It all started the summer of 2011, directly after my father and I moved to San Diego, California. Out of all the summers I could possibly fall in love, this was the only one I absolutely did not want to. You see, before I came to live in California, I lived in New York. But before you get excited, let me just tell you, it was a very small country town. I had honestly hated living there my entire life. Backstabbing friends, low-life people, complete douche bag guys, and an extremely high teen pregnancy rating; I guess you could say it wasn't the perfect town to grow up in. But there I was for sixteen years of my life, seemingly going through the motions of everyday life. I couldn't seem to ever find a purpose for myself there. Everyone seemed to be so preoccupied in sports and "the country life", I could never find anyone that knew me on a personal level, or what I happened to like to do. Even though there were slime-pickings for a boyfriend, I managed to find a wonderful one; or so I thought. We were the perfect power couple for the longest time, that is until I started making new friends; new guy friends. My boyfriend, Peter, was an amazing guy in almost every aspect of his life; he was a football star and got good grades, but he was jealousy amplified. It seemed like everything I did would make him upset and there was nothing I could do to make him happy again after that. Then, one day, he caught me joking with Johnny, the football team's backup quarterback, and he finally snapped. I remember it like it was yesterday, although I continuously try to forget what he did to me. After months of Peter physically and emotionally abusing me, I finally managed, with the help of my friends, to get him out of my life. I guess you could say that after my father found out what had happened with Peter and me, he was more than willing to move to San Diego. It seemed to be the only way he could keep me safe, and at the same time not get in trouble for killing Peter. But it wasn't like we just packed up and moved. You see, my father and I have been searching for a new place to live for years ever since my mom passed away. It seemed that living in this house contained too many memories for us both, and I know my dad couldn't take the haunting loneliness in that house every day when I would go to school, so I suppose you could say my situation with Peter just simply confirmed what we already knew: we were moving to California, and we were going to start our new lives.
So finally after weeks of trying to find a house, selling our own back in New York, and finalizing everything with the young couple we bought the house from, we were finally in San Diego, and from the moment I arrived here, I knew it would be a journey to say the least. My heart couldn't stop pounding in my chest as we drove down our new street and up the driveway of our new house home. I never realized a house could be as beautiful as it looked in pictures, but this one was the exception. The exterior was a light shade of baby blue with cream colored shutters. The bushes around the house were neatly trimmed down and the pathway to the front door looked like something straight out of Alice in Wonderland. Four towering pillars held up the awning that hung over the porch, and I felt as if I were entering a Greek cathedral. The inside of the house was gorgeous with extensive interior decorating, and it seemed as though the previous owners didn't seem to care that all they really took was their furniture. Each room had its walls painted a different color that seemed to match the decorations perfectly. My father and I knew this house was rather large for only two people, but we figured maybe it would be easier when we had guests over, and in the future, I might possibly raise a family here. Everything looked extraordinary as we continued to move through the house, examining ever room like its own, individual work of art. Then, I descended up the large staircase into the upper level of the house, in search of what would be my new bedroom. I peered into two rooms, and hadn't liked either, managing to find something wrong with both of them. Then, at the end of the hallway, opposite the master bedroom, I entered the final bedroom. It was, as you would say, love at first sight. The walls were painted lighter, brighter maroon color, and it was the perfect size for everything I needed. It also had a sliding glass door which lead out onto my own private balcony which overlooked the street and was very close to the balcony of the neighbor next door. I smiled to myself, knowing it was going to be the perfect new home for the perfect new life for my father and me.
I fluffed up my pillow and turned over in my bed, yawning and slowly opening my eyes to the break of dawn peaking through my curtains. One week has passed since my father and I first pulled up to our new house and started our new lives, and of course there were still a few stray things that needed to arrive such as the guest rooms' beds, the kitchen appliances, and the living room furniture; although my father said everything else should come by later today. I rubbed my eyes and sat up, slowly, glancing over at my alarm clock, reading it as "5:13 am", sighing and forcing myself out of bed. I walked, sheepishly, into my bathroom across the hallway and brushed my teeth while combing my hair up into a messy ponytail, then splashed some cold water on my face and slipped on my usual "running" clothes. I picked up my iPod and headed downstairs, knowing my father wouldn't even be up and functioning until 10:30 am. I picked out a bottle of water from the refrigerator and slipped on my sneakers, jogging out the door and on my usual route around the block. I pushed my ear buds into my ear and started blasting "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira, staring at my feet, watching them slap down against the pavement. I glanced up for a moment, as I heard a car pulling up from behind me. I turned my head and quickly looked over my shoulder, spotting a big white van pulling up and into the driveway of the house I just passed. I smiled slightly, noticing all of the debris on their lawn, thinking they were most likely moving into the neighborhood, also. I shrugged it off and continued jogging forward, keeping myself focused on my task: running one mile before the moving van got here with the rest of our things.
