Chapter 1
Today was the first day of my summer vacation. My sister, Tory and I flew to Malibu, California to stay at our family beach house. When Tory turns 21, she will be able to have the beach house as her house. Lucky Duck! She is actually turning 21 during vacation so we thought we might as well celebrate here. I was only two years younger that her. As soon as we landed from Knoxville, Tennessee we started packing our bags. We just moved to Knoxville two years ago after my dad was offered a job there. While I started to unpack, Tory turned the radio on and blasted it to 102.7 KIIS FM.
"Omg, Tiffany! I love this song!" she said and started dancing along to the song.
"You are so weird!"
"You're just jealous that you're not as good of a dancer as me."
"You wish!"
"What-ever."
"So after we get done unpacking, what are we going to do?"
"We should probably go grocery shopping. After that we can head to the beach."
"Awesome. Now would you stop dancing and start unpacking, please?"
"Fine. You are such a party-pooper though."
"Hey, I just want to go to the beach, like a normal girl."
"True that, sister!"
"Please do not say that again. You are so uncool."
"Oh, Please!"
"Just finish packing."
She finally stopped talking, and set all of her belongings in her room and bathroom. After 10 minutes of neatly organizing our things, we made a list for the store.
"Are you ready?" she asked while spinning the keys with the keychain around her index finger.
"Yeah, you got the list?"
"Yup."
"Then let's hit the road."
We then got in the car and headed to the local Trader Joe's. We returned back in less than an hor and placed all our items in the refrigerator, pantry, and freezer. After that, we got into our bikinis and had everything ready for the beach. Luckily there had not been a lot of people because it was a school/business day and it was still in the afternoon. Once we got there, we lied our towels down on the sand, put tanning lotion on, and ready to get a tan.
"So are you excited to turn 21. You will be an official adult. "
"Yeah I know which I'm excited about. And you're growing up too. 19. Yeesh! I remember when you were so small and looked up to me."
"I still do. You got a perfect job, a soon-to-be-house, and a great car. You're life seems perfect."
"Trust me. It's not perfect. It's hard out here in the real world.
"Yeah, I know unfortunately. Oooh look 2 hotties, 4 o'clock.
"Ooh. Where?"
"I just said. 4 o'clock."
"Ooooh! Total hotties."
"Omg! They're coming this way."
"It's okay. Just act cool and follow my lead."
I watched as she got up and "accidently" ran backwards into them. It was pretty funny to see her performance. She was actually acting very well. Maybe she should be an actress. I saw one of the guys, grab a hold of her shoulders so she wouldn't fall.
"OMG! I am so sorry!"
"It's okay. No worries."
I quickly jumped in, trying to "play along".
"I'm sorry. My sister can be a klutz sometimes. Come on, Tory. Let's stop bothering them."
"You're not bothering us. Hey, I'm Eric. This is my friend, Jonathan."
"I'm Tiffany. This is my sister, Tory."
"Well Tiffany and Tory, We are going to barbeque for lunch. Do you guys want to come?"
Tory and I glanced at each other and quickly smiled. "Sure." Tory answered, a little too quickly and I couldn't help but giggle.
"Alrighty then. Let's go."
Tory and I left with Eric and Jonathan and followed them to their beach house. It was actually just a few yards away.
"Wow. This is your house?" I asked, completely surprised.
"Yeah. We share it with two other guys though." Eric said
"Still. It's huge! I don't know it's just. Wow." I replied.
They both laughed and showed us around. Then, we walked back out to their back yard that faced the amazing view of the ocean. They had a fire pit with chairs surrounding it. We all sat down and enjoyed the view while talking. A couple minutes later, Eric and Jonathan when to get us some drinks.
"Wow. They have it way better over here." T mentioned.
"Totally." I said, amazed.
"Jonathan is so cute! And did you see Eric looking at you? He is totally into you!"
"Same with you!"
"Shh. They're coming."
"Here are your Dr. Peppers." Jonathan said while handing us our drinks.
"Thank you." We both said.
"So do you guys live here?"
"We have a beach house but we live in Tennessee." Tory said.
"Oh." Said Jonathan, who seemed sad all of a sudden sad.
"But, when she turns 21, she will be able to live here if she wants. She turns 21 in 3 weeks" I said.
