I sat in the kitchen eating breakfast with Seth and Ryan.
"I don't believe it Ryan, Bright Eyes has two albums in the top ten."
"You okay with that?" Ryan asked, looking amused at the frown on Seth's face.
"Yeah I just feel like the rest of the world finally caught up to me. It's a little bit scary. Tell me I'm still special." Seth remarked and I grinned.
"You're special, Seth."
Seth grinned at me as the phone rang. "Hello? Nanaleh. How you feeling?" Seth asked with a smile on his face.
Ryan and I shared a look as we understood that Seth was talking to his nana. I'd only met her once, when she came to visit California a year ago. Seth and Sandy gave us updates monthly on how she was doing in battling her cancer.
"Ok, yeah I'm sorry. No I'm sure that twenty dollars outstanding has the bank just going crazy." Seth stated, making a funny face as he spoke to his nana. Kirsten walked in and glanced at Seth.
"Who is it?"
"Actually my mom just came in if you wanna talk to her-" Seth trailed off, looking at his mom. "It's the Nana."
Kirsten immediately shook her finger and mouthed 'no.' Seth stared back helplessly not sure what to say, but thankfully Sandy walked in.
"Hello, my dad just showed up, awkward family moment avoided for..everyone but me, love you." Seth spoke into the phone. "It's the Nana." Seth whispered, handing the phone to Sandy.
"Oh. Ma! Hey, how are you?" Sandy asked loudly as he left the kitchen.
"Why does he always get so much louder when he talks to her?" Seth asked and Kirsten grinned.
"They're a family of screamers."
In the other room, Sandy's voice can still be heard by us, further proving Seth's point.
"How's the grandma feeling?" Ryan asked.
"The Nana." Seth corrected and I gave him a look. He noticed and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Ally please, grandma evokes homemade cookies and knitting and someone whose actually nice to you."
"The Nana, definitely not nice to you or me, but she's doing great. Full remission." Kirsten told us and I smiled. "That's amazing."
"Which confirms my suspicion that she is in fact immortal." Seth muttered.
"What? So soon? Oh my God, Ma. Let me call you back." Sandy stated as he walked back into the kitchen and ended the call.
"What happened?" Kirsten asked in concern.
"Is everything alright?" Seth added, his joking demeanor gone for a moment.
"The Nana..she's headed for the altar."
It was hard for me to hide my surprise at that, and Seth smiled at me, also looking very surprised.
"She's getting married?" Kirsten asked, nearly laughing.
"Pack your bags, we're going to Miami." Sandy stated.
"Alright, shuffleboard, mahjong, dinner four, it's gonna be the best spring break ever!"
~~~~
I knocked on Trey's apartment door and waited a moment before the door swung open. To my surprise, I saw Jess Santhers standing in the doorway, wearing nothing but a bikini top and shorts.
"Ally? What are you doing here?" Jess asked me, looking me over. I glanced past her trying to see if Trey was there, then glanced back at her.
"I came to say goodbye to Trey." I told her, just as the man himself walked out of a room and saw me in the doorway.
"Ally! Hey! Come on in!" Trey called. I ignored the dirty look Jess gave me as I stepped past her to walk inside the apartment.
"So what's up?" Trey asked and I glanced at the beer bottles on the small table next to me.
"You tell me."
Trey glanced at the bottles, then at Jess. "Uh, Jess, can you give us a minute?"
Jess rolled her eyes slightly before leaving the apartment.
"So, Jess Santhers?" I asked him, not really trying to hide my disappointment.
"Jess is...different than she looks. She's nice to talk to."
"And I'm sure talking is all she's interested in." I muttered, but he heard me.
"Ally, what did you come here for? I know you well enough to know this isn't just a friendly visit." Trey said, looking kind of annoyed.
I rolled my eyes at his attitude. "Actually, it is. I came to tell you that Ryan and I are going to Miami for the weekend to visit Seth's nana. I wanted to make sure you'd be okay while we were gone, but it looks like you've got Jess to take care of you."
"Ally, come on. Jess is not who you think she is, I really like her." Trey told me and I sighed. "Just be careful, Trey. Jess is trouble. Just promise you'll stay out of trouble while we're gone?"
"Okay, fine. You don't have to check up on me, Ally. I'll be okay." Trey told me and I nodded. "Well, see you when we get back." I told him, glancing back at him as I turned to walk away.
"Have a safe trip."
I nodded as I walked out and closed the apartment door, trying to ignore the odd feeling I felt about my brother. Something was definitely off with him, I just didn't know what it was. But as he said, I had to stop worrying about him. He was an adult and he was responsible for his own decisions. If only I knew what those decisions would lead to....
~~~~
I stood outside the cab with Seth and Ryan. Seth and I placed the last of the bags in the trunk and closed it as Sandy and Kirsten walked outside.
"You three got everything?" Sandy called to us.
"Uh, I got my cardigan, my humidifier, and my orthopedics, now take me to my people." Seth joked and I laughed at him. I hugged Kirsten goodbye after Seth and Ryan did, before climbing into the cab.
After hours of traveling, we finally arrived in Miami and I was definitely impressed. When we arrived at the hotel where we would be staying, I felt my mouth drop in surprise at how nice it was.
