Shiver

"Here's your change, Charlene, don't forget to tell your mom that her orders are coming tomorrow," Mrs. Cooper handed out the money she took from the register.

"I will, Mrs. Cooper," she replied.

"It's so good to finally see you out and about, your mom finally let you go and do groceries ... huh?"

Charlene smiled, "Yeah, I'll be seventeen in two weeks, I think it's about time she let me do some errands by myself."

Mrs. Cooper laughed, "Well ... your parents are just being protective of you ... you're such a fine young lady, no wonder they've been keeping you locked up in that big ol' house o' yours."

Charlene laughed softly and tucked her hair behind her ear, "Alright, Mrs. Cooper, I'll see you tomorrow, then," she took the groceries off the counter and walked toward the door.

Just when she was about to open the door, it was opened from the outside. A boy walked in, ice-blue eyes, strawberry blonde hair, his big nose slightly crooked, and his thick red lips gaping, staring at her, speechless. Charlene smiled at him, "Excuse me," she said and walked past him.

"You better close that mouth o' yours before the flies come flyin' in," Mrs. Cooper broke his astonishment, "Don't even think about it, Tom, you don't go near that girl," she said.

Thomas Raven walked over to the counter, still dazed with what he just saw, "Who was that?" he asked.

"Not of your concern, that's who she is ... now what do you want?"

"A pack of Marlboro Lights." Mrs. Cooper took a pack and put it on the counter.

"That'll be $3.50," she put the numbers on the register. He paid for it. "Shoot! She left her eggs," Mrs. Cooper muttered and took the eggs from under the counter.

Tom grabbed the eggs and ran, "I'll take it to her."

"Hey!! Tom! No! Tom! You stay away from that girl, you hear?"

But he was already out the door chasing the girl with the sweetest smile he had ever seen.

"Miss! ... Miss!" he called out to her. Charlene stopped her steps and turned around. Tom was panting when he got to her, "You forgot your eggs."

"Oh! I did, didn't I? Thank you," she said as she reached to take her eggs.

"Let me carry those for you," he said clutching the eggs.

Charlene hesitated, "That's okay ... I can do it myself," she declined.

"Please ... I insist," he said. He couldn't stop staring at her up to a point where it was uncomfortable for her, "I'm sorry ... I just ... I think you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

She blushed, "Thank you," she shied away from his gazing eyes. "I don't know ... I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," she said. Tom wiped his hands on his shirt and offered her a handshake. "I'm Thomas ... Thomas Raven."

She shook his hand, "I'm Charlene ... Ludlow."

"Well then, we're not strangers anymore ... Charlene Ludlow, you're Bill Ludlow's daughter?" he asked. She nodded. He took a deep breath and realized why Mrs. Cooper had told him to stay away from this girl.

Everyone in Bluebridge knew who Bill Ludlow was, he was the main contributor in town. He was a very successful businessman who used to be a prominent lawyer and a District Attorney. He was very well connected with the town's Mayor and was rumored to run for the Office the following year. "I'd like to walk you home Charlene, may I call you Charlie?"

She smiled, "No one's ever called me that before."

"Perfect, then I get to be the only one," he said as they started walking.

"I've never seen you around before, I'm sure I'd remember you if I had," Tom knew almost everyone in town, especially the girls.

She shook her head with a faint smile, "I don't get out much, ... this is actually the first time I've ever met anyone in town, aside from Mrs. Cooper, she's been our grocer forever, ... do you live around here?"

Tom smiled, "Yeah ... I live around here, just ask anyone, they'll tell you I live around here," he was being vague, he couldn't possibly tell her that he was pretty much homeless.

She furrowed her brows but quickly dismissed it, "Where do you go to school?"

He never felt so nervous being asked that, he never cared if people knew he was out of school, until that day. "I've been working for the past 3 years now," he wasn't lying.

"Really? How old are you?" Charlene was surprised because, despite his boyish look, he might be older than she thought.

"Nineteen, what about you? Are you still at school?"

She nodded, "Yeah, Easton High, I'll be graduating next year."

Of course, Tom thought, where else would Bill Ludlow's daughter go to school. Easton High was the only private school in Bluebridge where all the 'better' kids go to. While the rest of the people go to public schools, which they only had two in that very small town. He knew he was in way over his head with this girl, but something made him kept walking.

"So ... where do you work? What do you do?" she asked.