After running around my entire block, with record timing might I add, I found myself back at square one; my home. I checked my pulse as I lay down on my front lawn, guzzling down the last drops of my water, sweating profusely. I closed my eyes, feeling the California sun soak into my pores, smiling at how tan I would get from being over here, laughing at the fact that I might finally look like a typical "California kid". I continued thinking about all the things I still had yet to do here, when suddenly I felt the sun go away. My body turned colder as if a big cloud had moved across the sun's path of direct sunlight. I opened my eyes slightly, hoping it wasn't going to rain, only seeing a boy, around my age, standing over me and glaring down at me with concern in his eyes.
I furrowed my eyebrows and cleared my throat saying, "Excuse me, can I help you with something?" I sat up slowly; sweat still pouring off my face.
He let out a deep sigh of relief as he bent down, leaning his elbows on his knees, blushing with embarrassment, replying softly, "Oh, uh, I'm sorry, I was carrying some things into my house and I noticed you laying on the lawn and not moving, so I thought something might have happened. I came over to make sure you were okay, but now that I know you're fine, I think I should go now since I feel like a complete creep." He trailed off, nervously running his fingers through his chocolate brown locks, standing back up and laughing softly as his own stupidity, starting to walk away, awkwardly.
I laughed out loud to myself, getting up quickly, hurrying over to his side, smiling brightly and replying, "Don't be silly! It's alright, I actually felt like I was going to die," I chuckled, shaking my head and grabbing his arm to keep him from walking any further, continuing, "I just ran a mile and a half for the first time since I moved here and I felt like I was going to pass out. Trust me, I'm extremely happy you were concerned, now I know there's someone on this street that actually cares if I die from heat exhaustion." I grinned, sticking out my hand, slightly bouncing up and down, announcing, "I'm Alana Brooks, it's a pleasure to meet you."
He laughed loudly, grabbing my hand and shaking it, uttering, "I'm Cameron Quiseng, and the pleasure is all mine." He slightly smirked and looked down at his feet, nervously moving his foot over the grass, an awkward silence setting in. He then looked up, excitedly, snorting and asking, "So you said you just moved here? Are you the girl that just moved in at number 2114 with her dad?"
I smiled, wondering how he knew that, biting my lip and answering, "Yes, I am, actually. How did you know I arrived here with my dad?" I questioned him, looking at him suspiciously, beginning to walk beside him, and starting off in the direction he was before I abruptly stopped him.
He turned a light shade of crimson and followed me in the same direction, stating, "Well, uh, word gets around the neighborhood fast. Besides, you were laying on 2114's lawn, so if you weren't the new girl, I'd think you'd be someone pretty strange for passing out on someone else's front lawn," he paused, thinking for a moment, and then continued, "and you know, I am the gossip king in this town." He starred over at me, shyly, giving me a half smile and promptly looking back down at his shoes as we continued to walk.
I swallowed hard, remembering how utterly disgusting I looked, realizing I just ran a mile and a half, thinking about how sweaty and smelly I must be right now, suddenly feeling embarrassed. I stopped walking, biting my lip, speaking softly, "Well, I actually need to get back home and shower before I kill all of the flowers in San Diego," I trailed off, giggling to myself, rubbing my forehead and walking backwards towards my house slowly, adding, "But uh, maybe we could meet up later on or something? Or maybe I'll get to see you around town sometime soon? Either way, I shouldn't keep rambling and keep you here, you obviously are needed back at your house, I presume?" I pointed back over at the house with the white van in the driveway, seeing another boy around my age waving his arms wildly in the air, clearly trying to get Cameron's attention. I noted, "So you should probably get back to whatever you were doing before my passing out distracted you. So, I'll see you around."I laughed to myself and turned around, jogging back to my house, shaking my head and blushing to myself, thinking at how stupid I must have looked back there. I finally meet a decent, nice guy with an adorable smile and I act like a complete creep! I'm so pathetic, how could I face him again, he probably thinks I'm a psycho or something. I sighed and shrugged it off, walking into my house; noticing my father was finally up and making himself breakfast.
