"Dang it." Mason muttered under his breath. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel so much that the veins in his knuckles were visible and his fingers left indentions in the leather. His eyes fixed on something in front of him, something I couldn't see.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"They're here," he said.
"Who?" I looked around. No one was in sight.
"Shelly, for one. She's going to be ticked off when I tell her the news, especially with you being here. I don't want any of them to be here right now. None of them need to meet you yet."
The screen door swung open and slammed against the wall. A girl stepped out and I gasped. She was beyond beautiful. She was tall, probably 5'7. She had been a cheerleader, no doubt, when she'd been in high school. Her wavy blonde hair hung to the small of her back, and her bright blue eyes were apparent even from this distance. She wore blue jeans and a black tank top. Her feet were bare, and she had a beach tan.
Mason was wrong. I could never compare to her.
So much for no one meeting me yet.
We opened our doors and got out. My nerves were dancing, and I had a crazy premonition that something bad was about to happen. The girl's eyes darted between Mason and me and it was almost too much for me to handle. I've never been good under pressure. I was thankful when Mason planted himself between us.
"Who is she?" Shelly asked.
"My girlfriend," Mason replied. "We are done, Shelly. I am tired of you putting me through crap every day."
I expected her to tear up or start screaming that he couldn't do this to her then come barreling down the steps and try to tear me limb from limb. But no. She just laughed.
"Good. I was coming to tell you the same thing. See ya later. Or not." She glanced at me and wagged her fingers in a weird kind of wave, jumped off the porch, and climbed into an old beat up truck. The tires and she sped away.
"Um, maybe I should go?" I said it as a question. I wasn't sure if staying here was such a good idea. If Shelly was that bad, how much worse could his friends be?
He sighed. "No, it's fine. Let's go inside. One creep down; four to go."
He led the way up the porch steps and opened the door. I stepped inside and looked around. It was simple. Beside the door set a dark blue sofa. Across from it was a matching recliner. The walls were light blue, and white curtains were pulled back from the windows. To the right was the kitchen. A table was setting beside the far wall surrounded by six chairs. The rest of the equipment were things you would expect to be in a kitchen; a sink, a stove and oven. Setting on the end of the counter was a microwave and toaster.
A woman—whom I assumed was Mason's mother—was standing beside the stove stirring something in a pot. She had black hair, like Mason, and it was pulled up in a messy bun. She was wearing a stained apron, and the spots were fresh considering the amount of food smeared across her face. She shifted at the sound of our approach and turned to face us.
"Shelly was here a few meets ago."
"I know. I pulled up as she was leaving. Mom, this is Avril Summers, the girl Shelly's cousin wanted me to meet."
I felt my cheeks turn red in embarrassment. It was a bad habit, but I couldn't help but get nervous when I met new people.
"Shy little thing, isn't she?" She chuckled. "My name is Hazel. It's nice to see Mason dating someone younger this time. Maybe you can keep him out of trouble."
