The Summer of a Lifetime

chapter 17

I ran to my living room.

"Mom, I'm gonna go out for a walk," I said softly.

"Okay," she said smiling at me.

I quickly dashed to Kris's house and knocked on the door.

Andrew answered, shirtless again. But I had too much on my mind to swoon over him this time.

He watched me carefully.

"W-where's Kris?" I asked

"She's with Caden, I guess," he said, and I turned my gaze up towards him.

"Are you okay?" He asked gently.

"No, not really," I said softly, "can we talk?"

"Of course," he said, gesturing for me to come in.

He walked me up to his room and we sat on his bed.

I glanced at the walls, they were covered in baseball pictures and trophies.

We sat in silence for a long time, he just patiently waited for me to start talking.

Finally, I found the right words.

"My moms getting married," I muttered.

"That's great," he said, and I frowned at him, "I mean that's ...not great?"

"No, it's horrible. I don't want a stupid stepdad. And I don't want stupid step siblings," I said annoyedly.

"Are they rude or something?" He asked me.

"I haven't met them yet," I muttered.

"Well hey, maybe they're super nice or something," he said, trying to be supportive and optimistic.

"Who cares? I already have a dad. I don't need this stupid guy coming in here and trying to replace him. And I don't need some dumb siblings, I already have everyone from the baseball field. They're all like brothers and sisters to me," I said sighing.

"Yeah, but hey, who knows? Maybe this could all work out," he said optimistically.

"Maybe," I mumbled, sighing.

He pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly. That was all I needed to calm me down.

"I better go home," I said softly.

"Goodnight Ollie," he said as I exited his room.

I walked home and my mom was already asleep, so I laid in my bed and went to sleep.

The next day, we were all sitting in the dugout after playing for a long time.

"Anybody know what time it is?" I asked.

Caden glanced at his watch.

"4:39" he muttered.

"Crap, I gotta be ready at 5:00," I exclaimed standing up and sprinting towards the gate, "bye guys!" I yelled over my shoulder.

I ran to my house, running inside out of breath.

"Where have you been? Hurry and go get ready!" My mom said, and I could tell she was pretty nervous about tonight.

I rushed up to my room, reaching for a pair of jeans, when my mom yelled from downstairs, "And wear something nice!"

I sighed, walking to my closet and pulling out a plain, pink dress. I paired it with white converse and walked downstairs.

My mom saw me and smiled.

"Why don't you wear dresses more often? You look so nice in them," she said.

"Because they're obnoxious," I groaned, tugging on my sleeve.

She rolled her eyes and laughed slightly.

"Can I go to Kris's for a minute? I've got to ask her something," I said, and she glanced at the clock which read 4:48.

"Sure that's fine. But be back by 5:00!" She called as I dashed out the door.

I knew Kris was on a date with Caden today, but really, I just wanted to talk to Andrew.

I knocked on the door and he answered, smiling when he saw me and staring at me for a few seconds.

"I gotta talk to you," I said, and he nodded. We walked up to his room and sat down.

"What is it?" He asked, watching me curiously.

"So Bill, my future stepdad, and his kids are coming over and I'm nervous that I'll hate them and blow up on them. How do I keep from losing my temper?" I ranted slightly.

"If they say something that bothers you, just think about something that makes you happy and forget about them," he said.

"Thanks Andrew, you're the best," I said, hugging him tightly.

"You're welcome Ollie," he said, smiling at me.

"I better go," I muttered, glancing at the clock in his room, "they should be here soon."

"Come over here afterwards and tell me how it went," he said as I began walking away.

"Okay, I will!" I called over my shoulder and dashed back towards my house.