"Anything ... everywhere ..." he cleared his throat.

She looked at him funny, "That's not fair, I've told you where I go to school, you're walking me to my house, but I practically don't know anything about you other than your name."

Tom scratched the back of his head, "The idea is to keep you talking to me as long as I can ... if you know things about me, you might never want to do that again," he was being honest.

He kept his head down, she stared at him and caught a glimpse of nervousness behind his bold approach. When he looked up, she was caught up with those ice-blue eyes, his boyish frame, his nose, lips, everything combine in breathtakingly good looks, "I highly doubt that," she said with a twinkle in her eyes. If he didn't know any better, he would mistake her comment with flirting.

"Anyways, that means I get to tell you more about me some other time ... like tomorrow?" he was hoping.

She didn't reply to that. As they were approaching the gates of her house, she stopped walking, "I think you shouldn't go further than this ... my parents don't allow me to be friends with boys," she told him.

Tom looked at the big white grand building a few hundred meters from the gate, so out of reach, so intimidating. He looked at Charlie, his heart was melting, "Can I see you again tomorrow?" he had to ask.

She tilted her head as she took her groceries from his hands, "I don't know ... maybe ..." a half-smile curved on her lips, "If you promise to tell me more about yourself?"

He rubbed his hand on the side of his neck, and put the other hand in his pocket, "Okay," he said reluctantly.

She giggled on her way walking backward toward the gate, "Thank you, Tommy, I have to go now ... it was nice meeting you," she walked in through the gate of her mansion and didn't look back.

'Tommy', he never liked it when people call him Tommy, but on her lips, it sounded appropriate, like it belonged there. He knew his way around girls, if she asked anyone around town, she would hear about that too. But for the first time in his life, Thomas Raven felt lightning had struck him straight in his heart, and her name was Charlene Ludlow, the only girl in town he was not supposed to lay his eyes on.

Dinner was served at 7 PM every night. Bill Ludlow liked his meal warm and ready for him when he arrives home. He liked it even better when his wife, Catherine, and his two daughters sat at the dining table, waiting for him to have dinner together. They greeted him with a perfect smile and the courtesy of ladies from an upper-class family.

They exchanged stories of how they go about their day with Bill usually dominated the conversation. He meticulously laid out his plans and rules so each and every member of the family know who's in charge and what they have to do. Obedient is the key to Bill Ludlow's heart, the girls had learned that if they obey their father's rules, they can ask for almost anything.

"I've invited my good friend, Lloyd Friedman to your birthday party, Charlene," her father said.

She nodded even though she didn't know who it was.

"Lloyd is coming all the way from Gastonburry?" Catherine asked.

Bill nodded, "He's coming with his son, Landon, he'll be graduating from Law school in a couple of years ... a fine young man." Catherine kept eating and glanced at Charlene who didn't have a clue what's going on. "Landon will be helping me with my campaign next year, and he'll be working for me at the Mayor's office after he graduates ... given if I'm elected," there was a glow on Bill's face when he said that.

"I think you should spend some time with him at your party, get to know him, after all ... you'll be admitted to the University of Gastonburry next year and he can be your mentor, give you some insights on higher education and campus life," he said to Charlene.

She smiled and nodded, "Yes, daddy."

"I've sent a recommendation letter to UOG for your enrollment next year, the law major there is one of the best in the country ... I'm sure they'll accept you, no problem."

"Law?" Charlene asked.

"Of course, what else would it be? I have the best connection in the world for that line of work, it's one of the advantages of all my hard work all those times, and if you're any good, you get to implement laws and regulations and ultimately change the course of society one day," he explained why it was the only choice for her.

"I was thinking ... I was interested in Film Art," said Charlene and made her father laughed.

"Film? Don't waste your brains on that ... you're way too smart for a minuscule major like that, anyways they don't have Film Major at UOG."

Her mother gave her a look, she knew it was a code to keep her mouth shut. Bill Ludlow decide everything in the household, to argue with him was not an option they have the luxury of. "Don't be silly, Charlene, you can have Film Art as a hobby, but trust me, Law is where you should concentrate your future ... Landon will help you with everything you need, I've met him a few times and that fine young man is not only going to be graduating top of his class, ... he will be suitable." Catherine touched her husband's hand to stop him from saying what he wanted to say.

"I'm sure Landon is a nice young man, and it's always good to have friends when you enter a new environment," Catherine said while signaling to her husband not to impose on Charlene more than she can handle.

