Lifeitme Piling Up

Chapter 3: Usually I would support the degradation of men

The sun gleamed down on the pool. It's rays sparkled off the water, directly into Gabriella's eyes. She flicked her head, dropping her sunglasses from her hair to her eyes.

Her wooden chair was scorching hot on her back, even with her regulation red towel draped on it. Any adjustment on her part would mean burning her skin. She sighed.

The rowdy teenagers were in the pool, again. They had managed to scare off the middle aged tanners and the little children who were leaning how to swim.

She closely eyes the boy with the short black hair, determined to place him. She knew she knew him, or his twin. Whichever one it was, her frustration grew when her mind drew a blank.

Gabriella heard someone walk up to her chair and lean against it's long legs. She was too hot to bother moving and look at them.

"So you get paid to sit by a pool all day?" The deep voice held a sultry ring.

She sighed. Another familiar voice that she wouldn't be able to place. "Yep." She didn't try to hide her boredom.

"So do all of the employees live here? At the hotel?"

"Kind of. We live on the property, but the perks of hotel living don't apply."

He chuckled. "Wow, that kind of sucks."

Her response was a light shrug of her shoulders.

"Why don't you and I steal a golf cart and head out of this place?" he asked. "Midnight, good for you?"

This made her move. Old, buried memories of summers past jumped to the front of her mind. She knew the question. She knew the voice. And she knew who would be looking up at her when she turned around. The hot chair scorched her as she fumbled, trying to turn around.

"Carter. Perry." She sighed with a surprised smile.

He grinned up at her. Just as she remember, his smile turned up to the left side reaching all the way up to his eyes. Gabriella stumbled down the ladder to meet him face to face.

When she planted her feet on the ground, it was more like face to chest. "What are you doing here?" She jumped to throw her arms around his neck for a hug.

"Family vacation, El." He told her.

She smiled. "You could have called or something and told me you were going to be here."

He gently set her down. "I didn't know if you'd be coming back. But then my brother told me about getting rejected by someone who reminded me of you."

Her eyes flickered from the black haired boy in the pool to the one in front of her. "Your brother looks exactly like you." She remarked. "I can't believe that I didn't recognize him."

He shrugged. "I wouldn't expect you to remember me. It's been what, two years? Besides, he told me that you were taken."

"Oh." She drug out the word. "No. I mean the guy I was with, Troy, he's just a friend." She hoped it came out with more confidence then it sounded in her head.

Carter raised his eyebrows. "Sure, El."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"So what about it? High jack a golf cart with me?"

Gabriella sighed. "Sorry. I have to work."

He groaned. "Well, ok. Give my brother hell." He winked at her before leaving her standing by her post.

"Will do." Gabriella called after him.

She climbed back up her ladder and resumed her spot. The pool instantly bored her and her eyes began to wander. Behind her dark sunglasses, she saw Troy staring at her from the golf course. His expression was less than amused.

&

Chad sat on the front desk of the hotel. He flipped mindlessly through a magazine. Cookie crumbs fell from his mouth as he spoke.

"My first day off and I'm completely bored."

"And completely messing up my desk." Trevor exclaimed. "Why are you here?"

"I'm bored!" Chad spit crumbs everywhere.

Trevor pushed him off of the desk. "Get out of here, Chad. My job is actually important."

His face fell. "Where am I supposed to go? Everyone is working."

"I don't care where you go. I just need you to get away from my desk."

"Why?"

"Check In starts in ten minutes and I can't have the guests coming in with you to greet them."

"What's wrong with me being here? I'm a people person."

"You're a person that spits food on the people you talk to."

Chad's eyes narrowed. "Is that what you think?

Trevor matched his narrowed eyes. "That is exactly what I think."

"You want to know what I think?" he was pressed up against the counter that separated the two. "I think that you can take your opinion and shove it-"

"Holy shit!" Scott burst into the hotel lobby. He slid across the floor until he smacked into the counter.

"What!?" both Trevor and Chad screamed at him.

Scott paid no attention to their hostility. "Guess who I just saw pull into the valet?" When no one answered him, he sighed and continued with his story. "Rose. Anna. Marie."

"Roseannamarie!" Chad imminently whipped off his face and fluffed up his hair.

"No joke."

Trevor ran his hands through his hair."Oh my god." He automatically smoothed his collar.

"Do you think my hair looks okay? Not sticking out?" Chad asked, trying to look at his reflection in Trevor's nametag.

"No more than usual. How's my shirt? Not wrinkly or anything?"

"No, man. You're good."

Gabriella walked up to the boys. "Hey guys. What's up?"

They paid no attention to her. "I'm not sweating or anything. Because I ran from valet. I didn't take a cart like the guests." Scott asked, whipping his hand across his forehead.

"Just a little bit, but it's fine." Trevor told him.

"Oh, okay." He tried to wipe any sweat from his face with the back of his hand.

"Hello?" Gabriella waved her arms around in front of her. "Am I invisible?"

Scott finally looked down. "Oh, hey Gabs. Didn't see you there."

"Obviously. What's going on?"

"Nothing." All three said quickly.

She stared at them. "Yeah, like I believe that." She continues to study their faces. They were nervous, occupied, and all starting to glisten with sweat. "No…" she put the pieces together in her head quickly.

Trevor fidgeted with his nametag. "Look Gabs, I'm sure you have something better to do then hang around us guys."

She nodded her head. "Oh I do. But before I go, let me remind you that those girls have dumped all of you." Gabriella flipped her hair and turned to stalk off.

As she walked away she ran into Troy. They stood in the lobby, staring at each other for a moment, not speaking.

"Troy." She said with a small smile.

"Gabriella." He matched her smile.