He looked up at me and smiled, shouting, "Hey Spark, how was your run? It's a beautiful day outside." He shoved a mouthful of cereal into his mouth, already dressed up in his new suit for the first day of his new job. "Oh, yeah, and when the guys get here, let them set everything up, you know where everything should go. I'm getting tired of waiting on the last of our things to get here, we should be completely settled in by now, not waiting on furniture to get here!" He was hollering and shouting, angrily dropping his cereal bowl in the sink. He then took a deep breath and grunted, "I'm sorry, honey, I'm just frustrated. But I should be gone until around nine tonight, the boss is going to keep me busy with learning the ropes of this new job."
I grinned and blurted, "I still don't know why they wanted you as the assistant for the President of Hollister & Co., your fashion sense is out the window, Dad. You're terrible at picking out clothes, and quite frankly you don't seem to care much about it." I shook my head and sat down at the kitchen table, grabbing an apple and biting into it, staring up at him intently.
He chuckled loudly, exclaiming, "It's what pays the bills, Alana. You know we can't live in a house like this on a Correction Officer's budget, we were barely getting by in New York." He grabbed his briefcase and walked over to me, giving me a kiss on the head as he walked towards the front door, whispering, "I know I'm not the 'briefcase' type of guy, but this will all work out, I promise. Have a great day, honey!" He smiled widely at me and exited the front door and I watched out the window as he got into his car and drove away.
I let out a deep sigh and let my eyes wander to the house with the white van diagonal from my house, across the street. I smiled to myself, watching Cameron and the other boy grab all types of expensive looking instruments, carrying them inside the also expensive looking house. I then watched as Cameron proceeded to remove his shirt and pick up a mini refrigerator, carrying it into the house with ease. I swallowed hard as he reappeared outside, my eyes tracing his body; his sweaty body. I felt a warm sensation come over me as I looked away quickly, realizing what's happening. I blushed to myself, licking my lips and tossing my apple into the garbage as I stood up and hurried up the stairs and into my bedroom. I placed my hands on my hips as I opened my closet and glanced inside, looking for something cute to wear to "flaunt my stuff" around outside, hoping Cameron might see. I giggled to myself, thinking about how clumsy and awkward I am, knowing I would probably trip over something or walk into a lamp on the street. I continued scanning over my closet's possessions, and then I found the perfect outfit. I didn't want to come on too strong, but I didn't want to seem like I'm unavailable; even though I knew he probably wasn't. I picked out a loose-fitting, cream colored, flowing tank top that had black, round and small buttons that started halfway up the shirt and continued until they reached the top, which paired with short jean shorts that started off a dark navy color at the bottom and gradually got lighter until they reached the top. I ran into the shower and washed myself of all the sweat and grime that had previously been caked onto my body. Then I shampooed my hair twice and conditioned it, remembering to shave my arms and my legs, making sure my whole body was smooth and satin-like. I then turned off the water and wrapped a towel around my dripping wet body, wiping off the condensation from the mirror and turning the ceiling fan on, hoping all of the humidity would soon escape through the open window to the adjacent wall of the mirror. After the room was finally cooled down again and my body was dried off, I slipped on my push-up bra and lacey underwear along with my outfit I had previously picked out. I stared into the mirror and decided to let my hair dry naturally, since they formed nice, light waves. I rang my hair out and then swept on a light blush along with some eyeliner and mascara, and smiled brightly at my reflection in the mirror.
I headed out of the bathroom and back into my bedroom, finally grabbing some of my strappy brown and leather flip-flops and slipped them on my feet, knowing I looked better than I normally do. I ran downstairs and towards the giant kitchen window, hoping he was still outside, moving things into his house, but all I could see was the white van, and every bit of debris I had seen on the lawn before had disappeared. I sighed and groaned; angry at myself as I slowly dragged my feet back up the stairs and into my bedroom. Then I grabbed a strawberry lemonade bottle from inside my mini-fridge and stepped out onto my balcony and sat down on the rocker I had set up out there, rocking myself back and forth as I gazed up at the sky, remembering my friends back home, wondering if I'll ever see them again. Then I heard a sudden voice from the balcony of the house next door.
