Author's Stuff: HEY GUYS! Yeah, another one. I know you were all dying for it though, so don't worry. I don't own the Jonas Brothers or their songs (all lyrics used IN story are the Jonas Brothers') BUT I do own the plot and every created character. They mean a lot to me, don't take them. ENJOY!!
ONE, Cynthia.
The bitter taste of sea air mixed with the wonderful patchouli smell I had come to love. Mix that with the soft feeling of freshly floured dough pressed tight between your palms and the kitchen counter. That's what I woke up to on my first day of summer. My first day of official freedom.
I rubbed the sleep from my bright blue eyes, scanning the unfamiliar seeming room. Last night came rushing back to me suddenly as I took in my surroundings. It just so happened I was in one of the work hammocks dangling from the ceiling of the loft of Gaston. Gaston was the ancient beach house my family spent every summer at. The loft had been dubbed my room since the summer of 1996. I took in the weathered wooden boards on the floor, the kind that creaked entirely too loud, with a smile. The sun reflected off the pale yellow walls, sending the color all around the room. Memories of summers spent flooded my mind. Summers with my family, summers with Julia. That's when I remembered something else.
My eyes darted to the other hammock, hanging a mere fifteen feet away, to find Julia's sleeping form. This immediately relaxed me.
There was no point in trying to escape from the loft quietly. Good thing for Julia, she was a heavy sleeper. I dropped to the floor, breaking into a stretch. Julia always came to Gaston with us. When you've been friends as long as we have, you do those types of things together. Basically, Julia was family.
The loud slapping noise of my feet hitting the weary boards barely startled her. The only movement made was a simple flip of the hair over the edge of the hammock. I had to laugh at this. Julia and I were completely opposites. For one, she could sleep through anything. And then there was the fact that we looked nothing alike.
There was me, Cynthia Winchester, tall, stretched thin with a full bust and hips, curly blonde locks, and bright blue eyes. Then there's Julia, leaning towards the short side with gorgeous pin-straight brunette hair and deep green eyes. Unlike myself, Julia's curves were generous, but she was not fat. Never could you say Julia Zimmer was fat. Boys loved her, and with the exception of myself, girls envied her. I never really felt the need to; I was always just fine with my looks. And they were seemingly what brought Julia and I together.
I recalled the story to myself as I walked slowly down the three flights of stairs to the kitchen. April 3rd, 1993. There was an ad for those stupid toilet training diapers, and bother our mothers were convinced we would get the part.
Both our mothers were right. But after the one commercial, acting didn't matter to Julia and I. Though we were done with what brought us together, our friendship had only just begun. Fifteen years, still going strong. A friendship like that takes dedication, not that I mind.
"Good morning, Cyn." Amanda's sugary sweet voice broke my concentration. I gave her a quick wave, watching her knead the fresh dough with such ease. Amanda was my step-mom, and I loved her almost as much as my real mother. During the year, I spent my time in New Jersey with my mother. Once summer hit, it's off to Florida, and Gaston. It's always what I look forward to.
"Hey Amanda. Baking?" This was our routine conversation. Every morning at Gaston, I woke up to the smell of something new baking in the country style over. It was one of Amanda's many passions, and she was a brilliant chef.
"Yup, cinnamon raisin bread today." Her reply was soft and delicate. Her gaze never left the dough beneath her fingers. I watched her for a moment, hypnotized by the graceful moves, the way her nimble fingers were trained.
"What time did we get here?" I finally asked, breaking the calm.
"Around three in the morning. Your father and Austin carried you and Jewels to the loft. It was so cute." She mused with a bright smile. This was another tradition. We left for Gaston early morning from Virginia. If we were lucky, we made it there the morning after. Austin, my twenty-two year old brother, always ended up carrying us poor girls to our room.
Suddenly, Julia appeared beside me. Amanda gave her a sincere smile before returning to the task at hand.
"Morning Julie." Even after she just woke up, looking a complete mess from the matted bed head to the rumpled tank top and shorts, Julia still managed to be stunning. She smiled weakly at me, grabbing a mug from the top shelf and pouring her self a generous amount of coffee. "How'd you sleep?"