"Whoa." Ryan muttered as we climbed out of the cab.
"Welcome to Miami." Sandy said, looking amused at mine and Ryan's reactions.
"There's too many young tan healthy people here, I don't like it." Seth joked and I grinned.
"Well, let's check in anyway. Hey, how about some dinner?" Sandy asked us.
"Yeah." Ryan agreed.
"It's four p.m. in Orange County, they put us on the early bird circuit."
After dinner, we took a walk through downtown Miami. The bright lights from the many attractions reflected on us as we walked down the busy street.
"Man, I thought Newport was nice." Ryan stated and I glanced at him.
"I thought Newport was hot." I told them, wiping the sweat off my face to prove my point. The heat here was very different from California, so much so I'd shedded my long sleeve for a tank top and shorts. Sandy, Seth and Ryan were also dressed in what I called beach clothes.
"If you're a fan of the vibrant night life, hey why can't we go see the Nana tonight?" Seth suggested.
"Well you know the Nana and her schedule...Friday nights mahjong." Sandy told him and Seth groaned dramatically.
"What? Since when is Friday night mahjong? That totally throws off my schedule."
"Breathe it in kids, we got a weekend away with nothing to worry about." Sandy told us, which to be honest, sounded very appealing. A weekend without the drama of Newport was practically a miracle at this point.
~~~~
Seth, Ryan, Sandy and I arrived at the facility where Seth's nana, Sophie, lived. We walked around to an outside seating area where I noticed many older men playing games at a table.
"Now we're talking." Seth stated, pulling thick black glasses from his bag and putting them on. "Abe, Stu, Stanley." Seth greeted in a very older sounding voice.
"Hey, look who's here!" Stu greeted happily.
"How are you?" Seth asked.
"Terrible." Abe stated and Seth nodded.
"Why don't you have a seat?" Stanley suggssted and Seth obliged, groaning as if it
pained him.
"You need my heating pad?" Stanley asked and I glanced at Seth in stunned amusement as he nodded.
"Backs a little sore, backs a little sore."
"Alright, now I am officially terrified." Sandy stated.
"You can say that again." I stated, looking at Seth who was chatting with the three men like he was one of them.
"So they do fly airplanes from Orange County to Miami, I wouldn't know, I see so little of you." Sophie stated, walking over to us.
"Ma! Ah you look better than ever." Sandy stated as he hugged his mother.
"Yeah. Getting married."
Sandy nodded, looking over at Ryan and I quickly. "You remember Ryan and Ally?"
"Of course who could forget these two? My grandson's beautiful girlfriend, hi, Ally, how are you?" Sophie stated and I grinned at her, returning her hug. "And Ryan, it's great to see you." Sophie stated, also hugging Ryan.
"And there's my grandson. Hello, Setheleh." Sophie greeted, and Seth stood up to hug her. "Hello, Nana."
"I want you to tell me everything that's happened to you this whole past year." Sophie told Seth who laughed.
"Ooh, I can barely remember what I had for dinner last night, please."
At the same time, Stu, Stanley and Abe agreed with his statement.
Seth walked back over to sit with the older men, while Sophie walked back to Sandy. "You wanna talk?" She asked and Sandy nodded.
"You two keep an eye on him, huh? Make sure he doesn't die of old age."
At about lunchtime that day, Ryan and I tracked down Seth again, to find him playing shuffleboard. He'd just beaten an older man and was laughing with Stanley, Stu and Abe when we walked up to him.
"Hey, Seth what do you say, you ready to roll? Because Ally and I, we're pretty hungry." Ryan suggested and Seth nodded.
"Hey, I'm famished too." Stu stated and Seth nodded.
"Doesn't seem like there's anyone left to beat, so why don't we go back into the dining hall, we're gonna have lunch. My treat."
I laughed at Seth's antics as Stanley, Abe and Stu cheered, walking over to us.
"Can I get in on the action?" I heard a girl say. I turned to see a pretty blonde girl who looked to be about our age standing next to an older lady.
"Mary Sue. Nice to meet you." Mary Sue greeted, smiling at each of us, but I didnt like the way her smile lingered on Seth.
"This is my grandma Mary Ellen."
"Hello." Ryan and Seth greeted, while Mary Sue and I sized each other up for a moment. She instantly smiled at me, and I forced myself to smile back. "I'm Ally, hi. This is my boyfriend Seth, and my brother Ryan." I told her, making sure to enunciate that Seth was my boyfriend.
Mary Sue smiled at Seth and Ryan, and Ryan noticed my looks at her because he cleared his throat. "So we were uh actually about to go and eat.."
"Yeah, well you're here, you like food?" Seth asked her and I glanced over at him.
"Who doesn't?" Mary Sue replied, smiling at Seth once again before the four of us headed to the dining room.
Ryan and I shared a glance as we walked beside each other. This was certainly going to be an interesting spring break.
~~~~
I watched in slight annoyance as Mary Sue beat Seth in shuffleboard. Normally, I'd be less jealous, but the fact that they'd been playing for the past two hours made it hard to be gracious.
