The Thirty Fifth Guy

Chapter One

Chapter 1- Love & Lost

Chris' Point Of View

I woke up to the bright streaks of sunrise streaming through the huge glass doors that led to my room's large, private balcony.

I groaned as I felt a pain shoot up my neck, and realized I fell asleep against the door, again.

I willed my legs to move and I stood up, making my way over to my en-suite bathroom and checked the clock on my desk, 6:00 am.

Holy hell, I thought, I slept fourteen hours?

I must have been very drained from yesterdays, messy, break-up.

I couldn't exactly commit to someone long enough for it to be considered a short-term relationship. They usually lasted a couple weeks, maybe a month tops, before I got too claustrophobic and ended it. I guess you could say I have commitment issues?

My brother, Zach, uses the term "relationship-hopper" but I don't really understand the point in that.

I was only a junior in high school and I've already been with thirty three guys, two of which we'd gone all the way.

I wasn't a slut, I just couldn't really see myself with any of them in the future.

I guess it didn't help that I didn't really believe in "love" or "being in love", and Zach has a term for that too, "bitchin' wimp. " Creative, right?

It was the last day of school before summer, and my brother and I were driving an hour upstate to stay with our grandmother at her beach house near Venice in a week. We were both filled with excitement, and we were already packed and ready to go.

I heard him shout for me from somewhere downstairs, and I quickly took a shower, and ran through my whole school routine.

I didn't bother dressing up for the last day, so I threw on a pair of jeans, underwear, a tank top and a flannel shirt before pulling on my boots and dabbing on a little bit of eyeliner, blush, and mascara.

"Ready for the last day?" My brother asked.

"Last day in hell," I mumbled.

"Sorry," he said sarcastically, "forgot you weren't a morning person."

He held out a cup of steaming brown coffee and I perked up, "For me?" I asked warily, my brother never did nice things for me.

He shook his head, "Well yeah, I won't be in school with you next year so I thought, why not do something for my little sister?"

I rolled my eyes, "You're only a year older Zach."

He shrugged, "Sounds older to me."

I grabbed the cup of coffee before heading to the garage and jumping into my Jeep, "Get in!"

"You sound like Barbie," he snickered before getting in the passenger seat.

Basically our lives revolved around making it a living hell for the other person. It used to be Zach, me, and our older sister, but she was in her first year of college and we haven't seen her for close to a year, so now it was just the two of us.

After a quick two minute drive, we pulled up to the school, an ugly red brick building we liked to call "Hell on Earth" or HOE for short. Our parents hated when we called it that, but what else were we supposed to call it? School was too mainstream.

Pursuit of Happiness came on just as we pulled in, "Oh come on, Chris!" Zach shouted as I switched it off.

"We're at the school though," I said, feigning innocence, even though I knew that it was his favorite song.