"I guess good, except my back is killing me. Those hammocks are murder. Please tell me," pausing, she took a long sip, "why we don't just get beds for up there. Nice, comfy beds, with sheets."
"Because, it's tradition, Jewels."
"Well, can't we start a new tradition? With beds?"
"No, the hammocks stay." Since day one at Gaston, when there wasn't enough room to fit every relative, there was a need for a makeshift bedroom for Austin and me. With a single trip to the local patio store, Pop and Nana came home with two ridiculously expensive hammocks and bolted the ends to the ceiling. That hammock was my first safe haven.
"You and your damn traditions." Amanda's head shot up, directing a hard glare in Julia's direction. "What? It was just 'damn'!"
"Just go find somewhere else to chat, girls. Angela is coming today with her nephews, and I still have to make your birthday cakes." Today, June 19th happened to be both Julia and my eighteenth birthdays. Excited was an understatement. Julia and I exchanged knowing glances before leaving Amanda. We walked through the spacious living room to the large glass doors. Pushing them open, you would find the most beautiful part of Gaston, the back deck. Other then the loft, the back deck is my favorite place to be. It overlooked the gorgeous and secluded beach, and after twelve in the afternoon, it was always bathed in sunlight.
"I can't wait to see Angie's little nephews." Julia broke the silence, leaning over the edge of the wooden deck. I simply nodded. I missed Angela like crazy, and she always talked highly of her nephews, but I wasn't in the mood for three screaming boys running around Gaston and ruining my summer. Julia must have noticed my discomfort on the subject. I heard a lighter flicker and looked over as she lit the wick of my favorite patchouli candle. She brought it close to my face, a crazy smile on her own.
"Make a wish, Cynthia! It's your eighteen birthday!" Laughing lightly, I rolled my eyes before faking serious consideration.
"Well, there is that pony I've always wanted…"
"Don't say it dude! It won't come true." I laughed again before leaning in and blowing out the candle. Julia smiled her signature Cheshire cat grin before slinging an arm over my shoulder.
"Baby doll, this is going to be the best summer ever." With one confirming glance, I nodded, our silent agreement more then apparent.
TWO, Cynthia.
"Angie!" Austin's booming voice nearly shook the house as he wrapped his arms around the small waist of his fiancee. Angela waved at Julia and me, still in my brother's firm grip.
"Austin, I love you, but get off. I need to go say hi to the birthday girls." Angela forced Austin off of her, running toward Julia and me with open arms. "Baby girls!" She shouted, sweeping us into a big hug.
I don't get how Austin got someone so perfect. I mean, I love my brother, and he does have freakishly good looks, but Angela was smart, gorgeous, and talented. She could get anyone she wanted. And she settled for a college dropout who worked at a car dealership, but was really "focusing on his music". Whatever that meant.
"Angela Jonas, we've missed you dearly around these parts." My father's voice boomed from down the hall. He entered the room, his presence making everything feel… lighter. My dad had a tendency to make the best situations better. He grabbed her into a quick hug before Amanda joined them.
"I've missed you all so much. And I have something for you two." She reached into her large tote bag, still beaming as she pulled out two envelopes. She handed one to each of us, our names written in violet script. We ripped them open quickly. "I just thought you could use it for shopping or something."
I read the card quickly, no heartfelt message attached, before I looked at Julia. She was already in awe, staring down at the check in her hands. The amount? One thousand dollars. Each.
"This is too much, Angie." She shushed me quickly, turning back to Austin who leaned in to give her a loving kiss.
"Nothing is too much for my favorite girls. Plus, you're eighteen. You need money." She waved us off like it wasn't a big deal. I guess for Angela, it wasn't. The Gregory's were pretty well off. Julia and I took it with a smile, not wanting to be rude, of course.
"So where are these amazing nephews we've heard so much about?" My father finally asked, pulling Angela into a hug.
"Oh, they're still getting the bags."
"Austin, go help them put their bags in the loft." I heard my father say this, but I couldn't believe it.
"They're staying in the loft?" I had shouted this without realizing. It was meant to stay in my head. Everyone in the foyer was looking at me strangely, except Julia, who was, of course, laughing. My father just cleared his throat, placing his hand on the small of my back and leading me toward the kitchen.