"Really? Happy early birthday!"
"Thanks."
"Are you going to celebrate?" Jonathan asked, very interested in her answer.
"Tiffany and I were just planning on going out to dinner and hanging out at the beach. But the plans might change."
"That sounds fun!" Jonathan replied.
"Yeah. And Tiff is turning 20. in exactly 5 weeks."
"Wow. Your birthdays are right next door. That must be fun to celebrate both close together." Eric said.
When I first spotted the guys, Eric caught my eye. OMG! He is just so darn cute! He was tall, skinny and muscular, and so adorable. I could definitely tell that Jonathan would be Tory's type of guy too and boy was I right.
"So do you guys live here permanently?" Tory asked, making me come out of my little daze.
"Yeah. We moved here about 6 months ago."
"Hey you said you live here with two other guys, right? Where are they?" I asked.
"Yes and they went to Florida for two weeks."
"That's cool. So now that we told you how old we are how bout you tell us your guys' age."
"Well, I'm 22." Jonathan said.
"And I just turned 20." Eric said.
"How did you guys become friends?" Tory asked.
"Erik and I were neighbors when we were younger and I guess we just became friends as years passed."
"That's awesome. So you guys are really close?"
"Yeah."
"That's awesome." Tory said
"That's like you and I, T." I replied.
"Yeah, you're right."
"Well we better be going. Shall we meet you here tomorrow?" I said
"Awwww!" T said, frowning.
"As you can tell, she can act like a little girl some times." I said, laughing.
"Hey!" T exclaimed.
"I think it's kind of cute." Jonathan remarked.
"Aww. That's so cute. Well I guess you two could chat. I got to go home and make dinner. Thanks for inviting us over! It was a lot of fun."
"Why don't I come with you and help cook."
"Okay. Sounds good to me. Actually while I do dinner, you guys can stay here or whatever and then I can just call you when it's ready?"
"Sounds like a plan, sis."
"Okay. See you guys later." I said
"Bye." Jonathan and Tory said.
Eric and I walked slowly to our beach house, enjoying the beautiful scenery: the sun setting over the ocean that's surrounded by multicolored clouds.
"It's such a beautiful evening tonight. I miss coming down here."
"So you used to come down here a lot?"
"Yeah. Before we moved to Knoxville, we actually lived in a small town near here."
"That's interesting!"
"As in a good way or bad way?" I asked.
"Good of course."
"Okay, just making sure."
We made it and I let him inside, showing him the bathroom in case he would need to use it later. "So, does Bow Tie Pasta sound good with rolls and green bean casserole?"
"That sounds delicious!" he said, and I laughed.
"So do you always cook?" he asked.
"Yeah, if I'm not doing photography, or drawing, I'm usually in the kitchen trying to make new recipes. How about you?"
"I took cooking classes when I was younger and have enjoyed cooking ever since. Although I can't say I'm a good cook."
"Well, I guess we will find out tonight."
Eric and I got out all the ingredients and prepared the food. I made the pasta while he was making the casserole.
"So what is your favorite food?" he asked.
"Hmmm. That's hard. I really like French toast.
"Really?
"Yeah. Why do you look so shocked?"
"It's just that French toast is my favorite, too."
"Oh, that's cool we sure have a lot in common. How's the casserole coming along?"
" It's going okay. I'm sure that it wouldn't be as good as yours though."
"I bet you're wrong."
"I guess you'll just have to wait for yourself. Then you'll see."
I just started laughing. "You shouldn't be so unconfident about you and your skills." I stopped what I was doing, got a spoon out of a drawer, and came to where he was standing and took a bite.
"Wow. That's really good!"
"You're just saying that."
"No I'm not. Try for yourself." I gave him a spoon and had him try it.
"Yeah, I guess it's alright."
"Alright? Seriously, you need to give yourself more credit."
"I don't want to sound conceited though."
"You're not because if you were, you would be showing off. And you are definitely not doing that."
"Okay. Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Let's get back to cooking before it gets late."
"Okay, but I'm going to ask some questions. If you don't mind."
"Go right ahead."
"Okay. Question 1: What is your favorite sport?"
"Volleyball."
"Beach or indoor?"
"Hmm. I like both, but I guess beach, because you get to enjoy the view when on break."
"Good point. What's your favorite color?"
"Purple."