"Yes, you're mother's right ... I hope everything is ready for the big day, sweet seventeen ... how time flies, you'll be a young woman in two weeks," Bill said as he wiped his mouth with the table cloth.

The soonest dinner was over, everyone went to their rooms. Charlotte liked to stay in her big sister's room before they go to sleep. She loved watching her sister brushed her hair and slipped into her nightgown.

"I think daddy wants you to marry that Landon boy, Charlene," Charlotte said.

Charlene stopped her brushing and sighed, "I'm too young to marry, Charlotte, I've never even had a boyfriend," she replied.

Charlotte laid down on the bed, "I think daddy wants Landon to be your boyfriend," she commented.

Charlene sighed, "I wish he wouldn't choose everything for me ... I wouldn't mind if I like him, but if not, no one can make me," she said.

"What if he turns out to be handsome, smart, and wonderful? And what if he asks for a kiss?" she asked naively.

Charlene laughed and threw a pillow at her sister, "I wouldn't know what to do," she giggled.

"Would you tell me, though? Tell me what you'd do?"

They laughed and hugged, "You know I tell you everything," Charlene said.

"I met a boy today," she said. Charlotte's eyes widen in anticipation, "His name is Tommy ... he has the bluest eyes I've ever seen ... I'll probably see him again tomorrow," Charlene told her, she was blushing. Charlotte shrieked in excitement. "You should never tell mom or daddy, promise?" Charlene offered her a pinky, she took it.

"Do you like him?" her sister asked.

She smiled, "I don't know ... maybe ... he said I was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen." They both giggled.

"You are, Charlene ... the most beautiful girl in the world," Charlotte said in admiration.

"Oh no I'm not ... you are the most beautiful girl in the world," they laughed.

"A Ludlow girl?? Oh man ... you're out of your mind, bro, there's no way ..." Samuel commented. Tom had been with almost every girl in town, but he never crossed to the other side of Bluebridge where the better halves were living, let alone Bill Ludlow's daughter. "You don't wanna mess with Bill Ludlow, he's got grip on this town, don't wanna know what he'll do to you if he found out you're messing with his daughter," Ryan agreed.

He wasn't planning to mess around with this girl, though, not really. The moment he laid eyes on her, it was a pure attraction. He'd never been attached to anything in his life after his mom left, he learned to mend for himself from such an early age. He explored his sexuality by having casual sex with many girls, but never really have a steady girlfriend before. When he saw Charlene, something inside him felt tamed, withdrawn from his usual wild ways of approaching the opposite sex, it was a feeling he didn't recognize.

His family fell apart after his younger brother died in a drowning accident. Gregory Raven was known to be an alcoholic loser who sold his home and drank himself stupid after his son died, his wife left him for another man. Tom was only 13 when his brother died, and a week shy of his 14th birthday when his mom suddenly disappeared from his life. He didn't quite understand what happened, he just knew that his mother didn't love him enough to stick around and left him with a man who hated him enough that he often beat him up and reminded him of how worthless he was.

He dropped out of school at sixteen, started working odd jobs to survive on his own, slept on people's couches and porches because he couldn't bring himself to go back to the caravan he shared with his abusive dad.

Everyone on his side of the town knew who he was and vice versa. The girls knew that if Tom Raven was fixing their house in the day, chances are, he'll be sleeping on their bed at night. They were more than glad when they see Tom around their house. By reputation, eventually, the girls knew that Tom Raven is not the guy they can expect to commit, but never disappoint when it comes to sex. So when Tom shied away at the sight of Charlene coming into the store, it was a side that his friends never saw before. His face was beaming and immediately followed her into Mrs. Cooper's store. "That's her? Oh wow ... you really are in deep shit!" Samuel joked and laughed with the other boys.

Mrs. Cooper greeted her when she walked in, followed by Tom. "Tom! Oh no, young man! You better go back to where you came!"

He took off his cap, "Oh come on, Mrs. Cooper, I'm just here to help out with the groceries," he said.

"Hey Tommy!" she greeted him.

"Tommy? Charlene ... stay away from him, do you hear me? Your momma's not gonna be happy to know you're hanging out with this boy." Mrs. Cooper looked genuinely concerned.

As she gathered all her mom's orders, Charlene smiled, "That's okay Mrs. Cooper, Tommy's just helping out."