"Yes, we'll be setting up three cots up there. With Angie and Austin here, Amanda's daughter coming in a few weeks, there's not a single room left." Cue a huge sigh from Julia, with an added eye roll and scoff for good measure.
"Why don't they just sleep on the beach?" There was the Julia I was waiting for. So I wasn't the only one who didn't want to share a room with a bunch of little kids. Good to know.
"I think I understand," Angela stepped in, raising a hand. "No one told you how old they were, did they?" Julia's head shot towards me, her shoulders rising in a shrug. I just shook my head. No one told us anything, except we'd be spending the whole summer with the boys. We were supposed to be their tour guides, or whatever. "Thought so. Austin, let's go get the bags."
My father turned to me, his face serious and somber. He shook his head back and forth, leaning towards Julia and me.
"You girls will be nice to Angela's nephews, okay? Their names are Kevin, Joe, and Nick. Don't make me regret putting them up there." And with that, he walked away, towards living room with Amanda.
I was pissed. I was beyond pissed. I was fucking pissed. Julia was too, and it was obvious. Her face was bright red as she stood there, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. She kept muttering obscenities, clenching and unclenching her fists. We were stuck babysitting for our whole summer. Not just any summer, our final summer together as teenagers.
Just as I was about to blow up and pull a diva move, the front door opened and Austin walked in, Angela right on his heels. She set down three large bags, most likely filled with toys and other random shit, and sighed heavily.
"They wouldn't even carry their own shit?" Julia hissed in my general direction. I just laughed. At least I'd have her to get me through these next three months.
"Don't blame us."
"Yeah, we wanted to, but…"
"But Austin wouldn't let us." Three different voices chimed from the doorway. Both Julia and I turned, and suddenly my breath was caught in my throat. Three of the most beautiful people I'd ever seen were in my doorway. They looked almost identical to Angela, but male versions. From the wavy dark brown hair, to the bright brown shining eyes, they were basically the same.
Suddenly, my father and Amanda were back in the foyer. His head was moving back and forth at a quick pace as he spoke in hushed tones to her. Julia was the only one who seemed to not loose her voice.
"I'm Julia." She spoke with a soft smile. She was immediately catching the attention of the tallest of the group. He took a step forward, putting his hand out in front of him with a dazzling smile.
"Kevin." He took Julia's well-manicured hand in his own, and I could've sworn she was blushing. I just rolled my eyes. Sure they were attractive, and we'd be spending all our time with them, and… and one of them is staring right at me?
My eyes met his for only a moment before my father's voice took my attention away.
"They can not stay in the same room, Angela!"
"They're well-mannered Christian boys, Robert. They won't take advantage of your daughter, if that's what you're thinking." I felt a heavy blush creep up my face as Julia just giggled, still staring at Kevin.
"It's not my daughter I'm worried about, Angela. I'm worried about your nephews" My father replied through gritted teeth. I'm pretty sure I was red as a tomato right now. Julia's eyes went wide as she slowly turned to look at me, a silent plead in her eyes. Yes, this was really happening.
All three of the boys erupted into a fit of laughter. Even Julia was laughing, but her eyes were still glued to mine. She might be laughing, but she was showing pure panic.
"It'll be fine, dad." Austin finally spoke, reassuringly. Austin knew I wouldn't do anything, but I'm sure he was having his doubts about Julia. "They aren't going to do anything stupid." He began to walk up the stairs, saying something about setting up the cots. Angela followed him, thanking him profusely. My father just sighed, obviously defeated, and walked out of the foyer.
Now it was just Amanda and the guys versus team Cynthia. Julia had moved towards me by now, and by the look on her face, she was either completely embarrassed or super pissed. Amanda just clapped her hands together once.
"Well, I'm going to go start dinner. It seems you five will be spending a lot of time together, so why don't I just let you get acquainted. Alone." And with that, Amanda was gone, leaving us in a very awkward silence. Both Julia and I collapsed on the bottom step.
"I'm Nick." One boy piped up, sticking one hand in the air while shoving the other in his back pocket. Julia eyed him quickly, and then shrugged. I rolled my eyes before standing, outstretching my hand.
