The road I used to love as a kid now felt like pure torture. It was pulling me away from my best friends and my boyfriend, who I’m crazy about.
We were headed to my mom’s childhood home. Her parents passed away a long time ago, and the house was handed down to her older sister.
Aunt Sheila lived there with her husband, Tom, and their twin kids, Alex and Kimberly. Alex and Kim are a year older than me, both nineteen. They’ve already started their first year at a fancy university and are about to kick off their independent lives.
My parents were being sent on a work trip, some kind of expedition, for almost three months, and they decided to leave me with my aunt for the duration.
“The fresh air will do you good, sweetheart,” Mom said gently as we pulled up to the house.
“Yeah, sure! And so would hanging out with my friends!” I grumbled back. “Almost three months without seeing Dan! I’m freaking out here!” I threw my hands up in frustration. “He’ll probably find someone else by then! He’s never been the patient type. And those fangirls? They’re all over him nonstop!”
“If he loves you, he’ll wait,” Dad chimed in.
“Dad! Guys like you don’t exist anymore! Your kind went extinct ages ago. Just like those mammoths you dig up.”
Dad smirked at that and turned the steering wheel to the right, guiding us down a quiet street that reminded me of Wisteria Lane, the fictional neighborhood from *Desperate Housewives*.
The car screeched to a halt. I lurched forward, smacking my forehead hard against the front seat.
“Watch it! I could’ve hit you!” Dad shouted at a guy who was casually crossing the street on a skateboard, completely oblivious.
Without even glancing our way, the guy flipped us off and pushed off with one foot, rolling away like nothing happened.
My dad is the polite, well-mannered type, so where did a hothead like me come from? Probably Dan’s influence. I’m always having to fend off his endless stream of admirers. He’s a drummer in a rock band that blew up in our town practically overnight.
So, the second Dad parked in front of my temporary home, I bolted out of the car and yelled at the rude punk.
“Hey, psycho! Ever heard of looking both ways?”
He stopped. Guess he heard me!
“You talking to me?” The tall guy spun around.
“You see anyone else on this street?!” I threw my arms out and took a step forward.
He grabbed his skateboard and started walking toward me, fast.
“Chris, watch your tone!” I heard Mom’s stern voice behind me. “Get inside, now!”
“Mom, it’s his fault! And he’s the one flipping people off!”
“I said, now!”
Fine, whatever. The boss has spoken! I obeyed and headed toward the house.
“Hey!” the guy shouted, pointing at me. “We’re not done here!”
“Oh, we’re done!” I hissed back.
“Crystal!” My cousin Kimberly came flying out of the house and tackled me onto the perfectly trimmed lawn. “You’re finally here! I’m so sick of being the only girl in this crew!” She climbed off me and offered a hand to help me up.
Alex appeared on the porch, waving at me before walking past us. Following him with my eyes, I caught sight of that skateboard guy again.
He was standing real close on the sidewalk. Without thinking, I started sizing him up: dark blond hair cut short, green eyes, skinny but tall, as I’d noticed earlier.
He was dressed in gray sweatpants, bright orange sneakers, and a matching gray T-shirt. On his right forearm, there was a tattoo of a skull surrounded by some kind of blurry waves. In his other hand, he held a colorful skateboard, its design looking like a collage of comic book clippings. Alex walked over to him, and they shook hands.
“I called you earlier. There’s a bonfire at the beach tonight for summer break,” Alex said.
“Yeah, I know,” the guy replied curtly.
They both stared at me and Kim.
“What are you gawking at?!” Kim snapped.
I glanced at her.
“You don’t like him either?”
“That jerk? Only two people can stand him: our brother and their buddy Andrew. Come on,” she tugged at my arm, “I’ll show you your room.”
“I get my own room?” For some reason, I thought I’d be bunking with her.
“You even get your own bathroom! Have you seen this house? There are plenty of rooms!” She laughed.
….
My new room turned out to be super cute. Pink and totally girly. I was especially thrilled about having my own bathroom. Dad had already brought in all my stuff. Kim, meanwhile, was sprawled on the bed, trying on my clothes and bombarding me with questions.