She continued past him and he watched her walk away with a heavy sigh. He stared at the spot she had disappeared behind the corner.

Chad appeared at his side, an arm slung over his shoulder. "I know you're in love with Gabriella,"

"I'm not in love with her." He said sternly. "I'm the one that broke up with her, remember?"

He ignored his friend's protest. "But I have something that will surely take your mind off of her."

Troy felt himself being spun around, forcing his stare to move. Now in front of him were three beautiful, blonde girls. If it weren't for Gabriella's lingering presence, his attention would have been turned. He let Chad push him towards them.

"Ladies." Chad said in a deep voice. He raised one of his eyebrows.

"Chad!" The shortest of the girls flung her arms around him. She closed her bright green eyes tight and smiled into his hair.

"Who's your friend?" The tallest one asked. She was clearly older than the other girls.

" That's Troy." Scott answered quickly. "He's one of our sister's friends."

"And Chad's best friend." Trevor added. "He's working here this summer.

The smallest one had finally let go of Chad and looked Troy up and down.

"We love Lava Springs Boys." The middle one said with a sly smile. "Especially the Montez ones."

"And those of Montez relation." the shortest one said, winking at Troy.

He was taken aback with shock. He finally looked at the girls without Gabriella's face clouding his head. They were typical Lava Springs guests: beautiful, rich, and perfect. And they were looking at him.

"Troy," Chad hit him on the back. "I'd like you to meet Rose," the tallest girl smiled sweetly. "Anna," The next one continued to look at him with hungry eyes. "And Marie." Each of the girls Troy up and down.

Anna smiled and whispered to her sisters and they all erupted with giggles.

Troy knew that their arrival had just flipped his summer upside down.

&

Gabriella and Taylor sat by the pool, looking at the glistening water in the moonlight.

"Miss Montez, who would have figured you for a summer fling."

"Tay, it's not like he was my first summer boyfriend…"

"Do you really want to bring up David in the vicinity of your brothers, Troy, and Chad?"

She glared at her. "Of course not. I just don't know why you find it so surprising that I have a summer romance."

"I find it surprising that you kept it a secret."

"It was a barely a year after the whole David fiasco. Do you really think my brothers would have been so gung-ho for me to jump back into the ring?"

"You kept it a secret from me!" Taylor exclaimed. "I'm your best friend and I was your roommate at the time."

"It's not my fault you were so interested in admiring Chad from afar that you paid no attention to me."

"That is o not the point here." Taylor put her hands up. "The point is that you had a totally hot summer fling two years and he's back here to see you."

"Cannon ball!"

Out of nowhere, two people jumped into the pool, splashing the girls.

"Troy!" Gabriella screeched. "You are so dead."

He and Chad emerged out of the water. Troy shook his head, flinging droplets of water around him. "Why don't you come in here and kill me then."

Gabriella peered over the edge of the pool. She could see Troy's half naked body under the clear water. "No thanks." She decided. "I'd rather stay dry."

Behind them she heard a trample to bare feet.

"Suit yourself little sister."

Her brothers all launched themselves over the two girls and into the water.

An hour later Cole and Luke pulled themselves out of the pool and took Taylor's spot next to Gabriella.

"How are the bimbo sisters?" she asked with a smile spread across her face."

"Really quite amazing." Cole answered, matching her smile.

"You know," She shook her head, slightly disappointed in her brothers. "Usually I would support the degradation of men, but you're my brothers so I'm going to let you in on a little secret." They slightly leaned in. "This situation you guys get in every summer… It's. Not. Good."

Luke chuckled. "And why would you say that."

"Each summer you let these blonde, rich girls walk all over you. You date one of them and then they next summer they just move on to another brother."

"I'm failing to see the 'not good' part." Cole said. "What's so wrong about hooking up with a hot girl every summer?"

"The problem is that they are hooking up with your brother the next summer. They are complete and total slu-"

"Don't say the S word." He interrupted. "They all find it very offensive."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Well they are and you know it. I can't believe you fall for their green eyes and too white smiles every year."

"You know what I find interesting," Luke started. "That you find it so wrong that we are with those three amazing girls…" his voice trailed off and his eyes stared off into the sky.

"Does this thought have a point?"

"Oh." He snapped back and turned his attention back to his sister. "Right. Well, you find it so bad when it's us, but you seem to have no objection to Troy hanging around Rose, Anna, and Marie."

Her face fell at the surprising comment. "He's what?"

"I heard Marie was making eyes at him." Cole told her.

"They're spending his day off together tomorrow." Luke added. "And you have no objection?"

She took a deep breath to calm herself. She hoped she remained cool on the outside. "I didn't say that."

"So you do object to them going out."

"I didn't say that either." She snapped. "And they are just hanging out. Going out and hanging out are two completely different things. In one, you are going out places with the other person, and in the other you are…"

"Just hanging out with the other person?" Luke finished, slightly mocking his little sister.

Gabriella shot him dagger eyes. "Troy can do whatever he wants." She quickly gathered herself and pushed herself off the stone ground. "And he is perfectly in the right to hang out with whatever he wants as well. And I couldn't care less because we are just friends. That's it." She turned on her heel and left her friends and family at the pool, too angered to muster up a goodbye.

Author's Note: Well, I think I am officially back in the game. I finally have some ideas lined up for this story :) Please don't hate me too much for the long break. I'm so glad to be back posting again! And please leave your thoughts in a comment. They absolutely mean to world to mean. And they especially important after this little break I have.

Oh, and I really want to change my SN here. I'm going to narrow down my choices and then let you guys help me pick after next chapter. After all, you are the ones who are going to be looking at it most often :)

Peace, Love, and Reading!