A/N: Helloooooo everybody my coauthor, (who also goes under the alias Kaytee Jay), and I have decided it's time for us to post another story! We know our other one has yet to be finished…but this one IS finished and we've had it for quite some time, so we figured now is just as good a time as any to post it! We really hope you enjoy, of course reviews cough cough are the best way of expressing this, hehe.
Disclaimer: We, unfortunately, don't own mediator…or Jesse are sad, we only offer our version of the magnificent Jesse de Silva, in hopes that it will be enjoyed as much as the original, phenomenal, novels.
Chapter One
"NO! How can you expect me to leave my life for 2 months? I'M NOT GOING TO THE FREAKING VIRGIN ISLANDS WITH YOU!" I exclaim, running up into my room and slamming the door. Oh, hi I'm Suze Simon, by the way, and my mom is trying to make me go with her and Handy fucking Andy to the Virgin Islands for summer. Do they care that I have a life here in Carmel? Do they care that I have a BOYFRIEND here in Carmel? No. They just think I'll up and leave everything for 2 fucking months so that we can "be a family". No way.
They say I have no choice in the matter, but excuse me, I am NOT leaving Kelly or Debbie or Heather for two months and, oh my god, two months away from Paul would just absolutely fucking KILL ME!
To make my point PERFECTLY clear I stomp around my room for the next half an hour or so until mom comes into my room and threatens to take away all of my privileges and send me to live in Tennessee with my Aunt Barbie if I don't cut it out. Needless to say, this shuts me up pretty quickly.
As if on impulse, I reach for my phone and immediately dial Kelly's number. "Suze, talk to me," she says and I let out the loud scream that's been building inside of me.
"KELLY OH MY GOD I HATE HER!" I scream.
"What did she do now? Threaten to send you to your Aunt Barbie's again?" Kelly asks, and she sounds a little distracted, which means that her boyfriend, Tad Beaumont, must be there with her.
"Kelly, listen to me!" I exclaim, pouting. "The bitch is making me go to the Virgin Islands this summer for TWO FUCKING MONTHS!"
"Wait, WHAT?" Kelly shouts, suddenly very alert, and I hear her doing something in the background, "No, not now Tad, god just put it away! ...Sorry Suze, I'm trying to get my idiot boyfriend to put his dick away. Okay, now tell me what's going on."
I take a deep breath and tell her the whole story, how my bitch of a mother is forcing me to spend the best summer of my life bonding with my fucking family who I pretty much hate to begin with.
You see, Andy isn't my real dad, if you couldn't tell already. 5 years ago my dad died, and a year later my mom met Andy, who was in New York, where I used to live, and suddenly my mom was in love and she married him 3 months later, making me pick up my life and move to sunny Carmel, California. At first I was determined to hate it, but once I got here and started going to school, I made my 3 best friends in the world, Kelly Prescott, Debbie Mancuso, and Heather Mills.
And then, when I started high school, I met Paul Slater. As soon as we met, I was in love. Totally, completely in love. He is just about the sweetest guy in the world not to mention the HOTTEST guy at Junipero Serra Mission Academy.
This made things pretty much perfect for my group of friends, because now we all had boyfriends and I wasn't the odd one out. Kelly was dating Tad Beaumont, who went to Robert Louis Stevenson High School, Debbie was dating Brad, my stepbrother, and Heather was dating Bryce Martinson, who was almost as hot as Paul, but not quite.
"She can't do this, Suze!!!!" Kelly cries and I nod my head in agreement.
"I know! This is awful! It's supposed to be the best summer of our lives!" I reply tearfully.
"You have to run away, you can stay with me, she'll never look here!" Kelly exclaims on the verge of tears.
"I wish I could, Kel!" I exclaim when my call waiting beeps in and I check it, my heart soaring. "Kel, let me call you back," I say and, without further explanation, I switch lines.
"Hey baby," Paul says, his voice oozing sexiness. I'm sure this is unintentional on his part, but it always happens when he talks to me. I've noticed it before. He'll be talking to some of his friends, using his normal voice, and then the moment he sees me, his voice changes to that low, sexy drawl of his that I love so much.
"Hi," I sigh, a dreamy smile appearing on my face. It's like...this has been the most fucked up day ever and just talking to him can make me forget all of that. My anger towards my mother? Gone. My plans to run away to Kelly's? In on ear out the other. My plans to kill Andy with my bare hands? Well...some things aren't so easily forgotten.
"How are you?" Paul asks me and I hear a car beep, which means he's probably out driving right now.
"Better now that I'm talking to you," I tell him, that same dreamy smile still plastered on my face. He chuckles and my heart does a flip inside my chest.
"So, do you have any plans for tonight, gorgeous? I was thinking we could see a movie at the drive in...maybe get a bite to eat after?" Paul suggests and my smile turns into a frown. There is no way mom will let me after the show I put on half an hour ago.
"Something wrong, babe?" he asks and I sigh, twirling a piece of hair around my index finger. "Come on, you can tell me."
"Mom wants me to go to the Virgin Islands with them for 2 months this summer," I say, my eyes filling with tears as I say this to him. It's late May now...that means I'll only get a few more weeks with him before I have to leave for the summer. The summer before your senior year is supposed to be your best...and now it's ruined.
"Hey baby, don't cry," he says soothingly as a few of the tears roll down my cheeks. "It'll be all right." I let out a shaky sigh and wipe away the tears. "I really wish you were here, Paul," I say softly.
