Summary: While Ceecee went on and on with her 'we need to volunteer' speech I kind of spaced out until she said that one word. "Don't think that will be fun Suze?" she asked me anxiously. "Oh yeah, I'm thrilled," I said in reply. The truth was though, I wasn't so thrilled.

Diclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, those belong to Meg Cabot. But the plot, I do own.

Chapter 1: A Perfect Summer… or not

Finally it was the first day of summer. Here in Carmel, California the sun was shining more brightly than usual and the sky was even bluer. Finally, my sophmore year at The Mission was over and I was looking forward to a work free summer.

Well, besides the occasional butt kicking of the paranormal type. But still, all and all it was basically a work free summer.

I went downstairs to the kitchen and was looking for a diet coke in the fridge. But to my disappointment I didn't see any in the fridge. I looked in the pantry and there they all were. "Brad, didn't mom tell you to put more diet coke in the fridge!" I yelled to him from the kitchen. In response I heard the volume of the music he was listening to increase. Marilyn Manson, I thought to myself rolling my eyes. What else is new?

So I put the sodas in the fridge for the boy, but I made a mental note to tell mom when she got home. I opened the warm can of diet coke and poured it in a cup over ice. I felt the satisfying fizziness of the soda go down my throat and took a relaxing breath. I brought the glass up to my room.

I picked up a magazine off of my dresser and went to lay on my bed as I flipped through the pages. There was a headline that caught my eye that said "Need Volunteer Hours?" below they listed suggestions of where you could earn your volunteer credits for high school.

Ha, I thought o myself as I flipped the page. As is I'd spend my summer doing work I wasn't even getting paid for. Sorry, but if anyone wanted little ole' Suzie working for them, they'd have to pay up first. Pay me first, work later.

--V-W--

Then as if on cue the phone in my room rang. I looked at the called ID and sure enough, it was Ceecee. I picked up the phone and said "Hey Cee, what's up?"

"Well, nothing's up Simon," I could tell she was grinning as she said this" Besides, Adam's not even over." I rolled my eyes at her perverted comment.

"Seriously Ceecee, why did you call?" I asked her, smiling, I just couldn't help it. Thinking about her and Adam together, finally boyfriend and girlfriend, brought a smile to my face, no matter how ridiculously cheesy that sounds.

"Well Suze I've been thinking, and we're really lacking in the 'volunteer hours' department for school." She said in as-a-matter-of-fact tone.

Oh great, I thought to myself. I thought I had dodged her whole idea of earning-volunteer-hours-for-school-together-over-the-summer. "Yeah you're right Cee." Then I sighed knowing that her speech, the speech I had heard a gazillion times already was about to leave her lips once more. It would start out something like this "You know Suze, we have to earn 80 hours in order to graduate, and I want to spend the summer before our senior year just doing nothing. Which is why I think we should get as many hours done as we can… Blah…blah…blah…"

So yeah, I admit it I WAS spacing out while she went on with that little speech of hers.

I was thinking about spending every single day of the summer out on the beach. With the sun, the sand, and the sea. The smell of suntan lotion, and the new designer sun glasses I bought specifically for the summer. Plus all those hot, tan shirtless guys that would be at the beach. Their abs glistening in salt water, watching them play volleyball… and surf… plus all the ones in the lifeguard stands….

Whoa Suze, don't drool all over the mouth piece of the phone.

While I was laying on my bed, the phone still pressed up against my ear, thinking about all those hot shirtless guys with their glistening abs. One horrendous word (at least in my opinion) that CeeCee caused me to jump out of my dream-like state of mind and push away all thoughts of hot guys with glistening abs.

"Whoa, hold it Ceecee, you said what now!" I wanted to make sure I had heard her right.

"You weren't listening to me, were you Simon?" Ceecee said in an accusatory, which also sounded kind of annoyed. "Well sorry, I just don't have my own man with glistening abs, granted that Adam isn't much of a surfer, but hell at least he CAN surf…"

"What are you talking about Simon?" Ceecee asked me in a questioning voice.

Crap, did I say that out loud?

"Never mind," I said pushing it out of my brain, hoping she would forget I had ever said anything to. " Yes, I was listening, I just want to be sure I heard you right." My voice was a little panicky, but luckily not so much that she would notice.

--V-W--

"I just said," She replied in a slower tone as if I was some little two year old who was asking her house to spell Mickey Mouse. "That I think we should volunteer at the hospital over the summer to earn hours."

"You mean Carmel Regional Hospital?" I questioned her nervously.

"Yeah Suze you don't sound so thrilled about this-" But I had cute her off.

"Ceecee I DON'T DO hospitals." I said seriously.

"Why not?" she asked in an incredulous tone.

"Just because… Oh never mind." I knew I could never tell her the real reason why I hated that place SO much.

Oh come on Suze, I was really hoping you'd volunteer with me. It would be more fun with you." I could tell by her tone that she was disappointed.

I thought about it for a second, and after she whimpered please about 20 times, I relented, "Okay fine Cee, I guess I'll volunteer with you." I said in an unsure tone.

"But I don't want you to feel forced into doing it, you know, if you really don't want to," she said in a slightly more hopeful tone.

Then, grasping as much enthusiasm as I could possibly muster out of my 5 foot 6 body I said sounding more sure and excited "I'm thrilled Cee, it's going to be lots of fun!"

Yep, loads of fun Suze. Dodging dead people in the place that practically BREEDS them is going to be loads of cotton candy, rainbows, and butterflies full of fun.

"Yes! Thank you SO much Suze, I owe you!" She practically squealed into the phone, I had to hold it at arms length, afraid she'd make my ear drums burst. I don't see why she's SO excited, but she's right she DOES owe me for doing this. "So, I'll call you later with all the details. Bye!"

I hung up the phone with a big sigh full of both relief to have her off the phone and anxiety from knowing that soon I would have to face the place I hated the most, the place that gave me even more problems than I needed, and that filled me with dread for what was waiting behind every door and corner.

I looked down at the magazine I had been reading before Ceecee called and realized that I had been crumpling it, but not just the magazine, I had crumpled the article that was titled "Need Volunteer Hours?" the article I had been reading before.

Too bad I couldn't crumple and trash this volunteer job as easily as I could crumple and trash The Volunteer Article.

Obviously, I wasn't too thrilled about this volunteer thing.

Author's Note

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Constructive criticism, and suggestions are welcome. I will consider each suggestion and see if I can change the plot around a little.

Thanks so much for reading!

Read and REVIEW!

Chelsea