"Why?"
"I'm actually not sure why. I just happen to like the color."
"Next question: In general, what has been your favorite year and why?"
"I would have to say my senior year because of Prom, getting a car, and it was just a fun year to experience."
"Since you are out of high school, are you going to college this year?"
"Yeah, I might be moving down here with my sister. But we will have to see."
"What college or university do you hope to go to?"
"I want to go to UCLA. I mean I have already been accepted there. I just want to be near my parents, too. "I frowned a little, realizing I would have to make a decision soon.
"You're joking right?"
"No, why? Is that a bad place to go?"
"No, no. It's just that that's where I'm going right now."
"Really? That's awesome!"
"Yeah. Okay, ready for the next question?"
"Yes, but this is your last. I want to ask you some questions too." I said.
"Okay, deal. Hmm. Oh. I got it. Will I be able to see you tomorrow?"
"That's a good question. And yes you will be able to see me tomorrow." I said and smiled at the fact that he wanted to see me again. "But there's one exception."
"Which is?"
"You guys will have to come help us. Tomorrow, Tory and I were planning on going furniture shopping and we will need help placing the furniture. We would have movers, but it can be costly."
"Sure. I'll have to let Jon know, but I'm sure he won't mind."
"Great! I'll tell T once they get here. If you want, you can call Jonathan and tell them that dinner shall be ready in a few minutes."
"Okay. Oh, and he prefers Jon over Jonathan."
"Alrighty, then. I'll call him Jon starting now. Do you prefer strawberries, cantaloupe, or watermelon?"
"Watermelon."
"Watermelon it is. I'll go ahead and cut some while the bread is cooking."
He called Jon, and I put the rolls in the oven. Then I got the watermelon out at and started to cut it in pieces. I was cutting the last slice, when I cut my finger.
"Aww, Crap!" I said.
"They should be here in a few minutes. What happen-." He said, stopping his sentences when he noticed the blood gushing out of my finger. "Okay, go put your finger under cold water. Where are your towels and wash cloths."
"Go to the hallway and it's your third door to your right"
"Okay. I'll be right back. Keep your finger under the water."
"Kay."
Thank goodness I didn't get any blood on the fruit. Somehow, it didn't start gushing until I moved my hand to the sink. Within 15 seconds, Eric came back with a handful of towels and wash cloths.
"Sorry if this is a stupid question, but why do we need towels?"
"It's not a stupid question and they're in case all the wash cloths are covered in blood."
"Oh, that's smart!" I said and he laughed.
"Let me get this damp really quick." He said and I moved my wet hand to the other side of the sink.
"Does it hurt?" he asked while draining the excess water out.
"Not really. It just stings a little bit."
"That's good. Okay now give your hand please."
I gave him my hand and watched him wrap the cold wash cloth around my finger.
"Now go ahead and apply pressure to it while I clean up the blood."
"There's more blood?" I asked while doing what he told me. He nodded.
"On the floor and countertop."
"Great!" I said and he washed the counter and then the floor. I moved to my left, leaving him space.
"Thanks for helping me with dinner and my finger."
"No problem. Okay the floors clean again. Now there might bne a spot I missed so be careful. We don't need you to get hurt anymore."
"I'll try not to. I think the bleeding stopped."
"Let me look at it." He said and he gently took my hand and untwined the cloth. The blood was now replaced with pink skin. In a few days it would turn into a scab, which would go away eventually.
As he was wiping the dry blood off my hand, T and Jon came in through the door. They walked through the living room and into the kitchen.
"What happened to you?" T asked me
"I cut myself while cutting up the watermelon."
"Nice job, Tiff!" She said sarcastically.
"Can you get the drinks please?" I asked her. "Thanks for taking care of my finger. I'll go and take these into the laundry room. Tory will get your drink."
"You need any help?"
"No. I'm good, thanks though." I picked up the towels and left the kitchen. Less than a minute later, I was back.
"So what are we having for dinner?" T asked.
"Bow Tie Pasta, Green Bean Casserole, rolls, and Watermelon."
"That sounds and smells really good." Jon said.
I served everyone's food and then sat down with them at the dining room table.
"Mhmm. The casserole is really good!"
"It is. Eric made it." I announced.
"Good job, Eric."
"Thanks. The pasta is also good."
