Chloe Morgan is your average teenager.
However, with her sarcastic comebacks, cynical attitude, and the tendency to push everyone away, it seems like the last thing she wants is to surround herself with friends and enjoy the rest of her summer vaca...
I'm nearly paralyzed with shock when we are greeted by the cheerful smile of none other than Billy Barnes. At the mere sight of my former foster sibling, I find myself completely startled by the strange coincidence. He stands before us, with brown eyes that glimmer in the sunlight like new pennies. Although he seems surprised to see me, he surely isn't as gobsmacked as I am.
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I haven't seen him in years. The last I remember of Billy was when he was the little boy who pulled the heads off my Barbie dolls. Now he's approximately 6 feet tall and has the build of a college football player. I can hardly recognize him. It doesn't take me long to realize that I'm gawking at him like those perverts who stare at nude paintings in the museum.
Then suddenly, I glance over at Casper who is anticipating my response to Billy. The tension between us thickens and my anxiety about the situation intensifies. If I say the wrong thing, it will only add fuel to the fire. I can't have Casper find out how I met Billy. I've been trying to keep my experience in the foster care system a deeply buried secret.
Therefore, my mission is simple: I must avoid any possible confrontation between us and deceive Casper somehow. After all, the saying is painfully true... Ignorance is bliss.
Billy tilts his head to the side and chuckles at me, "Cat caught your tongue?"
Despite the fact that I devised my cunning scheme, I'm rendered speechless. It's like the words have been caught in my throat and thus, I'm lacking the ability to utter a single sentence. I'm starting to realize that this has become a rather awkward habit of mine. I stare at Billy with wide eyes, unable to respond. I guess I have to organize a new game plan. Instead of manipulation, I'll opt for a different strategy: play dumb like my life depends on it.
"What?" I manage to ask him.
Billy shakes his head in disbelief, "How have you been, Chloe?"
Then before I have the opportunity to say something, Casper interrupts. With a confused and skeptical expression, he arches his eyebrow, "Wait, do you know each other?"
"No, of course not," I reply almost instantly while lying through my teeth. My panicked answer was too abrupt to seem genuine, "Why would you think that?"
"Well, he did just say your name," he mentions, calling my bluff.
"I've never met him before," I pretend, although I'm not sure I'm very convincing.