"It's kind of peaceful, isn't it," the voice stated. I could hear him laughing softly to himself as I looked over at him, my heart still in a tizzy from hearing a voice that seemingly came out of nowhere.
I then let out a sigh of relief as I saw the familiar face of the boy that was helping Cameron move the things into his house. I smiled slightly, staring over at him and replying, "Yeah, I've kind of gotten used to peacefulness around here. It's so much more beautiful than New York. I feel like I belong here, you know? But, uh, yeah, I guess." I giggled to myself and stood up, leaning against my balcony's edge, looking over at him standing directly across from me, about four feet away, on his own balcony.
He smiled sweetly and took a sip of his water, then placed it down on the edge of the balcony and spoke, "So you're Alora, right? Cam told me about you. I'm Zach," he tipped his head to the side and snorted, looking over at me, continuing, "I would shake your hand, but I don't want to die. But uh, Cam's here, you should come over. If you want, that is. It looks like we're neighbors, so we'll probably be seeing a lot of each other." He winked at me, nodding over to the door to my balcony, letting me know he could look through his balcony door and watch me change at any time.
I gasped and turned to look at him again, opening my mouth, trying to find words to describe the shock I felt. I did not want to live next door to a peeping tom by any means. I boomed, "Wait, are you saying you've been or will watching me change? Are you kidding me?" I threw my hands up in the air in a fit of rage, blushing with anger and worry.
He lifted his hands up as if to try to calm me down, and responded, "Hey hey hey, hold on a second, I never said I was going to look. I just wanted you to know, so maybe you would remember to close your balcony door's curtain, just in case, you know?" He gave me a soft smile and turned red, and I knew he definitely was not a peeping tom. I let out a sigh of relief and slightly smiled over at him, shaking my head, trying to calm myself down back to Earth.
I mumbled, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply anything, I just overreact sometimes," I trailed off as I saw a shadow moving around in Zach's room. I swallowed hard, hoping it wasn't Cameron, and I closed my eyes, blurting, "But of course I would love to come over, I'll be there in a minute." I squeezed my eyes shut, wondering where I suddenly got this random vote of confidence, instantly regretting what I had said and feeling incredibly insecure.
He grinned widely and shouted, "That's great! I'll tell Cam you're on your way, we're watching a movie now, but we might have band practice later. You're welcome to stay if you'd like? But don't feel like you have to, I just think Cam would really like to see you again." He smiled suspiciously over at me and disappearing back into his room.
I grunted as I walked back into my bedroom, yelling at myself, "Why, Alana, WHY? Why did you say that! Wait… why am I getting so uptight about this? I barely know him! Ugh, why do I feel so nervous? He's just a stupid boy." I ran my fingers through my hair, sniffling, feeling panic come over me. How could I do this to myself? After everything I went through with him, how could I let myself feel like this over someone I just met, again? This is just how it always starts. I can't let myself get hurt again. It almost killed me last time. There is no way I'm letting it happen again, there is absolutely NO way. I know exactly what I'll do. When I look at Cameron, I'll just think of my Johnny or something. I NEVER had feelings for Johnny, so maybe if I pretend it's him, nothing will happen. I promise you, Mom, I won't let anyone hurt me again. I wiped my eyes, trying to keep myself from crying as I looked at the picture of me and my mom that was lingering on the dresser next to my bed. I sighed and was just about to grab my purse when I heard a whistle coming from outside. I glanced outside and saw Cameron standing there, on Zach's balcony, apparently waiting for me to come outside.
I slowly began to walk out, hesitantly opening the door and stepping outside, looking over at him with a blank face. "Cameron? What are you doing out here, Zach told me I should come over." I bit my lip, hoping I didn't sound like I was whining. I began leaning against the edge of my balcony's railing, watching him as he gave me his famous half smile.
