.
"I'm just saying, your sister is hot. Like... top 10 in the school for sure," Pete said.
"What I wouldn't do..." Josh added.
"Guys, seriously, shut the fuck up. I don't want to hear that shit."
Neither did Randi. The idea that the freshman were into her... no, that any guys were into her? That was too much. She shuddered, trying not to consider what the young guys might have done with her in mind, and headed back to her room. She checked the time and it was just past 1. She would entertain herself for a bit and then head out to get Delia. She fired a text off to Jade, asking if she'd want a ride too. Jen and Karyn lived close enough to Sarah to not need one, Trinity hadn't been all that receptive to invites like that, and Nadine...
She figured her own way out.
Jade responded, accepting the offer. That made things easier. It would take that little while longer and allow her to leave her house sooner. She wanted to get this meeting over with, figure out what they were doing, and deal with all this crap.
