first chapter to the sequel! let's see how the Oliver kick off their summer in this excellent chapter written by srslyitzcaroline... :)

"Truth and tears clear the way to a deep and lasting friendship."

Gwen's POV

"This isn't fair, this isn't fair, This. Is. Not. Fair!"

I have to admit, this probably isn't the best way to start off our summer vacation. But watching my older sister throw a temper tantrum that would rival our little cousin Peyton's was pure hilarity.

"Allison Jane, you threw a math textbook out a window and it landed on a teachers car!" My mother was at her wits end. Her and Aly had been screaming and yelling at eachother for the past twenty minutes.

What she said is true, you know.

On the last day of school, well, yesterday, when the final bell rang, in all her might Allison threw her math textbook out the window. There was a manly scream, a scream that belonged to Mr. Matica.

If you've put the pieces together, Mr. Matica now has a giant hole in his windshield.

Aly huffed and paced around the room, "Maybe it wasn't my math textbook!" She cried, throwing her arms up.

I scrunched my face at her as if to say, 'is that the best you could come up with?'. She just gave me an angry look in response.

My mother placed her face in her hands and sighed. "There was a note inside that said clearly, 'Allison Jane hates big fat meanie Mr. Matica' and a picture of that poor man."

"A really poorly drawn picture, might I add."

Cue glares from both Aly and Jane.

"Okay...maybe I shouldn't add." I shrugged. Sorry for being helpful and pointing out Aly's bad drawing skills. Maybe if she would have had me drawn it, then she wouldn't have been a prime suspect.

My mother got up off the couch and placed a hand on Aly's shoulder, "You're just not going."

To this, Aly casually tossed her hand away and placed her hands on her hips. Oh, that's nice. "I hate you and everything you stand for."

Silence.

Suspenseful.

I should have brought some popcorn, but instead I'm awkwardly pretending to text.

"...That may be, but I've already gotten the refund as the money is now going to pay for Mr. Matica's new windshield. I suggest you go unpack." With that, Momma Oliver out.

I felt Aly's eyes boring holes in to my head which had been lowered to make it seem like I wasn't paying attention to their heated conversation.

"This isn't fair."

"So you keep saying."

I should probably tell you what Aly's so mad at. Well, the place she is no longer going was a week long summer dance program. They basically dance and choreograph dances and make videos. Apparently it'll help their future as dancers and whatnot.

But she can't go now because she's in trouble and the money that Mom and Dad used to pay for the week is now going to Mr. M's car work.

I'm inwardly smiling right now as she rants about how she can't go anymore.

I didn't want her to go anyway.

"-even cares about his dumb old PT Loser. Are you even listening to me?" Aly was now in front of my face waving her hands all about angrily.

"Yes." I lied. "I totally agree." Like I said, I'm happy that she's not going. This would have been the first summer that Aly and I had not had our annual Venice Beach trip where we go and lay in the sun and I try to get tan and then we go to Pinkberry and she buys me frozen yogurt.

That may or may not have been the first official run on sentence of the summer. Score.

She had told me that we could just go some other day of the summer, but then I pouted and told her it wouldn't be the same.

Haha, now we can go. Insert evil smiley face here.

"So, how about that beach trip?" I grinned up at her and I could have sworn she tried to cover up a smile.

Instead she rolled her eyes and walked towards the stairs, "I guess we'll go tomorrow. If I haven't committed suicide over my dancing dreams being crushed by our insensitive mother!" The last eight words were screamed in the direction of the kitchen.

We heard a curt laugh and a, "Go unpack, darling. I'm sure Gwen will keep you under suicide watch."

That I will, Mommy dearest.

You'd think my parents would be used to Aly's shenanigans leading to punishments. I suppose they are, but I'd never think they'd go as far as taking away a dancing oppurtunity from her. Aside from all their past drinking and chizz, they've always wanted us to succeed in our careers. They would constantly encourage Beck to try out for lead parts or just parts in general, the same with Als dancing and my

artwork.

There is a reason some of my artwork has appeared in our local newspaper, because of my parents encouragement (read: nagging).

But it's just like my sister to bring them down as soon as they get back from their vacation. Yup, they had gotten back just in time for a call from the school.

That's just the best 'welcome back' present ever, eh?

Right along with Allison's stomping up the stairs with such force that she just might crack the oak.

/

"Well, maybe if you didn't decide to throw a book through the window, you wouldn't be unpacking right now."

Aly had told Beck of our mother's 'unfair' decision to keep her home from her program. He thought this was a rational punishment.

And of course Aly disagreed with him. "Ugh! Like mother like son! Of course I knew you'd agree with her!" After that she sort of stormed out. Of her own room.

It confused us greatly, but I figured it was better than her throwing one of us out the window like she did to her text book.

By one of us, I totally mean me.

I don't think she could lift Beck, well maybe if she tried, but normally I'm the one she takes her anger out on.

"Well...I wasn't expecting that." He shook his head and his wild hair was flipped around everywhere.

I scoffed. "How can you expect any less from the queen of drama herself?"

He let out a chuckle and raised his eyebrow. "You didn't want her to go, did you."

It wasn't a question. He already knew what the answer was.

