Two days before Thanksgiving...

[amityville_sweetheart]

Ah, Florida. Warm weather all year long, even in late November. Home of beautiful palm trees, the Mouse, warm, sandy beaches... and bugs big enough to count as the state bird. Ew.

Glancing at the clock, Corrine makes a left at the last light before her sister's house. She'd turned off the heat to the rental car hours ago, and only an hour after that the windows had gone down. It was nice to feel the cool breeze through her hair and not be shivering, but the farther and farther they drove into the warmth of Florida, the more anxious she got. This would be her family's first time meeting Caleb, and his first time meeting them.

If at all possible, she wanted to avoid screaming matches or fist fights, but she had a feeling by the end of the day it'd be inevitable. Just for safety's sake, Corrine had insisted that they stay at the hotel only 20 minutes away. Angela's house was more than big enough to accomodate her and Caleb, but she had a feeling her older sister would probably try and offer them seperate rooms. Not to mention it gave them a place to escape if the family got too unbearable.

Corrine waits patiently at a stop sign before turning into a residential neighborhood. The yards are spacious, every house has two car garages, and there are children playing football in a yard. The driveways are either packed with cars or completely empty, and with a nervous sigh, Corrine pulls the car into the third house on the right.

Turning off the car, she turns to Caleb. "Well, we're here." A nervous smile. "Ready?"

Comments

[outcast-xtras.livejournal.com]

Jennifer rolls her eyes, pulling her head away from her aunt's grip. She scrunches up her nose, giving Corrine an annoyed expression. "Daddy says you're never going to have kids because men know you're too neurotic, and you're gonna get old and be the cat lady. What's 'neurotic' mean?"

[damage-girl.livejournal.com]

Corrine's eyes widen for a moment and she just -stares- at Jennifer. "Er... it's... it means someone who..."

She digs in her pockets, producing the car keys. "There's presents in the trunk. Go, ya little..." The rest is mumbled.

[caleb-z.livejournal.com]

He places an arm around Corrine – a quick embrace to remind her that such statements were, at best an inaccurate appraisal of the situation.

To Angela. “They’re certainly a rambunctious lot, aren’t they?”

[outcast-xtras.livejournal.com]

Angela emerges from the kitchen, a glass of pepsi in one hand and a whiskey sour in the other. She hands the first to Caleb and the second to Corrine before going into the living room and taking a seat on the couch next to Louis.

"Dave encourages the girls to speak their minds. I normally do, too, but sometimes... well." She gives Corrine a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Roary. What they left out was me punching Dave in the arm for that one."

[caleb-z.livejournal.com]

Caleb just looks at Corrine, unsure of what, exactly, to make of things. Deciding that unpleasantness lies down this road, Caleb decides to change the topic.

“You’ve certainly a lovely home, Ms. D'Aubigne. And the neighborhood, is certainly a departure from Kenton.”

[outcast-xtras.livejournal.com]

Well, he knows a compliment goes a long way, at least. And he's a doctor. Not that it's making Angela like him much more.

"Thank you," she says curtly. "Ugh, how I loathe Kenton. What a boring place. And so cold in the winter. Dave actually picked this place, though... too many people for my tastes."