He began speaking almost too soft for me to hear, "You can't come over here, Zach got in trouble with his mom, and she told me I have to leave just a minute ago, so I was wondering," he paused, gritting his teeth together, looking anywhere but at me, saying, "I was just wondering if I could come over to your house? It might be easier, you know. I don't want Zach to get in trouble again. That is, if you don't think I'm a creep or something." He laughed and looked up at me with hope in his eyes with just a hint of worry glazing over them.
I nodded my head and responded, "Of course you can come over, my room looks pretty decent, so I don't think there's anything wrong with having a friend over. Hell, you're the first guy that's ever been in my room, that's pretty awesome." I smiled at him and winked, causing him to laugh and snort loudly. Then silence took us over as it had done earlier today, but this time it wasn't awkward or strange in any way. It was actually nice; all I could hear was my heart pounding, which made me wonder if he could hear it too.
Then he pushed himself over the railing of the balcony, standing on the other side of it, making me scream and cover my mouth with my hands. "Calm down, I've done this before, don't worry, I've got some major skills in hopping balconies," he explained, laughing and grabbing the tree branch that was hanging about a foot away from his balcony as he slipped his foot onto the branch of the same tree a little bit lower. He then grabbed onto my balcony's railing and began to move both of his feet to it, then he reached out his hand to me and smiled up at me, his face only about a foot away from my own, whispering, "A little help, Juliet?"
My heart skipped a beat at the way he referred to me as Juliet. I smiled to him, and just as I was about to reach my hand out, the branch he was standing on had snapped, making him flinch and grab onto my railing, his feet dangling over the second story drop beneath him. I screamed and quickly grabbed his arms, pulling him up towards me. As his face became level with mine, he began leaning towards me, trying to make his way into the balcony. Then I stepped back and tripped over the strawberry lemonade bottle I had forgotten to move and fell backwards, pulling him down on top of me.
We were both laying there, him on top of me, us both staring at each other and looking completely bewildered. He looked into my eyes and his hand was brought down to my cheek. I could see the nervousness in his eyes as he slowly leaned in and began closing his eyes. My heart started pounding inside my chest as my eyes started to close in unison. I'm sorry, Mom, you're going to hate me, but I don't care if this hurts. I love it. God, I love the way he feels on top of me. Just as we were getting beyond the point of no return, he then suddenly burst out in a fit of laughter, causing me to become confused, and then begin laughing also. He rolled off of me and lay there directly next to me, us both laughing and staring up at the near-dark sky. When the laughing finally stopped, we both looked over at each other, smiling. He opened his mouth and whispered, "You're beautiful, Alana."
I felt my heart skip again, wondering what the hell I was doing. This is moving way too fast, this is insane. I made my mother a promise, and I nearly broke it no more than a minute ago! How could I let some boy I just met today change my mind about something I so desperately wanted to stay the same; I didn't want to fall for anyone or be with anyone. I couldn't let myself get hurt like this again. What was I doing? I have to get out of here. "Cameron, I just, I can't do this. You'll probably think I'm crazy or something, but I can't start this. I promised someone I would be good, and this isn't being very good. I think it'd be best if you would just leave." I finished, feeling my heart beats getting slower and slower, knowing no matter what I did, I would hurt myself in some way. I glanced over at him and saw a hint of hurt in his eyes along with confusion. I don't think he knew how he made me feel, and I wanted it to stay that way.
He murmured, "Oh, okay. I guess I should get going then. Could you show me the way out?" He stood up and folded his arms over his chest, beginning to walk into my room, waiting for me. I stood up and grabbed his arm, dragging him along out my room and down my stairs as we came closer to the door, I felt him grab my other arm, spinning me around and crashing his lips onto my own. Before I could even comprehend what was happening, my arms turned into noodles as he wrapped his around my waist and pulled me closer to him, pushing me up against the door, kissing me much more vigorously. My arms seemed to regain feeling as they seemed to automatically know they needed to be around his neck. He broke the kiss shortly as I let out a subtle moan from my lips, hoping he didn't hear. He watched as I stood there, in shock, before him, as he became obviously pleased with himself and pushed his lips against mine once more, this time his hands moving down my hips to my legs as he grabbed onto them and pulled them up and around him, allowing me to wrap them around his muscular torso. We continued kissing feverishly until he slowly started kissing down my lips and onto my neck, as I let out a much louder groan, one I knew he heard as I felt him smirk as he sucked on my neck. My whole body seemed to turn into pudding as he worked his magic on me, when the doorbell suddenly rang and I heard my father's voice come through, proclaiming, "Alana, dear, it's me, unlock the door please!"
