The Richardson List

Sitting on her leather couch, Carter absently flicked through the channels, searching for something half decent that could at least keep her entertained for a while. But as she watched the screen come to life with a news cast to cartoons she couldn’t concentrate on the pictures in front of her.

Flashes of Skye crossed through her mind, interrupting her calm moment as the questions started to make way. What she wondered most was why she always saw him staring at her, Carter Rousseau, the girl who was normally over-looked by most of the teenage population? If people were going to stare at someone it would probably be Melanie Rayne, easily one of the prettiest girl in grade ten. With her blonde hair, streaks of a light blonde and brown peaking through, and her bright blue eyes, she was the object of many boys’ affection.

Or maybe even Audrey, with her confident demeanour and her wavy blonde hair she could possibly score some second looks too. But Carter was the definition of normality, easily blending in with the rest of the world.

Yet why would Sky, with his sky-rocketed popularity, even take a second glance at her?

Sighing she turned off the television, watching as the screen turned black and reflected her confused expression. Hearing the shriek of the telephone she jumped up from her seat, grabbing the phone before it could continue to ring through her mind. “Hello?” she asked, putting on her polite voice in case it was someone for her parents.

“Carter! Come over!” She heard Cole’s demands on the other phone, bringing a small smile onto her face.

She agreed before setting the phone on the charger, grabbing her keys off the counter and walking out the door. Locking the house she wondered why he wanted her to come over so urgently, usually only demanding when he wanted to rant about something.

But she wanted to come, to witness his rants were some of her favourite times. Just watching him pace around the room, muttering profanities under his breath brought a smile to her face. Not because it was troubling him, but just because they were usually small things that got on his nerves.

“Carter!”

Hearing her name being called, Carter looked up to see her neighbour, Parker Daniels, waving at her with a grin. He’d moved beside Carter two years ago but went off to a different school, actually the rival to hers. Sometimes before a big game they’d jokingly rip on each other, boasting how their team would win.

She waved back and stuck her key in her pocket, walking over to him with a smile. “Hey Parker, how’s it going?” she asked, stopping to see he wore his school’s gym uniform which consisted of a grey shirt with the school name, Preston, and red shorts.

He hiked his backpack high over his shoulder, a toothy grin on his face. “I’m off to practice, so at the next football game we can pound you into the ground, of course!” He taunted, causing her to cross her arms and shake her head.

“Are you kidding? We will pummel you! Crush you into the ground and spit where you lay!” Carter countered, trying to growl afterwards with a grin, earning herself a chuckle from Parker at her failure.

She laughed with him, jumping slightly when a car pulled up beside them and honked its horn. Both of their gazes snapped to the waving boy in the passenger seat, also clad in a gym uniform. “Come on!” he yelled impatiently from the window, waving Parker over to the car.

Parker rolled his eyes and smiled. “Well, I have to go,” he said while gesturing to the car waiting for him.

Carter nodded her head and leaned in for a hug, which he returned before jogging off to the red Honda Civic. She gave him a salute as the car drove out of distant, leaving her standing on his driveway.

Well, she thought to herself, off to Coles.



After she’d ring the doorbell, she heard feet thumping on the hardwood towards her, before the door was ripped open to reveal Cole.

“Finally! Took you long enough,” he complained, pulling Carter inside before slamming the door shut.

Repressing the laugh bubbling up inside, she sat down on one of his beige couches, watching as he did what was expected: paced around the room, hands covering his nose and mouth as he kept on. Finally after about a minute or so, he turned to Carter who had an amused smile lingering on her lips.

“Skye Richardson!” he said when he stopped, agitation marked upon his face.

She nodded her head, waiting for him to elaborate. “Yeah, the new kid,” She mused, recalling the boy quite clearly, as he had been plaguing her thoughts for the entire day.

Sitting down beside Carter he sighed, shaking his blond hair. “Yeah, well, I don’t like him,” he murmured, crossing his arms and leaning into the cushions.

Carter let a small chuckle escape her lips as he stared out in front of him with narrowed eyes onto the television screen as if it were Skye himself.

“You were fine with him before,” she recalled, evoking the time when they sat at their table and he brushed off the name so easily.

Cole sighed, the only betrayal to the silent war raging inside his mind.

“It’s not like I’m jealous or anything, I’m not jealous, okay? Definitely not jealous,” he said while looking at Carter to emphasize his point. “But it’s all Lily talk’s about now! Skye this and Skye that, and then I found out was flirting with her! And, I just, I feel like she’s going to break up with me for him.” Looking up at Carter she saw the look in his eyes and hung a comforting arm around his shoulders.

“Come on, look at you,” she tried consoling him. “Out of all the guys, who did she choose?” Carter asked, looking over at him, expecting an answer.

Reluctantly, he answered. “Me,” he mumbled under his breath.

She nodded, a smile threatening to show on her mouth. “And who does she kiss goodbye after school everyday?”

“Me,” he admitted again, his voice growing a tiny bit louder.

Hearing him grow a little more confident Carter retracted her arm back. “And who is she going to kiss tomorrow when they see each other again?” She smiled when she saw him regain his composure.

“Me,” he said a slight smirk slipping onto his lips. “But-” he began, about to propose another argument.

She shook her head, lifting her finger to his lips to stop him. “Not buts, ands or ifs! It is what it is! Got it?”

He sighed and nodded, removing her finger from his mouth. Shaking his head, a smile reappeared on his face as he grabbed a controller that had been left on the carpet. “Okay, okay, but really let’s get to the more important thing at hand: me beating your ass in Call od Duty,” he teased, grabbing the remote to turn on the system.

She gasped and shook her head, reaching for the other controller with a spark of determination on her eyes. “I will crush you!” she threatened, chuckling to herself as anticipation ran through her veins.

Cole set up the game and they both started to rapidly press buttons, mumbling profanities under their breath and cheering at appropriate times. Both were highly competitive and refused to lose, even to the smallest things. Hence, Slushie Drinking Contests. Carter could recall the massive brain freeze that clutched onto her brain afterward, Cole moaning in pain with her.

They tied at that one.

Gun shots polluted the air, a grin finding its way onto Carter’s face as she punched the air, the screen now reading that she had killed Cole. He grumbled something under his breath before he shot at her, now killing her.

When the game had ended Carter sulked, seeing that she had lost terribly. “I’m getting a drink,” she muttered before standing up and trudging to the kitchen, Cole’s chuckles sounding in her ears.

Grabbing a cup Carter searched the fridge for anything to satisfy her taste buds. There was a lot of orange juice, one of Cole’s favourite drinks, but it was also one of her most hated. Finally hidden in the back Carter found a carton of Fruit Punch, something his Mrs. Malloy, his mom, bought for her because she knew how much she liked it.

As she poured the liquid into the glass Carter heard gun shots fill the air. Stuffing the carton back into the fridge she grabbed her drink and ran to the living room to see Cole shooting at her, even though she didn’t have a controller in hand to defend herself. Taking a sip she set the glass forcefully on the end table.

“Hey! No fair! You’re cheating!” she accused him, picking up the controller and falling onto the couch cushions.

About to open her mouth Carter heard the doorbell ring into her ears. Cole paused the game and got up, opening the door to have arms thrown around his neck. “Cole!” she heard a familiar voice follow after a flurry of kisses and blonde hair.

Lily.