I nodded my head 'no' slowly. "It wouldn't be fun without her. Summer is time for us to spend time together, not for her to leave me..."

I thought about the last sentence. Maybe Aly doesn't want to hang out with me. I mean, she's turning sixteen in like, two and a half weeks. Maybe she's too old for me.

But then again, Beck and his friends are older than both Aly and I, and we all still hang out.

Then again, again, sometimes people grow up in different directions and maybe Aly's going in the 'I don't want to hang out with my little sister' direction.

No. No, we're best friends.

"I guess we'll go tomorrow." She didn't sound so thrilled about it. Last year when she was just turning fifteen she was ecstatic. Although she is in a bad mood today...

This is too much for the first day of summer.

A loud slamming of a car door thankfully brought me out of all my confusing thoughts and I exchanged a look with Beck before he got up and looked out the window. He turned back to me with a half displeased face and rolled his eyes. "Cory's here."

Even more to add to my reasoning with the whole growing up thing. It's the first day of summer (like I've stated many, many times in this internal dialogue.) and she's already invited her boyfriend over.

I was going to say something to my brother, but I didn't even notice he left before I got the chance. Probably going to make sure they don't suck each others faces off at the door.

I walked across the hall in to my room and not two seconds later did the two hormonal teens tromp up the stairs and in to the room I had previously been left alone in.

Oh. No, 'hey Gwen, how goes it?'. Apparently I don't even get a 'hello'.

Gwendolyn Joyce, please. You're being ridiculous. Aly is your sister, she will always have time for you and want to hangout with you. You just called Allison a drama queen not five minutes ago, and now you yourself are being dramatic about this whole situation you've made up in your head.

I need something to bring me out of this wierd mood. I should be happy.

Blah. I'm going to call David.

Be back later.

/

Location? In the kitchen.

Reason? Talking to David on the phone while simultaneously making myself some cinnamon toast.

Why? Because I like eating cinnamon toast with 'I can't believe it's not butter!' while talking on the phone to my boyfriend.

After those three questions that you probably weren't wondering about at all, I have a question of my own.

If this isn't butter, then what is it?

...

I retract that. I don't want to know what it is.

"I seriously don't think Aly's getting tired of you. I've had Austin as a brother my whole life and he still likes to hang out with me occasionally." I had explained to David my possibly dramatic theory about my sister wanting to know his opinion. You can count on him to keep my level headed.

I grabbed both pieces of toast, slapped them on a plate and sat down at the bar, "Yeah, but maybe she's been trying to distance herself from me and I just haven't noticed. Maybe she thinks I'm too immature or something. C'mon, I thought jello shots were just jello. Who doesn't know that?"

Leaving my last question unanswered, I heard David get up off of wherever he was sitting. "Gwen, remember when you thought I was distancing myself from you?"

I do remember. I wish I didn't though. "But you were distancing yourself from me."

"I was trying to give you space. Anyway, maybe Aly's just in a bad mood. You did say she can't go to her dance thing, she's probably grouchy."

I took that last bit in. Aly goes get grouchy like a Gwen on meds when she doesn't get her way.

It doesn't help that when she doesn't get her way, she immediatley goes in to having middle child syndrome.

Middle Child Syndrome: Basically when everyone loves the first child who has all the responsibility, and the youngest is the baby. Middle children will often misbehave to get attention and be less parent-dependent then their siblings. It's common for them to blame or demonize the parents, which my dear sister does all the chizzin' time.

How do I know so much about this? Because Aly takes the time to explain it to me half the time when she's 'demonizing' our parents.

"You should come to the beach with us tomorrow." I asked, without thinking.

It's supposed to be mine and Aly's day, but whatever. She probably already invited Cory, so it's fine. Pffft.

I didn't quite get an answer right away.

I could hear Austin's voice in the background and something that sounded like a hand connecting with an arm. "Ouch, Austin, quit it. Sorry, Gwen, Austin's being a jerk and wouldn't let me up the stairs. What were you saying?"

I sighed. Oh, Austin. When will you stop being a turd nugget? "Do you want to come to the beach with us tomorrow?"

He's pondering. He's pondering and "Uhm, sure. Sounds fun."

"Awesome. I'll text you the deats when I figure out exactly when we're going tomorrow." Score for Gwenny.

Even if Cory isn't, which I'm sure Aly invited him, my boyfriend will still be coming, so ha. I'm inwardly blowing raspberries at my sister who isn't even downstairs right now.

Speaking of whom. Perhaps a nosy little sister should go see what they're up to? I think so.

I tossed the last piece of toast in to my mouth and began walking to the stairs, eventually getting me upstairs and in the hallway, perched outside my sisters door.

"You could have just told me, Aly." That'd be Coco's voice. But...tell him what?

A sort of sarcastic, snortish laugh came next. "Right, because who wants to get close to a girl that spent almost a combined year and a half throwing up everything she'd barely eaten?"

Aly's voice was cracking and I took advantage of her cosmic sniffled to crack open the door a bit. They were standing in the middle of the room, hugging, Aly's two hospital bracelets clutched in Cory's right hand.

So now he knows.

That means they're gonna be closer together...and- and I'm happy for them.

But I need to get my sister back.

Have I even lost her?