I stood in front of my house, squinting against the morning sun, and stared at Cayden, who was leaning casually against his car, a bright smile plastered across his face. I furrowed my eyebrows, silently questioning his sudden presence. Did he really think he could just show up out of nowhere?
"What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady, though curiosity slipped through.
"What do you mean? Get in," he replied, not answering my question. I rolled my eyes. Did he really not get it?
"Oh, you mean both of us?" Amelia piped up from behind me, and I shot her a look, willing her to be quiet. Instead, she smiled brightly and continued, "I mean, you guys go ahead." Her tone was teasing, and I shot her another glare, this one more pleading.
"You know what," she said, stepping closer, "I'll see you in school later." With that, she waved goodbye and walked away, leaving me alone with Cayden.
I turned back to him, who was still smiling, oblivious to my irritation. "You do know we'll be late if we stand here all day," he pointed out.
"Yeah, well, I didn't even ask you to pick me up," I countered, crossing my arms.
"And a thank you would be nice," he replied, still grinning. "But if you don't want to, I'll just leave you here to wait for the school bus."
"Fine, whatever," I said, rolling my eyes again. I reluctantly opened the passenger door and climbed into the car. As I buckled my seatbelt, I glanced over at Cayden, who was still standing outside, an amused look on his face.
"What are you still doing there? Come on!" I called out, feeling a mix of annoyance and inexplicable excitement.
He climbed in, and I caught a whiff of his cologne as he leaned over to start the engine. The car vibrated to life, and as he pulled out of my driveway, I couldn't shake off the weird feeling swirling in my stomach. It was a mixture of nerves and something I couldn't quite place.
"Okay, woah there. Hi, mister trouble," I said, suddenly realizing how close he was, our noses nearly touching. "Aren't you familiar with the word 'space'?"
"I certainly am," he replied, his tone teasing.
"M'kay then, drive," I told him, trying to sound nonchalant as I adjusted my seat. He flashed me another smile before turning his attention back to the road.
As we sped through my neighborhood, I felt the rush of the wind through the open window, the trees blurring past. I missed the comfort of my bed already.
***
We arrived at school in less than ten minutes. The quiet ride was surprisingly nice; I wouldn't trade it for anything. Stepping out of the car, I saw Amelia approaching, a playful smirk on her face.
"Feels nice to finally get to ride in his car, huh?" she teased.
"What does that even mean?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I rode in his car once. No, actually, a bunch of times with this exact same car," she said, her gaze lingering on Cayden, who was now being swarmed by a group of girls.
I narrowed my eyes at her. "What are you getting at?"
Amelia opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say anything, I cut her off. "Look, can we just get to class?"
She grabbed my wrist, pulling me toward the school entrance. "We're going to be late," she insisted, and I followed her, wondering if I'd ever understand this new version of her.
As we walked in, I felt an unsettling sensation wash over me, and before I could shake it off, I turned and faced Levi, the last person I wanted to see this morning.
"Good morning, gorgeous," he said with that infuriating smirk.
I immediately let go of Amelia's hand, but he managed to steal a quick peck on my lips before I could push him away. "You are such an expert at ruining mornings," I said, glaring at him.
"Aww, babe," he replied, that awful smile plastered on his face. "That's not how we say 'good morning,' right?"
"I already had a good morning until you showed up," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm as Amelia tapped my shoulder. I turned to her, and she gestured toward the lockers, signaling that we needed to grab our things before class.
Leaving Levi behind, I followed Amelia to her locker, but she seemed lost in thought. "So, have you thought about going?" she asked abruptly.
I blinked, caught off guard. Last night, during our late-night talks, I had mentioned wanting to go back to the beach. Amelia had dropped a hint about her plans to go there with her brother for a few days, a little getaway from their chaotic family life. The thought of going to the beach this spring break was tempting.
"Amelia, you know I can't just drop everything," I replied, trying to sound indifferent.
"But you said you wanted to go back!" she pressed, her excitement bubbling over. "Tada! Here's your chance!"
I rolled my eyes, even as a smile threatened to break through. "We'll be staying in a beach house, so don't worry," she added, her voice hopeful. "My brother will be there to take care of us."
I looked at her, searching for any sign of hesitation. "I'll think about it," I replied, feeling the weight of her gaze.
Amelia groaned, rolling her eyes dramatically. "You said that last night!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah, but when I said that, I meant I wasn't going to think about it," I said, crossing my arms defensively. "But now that I've said it again, I promise I'll actually think about it."
"Fine," she said, huffing slightly. "But make sure you really think about it by the end of the day, okay?"
"Okay," I assured her.
***
After three classes, we finally made it to recess. I spotted Ethan at our usual table in the cafeteria and waved him over. I had been planning to invite him along to the beach trip, knowing how much he loved the ocean.
He dropped his lunch tray with a loud thud, and I glanced up to see his face twisted in frustration. "Can you believe it? My mom wants to move back to Connecticut and live with her sister!" He looked at me as if I were supposed to understand the full implications of this.
"Are you moving away?" I asked, a sinking feeling in my stomach. I couldn't bear the thought of him leaving; he was a constant in my life.
"No," he replied, but his tone was uncertain.
"Thank God," I muttered under my breath. "But it sounds like you're conflicted."
"I am!" He threw his hands up. "I want to stay here with you, but my mom is pressuring me to go live with her sisterâwho is, by the way, like an evil witch."
"Then just tell her no," I said, my voice a little too eager. "I mean, it's your life. She should respect your choice, right?"
"Sure, she does," he replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, you said you wanted to talk to me about something?"
I hesitated before diving in. "I was wondering if you'd like to come with us this spring break," I said cautiously. "Amelia's planning to go to the beach."
Ethan blinked at me, his surprise evident. "Are you serious?" he stuttered.
"Yeah, why? If you don't want to, just say no."
"No, no, no!" he rushed to say. "I'm just surprised because we haven't had time to go to the beach in forever. You always said no whenever I asked."
Amelia chimed in, glancing between us, "I thought you said you didn't go to the beach because no one wanted to go with you?"
"It's true," I admitted, feeling a little embarrassed.
Now both Amelia and Ethan were staring at me, confused. "Okay, now I'm lost," Amelia said, taking a bite of her apple.
I looked at Ethan and shrugged. "What I meant to say is that your mom probably thought you were busy, so she didn't tell you I wanted to go with you and my family," I explained, trying to untangle the mess of my words.
Ethan nodded, as if finally catching up. "Exactly!" I added, relieved. "I can't believe my mom didn't tell me about that. She knew how much I wanted to go back to the beach, to build sandcastles and swim in the ocean."
"Well, now that you're older, you can come along," Amelia said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "So, what do you say?"
Ethan grinned, and I felt a flutter of hope in my chest. "I'd love to join you guys!" he said, beaming.
"Great! Can't wait!" I replied, feeling the tension ease between us. As we finished our snacks, the weight of my earlier worries lifted. We were headed toward something excitingâan escape from our usual lives, filled with sun, sand, and the promise of new memories.
As the bell rang, signaling the end of recess, I couldn't shake the feeling that this beach trip might be exactly what we all needed.
***
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