Chapter 44

We arrive back home in one piece and open the front door to find everyone seated in the kitchen, even Lauren. Cue the eye roll.

My mom rushes to me as soon as I enter, with Andy and Hannah not far behind her. After they greet me, I see Knox standing beside my mom with his arms stretched out, waiting for a hug from me.

I smirk at him and walk over to give him a hug. As soon as I make contact with him, he wraps his arms tightly around me and lifts me up, making me laugh and struggle for air.

“Okay, you can put me down now! I’m too young to die from lack of oxygen,” I plead, gasping for air. I’m pretty sure I’m turning purple. I can feel my head pounding.

“Fine! I don’t want you to die...” he rolls his eyes sarcastically.

“You must be Alex?” I turn my head to face the blonde-haired girl, a.k.a. Miss USA. You would know with that fake smile on her face.

“Yeah, hey! You must be Lauren? Nice to see you again.” NOT! Wipe that fake smile off your face, Barbie.

“Yes, that’s me, or Miss USA. Have we met before? I’m so sorry, I don’t remember.” The tone in her voice is very convincing, but I know it’s fake.

I’ve dealt with this type my whole life, trying to befriend me to get to my brothers and their friends. This situation is all too familiar to me.

“Uh, yeah. I met you at my stepdad’s gala in New York two years ago.” Everyone has gone quiet, listening to the two of us.

“Oh, were you that girl with braces?”

“Nope.”

“The girl with bad skin?”

“Nope, try not to hurt yourself with all that thinking,” I smirk, throwing in a dig of my own.

“I was—”

“The girl with the red tight silk dress with one slit up her right leg and a low back, red lips with long brown hair flowing down her back, and the black bag that you constantly kept dropping....” Knox cuts in.

He surprises me with the most accurate description of me that night. How did he remember? I give him a skeptical look as to how he remembered. His cheeks start to flare up a shade of pink and he looks down at his feet.

“Yeah, that... that was me,” I say slowly, trying to figure it all out.

“No, I’m sorry I don’t remember you,” she denies sweetly but not convincingly enough, making my head turn back to face her.

She remembered me, I know she did. But whatever, I don’t have time to play these childish games. I move around her to get to the table to get some snacks.

“I’m so hungry from all that running,” I smirk down at the bowl and I hear a few chuckles behind me. I cup my hand and put some goldfish into it to eat.

I turn around and see Adam waving at me so I walk over to him and give him a big hug, making the other two and Lena hug me too. I’m still in my bikini.

Casting a sidelong glance, I notice the back door standing wide open, the pool beyond it beckoning me with its cool, inviting allure. I glance down at Adam, nudging my head subtly towards the pool, hoping he’ll catch my drift.

His smile broadens, and I turn to Noah, shouting, “Race you!” Without waiting for a response, I sprint towards the pool, diving in and submerging myself completely.

I linger under the water for a few extra seconds, hearing the splash of other bodies joining me. Resurfacing, I wipe the water from my face and look around to see my family and friends, their laughter echoing around the pool.

I spot Eden at the edge of the pool and am about to swim over when Knox scoops her up, holding her securely in the water. Eden’s not a confident swimmer, so she always needs someone to hold her—usually it’s Max or Knox. My mom emerges from the house, Eric wrapped around her, smiling at all of us until her gaze lands on me.

“You, sweetheart, are giving me too many heart palpitations!” she calls out over the chatter around the pool. Ace, Delilah, and Hannah’s parents join them on the deck.

I respond with nothing more than a grin, while we all relax in the pool—except for Lauren, who wears a bored expression on her face.

“Want to come in, Lauren?” Kyle asks, his polite tone at odds with his expression.

“No, I’m good. I just got my makeup redone. Thanks,” she replies, her tone snobbish as she checks her nails.

“Knox, I made dinner reservations for tomorrow night. I’ll have the driver pick you up first, then me. Alright, babe?” she coos, trying to sweet-talk him into dinner. I can’t help but giggle, catching his attention.

I mime zipping my lips shut, while he shakes his head, trying to suppress a smirk of his own.

“I’m here with my family, Lauren. I’m staying with my family,” he says sternly, not even bothering to look at her. She starts to pout, but he’s too busy playing with Eden to care.

“And don’t call me babe. We’re not dating,” he clarifies, twirling Eden around in the pool. Eden clings tightly to him, while I have Adam on my back and Noah clasping onto my arm.

Then Noah decides to swim over to Andy, and Kyle huffs, annoyed that her attention isn’t on him anymore.

After dinner, all the older kids gather outside on the sofa—the same one I’d shared with Knox the night before. I steal a quick glance at him, and he’s already looking at me, smirking as if he can read my mind.

I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smiling. We all sit around, drinks in hand, relaxing. Knox sits across from me, with Andy and Hannah on either side of me, sharing a blanket.

Lauren left before dinner, thank God. I was tired of her moping and sulking because the attention wasn’t on her—it was on all of us kids.

“Let’s play a game! We all ask one question, and everyone has to answer! If someone is lying and gets called out, that person has to take a shot,” Andy suggests. No one complains, so we start the game with Andy, since it was her idea.

“Alright, celeb crush! Mine’s Zac Efron,” she declares, folding her hands over her chest as if picturing him. Hannah and I purse our lips, nodding in agreement that he is indeed hot.

“Megan Fox!” Kyle announces. As everyone shares their celeb crush, it gets to Knox, who says, “Margot Robbie.” I have to agree with him—she’s goals.

