Imperfectly Perfect

{5} "Excuse Me?"

"Awww sweetie, you've grown up so much," my mother gushed, pulling my frozen body into a hug. I snapped out of my trance, forcing my hands to move and hug her back. Her face pressed against my shoulder since she was shorter than me and I awkwardly patted her back.

"It was just over a month, mom," I pointed out weakly, trying to step back.

"Oh, just hug me, Belle," she chided, pulling me back in a bear hug.

"Okay, stop hogging our daughter, Dora," My father chuckled, joining our hug. He kissed the top of my head despite me being a little damp from sweat and I closed my eyes, preserving the moment. 

"Guys, lemme go, I'm sweaty," I whined. They clung on.

I come from a family of koala bears.

A minute later, I finally had enough.

"Okay guys, I know you missed me, but I want oxygen now!" I exclaimed, gently weaving out of the hug. I disposed of the banana peel in the kitchen dutifully. Jake was smiling on the couch and I sat down beside him, depositing my kit beside the sofa. I glared at him playfully. The shower could wait another fifteen minutes.

"A little warning would've been nice," I whispered.

"You know how they are, they watched me like hawks," he whispered back, forcing a smile. I raised an eyebrow and he shrugged.

"So, you're staying for a while, then?" I addressed our parents who sat arm in arm on the sofa next to ours. I warily eyed the suitcases by the door. That was quite a lot of luggage for two people who were gonna stay less than a week.

"Ummm, about that," my mother began. I looked at her, vexed. She hesitated. 

She never hesitates.

"What?" I demanded. Why was she squirming like that?

Jacob placed a placating hand on my shoulder.

"See, the thing is-"

She was cut off when we heard voices traveling up the driveway. I groaned.

"I'll get that," I got up, "It's probably just another bunch of kids in the neighborhood trespassing, again," I grumbled. They made their first appearance the day we arrived, then the day after again just cause we don't live with a full-grown 'adult.' Jacob dealt with them and they left us alone yesterday. Guess they grew the balls to come back here for round three. I rolled my eyes.

"Iz," Jake tried to stop me, getting up. I waved him off.

"I'll get it," I repeated. And this time, I was not going to be polite. I didn't miss the halfway panicked glances my family exchanged but I ignored them. 

I flung the door open with my best bitch face. It's just a bunch of teena-

I started.

-gers. Two, to be specific. Two very familiar teenagers.

The boys froze at my sight too.

The taller one was blonde, his blue eyes sparkling in the dim porch lights. He held a few paper bags in his hand and his pink lips were pulled into a soft smile.

The brown-haired kid on the other hand, his jaw was ajar, his eyes wide, blatantly staring. I was too stunned to even sass him for checking me out so openly. The blonde one however was more in his senses and used his free hand to push his jaw up, chuckling.

That snapped us out of our daze.

"Carter? Logan?" I finally sputtered.

They exchanged a look. People were doing it too frequently for my liking.