Laurie knew that he had to escape the things that went on in home. He had to close off the self that only he knew. He drew a bridge. His home life was different, so he had to keep his St. Michael's Higher Form Secondary life different. Two years ago, his mother was shifted into a mental asylum against his will. Two years ago he gave up the hope of ever seeing his mother again. He kept grovelling to father to bring her back from Christmas. 

But when Father brought back Stacy home on Christmas's eve, a tall blonde woman in her early 30s, hair neatly parted in the middle with two young children, well, Charlotte was as old as Laurie, he also gave up the hope of ever being a family with the people who birthed him into this world.

He was now 15. He decided it was time to only live for himself. He also decided that it was time to become a man. But what was a man in society's eyes? Maybe attending Springview Young Women's Winter Gala being one of the hottest senior girls' date. Maybe drinking alcohol. Maybe dressing only in Louis Vuitton from head to toe. Maybe sleeping with that hot senior girl after the gala on the terrace, or somewhere conveniently safe. Maybe smoking for the first time. Well, he had just started smoking that summer. Maybe he'll try weed for the first time. All in all, Laurie was ready to become a man.

He chose Chelsea. Chelsea is going to set him out into the world as a man. Chelsea would introduce him into the Bronx club, the Old Gentlemen's Club, Dick's Cabaret, The Blue Moon, The Boston Club and the Masters of Knickerbockers. She would initiate him into manhood and she would also be the first girl to suck his dick. Chelsea was tall, petite and beautiful, her long black wavy hair falling gently over the shoulders. Chelsea also had the right knockers. When he first looked at her, he thought that she was a spitting image of Autumn. A girl he couldn't have because Chase is constantly taking her out and there are talks in the coed school they all attend, that it's highly possible that Chase and Autumn would get engaged as soon as they pass out of high school. Laurie kept himself from barfing when he first heard those rumours.

From where he was looking, Autumn would never be caught married to Chase as much as she hates being caught captured in a picture wearing one of those modern, printed patterned flowy dresses. Autumn has taste and she likes Dior, Louis Vuitton and Prada, and she would never willingly wear a dress that's not vintage. Autumn might be dating him for the short term, but she's not in it for a longest time. He can always find that wildfire burning behind her chocolate brown eyes. 

It's everyone else that can't see that Autumn was like a forest fire, and she'll burn everything that rubs against her into the wrong way and reduce everything to flames. One shouldn't teether around her, one needs to know where they're going or where taking her. Autumn likes straightforwardness and direction. That's another thing Laurie learnt spending alone time with her. 

Eventually, that's how they ended up spending a night outside Autumn's house. Something Laurie doesn't like talking about. Laurie wants to keep that night to himself. He probably thinks that all he's gonna get as Chase is always there to distract Autumn. Of all the things Autumn is, she's easily distracted. 

Little does Laurie know, she needs the distraction. Sometimes, Autumn pretends that life is a never-ending freeway and you can drive and drive and drive, as long as you're not falling asleep behind the wheels. Sometimes it's good to let someone else sit behind the steering wheel. That's good enough for Autumn now. Chase is a good distraction. And, if someday he would like to get married, Autumn thinks that she'll think about it.

Laurie won't know one thing though, that Autumn can't stop thinking about not eating food. She had never told this to anyone. Ever since Charlotte and Kent moved in with Laurie, and they were all enrolled to St Michael's, Charlotte and Autumn ended up being thick as thieves. They didn't become fast friends. It was Charlotte who threw a meatball at Autumn's hair when couple of girls gave her the general hazing to let her sit with them at lunch.

When the meatball caressed Autumn's hair and stained the white school shirt that she wore, she turned around to find Charlotte uncomfortably looking at her tennis shoes, and a group of girls laughing at her. A few seconds later, Autumn was fast to respond and she grabbed Charlotte by the hand to the girls' washroom. Inside the girls' washroom, Autumn asked Charlotte to help her remove the chunks of gravy and meatball out of her hair and wash her hair with tap water. After they were done fixing her hair, Autumn asked Charlotte to grab an extra white shirt from her friend's locker given the friend's locker combination. After Charlotte came back and Autumn was again dressed and clean, she stormed off from the washroom without taking another glance at Charlotte's direction.