"I'm Cynthia." I shook Nick's hand. He grip was much stronger then my own, and his callused fingers scratched against my skin. That was a welcomed feeling. He smiled at me genuinely before taking a step back. I surveyed the boys again. "So if you're Nick, and you're Kevin," I started, pointing to the boy that was previously talking to Julia, "then you must be Joe?"
'Joe', or who I assumed was Joe, was also the one who was still staring at me. How awkward could you get? He didn't speak, just kept looking right at me like I had six heads or something. I guess it was either a big insult, or a big compliment. He was definitely the best looking, but that didn't change how positively creepy he was being. Julia must have sensed my feelings, because she stood as well, squeezing my shoulder to let me know she was right there. Like always, Julia had my back.
"Yes, he is Joe. And he is also awkward. And yes, I'm Kevin." He shook my hand gently. Those same callused fingers. Obviously, these boys were musician. Finally, another family as obsessed with music as my own. My father had his own room at Gaston created purely for his guitar collection. Not to mention the basement, littered with all sorts of instruments and even including a small recording booth.
"Why are you staring at her?" Julia's voice broke through my thoughts as my head jerked in her direction. Her words were for Joe, obviously, who had just now stopped staring at me. Apparently, this was hilarious to the boys, because Nick and Kevin were in a fit of laughter.
Joe simply shrugged. A shrug? That's all I get from him? Julia just sighed.
"So, is he mute or something?" Austin asked, coming down the stairs and placing a protective hand on my shoulder. I loved having a big brother, especially one I can tell anything.
"No, not at all. He usually doesn't shut up." Nick piped up quickly, receiving a glare from the oh-so-elusive Joe. Austin just shrugged. He didn't seem to care about his future nephews at all.
"Okay, well, cots are set up. Show them the way, Cyn." And with that he had disappeared, leaving Julia and me with the dirty work. Julia just sighed again. She didn't seem to be enjoying this much.
"It's up three flights of stairs. You can't miss it." There's the famous Julia attitude again. Man, I loved her. She flipped her hair quickly and turned towards me. "I'm going swimming. Come!" Then she turned towards Kevin again, her smile still bright. "You can come too." And then she was off, skipping up the stairs. Leaving me alone with the Gregory boys.
That bitch.
"Want a tour?" Wow Cynthia, was that really the only thing you could think of? They'd much rather go do their own thing. I could tell Kevin was definitely tempted to go swimming with Julia. Hell, what guy wouldn't? Nick seemed to have lost interest all together, furiously texting away on his cell phone. I just sighed in exasperation, turning around to head upstairs, when someone spoke.
"Sure." I looked back over my shoulder to find out whom the voice had come from only to find Joe looking right back at me, a smirk on his lips.
"Okay," I managed to stutter out, "let me just go get my stuff."
"I'll come." With almost cat like reflexes, he was behind me, climbing the three rickety staircases to the loft. I knocked on the door, just incase Julia was still changing. She yanked it open, her phone pressed tight against her ear as she rattled off a list, fast. She stopped completely when she saw Joe behind me and smirked, her eyebrows rising.
"Mom, I have to go. Just send me that stuff please? Love you." She snapped her phone shut, hooking it on the stringed bottom of her bikini. I turned, expecting to see Joe eyeing her, but he wasn't. In fact, he wasn't even looking in her direction. He was surveying the loft, taking it in its entirety. He seemed to actually enjoy the room, stepping in front of me to get a proper look.
"So we sleep in the cots, but what about you guys?" He asked, spinning around to face us. Julia seemed to be completely shocked by this.
"So, you do speak?" Joe just rolled his eyes. I nudged Julia slightly, hoping she got the message. She threw her arms up in defense, stepping around me and leaving the room.
"We sleep in the hammocks." I replied, walking over to my own. As bad as sleeping in a hammock might sound, it's not. The quilted hammocks hung perfectly with just enough space from the ceiling that you weren't in a panic. They'd been lined with thick blankets brought out every year, and personalized to fit each girls unique sleeping habits.
"Why the hell would you sleep in a hammock?" He looked completely disgusted by the idea. I simply shrugged.
"It's tradition." I grabbed my phone, sliding it into the pocket of my denim shorts and slipping on my flip-flops. "Let's go."