The middle-aged woman shook her head in disbelief. She couldn't believe the odds of Charlene Ludlow's first time out of her house and bumped into Tom Raven at her store.

"How are you, Charlie?"

That awkward question made Charlie laughed, "I'm fine, how are you?"

His friends were looking in through the window, yelling and teasing. "Are those your friends?" Charlie leaned to look.

"Yeah ... sorry 'bout that," he was embarrassed.

"For the love of God, Tom! If you don't tell those boys to behave, I'll go out there myself and give them a good smack!" Mrs. Cooper was at the end of her wits.

"Yes, ma'am, I'll make sure they be quiet ... wait one second, Charlie," he was at his best behavior, unlike his friends. He went outside to talk to them.

"Country boys! They have no manners! Charlene ... dear, these boys are trouble, especially Tom Raven, a girl like you shouldn't be around boys like them ... they're not good for you," Mrs. Cooper took the chance to talk her out of it.

"He hasn't done anything wrong ... we're just talking," she was almost always smiling pleasantly. When his friends were quiet, Tom came back inside.

Charlene made her payment, Tom picked up the bags, and all the while he couldn't hide the eagerness from his face. There was nothing Mrs. Cooper could do when she caught a glimpse of Charlene's eyes when he looked at him. That boy was easy on the eyes, some say Tom Raven was wasting his good looks to be a troubled country boy in Bluebridge.

They walked side by side with more ease this time, followed by his friends' gaze at them until they were far enough away from them. "Why don't you start by telling me where you live?" she started the conversation.

He was prepared this time, even though it means he was risking her to avoid him completely afterward, "My dad lives at the back of the junkyard, near the lumber mill, I stayed there sometimes, but mostly I stayed at my friend's house ... which is also around the slums of Bluebridge ... a place where a girl like you would never visit," he told her somewhat holding his breath.

"A girl like me? That's the second time I heard that term today ... why aren't you living with your dad?"

He took a moment before answering with a somber look on his face, "We don't really get along."

She felt like there was a story behind his answer, but she didn't want to pry. "Tell me, Tommy, what kind of girl am I?" if anything, that term was bothering her.

"Well ... you know, educated, classy beautiful ... don't belong in the slums," he cleared his throat.

"I'm barely out of high school, I wouldn't consider myself as educated ... not yet, beautiful? I don't believe there's no beautiful girl living in the slums ... but then again, nobody belongs in the slums, I think people should work hard and get themselves out of there," she said.

He scoffed, "Smart ... beautiful and smart, that's the kind of girl you are." She didn't reply to that. "How did you managed to stay in for so long that I've never seen you around before?" he was curious.

"Well ... we have a driver who takes me everywhere, and maids who did our groceries, I've just recently got permission to walk to school by myself, and do the groceries, my 17th birthday is coming up and it's only fair that I asked for a bit of freedom," she answered.

Her smooth white skin was glowing under the sunlight, the wind blew her brown hair with strands sometimes tangled over her face. He realized she didn't just look like a princess, she was one. It was a kind of life, Tom had never heard before.

Being dirt poor, he had never known luxury in all his life. He had known the harsh reality of life from being a kid from a family with no means, he knew that labor pays just enough to get by. He had no interest in school, to him, school was just a waste of time and a waste of money that he didn't have. He had been taking care of himself since he was 4 years old, dressed, prepared food for himself, played by himself, slept by himself, to know that there are people who had maids and drivers and not allowed to go out by themselves for 16 years was as foreign as a fairytale for him.

"What do you do for fun, Charlie?"

She took a moment before answering, "I love the movies, we watch movies at home, I love to read, music ... my sister plays the piano, I sing, we have board games at home ... stuff like that, my sister and I used to play hide and seek with the maids when we were little, but ... we're too old for that now."

Tom was half laughing to see how adorable she was when she explained that.

"What?" she didn't think there was anything funny.

"Hide and seek? I'd love to play hide and seek with you," and a lot of other things he had gradually accumulating in his mind.

She laughed realizing how silly 'hide and seek' sounded now that he had mentioned it, "What about you? What do you do for fun?"

Tom pursed his lips and looked away, "I don't think you'd approve of my idea of fun."

She tilted her head to look at him with a grimace, she wasn't sure what he meant by that. "I meant, what do you do around town to have fun ... something that might interest me," she rephrased it.

