I know, I know. Everyone wants me to update my other stories again, but I haven't had computer access today except for these five minutes, so you can't yell at me. All of my stories are save don a hard drive, but I typed this up on my iPod. Anyway, this is something new I want to try out. I hope you guys like it.
"Clarissa, dear! We are so happy to see you." My mother threw open the front doors before I could even raise my hand to knock.
"I'm glad to see you, too." I laughed as she enveloped me in a giant bear hug, rocking us back and forth in the process. Even though she was as petite as me, Jocelyn still stood a good four inches taller.
"Where's your boyfriend?" My stepfather, Luke, grumbled as he slipped past us to get my bags out of the taxi.
"For the last time, Simon is not my boyfriend. And his flight isn't scheduled to arrive until tomorrow afternoon." I hurried down the steps to pay the rugged looking cabbie before Luke could shove a wad of cash in his hands. It earned me a scowl, but I simply kissed his cheek as I grabbed my purse and Duke's cage out of the backseat.
We all went inside and placed my things on the guest bedroom, which used to be mine, but now doubled as dad's office. I hadn't called this room my own since I had left for college nearly three years ago. Of course I came home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, occasionally New Years or spring break, but I spent most of my time visiting friends who had chosen to remain local.
"So, have you made any big summer plans this year kiddo?" Luke finally smothered be in his burly arms right before he ruffled my hair. My real father died over seas when I was only two, so Luke had been my father figure for most of my life. They never had any kids once they had gotten married, but Luke never made us feel like Jonathan and I were anything less than his own.
"Nope. I want to take it easy this last summer before I graduate and I have to become a real adult." I explained as I bent over to let my adorable miniature pincher out of his carrier. I scratched his chocolate brown ears lovingly as he looked around the room in excitement. His trimmed claws still made scratching noises on the hardwood floor as he darted down the hall.
"Well, there's nothing wrong with that, sweetie. Besides, you'll always be my little girl." Dad gave me another half hug before marching after Duke and insisting that if he even thought of peeing on anything, then he would become an outside dog permanently.
"Do you plan on working anywhere this summer? I don't expect you to pay rent or anything; I just figured it would be good spending money. Of course, you still have to do a few chores around the house." Mom pondered out loud as she straightened up the paintings on the wall. I recognized them as a few of my earlier pieces from around freshman year of high school.
"I was thinking of lifeguarding again, actually." The pool across town had always been our main hangout when I was growing up and I worked there every summer from the time I turned fourteen.
"Lifeguarding, Clary, really? Aren't you a bit old for that?" My mother wagered as she finished tidying up the room for probably the hundredth time.
"I'm only 23. Besides, I'm sure Mr. Baker would love to see me again." I began to unzip my bag and unfold all of my clothes, hanging them neatly in the closet.
"Well, I'll leave you to unpack everything. Dinner will be at six o' clock." She started down the hallway humming one of her favorite tunes when I heard her velvet voice call out. "Rebecca drove down to see Simon for awhile. You should go visit with her and the kids."
Rebecca was Simon's older sister. She was in her late twenties now and happily married, but every once in awhile she'd fall into a depression. It was a lot more frequent when she was still living with their alcoholic mother, but Simon and I still checked up on her every few months.
After I had unpacked everything and set up Duke's bed and toys in the corner, I threw myself down on the bed. A deep sigh left my lips, making me realize for the first time in a long time how tired I was. I was attending college to become a physical therapist assistant for veterans, but it had taken a bigger toll on me than expected.
Normally I would just spend the summer down south on campus, but something kept driving me to come home for once. Things hadn't changed much, but then again, a small town never does.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love this place, but it just wasn't for me. Growing up, I liked that I knew the entire place like the back of my hand and that everyone knew everyone. Now I wanted to live in the city or somewhere completely new and full of adventures. A fresh start. For a few more months, though, it was fine to take a walk down memory lane.
"Mom, I'll be back before dinner." I called out to her in the den as I tugged on my sneakers and slipped out the door. The chilly night air was beginning to nip at my skin and I tugged on the sleeves of my worn cotton jacket. I thought about going upstairs to throw on a sweater, but I was far too lazy to walk three blocks and do that.
I took off down the sidewalk at a leisurely pace, taking in the familiar surroundings as I went. Kids were playing in their front yards, girls playing hopscotch on the sidewalks and boys racing each other on hand me down bikes. Elderly were reminiscing on front porches in rocking chairs and swings that were older than I was. Dogs barked wildly as they chased cats up trees and birds sang from overhead.
If I closed my eyes, it was like I was ten years old all over again. I heard a loud squeal and opened my eyes in curiosity. The gates to the pool area were locked, but a handful of teenagers were splashing and running around fully clothed. I shook my head at them, recognizing one as the head of maintenance's son Sebastian who I hadn't seen since he was in junior high.
One boy in particular stuck out to me. He was possibly the most beautiful person I had ever laid eyes on in my entire life. Everything about him was golden. His skin. His hair. His eyes. He was absolutely breathtaking. I felt his eyes land on mine and I blushed briefly before glancing away. Before I could I caught a knowing smirk morph his lips around a cigarette and he shifted the girl that was sitting on his lap.
"Nice ass!" One of his friends catcalled, making me regret changing into a pair of black yoga pants when I got home. I simply turned around and flipped him off. A chorus of laughter erupted around him and he glared at his friends, but grinned back at me. "Anytime, baby. Anytime."
"Fucking pigs." I muttered. Sure I had been a hormonal teenager once. Hell, I technically still was, but not even I was that bad. And I had definitely been your average rebellious outcast, trust me.
"Aunt Clary!" I turned away from the hooligans and spotted two of my favorite little boys running down the sidewalk.
"Michael! Christopher!" I shouted, scooping the twin four year olds up in my arms. "I've missed you guys so much. Where's mommy?"
"She's inside with Grandma making snicker doodle cookies." Chris wiggled out of my grasp and started tugging on my fingers. "Come on! Let's go play in the backyard."
"Okay, okay. I'll race you." Before I had even finished my sentence the identical toddlers ran off, throwing open the wooden fence. I laughed to myself at their excitement and followed closely behind, only pausing to look back at the pool next door. Blondie was the only one not swimming. Instead his eyes bore into mine as he took a long drag of his cheap cigarette.
Returning home certainly was going to be interesting.
So, there we have it. This was mainly a starter chapter. Very short and bland filled with basic information so y'all aren't confused. If you want me to continue on with it, then I'll make sure the chapters are around 3,000-4,500 and they'll definitely be a lot more interesting. I'm starting to realize I have this thing for age difference relationships, which explains a lot about myself.
Anyway, feel free to please review of PM your opinions and if I should continue on with this. I've been known to give sneak peeks and spoilers to those who are sweet to me. (; Thanks for reading!
-ThatHippieChick