An Alien Summer (Jake Pearson x O.C.) (Aliens in the Attic)

Prologue

Rayah Adler sat on the edge of a bed in the guest bedroom of the Pearson household. The brunette was currently splayed across the duvet on her stomach, flipping through her latest novel with earbuds shoved in her ears.

She has occupied this particular room so much that it was more common for the Pearson's to title it Rayah's room instead. Not that they minded in the slightest. Rayah's parents were always leaving the city on work trips, so the Pearson's were more than eager to invite Rayah to stay with them during those times.

The Pearson's loved Rayah. She was always welcome in their home ever since her and their son, Tom, claimed that they were best friends in third grade. What led to that, you may ask? Well, let's just say, nothing will bond two children more than a common enemy- a spewing water fountain.  While Tom and Rayah had stood in soaked clothes inside the principal's office, waiting for their parents to bring dry clothes to the school, they found out that they quite enjoyed each other's company.

That was years ago, now. Tom and Rayah have grown to be gangly teenagers, and in Rayah's case a pretty girl. Thinking about her best friend, Rayah decided to pull her earbuds out and put her book down in favor of annoying her best friend before calling it a night.

She slipped out of the room into the hallway, padding her way to Tom's room. She knew he would be on his computer this time of night. He claimed to have hated the computer when his parents gifted it to him, but she knew better. He couldn't hide anything from her. He was a nerd at heart, but hid it away to try to appear "cool."

Rayah quietly slid into Tom's room, smirking when she saw that he didn't notice her sneaking up behind him.

Rolling her eyes, she caught a glimpse showing that he was attempting to hack into their school's system. He was a pretty smart hacker, but not very practical. It wouldn't be any time at all before his dad caught on whenever he did manage to change his grades.

The brunette stretched forth her hand, gripping Tom's shoulder and whispered "boo" right in his ear once she had gotten close enough.

His reaction was PRICELESS.

Tom had been extremely startled. He had jumped up in a flurry of thrashing limbs, almost catching his head on Rayah's jaw, before coming back down and missing his desk chair. Now laying in a heap on the ground, Tom glared up at the brunette, who was crying from trying to hold in her laughter.

"I couldn't ask for a better reaction, that is unless you screamed like a girl again," Rayah was finally able to get out between her chuckles.

Relenting and smiling at seeing his friend enjoy herself so much, Tom replied, "hey, we promised not to ever mention that again."

Rayah stretched out her hand to Tom to help him back up, which he gladly grasped.

"So, what are you up to, TomTom?" Rayah asked her friend mischievously.

She was met with another glare. "Stop calling me that."

Rayah turned on her heel and hopped gracefully onto the foot of Tom's bed. Situating herself on crossed legs, she faced Tom. "Fine, fine, Tommy boy."

"You are unbelievable," Tom told the innocently grinning girl.

"It's a gift," she responded with a shrug.

Rayah's attention was soon re-directed to her cell, which lit up with a ping next to her thigh. Tom watched the girl as she reached to grab it. Upon reading the screen, he saw her amused grin turn down into a grimace.

"What is it?" Tom questioned the brunette.

Taken a quick inhale, Rayah looked back up at Tom. "Mom and dad had something come up. Again. They won't make it back home until the end of the summer. Looks like your stuck with me."

With a sigh, Tom pushed himself up from his desk chair. He slid across the room before perching himself on the foot of the bed next to Rayah. He brought her into his side with one arm, which she gratefully leaned into. She would never admit it out loud to anyone else, but he knew exactly how her parents' work life affected her. If Rayah wouldn't talk to anyone else, she would talk to Tom.

"I could never be stuck with you, Ray. If anything, you are stuck with me. And the chaotic mess that is my family."

Tom smiled to himself when he heard her breathy chuckle at his words. They had been effective in cheering her up. So Tom continued, "maybe this summer will be better than the last. What a train wreck."

That succeeded in earning a bellyaching laugh from his best friend. Rayah instantly knew what Tom had been alluding to. Last summer, she had the misfortune to meet Tom's cousin, Jake. Let's just say they didn't get off on the right foot.

Rayah and Jake had only been around each other for a couple of days, but it was enough time for them to annoy the mess out of one another. On one hand, Jake was persistent to gain Rayah's attention, but she brushed him off thinking he was full of himself. On the other hand, Rayah's attempts to brush Jake off let him to think she was one of those people who thought they were too good to associate with people like him.

Jake didn't learn until later, from Tom, about Rayah's true character. About how nice, compassionate, funny, and adventurous she truly was. And to this day, he hoped he would get another chance to talk to her, but it has yet to come.

Tom and Rayah spent the rest of their night before bed laughing and joking around about who had the most oddballs in their family. Ultimately, Tom won. Rayah went to bed that night with a smile on her face. Even though her summer wasn't going to be like she had originally thought, she had high expectations that it was going to turn out alright.

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It took a minute, but I have finally got a prologue out! Woo!

Very slow start, I know.

But it will get better! <3

Until then, happy reading, my dudes!