Hanging By A Moment
Chapter 3
It had been a week since Carla had nearly gotten crushed with the piano, and she hadn’t heard of or seen Noah anywhere.
“So have you heard from Noah at all?” Chris asked her one night while she, Ross, and Emily were at dinner at his and Peter’s house.
She chuckled. “Oh my God! You guys are worse than Renee!”
All three of them turned to look at her and she rolled her eyes. “Okay maybe not, but still.” It was true…Renee was crazy when it came to these things, but it came with the best friend category. “No. I haven’t. But I mean…that is to be expected, right? All I gave him was my name. How is he supposed to find me like that?”
Peter shrugged. “It’s kind of a big name around here….”
“I didn’t tell him I was a Compton. I just said my name was Carla.” She said quickly. She sighed. “I would rather not have everyone judging me because of our last name and the fact that we own three quarters of the businesses in this town. I want people to judge me for me…not Mom and Dad.”
Ross cocked an eyebrow. “You know…you’re going to have to call them at some point.”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t have to do anything, except have dinner with my family tonight and then go home and call Renee.”
Chris glanced at Ross and then sighed. “Carla…”
“Just stop, Chris. I don’t have to do anything. They don’t decide my actions anymore.” She drank her water and then shrugged. “I know I can’t avoid them forever. But I can sure as hell try. They made my life miserable, all because I wanted to study theater.” She paused. “I mean, come on, Chris! You had it worst of all!”
He eyes clouded over, as he thought about the way his parents reacted when they found out he was gay and moving in with Peter, and he nodded. “I know. And I don’t want to talk to them any more than you do. But they gave me a job…and because of that, you have a job.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well hopefully I will be in a musical soon so I won’t have to be working there.”
“What…you don’t like working with your big brother?” Chris teased with a smirk.
She laughed. “Not when he is my boss.”
Ross shook his head at his sibling’s reactions and continued to help Peter cook. They did this frequently, both the family dinners and the sibling squabbling, so they were all used to it. What they weren’t used to was the sudden noise that screamed through the house as all three of the Compton’s siblings phones rang.
They each reached for their phones. “Hello?” Then they went into work-mode.
Carla: “Mom?”
Ross: “Dad”
Chris: “No we have no comment at this time.”
Peter and Emily watched as the three of them spoke and soon Carla was running for the tv.
“You can see behind me the horrible fire that broke out at one of the many factories owned by the Compton family. It was nearly twenty minutes ago when a sudden fire broke out and the building caught fire. At this time firefighters are still attempting to put this fire out, but it looks as though this is a terrible fire that has broken out on this once beautiful night. No word on what the Compton family plans to do about this, as they are refusing to comment.”
No one spoke as they let the news sink in and they finished their phone calls. Then they sat for a second, watching the news broadcast on the fire. It looked terrible, and while they had enough money to get past it, they weren’t sure what would happen with their parents…this was big.
Suddenly Carla gasped. “Oh my God!”
They all looked at her and then saw her pointing at the screen. “Carla? What’s going on?”
She gaped as she watched paramedics load an injured firefighter into an ambulance. “That firefighter.”
“I know…it’s terrible.” Emily nodded.
She shook her head. “No you don’t understand.” She paused as they all stared at her. “That’s Noah.”
The boys’ head immediately went back to the screen, and then they stood. “We have to get to the house, Carls.”
She sighed. “Um…I will meet you guys there.”
“Carla! We need you.” Chris said quickly, grabbing his coat.
She nodded. “I know! I said I will meet you guys there, okay?”
She pulled her coat on, and then quickly pushed past them into the hall. Ross leaned out the door after her. “Carla! Mom and Dad will be angry.”
“They’ll get over it!” She said as she walked into the cold night and ran for her car.
“So have you heard from Noah at all?” Chris asked her one night while she, Ross, and Emily were at dinner at his and Peter’s house.
She chuckled. “Oh my God! You guys are worse than Renee!”
All three of them turned to look at her and she rolled her eyes. “Okay maybe not, but still.” It was true…Renee was crazy when it came to these things, but it came with the best friend category. “No. I haven’t. But I mean…that is to be expected, right? All I gave him was my name. How is he supposed to find me like that?”
Peter shrugged. “It’s kind of a big name around here….”
“I didn’t tell him I was a Compton. I just said my name was Carla.” She said quickly. She sighed. “I would rather not have everyone judging me because of our last name and the fact that we own three quarters of the businesses in this town. I want people to judge me for me…not Mom and Dad.”
Ross cocked an eyebrow. “You know…you’re going to have to call them at some point.”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t have to do anything, except have dinner with my family tonight and then go home and call Renee.”
Chris glanced at Ross and then sighed. “Carla…”
“Just stop, Chris. I don’t have to do anything. They don’t decide my actions anymore.” She drank her water and then shrugged. “I know I can’t avoid them forever. But I can sure as hell try. They made my life miserable, all because I wanted to study theater.” She paused. “I mean, come on, Chris! You had it worst of all!”
He eyes clouded over, as he thought about the way his parents reacted when they found out he was gay and moving in with Peter, and he nodded. “I know. And I don’t want to talk to them any more than you do. But they gave me a job…and because of that, you have a job.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well hopefully I will be in a musical soon so I won’t have to be working there.”
“What…you don’t like working with your big brother?” Chris teased with a smirk.
She laughed. “Not when he is my boss.”
Ross shook his head at his sibling’s reactions and continued to help Peter cook. They did this frequently, both the family dinners and the sibling squabbling, so they were all used to it. What they weren’t used to was the sudden noise that screamed through the house as all three of the Compton’s siblings phones rang.
They each reached for their phones. “Hello?” Then they went into work-mode.
Carla: “Mom?”
Ross: “Dad”
Chris: “No we have no comment at this time.”
Peter and Emily watched as the three of them spoke and soon Carla was running for the tv.
“You can see behind me the horrible fire that broke out at one of the many factories owned by the Compton family. It was nearly twenty minutes ago when a sudden fire broke out and the building caught fire. At this time firefighters are still attempting to put this fire out, but it looks as though this is a terrible fire that has broken out on this once beautiful night. No word on what the Compton family plans to do about this, as they are refusing to comment.”
No one spoke as they let the news sink in and they finished their phone calls. Then they sat for a second, watching the news broadcast on the fire. It looked terrible, and while they had enough money to get past it, they weren’t sure what would happen with their parents…this was big.
Suddenly Carla gasped. “Oh my God!”
They all looked at her and then saw her pointing at the screen. “Carla? What’s going on?”
She gaped as she watched paramedics load an injured firefighter into an ambulance. “That firefighter.”
“I know…it’s terrible.” Emily nodded.
She shook her head. “No you don’t understand.” She paused as they all stared at her. “That’s Noah.”
The boys’ head immediately went back to the screen, and then they stood. “We have to get to the house, Carls.”
She sighed. “Um…I will meet you guys there.”
“Carla! We need you.” Chris said quickly, grabbing his coat.
She nodded. “I know! I said I will meet you guys there, okay?”
She pulled her coat on, and then quickly pushed past them into the hall. Ross leaned out the door after her. “Carla! Mom and Dad will be angry.”
“They’ll get over it!” She said as she walked into the cold night and ran for her car.