Two worlds

Chapter 6: Taking Carter home

Chapter 6

Emma

Ugh. Today I have to take Carter home. I've tried to postpone it for a while now. But if we are going to get the short novel done in time, I have to take him home, we have to work together. It's going to be a nightmare. Ellie is going to be home. I do not look forward to this at all.

By the end of the school day, I'm really starting to reconsider the teacher's offer. Or threat, of letting me fail the class instead of being Carter's partner. Failing is starting to seems like the better option right now.

"I promise I'm going to behave well", Carter says as we all walk over the parking lot. "I am a very well mannered boy".

Lucas cracks up and doesn't seem to be able to stop laughing. I grab my keys and lock up the car. "Just get into the damn car", I hiss, he does what I tell him to. Once he's in the car and closed the door, I turn to the others. "Can you guys stop with this?" I ask irritated. "I don't like him, accept that!"

"Sure, when you accept that you do", Lucas says slyly.

"But I don't! That's the thing, and just because you have a crush on him doesn't mean I have to like him too!" I hiss at him.

I turn around and walk to the driver’s seat of my car. I turn on the engine and the radio pops on. I can't believe this. A Carter song.  As I pull out of the parking spot, I sigh frustrated as I switch the channel. But yet again another Carter song. How can he be this popular? His music isn't even that good. I let out a frustrated sound as I pull out of the parking lot and switch channel again. Another Carter song.

"Really?!" I burst.

I can hear Carter chuckle and I look at him. He shuts right up, I switch channel again. A Carter song.

"This is just getting ridiculous!" I say irritated and switch channel again. Finally. Not a Carter song. I lean back in my seat with my eyes on the road. How can four radio channels all play a Carter song at the same time? I really don't get that. I mean what the frick?

"What did I do?" Carter asks after a few minutes.

"What?" I say.

"What did I do to make you hate me?" He asks.

I sigh. "Okay look, it's not that I hate you", I say. "I just dislike you".

"Why?"

"You know, everyone in this world doesn't like you", I say, not taking my eyes off the road. I try to sound as gentle as I possibly can. 

"Oh, I know that", he mumbles.

"What?"

"Nothing", he says.

Alright?

I pull up on the driveway outside my house. I turn off the engine and turn towards Carter.

"I have to warn you though, I don't like you, but my sister... That's a whole other story, she thinks you walk on water or something", I say. "She's twelve and has her pink walls covered up with posers of you, you can't even tell that the walls are pink anymore, I just know they are because they were before she put up those damn posters". Carter chuckles and I open my car door to go out. I haven't told Ellie that I'm bringing Carter home today. She wouldn't have gone to school if she knew. "I've warned you", I say as I open the door. "I'm home!"

We walk into the kitchen first. I dump my school bag on the kitchen island when passing it while walking up to the fridge and open it while Carter stands in the entrance of the kitchen.

"Don't stand there like a statue dude", I say looking at him from behind the fridge door and he smiles. 

He walks in a few steps.

"Do you want a Coke, lemonade, sparkling water, or still water?" I ask and turn to him again to find him stand like a statue beside the kitchen island. "Seriously man, you're freaking me out, act human!" And so, he puts his school bag on the kitchen island and starts to dance. A goofy dance. I bite my lip not to laugh. I can't let him know that I think he's funny right now.

He bows. "And I would very much like a still water Ms. Adams ", he says.

"Okay that was more of like a clown", I say and take two glasses of water out of the fridge and close the fridge door with my foot.

I put the water bottles onto the counter of the kitchen island. 

"You are going to have to work on being normal dude", I say and toss him his bottle.

He chuckles. 

"Maybe", he says. "But first, I'm going to make you like me".

I snort.

"Then you'll have to try for a very, very long time", I say.

"Emma", I can hear Ellie say. I can hear that she is walking from the hall towards the kitchen. "Who are you..."

When she sees Carter, she freezes. She screams the loudest scream I've heard her scream in my entire life. My ears bleed.

"Elenore!" I say. She stops screaming and looks like she's going to faint. Carter looks at me and I give him a what-did-I-say look. "Ellie this is Carter eh... I mean John", I say. "Cart... John this is my little sister Elenore aka Ellie aka little chick".

"Emma! Don't say that in front of him", Ellie says panicking.

"I think that's really cute", Carter says and walks up to Ellie. "It's very nice to meet you, Ellie, I'm John".

"Oh, she knows who you are alright", I say.

"Don't embarrass me, Emma!" Ellie hisses at me, I bet she wishes that I could disappear right now. Well, I'm not going to.

"We have to go and start on our short novel", I say and take my bag. "So, bye Ellie you can talk to John later".

Carter follows me up the stairs. When we pass Ellie's room I just have to open the door.

"I thought you were joking", Carter says as he sees the walls, every millimeter is covered in posters of him.

"Nope!" I say popping the p. 

"Wow", he says.

"Yeah whatever, we should start working now", I say. "So, you can go back to your fancy life afterward". He looks at me and frowns. I'm not going to apologize. Forget it.

I show him the way to my room. I can't wait to get this over with so I can get rid of him. I don’t know why I don’t like him, or I mean, I do know. It’s like I said before, I don’t want him to think that everyone likes him, just because he’s famous. I don’t even want him inside my house. Is that mean? Am I mean? That, I don’t know.