He took a deep breath, "Okay ... well ... we go out swimming at the lake, me and my friends, ... and then there's dance night every once a month at the community center, everyone in the neighborhood gathered for drinks and dancing, that's where we get to know everyone ... the ladies usually cook and bring food, it's very-boring-small-town-activities, though."

"Really? You know everybody?" she interrupted him.

"Yeah, everybody knows everybody around here ... we also go out camping and fishing every once in a while, I don't like fishing very much but sometimes I go just to be with friends ... you know?"

Charlene nodded, even though she couldn't relate, but the image of what Tom had described was intriguing. Being cooped up in her house all these times made everything sounded interesting. She was being obedient to her father's wishes, but that never stopped her from dreaming of another life that awaits outside of her golden cage.

"Would you like to join us sometime?" he wondered loudly.

"I'd love that ... sometime," she smiled.

When they arrived at the gate of her house, Mrs. Ludlow standing by the gate with both hands on her waist. "Oh no ... that's my mom," Charlie muttered.

Mrs. Ludlow didn't look very happy, her eyes were piercing at Tom. "Charlene ... go inside," she said with a low voice.

"Mom, this is Tom, he offered me to help with the groceries," she tried to explain.

"I know ... you go on inside, I'd like to talk to this young man," she said firmly.

"But mom ... "

"Get inside, Charlene."

Charlie looked at Tom helplessly, but he seemed calm and took off his cap to greet Mrs. Ludlow. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Ludlow," he said with a smile.

"Aren't you gonna introduce yourself, young man?"

"My name's Tom Raven, Ma'am."

She paused for a moment. "You're Gregory's boy?"

He nodded, he knew that was the nail in the coffin for him.

"How old are you, Tom Raven?"

"I'm almost twenty, Ma'am," he said with both hands still holding his cap in front of him.

Mrs. Ludlow nodded, "Listen now, Tom ... I'm just gonna be straight with you, I'm sure you're a nice young man, you have all the time in the world to make a life for yourself ... I'm assuming you don't go to school?"

Tom shook his head and looked down, he knew what he was getting himself into. "My daughter Charlene, has never had a bad day in her life, you know what I mean?" He nodded. "Now, I intend to keep it that way," she added.

Tom didn't have anything to say, he was put in his place. "I appreciate you helped her with the groceries, but this can't go any further than that, do you understand?" she was firm with her words. He didn't respond. "I don't want you coming around my daughter again, Tom Raven, I've heard too much about you to know better, Mr. Ludlow is not gonna be happy if he finds out ... but I'm gonna let it go for now, but I need your word," she insisted.

He took a deep breath and put his cap back on, "Yes, Ma'am."

"Good ... now off you go," she said.

He tilted his cap and walked away. All the things he had done are now coming back to bite him, his reputation had obviously heard by Mrs. Ludlow. He assumed Mrs. Cooper had told her as a warning because she didn't want to lose her most valuable customer over a menace like him. He looked back and saw the massive two-story building, who did he think he was to be dreaming of the beautiful girl who lives in it when he has absolutely nothing to offer her.

*********

"What did you say to him?" Charlene waited for her mom in the kitchen.

Mrs. Ludlow took her apron and put it back on, "I told him what he needed to know."

"Mom?" she whined.

"I heard enough stories to keep you as far away from that boy, Charlene, glad that Mrs. Cooper had given me the heads up about him ... he's slept with half the town is what I heard, he was following you around because you're probably one of the few he hasn't done yet," she warned her frowning daughter. "On top of that, he's Gregory Raven's boy, you don't wanna know who and what that man is."

Charlene was taken aback by what her mom just said, Tommy, didn't strike her as a predator that her mom had assumed. "He seemed like a nice guy, anyway, we were just talking, it's not like we're getting married," she was being defensive.

"Oh yeah, he's nice alright ... he wouldn't have slept with all those girls if he wasn't nice, bright blue eyes, a face fit for a magazine cover, he's a handsome boy, Charlene, and that's all you'll ever get from him ... not for you!" her mother pointed a finger at her. She sighed, nobody ever listens to what she had to say. Everybody always telling her what she can and cannot do, and apparently, who she can and cannot be friends with.

"I told him to leave you alone, and I hope he keeps his words, 'cause your daddy's not gonna like it if he finds out," her mom added.

"Jeez, mom, you didn't have to treat it like a disaster, he was just ..."

"Not for you, Charlene! Now go upstairs and change, and then come back down and help me with dinner."