I took sucked in a gasp as my feet once again found the floor. I slowly pushed him off of me and grabbed his hand, dragging him towards the kitchen's back door, us both tip-toeing and trying not to make any noise. As I reached the door, I pulled Cameron in front of me and wrapped my arms around his neck once more, pressing my lips against his, smiling into the kiss, not wanting it to end when I felt his hands wrap protectively around my waist. I then pulled away slowly, whimpering, "Mmm, Cameron, just, stop for a minute, okay? I have to let my dad in, so go home, but come back later around midnight, okay? I'll let you in, he'll be sleeping, I promise. I want to see you again." I pulled him into another kiss as I moaned, feeling him grip my hips, "I need to see you again. Just go now!"
He grinned and stroked my cheek, whispering back, "I promise, I'll come at midnight." He opened the door, then stopped and turned around, kissing me one more time, then turning back around and running down the stairs. I tried to catch my breath as I watched him disappear over the fence and into Zach's backyard just when I heard the doorbell ring again with my father's voice coming through the door, now seeming to be a bit more aggravated.
I skipped towards the door, wiping my lips and fixing my hair, hoping I didn't look like I was making out with anyone, let alone a boy I just met. That's when it hit me. I just made out with a boy I just met. What the hell. I promised my father and my mother I wouldn't let myself get involved with another boy like that! This is all starting out the same way it started before. How could I let this happen? How could I let myself fall into this trap again? He probably thinks I'm some kind of slut, that's just perfect. That's all I need, a reputation around a town I didn't even live in for a week yet! I can't see him anymore. I can't get anymore attached. He's gorgeous, yes, but I have to stop this whole thing before it starts. I have to stop all of this before it gets serious; before I have something to lose. My poor mother, she must hate me. What would my old friends think? This needs to stop. I'll simply avoid him; it'll be as easy as pie. He'll get the message soon enough. That's what I'll do, I'll just ignore him. A million thoughts were running through my head as I let my dad in. He began babbling on about his job and how much he hates pretending to be at all interested in clothing or anything having to do with that company. I tried to pay attention, but all I could think about was Cameron. Oh Cameron. He was so sweet with his perfect body and his adorable smile. He talked to me like I was an old friend, not just some girl he just met. I could learn to really like this boy. He reminded me so much of someone I always dreamed of being with. Like a complete sweetheart and a total romantic. I couldn't get past that kiss. The kiss blew up fireworks inside of me. Everything I ever wanted to feel I could feel in that kiss. I smiled to myself thinking about how he might be thinking about the same thing. What could have possessed him to make such a bold move? He seemed so shy and adorable, it took guts to push me against a door and kiss me. I would have never been able to do something like that. Never. But he did, yes he did. He gave me an explainable feeling. I wanted to feel it again so bad. But I couldn't risk it; I couldn't risk letting myself go through what I went through before. I made a promise and even if it kills me, I'm going to stick to it.
After my dad and I finished talking and decided to head up to bed, I began walking up my stairs and into my bedroom. It felt like I was floating on a cloud. I stepped inside my dark bedroom and began to unbutton my shirt when I heard coming from my balcony door someone clear their throat. I quickly turned on the lights and spun around to see Zach standing there, hurt plastered across his face. He opened his mouth, speaking softly with his voice cracking, "I think we need to talk."
Hey guys! So I know this isn't the best way to end this chapter, but I really wanted to update tonight, so I had to figure out how to end it in a cliff hanger that didn't completely suck or sound too clichéd. But this is basically going to be a Zach/Alana/Cameron story. I'm not exactly sure where this is going so far, but I just know that there is going to be plenty of drama and a TON of Alana/Cameron and Alana/Zach love. :P This is going to turn into a really big, long story, and I promise to update as much as I can, but as of right now, I hope you like this chapter, and I'd be happy to take suggestions on how you want the story to go, although I'm not making any promises. ;)
Oh, and this is the link to the outfit she was wearing, it's the second outfit in the picture. .
Review! :D
