! AMERICAN ! AMERICAN !

( escape from the city )
( a jack schlossberg fic )

THE HALL'S HAMPTONS HOME
hampton bays, new york
august 27, 2024
tuesday
6:30pm

the girls and i had pulled into the circular driveway after a three hour drive. we'd sat in bumper to bumper traffic for most of it before finally getting onto long island.

the house sat on half an acre, and the two-story house stood in a gated community. a huge front yard was surrounded by well-kept flower bushes.

my parents pulled up behind us in their black range rover with a screech.

i unbuckled my seatbelt as soon as catherine parked the car. "finally." i muttered as i got out.

molly, coco and catherine unbuckled and we all got out of the car at the same time. my mom and dad stepped out of the range rover behind us.

my mother was the first to speak, "my goodness," she said as she walked towards me, her high heels clicking on the cobblestone driveway. "you girls are as lively as ever."

i watched as my friends said their hellos to my mom who was dressed in her normal attire - designer clothing, hair done perfectly, full face of makeup. she had obviously been all dolled up to head the functions of her summer clubs.

i had forgotten just how annoying it would be to have my parents there with us. i loved my parents, of course, but i did love my normal vacations with my friends even more.

i reached my hand out to grab our suitcases from catherine's trunk when my dad rushed over. "i'll handle it, just you girls head inside." he said.

"you sure?" i said, it wasn't unlike him to grab the bags but still i wanted to be courteous.

he nodded, "of course i'm sure. go on in." he urged.

as the girls, my mom and i head inside, the girls all except coco looked around in admiration. "we've got to come here more often." molly said as she took in the high ceilings, beachy home esque house.

"wait until you've seen the backyard." said coco. the two girls raised their eyebrows and rushed to the back door, coco and i hot on their heels.

the girls stepped onto the back deck and observed the beachfront backyard. "it's beautiful isn't it?" i said as i looked around as well. i'd almost forgotten how great this house was since it's been so long since i'd come up here.

"beautiful is an understatement." cathy said as she leaned over the deck's railing, a small sigh of contentment escaping her lips.

my father and mother both appeared behind us. my dad clearing his throat to catch our attention. "great, huh?" he said proudly.

"very great." coco said as my mom pulled her into a side hug.

"well i'm starved...so if you kids want to join us for dinner down the street at fuller's." he said referring to the restaraunt, 'fuller's raw bar.'

i looked at the obviously starved girls before speaking for us all, "we're right behind you."

FULLER'S RAW BAR
hampton bays, new york
7:25pm

as we'd already ordered and were all seated together at a table waiting on our meals, the table was filled with an awkward silence.

i could feel my dad's eyes on me, clearly judging me and as soon as i looked up to meet his gaze he swung his head towards my childhood friend, "so coco. what do you have planned for the future?" he asked.

"the future?" she said in a confused tone.

he nodded, "yeah! what's next?"

"that question sure does come up often." i muttered, receiving a glare from my father.

coco looked at me, withholding a laugh before speaking to my father. "well as you know, i got my degree in communications...so now i'm headed into my third year of law school."

"and that's with new york university?" he asked, though it sounded like a statement.

"mhm," she hummed in response.

"and remind me what kind of lawyer you want to be." he said.

a smile came upon her lips, i could tell coco loved speaking about this. "a communications lawyer."

"communications? makes sense." he paused before adding something about me...of course. "you see, i wanted lucinda here to do that. be a lawyer, follow in my footsteps. but we have a georgetown graduate who can't get a job." he said with a scoff.

"seriously? not now and especially not infront of my friends." i said. i felt the sudden urge to want to crawl under the table even though i knew that my friends weren't the judging type in a situation like this.

"all i'm saying is that going the law track would have ensured that you'd have a job. a damn good one too, take me for example. a trial lawyer and you see all i have." he said. "all that i earned." he added.

coco dismissed my dad with the wave of her hand, "and of course i want to thank you for opening your home to me and the girls." she said.

my mother and dad both answered the same thing, "anytime." they said simultaneously before my mother took on the conversation, "and please assure your mother that i haven't forgotten about the lunch. things have been so busy lately-" she started to ramble before coco spoke.

"not a worry, my mom understands. we've known you all far too long to think you ever have a completely free day." coco joked before turning to my dad, "and mr. hall...lucy will be just fine. her writing and work is far too good to be overlooked, trust me. she'll be a fine international correspondent." she said, her words filling me with joy.

"thanks." i mouthed as she sat across from me, she simply nodded.

"i agree. stop thinking of your daughter so poorly." my mother spoke up before bringing her glass to her lips, just to find that it was empty. "waiter!" she called out.

the waiter rushed over, "ma'am?"

"refill?" she said as she held out her empty wine glass, and that was all the waiter needed before he topped off all of our glasses.

THE HALL'S HAMPTONS HOME
hampton bays, new york
11:45pm

it was almost like i was back in highschool, okaying hangouts with my parents, having my friends eat dinner with my parents, having a sleepover with my friends, braiding each others hair and now dancing to the music that played through the speakers that was connected to phone.

"how could i think that all that i gave you was enough?" screamed the four of us, all slightly drunk from the many drinks we treated ourselves to.

molly then lunged to my phone to add a song to the queue, which we were all doing. it worked out perfectly fine since they all knew my password, and i knew theirs. "you have raya?" molly exclaimed as she held my phone.

i let out a small giggle, "yeah. it's not like i ever use it though." she said.

"you never use it? i've been on the waitlist for a year!" yelled catherine, stunned by my confession as she walked over to molly both of them now observing whatever it was on my phone.

"a year?!" i exclaimed, the surprise not hidden in my voice.

catherine nodded. "how long until you got accepted?"

"maybe a week?" i said with a shrug.

"and how long have you had it?" coco asked as she sat on the bed.

"like two or three months." i said as i looked at my phone with them.

"you have to start swiping! for me." pleaded catherine.

i shook my head, "i don't even know why i have it, i prefer to meet people organically." i said as i closed my phone and pulled coco up from the bed to dance to the song. "come on you two, let's dance!" i said.

but catherine and molly both pouted, "this isn't fair," molly cried out.

i looked at coco who gave me a knowing look. we both knew that they weren't going to stop pouting until i swiped. "fine." i said as i reopened my phone and took a seat on the bed. the three girls instantly surrounded me.

"pass." they said in unison as i hit the x.

"pass," they said again.

"wait! he's cute!" said catherine, the other girls shaking their heads in disagreement, causing me to hit the x.

"pass." they said.

"pass." the girls said with a sigh.

"oh he's cute!"

2am

the yes and no game had gone on until just about twenty minutes ago when the the girls had drifted into a deep slumber, yet i found myself totally emerged in the swiping game.

my fingers were still swiping. as my eyes were beginning to get heavy, i could barely focus on who and what i was swiping on.

eventually, i placed my phone on the charger and made my way to join the girls in a deep but much needed slumber.

housekeeping notes!

anyone peep the satc reference??

i am so so excited for this book you guys 😆

i looked it up and apparently it can take four years to get submitted on raya?? so so crazy.

real ones know why i showcased raya on here

our bookie butt is coming soon, promise