Over the next couple of days, Autumn continued to ignore Charlotte and Charlotte did the same because the thought of actual apologising didn't cross her mind until weeks later. One day after a game of basketball at the gym, Charlotte yanked Autumn's hand in the same way that Autumn did a few weeks ago and brought her to the gym's girls' washroom and apologised to her in the words of general redemption.

"I'm sorry," Charlotte began, "I didn't really mean to throw food in your hair." She shove her hand in her hair, "It's just. . . those girls from the Drama group. They said that I could sit with them at lunch if I did just one thing." She looks glaringly at Autumn's dark black hair. "They made me do it and I'm really sorry about it."

Autumn was busy closing and unclosing her arms on her chest. "So. . . it wasn't your idea?"

Charlotte shakes her head. "If it was mine, it wouldn't be something this silly." She laughs sarcastically. "I'm capable of causing real harm."

"You mean if it was your idea. . . I would be chopping half of my hair off?" Autumn pouts. "That's what you mean, right?"

"Yeah, totally." Charlotte sucks on her lower lip. "But hey, I really am sorry. That's all I had to say."

With saying that, Charlotte pivots and starts to make her way towards the locker. Autumn coughs next, and then proceeds to talk in a loud voice to no one present there but Charlotte. "If you have nowhere to go, you can come sit with me at lunch."

Charlotte pivots to face Autumn and gives her a genuine, bright smile and then walks back to her locker.

This is how they start to become friends, and also they never really become friends in the 'real sense.' They keep things from each other. Autumn never tells Charlotte about the anorexia and Charlotte never tells her about her hooking up with Chase on the weekends. Like Laurie, they all learn to compartmentalise feelings, situations, school and settings. They sleep around but can't even tell themselves that what they're doing is somewhat morally inhibited.

Well, Laurie takes Chelsea to the SpringView's Winter Gala, and his name is read from a slip of names that was supposed to make it to the final list of the Head Springview Board. The board thinks that Laurie is way too young for Chelsea, and way too young to be introducing her to the society of The Bronx. What they mean is that he's too young for the free flowing booze and the midnight sex on the roof, that the board is well aware of that the youngsters engage in the wee hours of the midnight.

But Chelsea had made up her mind. Chelsea didn't have her mind this set-up till the night before. What Laurie doesn't know won't kill him. Two nights before the Winter Gala, Chelsea was out with Tom at Dick's Cabaret, a college Psychology student who fine dined and romanced her until he took her out to his Camaro. In his Camaro, they made quick, passionate love that lasted no more than four minutes. Chelsea was thankful that a college guy is interested in her. When Tom was dropping her at her house's front door, she promised Tom that she would go to the Winter Gala with him.

The night before Winter Gala, Chelsea gets a call from Laurie and then he sends her a bouquet of a hundred peonies, her favourite flowers in the whole world. In the flowers, there's a card asking her if she'll go out to the Winter Gala with him. Chelsea brings the card to her lips and kisses it. Then she gets on her landline and calls Laurie, and cheerfully says yes to being his date to a Gala where he'll introduce her into the society as a young, respectful and promising woman. They whisper sweet nothings in the phone before hanging up.

At the night of the Winter Gala, after his and her introduction into the society as each other's dates, they get adequately drunk and party well into the night, stuffing their faces with finger sandwiches and white wine. At midnight, they do sneak up to the roof, to only find Charlotte and Chase hooking up together. Laurie is immediately taken aback at the sight of his step-sister's tongue going inside his best friend's throat, but he isn't surprised. He decides that it's best to leave instead and take Chelsea back to his house. At his house, he takes her to his room where they hook up. As they're proceeding to make love, Chelsea lies to him that he's her first. But Laurie doesn't lie to her, she is her first.