The Kids | Nolan & Fiona | Book 2

4

Ashley Patrick

"James! You invited me down! There is no way I am paying for all the gas," I shouted down the stairs to James, who was leisurely draped on the couch, even though we were supposed to leave in one hour and he hadn't even begun packing.

"I'm doing you a favor my letting you come, it's the least you could do. And by the way, I already asked dad, so don't even try."

"We'll see about that," I retaliated, skipping down the stairs and into my dad's 'man cave', as he calls it.

"Hi, dad," I smiled.

"Hey, sweetheart," he paused the hockey game he was watching and looked up at me, "What's up?"

"Your son is being annoying and won't help me with gas money," I pouted, sitting next to him on the couch.

"Which beach are you staying at?"

"Avalon," I responded.

When my parents had James and I, they had a year long argument about getting a shore house. Mom wanted a place in Avalon and dad wanted one in Florida. That was probably the only fight mom has lost in their entire marriage, and now we have a place in Vero Beach that we stay at for most holidays.

"Let me see if I have cash," Dad said, getting up and walking to his desk. I smiled deviously. I knew that I could get whatever I wanted from my dad, and that's something that James will always be jealous of.

He walked over and handed me two hundred dollars, "Keep the rest for food or something, just don't tell your mother."

"Thanks, dad," I said, giving him a kiss on the cheek, "You're the best."

I confidently exited the den and flashed the two one hundred bills in James face, "A father can never say no to his little princess."

"Yo, what the fuck? I asked him for twenty for food and he told me to piss off."

"I've got the magic touch," I flaunted, running up the stairs to finish packing, "Oh, and Colby is gonna be here soon so you might want to do something with your hair!"

"Like what?"

"I don't know, just not that."

Ten minutes passed and I heard the opening of the front door from downstairs and a quiet shriek. Then came the trudging up the stairs, followed by my door swinging open, revealing Colby.

"I thought I told you to warn me when James is shirtless so I can prepare myself!" She whisper-yelled through her teeth.

"Oh, he wasn't shirtless five minutes ago. He definitely saw you get dropped off and just wanted you to gawk. I hate that little bitch."

"Well, I definitely gawked. If you count choking on the gum I was chewing and almost dying when he opened the door before I even knocked," Colby ranted, flopping onto my bed and sighing, "So is Collin riding with us?"

"Yep, and it's my lucky day because James already told him that he had to take shotgun because he wanted to sit in the backseat with you."

Colby's face went red and then disappeared into the fabric of my pillowcase. "Collin even offered to do some of the drive, and James won't even help with gas money. I swear to God, I do not know what you see in him."

Colby was silently looking out the window, a creepy grin displayed on her face, "I see beautifully chiseled abs and fluffy hair and bright blue eyes and—"

"Okay, okay, enough of that."

——

"Hey, ugly, get your feet off my fucking seat," I scolded when I saw James' feet perched on the middle seat, which only made him make himself more comfortable.

I rolled my eyes and leaned my head back on the headrest. This was going to be a long drive.

"Eyes on the road, Assley," Collin teased.

"Collin, I swear to God if you call me that one more time I'll flip the car."

He shot me a wink, knowing James was way too enthralled in Colby to notice. I always blush when he flirts with me, and I really wish I could control it. He knows I'm attracted to him and he loves to flatter himself by making me turn bright red every chance he gets.

His confidence is my favorite and least favorite quality about him, unless his flow truly is a personality trait as he believes. Confidence is so attractive but Collin just has too much. He knows he's hot shit, and he knows all he has to do is look at a girl in a certain way and she'll be on her knees. It's disgusting yet incredibly intriguing how easy it is for him to pick up chicks.

While Colby and Jay were in an oddly deep conversation about why pickles are better than cucumbers, Collin turned to me, "Look, Ash, I know I can be a dick and I probably have too much sex for a sixteen year old, but I really do think you're beautiful."

I almost slammed my brakes on the turnpike when he said that, "Shut up I'm not getting with you this week."

"I didn't say that to get you to hook up with me. I'm just saying that you shouldn't let any of the guys take advantage of you while we're there. They're basically trained professionals on getting drunk girls in bed."

"You don't need to worry about me, Collin. I already have James who will break the nose of  any guy who looks at me the wrong way," I complained. James gave me a glare but then got back to explaining his passion for pickles.

"Not to make you feel unsafe, but my nose is perfect, so I think you're wrong."

"You are too much, Collin Hart."

——

i'm sorry it's actually been forever i've had a rlly busy summer