Hannah teases, “Knox Carter,” earning a round of laughter. “Sorry, Knox, I had to! No, but really, mine is Charlie Hunnam.” Andy and I agree, all of us wondering what he’s like in bed.

Finally, it’s my turn. “Hmm...Ryan Reynolds, because he’s funny and hot.”

Kyle’s turn to ask a question. “Let’s see...umm...who was your first kiss? Mine was Becky Claré.”

“Shut up, it was not Becky! It was Stella, wasn’t it?” Tyler interjects, leaning forward with a bottle in his hand.

“Dude, I swear it was! Stella was the same day, but Becky was first,” Kyle defends. I can’t help but roll my eyes, and neither can Andy, earning a round of laughter from the boys.

As we move on to the next person, it gets to Tyler, who says, “Sam Harrison. She was good, too,” smirking down at his beer bottle as if reliving the memory.

“Knox? Yours?” Andy prods, nudging me subtly under the blanket. He clears his throat, leaning forward in his seat, and looks up at her through hooded eyes. “Alex,” he says simply.

Wait, what? Did I hear him right? I blink a few times, as if that will help me replay what he just said.

“Alex who?” Tyler asks for clarification, probably thinking of another Alex in our year. To my shock, Knox lifts his bottle, pointing it at me.

“That Alex,” he says, taking a sip from his bottle and watching my reaction. And right now, I’m not so subtle. I’m sitting there like a deer in headlights, staring at him, blinking in disbelief.

No, that can’t be right. “Bullshit!” I blurt out.

His eyes widen slightly before returning to their original state. He shakes his head. “No, you were my first kiss. In that closet, from seven minutes in heaven that turned into fifteen, thanks to Kyle.”

My mouth hangs open in disbelief. It shouldn’t be a big deal, but I thought he would’ve kissed other girls before me. This can’t be right. I raise a questioning eyebrow, sipping my drink.

“Your first kiss was my sister?” Kyle asks, raising an eyebrow at Knox as he sips his own beer. Knox nods, picking at the label on his bottle, clearly uncomfortable.

“Yeah, she was my first kiss...Hannah?” he diverts any potential questions, and I feel Andy’s eyes on me. I look at her, and she’s smirking, sipping her drink through a straw.

“Chase Richardson, it was so bad,” she laments, her cheeks and ear tips flushed a rosy pink.

“Alex?” Andy teases, her smirk revealing her amusement. I can feel her and Hannah’s eyes on me. I glance over at Knox, who is listening attentively. I know I have to be honest. If I lie, they’ll call me out, and I’m not in the mood for shots tonight.

I lean back into the plush sofa and say, “Knox,” watching him for his reaction. He’s mid-sip on his beer bottle. He pauses momentarily, then continues drinking, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

As he swallows his beer, I see a small smile playing on his lips. He’s still leaning forward, meeting my gaze with a clenched jaw. But he’s smiling.

“Wait! So you were each other’s first kisses?” Tyler probes, and we both nod in confirmation. “Cute,” he teases, drawing out the ‘u’ as he pinches Knox’s slightly pink cheeks.

We look away from each other, a bit embarrassed by everyone’s reactions. Kyle, Max, and Cole all took it surprisingly well, but Andy and Hannah spent the rest of the night smirking at me, trying to catch my attention.

I’ve never stared at Tyler for this long in my entire life. I steal glances at Knox, and each time, he catches me.

More questions are asked, and then all the boys head inside, leaving me alone with Andy and Hannah. As soon as the door shuts, they both turn to face me, and I feel like I’m stuck in the middle.

“Oh my god! You were each other’s first kisses! That’s adorable!” Andy gushes, clasping her hands together and throwing her head back in delight.

“So adorable,” Hannah agrees, her gaze lost in the darkness of the beach.

“How? Lots of people were each other’s first kisses.”

“It’s cute, alright! Just accept it and be proud. Your first kiss was with the sexiest man alive, and you were his. What more could you possibly want?” Andy’s tone is wistful and lovesick.

“Well, it didn’t mean much to us when we were younger. It wasn’t really the best memory for me. I mean, Hannah, you saw how he treated me after it happened. He was such a jerk about it.”

Hannah nods in agreement, munching on the chips on the table in front of us. I lean over to grab some of my own when the boys come back out.

I settle back down onto the sofa, and Andy rests her head on my shoulder. Hannah snuggles up to me too. The boys smile down at us as they pass by, commenting on how cute we look.

“I’m sleeping with you tonight, Al. We need some girl time!” Andy murmurs, her voice low and tinged with fatigue.

“Same, I miss my best friend,” Hannah adds, shifting closer to me.

“What about me?” Kyle pouts at the three of us.

“What about you? Chicks before dicks, Kyle!” I retort, smirking at him. He looks to Andy, hoping she’ll change her mind, but I know she won’t budge.

“Chicks before dicks, Kyle, sorry,” she echoes, backing me up on our little sleepover plan. Kyle isn’t happy, so he glares at me. He can’t keep a straight face, though, and starts to drink from his bottle to hide his smile.

He’s not doing a very good job.

“Sorry, bro, but she’s my girl tonight,” I say, pinching his cheeks. He glares at me again when Brett speaks up. He really should’ve kept his mouth shut.

“You three having a wrestling match I can get in on?” Brett asks, earning a frown from Cole and a smack to the back of his head.

“Ow!” Brett rubs the tender spot on his head and finally quiets down. We all sit around, taking in the night that has fallen. Most of us are tired, but there’s still a buzz of conversation in the cool air.

Looking around at everyone talking and smiling, I realize this is what summer means to me. Happiness. Being with your friends and family.