Tell Me

Chapter: 9

Sydney...

I woke up way later than I planned. The clock was blurry from where I was sleeping so I get up to grab my glasses. The clock reads 1 pm. Shit. My mom will know something is up. I've never slept that much in my life. I usually get up at 6 to 7:30. I pull my hair into a messy bun and wipe the drool off of my face.

I hold my breath as I make my way down the spiral staircase. It smells like coffee and pancakes. My mom, Dirk, and my grandparents are sitting at the table laughing and chatting, well, Dirk is picking dirt out of his fingernails. My mom catches me in the corner of her eye.

"Hey sleepyhead, what's up? I'd swear you've got a hangover from yesterday's party the way you've slept half the day away." She jokes.

My eyes go wide. My grandma slaps her thigh, "Ohhhh don't listen to her honey, she's just tired from all of the driving yesterday." My grandma smiles, "Honey, do you want some coffee and some breakfast? We saved some pancakes for you." I nod my head and trot into the kitchen. I grab a pancake and put some syrup on the side of my plate to dip. I fill up my cup of coffee and sit down next to my grandpa.

Just as I'm finishing breakfast, my grandma proposes to take the boat out this morning. I freeze. It's not like I'm going to have a phobia of boats now, but I'm going to need a little time until I go onto another one.

I stand up to go wash my dishes. My mom hesitates, "Actually I have to go to the store to get a couple new bathing suits. I forgot to pack them back at home."

I let out a sigh of releif. Everyone turns towards me. I smile sheepishly and focus my attention on the dishwashing soap.

My grandpa grunts, changing the subject, "So Sydney, do you mind taking the garbage out?" I nod and dry my hands off with a towel. I go to the bathroom to put in my contacts.

I grab the garbage bag and head downstairs. Yesterday, my grandpa showed me where the dumpsters were. Apparently, the people here all throw their garbage away at one dumpster and the garbage truck picks up once a week.

As I walk towards the dumpster I pass the resident's garages. A lot of people are outside excersising, buffing their ATV's, or riding around. I continue walking, waving at people who I pass. I suddenly see Josh in his 4 wheeler with a younger version of Josh, only with darker hair who I guess is his little brother. Noticing me, he pulls over and gets out.

"A pretty girl like you doesn't belong carrying a big garbage bag." I try to fight a blush, but end up reddening my cheeks anyways. I try to cover it up by rolling my eyes. I try to walk around the 4 wheeler. I'm stronger than I look. I can carry a measly garbage bag to the dumpster.

Josh touches my arm. I flinch and yank away from his reach. I walk to the dumpster and attempt to throw the bag into it. Turns out I'm not as strong as I thought and the dumpster is way to high for me. After my third try, I huff and turn to see Josh crossing his arms and smirking. God he looks so sexy. Wait, did I just think that?

I back away in defeat as Josh drops the bag into the dumpster easily. I roll my eyes and start to walk away.

Josh...

I throw the keys to the 4 wheeler at Adam and tell him to drive it home. He nods, but his eyes are focused on the backside, mainly the bottom half of Sydney... I clear my throat loudly and he shakes his head and blinks out of his daze. Even at twelve, him and I sometimes are too much alike.

I run to catch up with Sydney. She keeps her gaze fixed straight in front of her. God why does she act like she hates me? Any girl at my school would be completely esstatic if I asked them out. Why is she so different?

Quickly, I grab her hand. She groans and protests, but I'm not letting her go. She stops trying to shrug me off and gives in. Her hand in mine gives me a sense of comfort, it makes me forget about the bad things happening in my family. Her hand is so soft and warm. I stare at her face as we walk. She looks up at me, happiness in her eyes. She quickly looks down and she blushes. God, she's so adorable.

I let her lead us to the very first condo building. She stops and I try to catch her eye. She looks up and searches my face. I lean my forhead against her's, careful not to get too close, even if all my insincts are screaming to kiss her. Finally, she whispers so quietly, "Th-h-hank y-you." And with that, she's gone leaving my hand cold and my breath taken away.

I shake my head as I start walking towards my house. I pass by a few of my friends that I wave at and finally, I reach my destination. When I walk inside, I can already tell that dad is in his office, working. I sigh, why would he be working on the first day of vacation? I go to the windows to see Adam jumping around in the lake, but I'm distracted by a hesitant voice coming from the kitchen.

"Would you like some lunch, sweety?" I look at what she's made. She had grilled cheeses on a plate with a side of fresh fruit. It looks good, but I don't have much of an appetite right now.

Suddenly, Damian comes inside from the backyard. He's on the phone saying, "Yes, yes Richard. We will have that prescription ready for you by twelve pm, Monday." Silence and the he responds again laughing, "Okay Richard I'll see you then. Say hi to the kids for me."

I roll my eyes at the exchange between Damian and his cell phone. The guy just annoys the crap out of me.

"Okay, Sarah." Right after he hangs up the phone, he directs his attention to my mother, "Everything is set. I'm glad you and your family have settled in well. I really wish I could stay for a couple of days more, but as you can see, duty calls." He motions to his cell phone and his stupid suit he's wearing.

My mom giggles and says that she'll show him out to the car.

I sit at the dining table that hasn't been used for years. We don't have family dinners anymore like we used to. Those used to be my favorite, especially in the summertime. I know, what kid likes to hang out with their family that much? Well, we were different. At least once a week, my entire family got together to eat dinner. It was my family and my grandpa and all of my aunts and uncles and cousins.

Eventually, I head upstairs.

April is still sleeping, so I go into my room. I sit on the floor and pull out a box full of pictures. We keep these pictures here because they are all of our past memories in this town.

I open the lid and look inside. The first picture is my sister and I parasailing. The next one is Matt and I roasting marshmellows. As I go deeper into the box I pull out a picture of my dad and my grandpa, smiling with a big fish in their hands. They both look so happy. This picture has to have been taken twenty years ago because my dad's a teenager. I look so much like he does in this photo.

I find a bunch of photos of Grandpa and I. They usually feature us in our matching baseball caps. That's when I find the box that holds mine. Whenever I pull it out, it makes my heart ache. There are holes in it and it is faded. The small cap has a cursive letter B on it. I used to ask Grandpa what the B stood for and he would just ruffle my hair, telling me that it stood for our family. To this day, I still don't understand how it ties to our family.

I the cap away and pack up the photos.