"I can be there in 2 minutes if you want me to be," Paul says immediately.
"But my mom...she definitely won't let me out after the scene I just caused," I reply sadly. I love the fact that he would just do that. Be here with me if I need it.
"Do you want me to come over anyways?" Paul asks and I shake my head but I realize he can't see me.
"No," I mumble. "I think I'm gonna go. Take a bubble bath...try and calm down. I'll call you later though, okay?"
"Okay. I love you, Suze," Paul says and I smile before replying that I loved him too, and hanging up.
I do just what I told Paul I'd do: take a nice, long bubble bath before curling up in bed and watching The Notebook for the millionth time. It's the one movie besides Breakfast at Tiffany's that can put me in a good mood, but I wore that one out from watching it so much.
I must fall asleep sometime during the movie, because I wake up hours later and the house is silent and it's dark outside.
I glance over at the clock and let out a sigh. Three AM. Perfect. I fumble on my nightstand to grab the phone and quickly dial Paul's number.
"Mmm, hey Suze..." Paul mumbles sleepily into the phone.
"Did I wake you up?" I whisper, sitting up in bed and hugging my knees to my chest.
"Yeah, but you know I don't mind when it's you who's waking me up," Paul says in that voice of his.
I sigh and smile like crazy. "Wanna meet me at the spot?" I ask him. "I really miss you."
"Of course. I'll be there in 10 minutes," Paul says before hanging up and I immediately go to throw on a sundress.
I quickly sneak out which I have down to a science by now. It's like second nature to me; I've done it so many times.
I hop onto my bike and quickly make my way down the hill that my house is on. Yeah, brilliant Andy had to go and pick a house on one of the highest hills in Carmel.
And even though I feel like an idiot on my bike, it's not like I can take the car because I'd wake everyone up. Luckily the place where I'm meeting Paul isn't very far.
"Hey you," I say, jumping off of my bike and running into his arms, kissing him passionately. Whenever we need to see each other, but the timing isn't right or I'm grounded, we wait until everyone's asleep and we meet here, at the beach.
He wraps his arms around me as I jump up and wrap my legs around his waist. "God, I missed you," he mumbles against my lips.
"I missed you too, and I can't believe my mom is being so selfish! Expecting me to leave you for 2 months!" I cry, pouting.
"Shhh, baby, don't think about that," he says, pulling back and looking up at me, his blue eyes gazing intensely into my green ones.
"It's hard not to," I say, sighing and kissing him softly, "I love you so much, being away from you for a weekend is hard, imagine 2 months, it will be hell."
"I'll call you everyday," he says as I detach myself from him and we sit down. "And from now until we leave, I promise to spend every minute I can with you."
"Thank you, Paul...you're really amazing, and I don't deserve you," I say, resting my head against his shoulder.
"Stop it," he says, putting his arm around me. "You're amazing and I love you. Don't ever think otherwise."
I smile and rest my head on his chest, loving that we can have moments like this without the pressure of having sex being on us.
We know that all our friends have, but I've made it clear to Paul that I'm waiting until my senior prom and he's been okay with it.
This is yet another reason why he is the love of my life. He respects me and my boundaries, and he doesn't complain and try to seduce me every possible moment like I know he could if he wanted to. I know Paul wants to have sex...he can't always hide his...excitement, but he has never once brought it up to me, not since I told him about what I wanted.
"I really don't know how I'm going to last two months without you," I mumble, looking up at him. One of the reasons I don't want to leave is...well...I trust Paul but...there are so many better looking girls in Carmel and I'm so ashamed for even thinking he would betray me.
"I am thinking the exact same thing right now Suze...I'm afraid that you'll find someone better than me who you'll fall madly in love with, and you'll forget all about boring Paul Slater in Carmel," Paul says, and I gape at him.
"Paul!" I exclaim, sitting up and looking into his eyes. "I could NEVER find someone better than you! You're the best there ever was, ever will be! And as for me falling in love with someone else, you know that will never ever happen!"
"It could...it's always a possibility, Suze," Paul says, resting his forehead against mine, "but let's not think about that now...let's just...be together."
"I want nothing more," I reply, closing the distance between our lips as I climb into his lap.
Paul wraps his arms tightly around my body and presses me close to him as he slips his tongue into my mouth and I moan out in reply.
I won't ever say this to any of my friends but I think that the love that Paul and I have is stronger than what Kelly has with Tad or Debbie with Brad. I can see us getting married someday, raising a family. I've never said anything to him about it, but I know he feels the same way. At least, I hope.
As he lays me back in the sand gently and I gaze up into his handsome face, I know that I'll never feel like this about another person ever again.
"What are you thinking about?" he asks, pulling back from the kiss and looking down at me.
"Just us," I say serenely, running my fingers through his hair.
"I think about us all the time," he says and I sigh, smiling up at him.
"I should get back before mom notices that I'm gone..." I say quietly.
"I wish you didn't have to," he replies, gently stroking my cheek.
"I'll see you tomorrow in school though, right?" I say hopefully and he smiles down at me.
"Of course," he replies as we sit up. "I'll pick you up in the morning if you want."
"I'd love that," I say, sighing and slowly standing up, brushing the sand off of my clothes.
He pulls me into his arms and kisses me softly. "Good night," he whispers.
"Good night," I whisper back, leaning in for one last kiss before I jog over to my bike, blowing him a kiss as I get on and ride away.