The LBD Project
- Cover
- 1 - Moving Day
- 2 - Dear Diary
- 3 - Out Clubbing
- 4 - Bad Timing
- 5 - Unexpected Repercussions
- 6 - Just Good Friends?
- 7 - Surprises In The Night
- 8 - Caveat Emptor
- 9 - Hugs And Kisses
- 10 - Helpful Advice
- 11 - Shortcut Home
- 12 - More Helpful Advice
- 13 - Frogs And Princes
- 14 - Shooting Stars
- 15 - Acceptance
- 16 - 0 to 60 in 5.8 Seconds
- 17 - Epilogue
- Cast
- Comments
1 - Moving Day
Helen is super-duper excited - she has an overwhelming desire to hug someone!
Her Mum and Dad have graduated and they're finally moving out of the tiny house they've been renting on campus. It seems like she's been here her whole life, what with the doctoral thesis research after their degrees. She certainly can't remember anything before moving onto campus.
Her old 'room' had been partitioned off from the only bedroom.
She won't miss it. When she was younger the rhythmic sounds Mummy and Daddy made used to lull her to sleep, but now, "Eww gross, Mum and Dad have sex!"
Their new house is in the old town of Seahouses and not on the modern estate.
At first, Helen wasn't too sure about wanting to live away from the mall, parks, beaches, etc in the 'boring' old town, but the houses up here are full of character and quaint charm - just so long as that's not a colloquialism for 'cold and draughty'. Also, there are old farms and run-down properties to explore, so it may not be too bad.
Given that there are no buses after school-hours and it's such a hike back up the hill (and Dad really doesn't want to be his daughter's taxi service) she managed to get Dad to spring for a car - and then persuaded him to let her add some of her savings. (Latterly, Helen had been going on outings with nerdy Freshers to the campus coffee bars to boost their street cred. As a way of saying 'thanks', they'd giving her old chess tables, pots and exercise equipment they didn't have room for - which she'd then sold on BayTree.) So, she'd been able to get the cute two-seater she'd seen around campus.
The house is just down the road from her grandparent's new shop and across from her uncle and aunt (who have two young children) - so Helen reckons she'll be able to earn petrol money running errands and baby-sitting.
Helen has her own room on the second floor (no more listening to creaking bed springs) and she has her own bathroom (so no more hopping around wanting to pee in the mornings waiting for Dad to finish shaving) and it has a bath ... bliss ... BUBBLES!!!
Her windows over-look the Cassidy's garden; they have three teens about her age - Natasha (the eldest) and twins Nathan and Natalie - they were in their pool while Helen was getting hot and dusty lugging stuff up to her room
... one more thing to pester Dad about! But that's getting off-topic, Nathan in his Speedos made her knees go weak, and later, when he was trimming the hedge, topless in a pair of stylish pre-faded jeans, she had to hold onto the window sill to keep upright!
Perhaps she can get him to help her explore the old barn across the road.
As a reward for getting into private school, after they'd unpacked, she and Mum went clothes shopping. And, as a bonus, (did she mention that just before the Head arrived they both rushed off to their final exam and left her to give the creep the guided tour, cook and serve dinner and schmooze about school?) Mum let her get a LBD (Little Black Dress) as well.
Ummmm ... Nathan has a date with the LBD on Friday night ... he just doesn't know it yet!
Cover