"Thank you. Family recipe." I replied.
"I need to start learning how to cook. This is delicious, sis!" T said and I laughed and then finished my food. I took everyone's plates and put them in the sink.
"Do you need any help?" Eric asked, while following me.
"No, its okay."
"Too bad. I'm going to help anyway." He said and I smiled.
"Okay then, I'll wash. You dry."
"Sounds like a plan."
We were halfway done, when T and Jon cam in.
"Need help?" Jon asked.
"I guess you could sort them. T, can you put them away?"
"Sure."
We all worked together and were done in five minutes. Then we all sat down on the couch with drinks in our hand.
"Oh Tory, tomorrow Eric and Job are coming with us to the furniture store."
"Yeah, Jon told me. I can't wait."
"Oh. Now that we are finished with dinner, did you guys want to watch a movie?"
"Sure. But we should probably head home after." Eric said.
"Okay, what movie do you guys want to watch?" I asked them.
"How about the Hangover?" T asked
"Alright. Is that okay with you guys?"
"Yeah. I love that movie!" Eric replied.
"Me too. It's one of my favorites."
"Same here. I'll go put it on and then make some popcorn."
I got the DVD from a shelf and put it on. Then I went into the kitchen and put the popcorn in the microwave. While I was waiting I got two bowls; one for T and Jon, and one for Eric and I. The microwave beeped and then I separated the popcorn evenly, or at least I tried to. I went back into the queit room and handed T's bowl to her, and Eric ours. I moved to the spot next to Eric and got a handful of popcorn. Half way through, I started to get tired and I guess Eric noticed.
"If you want, you can put your head on my shoulder."
"Uh, thanks." I said and quietly moved and set my head on his shoulder. I guess I'd fallen asleep because Eric tapped me and my eyes flew open.
"Hey the movies over. What time do you want us to come over?"
I got up and scratched my head and thinking of a time. I looked around to find Tory, but she wasn't in the room.
"Where's Tory?"
"She's in the restroom. Why don't you guys talk about it and then you could text me."
"Okay sounds good. Here, go ahead and put your number in my phone. Do you want me to add mine to yours?"
"Yeah that would be great." He said and we exchanged phones. I put in my number and then gave it back to him. He soon gave mine back. "Now pictures." He said getting ready to take a picture.
"I think it would be better if we do that tomorrow when I don't have bags and my hair doesn't look like a mess." I said while point to my messy hair. He laughed and I swear he murmured saying something that sounded like "You look beautiful to me."
"Okay, but I'm holding you onto that." He said.
I giggled and then started walking to the front door. I was about to speak when Tory interrupted me.
"Hey, have you seen my phone?"
"No. Where did you have it last?"
"Well, I remember putting it on the coffee table. And then..Oh I must of left it over at your house. Do you think I could go over really quick and get it?" she asked looking at Eric.
"Sure. Well we better get going since Jon is out of the bathroom."
"Okay, thank you so much! Tiff, aren't you going to put your shoes on?"
"No, we're just going to their house."
"Yeah, but you never know what's in the sand."
"Oh, alright. I'll go get some flip-flops on. I'll be right back."
"Hurry up." T said.
"I will." I said as I ran up the stairs, put on my shoes, looked in the hallway mirror, and then went back downstairs.
"Okay, I'm back. Let's go."
Jon was back so we headed outside. Once Tory locked the door, we started walking. Soon enough we were there. Jon opened the door for us to go inside and I waited for Tory in the living room.
"I have it. Let's go."
"Umm..If it's okay, can we discuss the times now. I mean we're all here in the same room" I asked the guys.
"Sure what time do you two normally wake up?" Eric asked.
"I guess it depends. On weekends we normally wake up around 8:30 to nine." Tory replied.
"How long does it take for you to get ready?" Jon asked.
"Probably an hour or so. Is ten okay?" I asked.
"Sounds good enough to me." Eric said.
"Yeah, that's fine." Jon added.
"Well then. I guess we'll see you guys then." Tory said.
"Alright. See you guys tomorrow" I said
"Bye" said both Eric and Jon.
We hugged goodbye and then left. We made it back to our house around 10 o' clock. Tory and I locked up the house and went upstairs. I changed into my pajamas and climbed into my cool bed. Soon after I fell asleep.
