Sugar

3

    "In your dreams!" I yelled back, holding my hand over my brows to block the sunlight, sticking my tongue out playfully at her.

    She didn't respond verbally, just chuckled loudly and as I went to say something else, a strong pair of arms hooked around my waist from behind and lifted me into the air effortlessly. I let out a loud screech and surely any of the neighbors—if there are any—would've thought that someone was being brutally murdered.

    "Put me down!" I yelled, clawing at the arm around my middle and kicking my legs dramatically in hopes to catch the person off guard as they continued carrying me down the long dock.

    I glanced over my shoulder to find Brandon's dashing features sporting a wickedly amused grin.

    Of course it's Brandon, I thought to myself.

    "Get. Your. Sleazy. Hands. Off. Of. Me!" I enunciated, continuing my attempt at escaping as a low chuckle vibrated his chest.

    "You think I'm sleazy, Florence?" He asked from behind me as we neared the edge of the dock and I realized quickly that this was a trick question.

    Do I think he's sleazy? Absofuckinglutely.

    But am I about to be thrown into a freezing lake by said Sleaze Master? Sí.

    "No, no I don't!" I sputtered out as he stopped at the very end of the dock, still holding me off of the ground. "You are a glorious man who is so kind and nice and very, uh—very respectable! Yeah, respectable! I think you should get a rai–," My words were cut off and in their place a scream erupted once again as Brandon threw me into the lake.

    I can confirm. The water is freezing.

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    After being dunked oh-so ruthlessly into the Lake of Death, as I like to call it, I proceeded to chase Brandon around the property with a neat little Nerf water gun I'd found inside while grabbing a towel, in attempts revenge.

    After a few hours of basking outside and chatting about nothing in particular, the sun began slipping under the horizon leaving us with a blanket of darkness and night stars to accompany it.

    Brandon quickly started a fire in the fire pit outside which the four of us gathered around and talked about a few fleeting topics that didn't really pique my interest. I just sat next to Alex, a thin blanket wrapped around myself. I'd changed out of my bikini about an hour ago and instead slipped into some pajama shorts and an old t-shirt that I'd brought along with me.

    Aria didn't seem pleased with the choice, probably since it wasn't exactly the "Hey, wanna bang?" outfit she was hoping for but unfortunately for her she hadn't decided to warn me on the whole blind date thing so my old PJs would have to do.

    Alex and I had talked momentarily and I couldn't say I was all too interested in him. Don't get me wrong, he seems like a good guy and everything, he just isn't exactly my type, I guess. I never thought I had a type but you just know when you're not attracted to someone and for me, thats how I felt about Alex.

    Maybe if we'd met organically and hadn't been shoved into one another's laps I would see him differently and definitely hold less pent up annoyance for Aria towards him.

    He didn't seem all too interested in me, which I counted as a win on my part because how awkward would the rest of this trip be if I had to avoid this guy that had feelings towards me that I didn't reciprocate.

    Yikes.

    "Florence, are you still in school?" Brandon's voice broke me out of the daze I was in and I glanced across the fire at him where he sat with his arm draped around Aria's shoulders as she scrolled through her phone.