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Yeah,” I said, sorting through the stuff she’d tossed aside and organizing it on the shelves.
“Ooh, can I borrow this sweater?”
“Sure!” I smiled.
“Are you still a virgin?”
I wasn’t ready for that one. Honestly, over the past few years, we hadn’t seen much of our relatives, so we weren’t super close. At most, we exchanged Christmas cards and birthday checks. I wasn’t exactly eager to dive into personal topics with her.
“I mean,” she went on, “summer is the best time to, you know, lose it. If you haven’t yet, that is. It’s party season! There’s the bonfire tonight, which we’re totally going to, and in a couple of days, we’ve got our traditional ‘bash.’ Every year at the start of summer, our parents take off for three days for some ‘romantic getaway.’ So, Alex and I throw a huge party. But it’s strictly invite-only!”
“Uh-huh,” I mumbled. “Am I invited?”
I was secretly relieved she’d switched topics from personal stuff to parties.
“Of course!” she laughed brightly. “By the way, I’m still a virgin too!”
Okay… maybe I misheard that.
Guess Kim really does crave some girl company around here.
“Hey, me too,” I said with a warm smile. “Can we not bring this up again, though? It’s kinda awkward for me.”
“Deal!” She threw her hands up. “So, how long have you been with your boyfriend?”
“Since January. Almost six months now.”
“How old is he?”
“Twenty-one.”
“Whoa! That old, and he hasn’t made a move in six months? Is he playing for the other team or something?”
“Hey! Watch it. I’m pretty touchy about that. Girls are already all over him as it is.” I let out a frustrated sigh.
Sometimes, I get so tired of dealing with his fangirls. Dan swears he’s not cheating on me, and I believe him. He promised he’d wait for me, especially since we’ve only been serious for a few months. We actually met online and messaged back and forth for a while. Then, he invited me to one of his concerts at the end of March, pulled me up on stage, and announced to the whole crowd that I was his girlfriend. I melted right there, of course.
He’s only pushed for intimacy once. I told him I wasn’t ready, and he agreed to wait because he loves me.
“Girls?” Dad’s voice snapped me back to reality as he stepped into the room. “Chris, what a great room!”
“It even has its own bathroom!” I pointed toward it, a little too excitedly.
“Come downstairs for some tea. Your mom and I are about to head out, kiddo. It’s a long drive, and we’ve got an early flight.”
We had a nice, cozy family moment downstairs. The adults shared stories from their childhood, about how Aunt Sheila and Mom grew up here. Apparently, Mom was a bit of a rebel back in the day. I find that hard to believe.
Strict? Sure, sometimes. But getting her to loosen up and have fun? That’d probably take the end of the world. Dad, on the other hand, is my partner in crime. We’ve had “popcorn wars” at the movies and competed to see who could blow the biggest bubble with gum. Perfect father-daughter vibes.
***
“Your dad and I love you so much!” Mom said, tucking my hair behind my ears as we stood outside. “Be a good girl, and stay away from that boy!” She nodded toward the guy who’d cut us off earlier. I stood on my tiptoes and peeked over her shoulder. Figures. He lives right across the street.
“Don’t listen to her!” Dad came over and wrapped us both in a hug. “Just keep your head on straight. As for the rest…” He searched for the right words. “Make sure this summer is one you’ll never forget!”
You got it, Dad! Don’t worry, it will be!
“We love you!” Mom blew me a kiss from the car window.
As the car pulled away, my eyes caught the guy cleaning his skateboard. He was glaring at me just as hard as I was glaring at him. Then, slowly, he dragged his thumb across his throat, like he was saying, “You’re done for.”
In response, I flipped him off with a carefree smirk. But I regretted it instantly because he charged toward me.
“I’m gonna take that finger and—” He didn’t finish before someone called out to him.
“Mike!”
He kept staring me down but stopped in his tracks.
“What are you gonna do with my finger?” I growled, daring him.
After a few seconds of wrestling with himself, he turned around and headed back to his house.
_______
Add this book to your library so you don’t miss the next chapter. Follow my page to stay updated on new and exciting stories! This book will remain free until the end♥️!