CHAPTER ONE

"The Summer House"

"Finally!" I muttered when we arrived, got out of the car and looked at the red summer-house we were renting. Mom told us in the car that it only had one bathroom and two small bedrooms but at least it had a big pool which we sure had to share with the other rentals but at least I had a place where I could work on my tan.

I could not believe that the summer had actually begun and that I was soon going to turn seventeen. But I would not be able to spend my summer or even my birthday with my best friend Ellie but instead with my family and Felix. We were going to stay in Miami by the seaside for a whole two and a half months!

I was exhausted after having spent twenty-three hours with my mom, Felix and my little sister. Macy was twelve but could sometimes act like a two year old, doing everything in her power to annoy me. She quickly ran into the house to call dibs on one of the bedrooms, but just like always, I knew mom would give me the bedroom forcing Macy to sleep on the sofa in the living room – one of the advantages of being the oldest.

My sister and I were nothing alike. She had short blond hair, green-blue eyes and freckles which made her look adorable while I had long blond hair reaching down to my waist and blue eyes. One thing we had in common was that both of us was very stubborn but we were the complete opposite at everything else. I loved dogs but we couldn't have one hence to Macy's allergy, I loved reading and wouldn't mind becoming an author one day, but my current passion was music.

My father left us when I was little, Macy didn't even get to know him since she had only been a couple of months old but I wonder if that has not made it easier for her than it has been for me since she hasn't carried the constant hope of him coming back. My mother met Felix exactly one year ago and fixed the trip so that we would get the chance to get to know him better before they took the relationship to the next step. Macy and I didn't like him very much but we would not stand in the way of mom's happiness, and I guess we had not actually given Felix a fair chance.

"Nah, it's fine. You guys can go inside and I'll get the bags," Felix said when I offered to help him.

I suddenly heard the sound of laughter nearby from the house next to ours and I glanced over and saw a boy in my age, very good-looking I would have to admit, playing with a younger girl who I presume was his little sister. I couldn't keep from smiling as I saw how much fun they seemed to have together.

When I got a clear view of the boy's face I recognized him. It was Taylor Lautner, starring as Jacob Black in the Twilight Saga. I had read the books and seen the movies and thought it was a great story, his acting was definitely good but I wasn't one of those crazy fan-girls who screamed and threw themselves at him. I had pride.

I turned red when he suddenly caught me staring at them and I turned around too fast, not knowing that Felix was walking behind me and walked right into him. When I was lying on the ground I looked over to see the actor laughing at me and embarrassed as I was I hurried inside, ignoring Felix calling my name.

When I entered I was hit by grey parquet floor and walls in a shady yellow color. Urgh.

"Audrey, I saw you fall out there! Are you hurt?" mom called from the kitchen and I quickly ended her worries telling her I was fine. Nothing was hurt but my pride. I groaned. "Well... would you like to join us down to the pool?" mom asked and I was just about to say yes when I remembered it was possible that I would have to meet him again there and the thought made me very nervous. I had not skills to avoid him all summer and I knew I would be forced to meet him eventually since we would be neighbors, but at least not today.

"No, I think I'm just going to unpack my things and then settle for a good book," I said and went to the bedroom that was now mine. It was very light with sky-blue painted walls, there was a flat-screen on the other side of the bed with a dvd-player and when I took a peek out of the window I noticed that I could see the ocean. I liked it.

After I was finished with sorting my things, I lied down in bed and picked up The Truth About Forever, by one of my favorite authors Sarah Dessen, from my bag and started reading.