"I do believe we have a new shuffleboard champion!" Mary Sue bragged, hugging her grandma.
"I can't believe she beat me." Seth said to Ryan and I, walking over to us.
"I can, can we go now?" Ryan asked Seth, while I just stared at him, then at Mary Sue who was smiling in the background.
"I can't go down like that. These people look up to me." Seth stated and I rolled my eyes.
"You wanna lose again?" Mary Sue asked.
"I wanna play again, only this time why don't we make it interesting? A little wager. You wanna do money, food?" Seth asked her.
"Actually, I do need a partner."
"A partner?" Seth asked and I glanced at Ryan who gave me a warning look. I ignored it and walked over.
"What kind of partner?" I asked and Mary Sue glanced at me.
"Well, besides being down here to visit my grandma, I entered into a dance contest."
"A dance contest?" I asked her and she glanced at Seth.
"It's for Music Video Nation, for their Big Spring Break Special, and the winner gets five thousand dollars, which would really help with my college loans."
"Well, that sounds very reasonable, Mary Sue." Seth stated and I stared at him in surprise. Did he really just agree to be Mary Sue's dance partner if he lost? Maybe it was the best affecting my mood, but this really pissed me off.
"The only move she's getting out of me is a victory dance." Seth whispered to Ryan and I, but of course, per my luck, that wasn't the case.
Now I found myself forcing my way through the large crowd where the so called "dance contest" was being held. As we walked thru the crowd, it became apparent it was definitely not a dance contest.
"Um, I think the registration tables over there. We need to sign in." Mary Sue told Seth and I barely controlled my annoyance when her hand touched his arm.
"Okay so what kind of dancing are we talking about here?" Seth asked her and Mary Sue stopped walking, which made us stop too.
"Actually, it's not quite a dance contest."
"It isn't?" I asked her, not hiding my annoyance now. Mary Sue looked slightly concerned at my reaction and avoided my eyes.
"No." She said, holding up a can of whipped cream.
"She's got whipped cream, Seth." Ryan stated, looking over to see me staring at Mary Sue in shock.
"Yeah I know, maybe she's baking a cake." Seth stated.
"See, I'm gonna cover myself in whipped cream and you're gonna lick it all off and eat a cherry out of my mouth before any of the other contestants."
I stared at Mary Sue incredously. I could not believe she thought she could just bring my boyfriend to this competition and suggest that he actually do this. What did she expect me to do, root for them?
"No way in hell." I stated suddenly, my anger finally breaking through my facade and Mary Sue looked at me with wide eyes.
"Look, it wouldn't mean anything to me at all. I know Seth is your boyfriend, but if I win this competition, it would mean so much to my grandma. Not having to worry about all those college loans with all the money she spends on medication.."
I felt bad for her, but I didn't really see where she thought I would be comfortable with Seth doing something like that with another girl.
"Okay, how about a compromise? I'll find you another partner and then Seth and I will enter the contest too? That way, you have twice the chance of winning." I suggested and Mary Sue smiled brightly.
"Thank you!"
I nodded, glancing at Seth before grabbing his hand and pulling him away. "What are you thinking? Were you really going to be her partner before I said something?"
"No, Ally of course not. And even if I was her partner, do you really not trust me?"
"Of course I trust you. I just don't want to see you licking whipped cream off a pretty girl's body, is that such a crime?"
"Okay, you have a point. But I will still be licking whipped cream off a pretty girl's body, since you went ahead and volunteered us."
"Don't remind me. Hopefully your mother and father don't watch this channel."
After I'd found Mary Sue a very willing partner and we'd all been registered, the four of us stood backstage with the other couples. There were two other couples and they seemed pretty eager for the challenge, if you know what I mean.
"So, what do we have to do to get ready?" Seth asked and I sighed, pulling off my tank top to where I just had my bikini top on underneath.
"Only be prepared to humiliate ourselves on live television." I muttered.
"This next contest is dirty y'all, it's off the chain and bananas, oh bananas, oh bananas!" Swerve, one of the hosts yelled into the microphone from the stage. The crowd cheered and I felt myself feeling slightly nervous.
"Who likes whipped cream?" Pixie, the other host yelled, and the crowd yelled again.
"Now let's see which one of these four guys is truly whipped. Give it up, you all!" Swerve yelled, and the assistant backstage ushered us to walk onto the stage. Seth and I exchanged a glance before walking onto the stage. I tried to ignore the loud roars of the crowd as it wasn't helping my nervousness at the moment.
"Bring out the whipped cream!" Swerve yelled and I rolled my eyes as a guy walked around, spraying each of us girls with whipped cream on our bikini tops. I met Seth's eyes as the guy handed me the cherry and I placed it in my mouth. Maybe we could win this contest and never speak of it again.
"Come on! Winner gets four large hot chick sundaes! Go!" Swerve stated, starting the contest.
Almost immediately Seth began to lick the whipped cream off my stomach and I found I couldn't stop laughing. For some reason, this all became funny to me. Who would've thought this would actually be fun? Before I knew it, Seth tapped me on the shoulder and leaned down to kiss me, taking the cherry from my mouth as he did. I laughed as Swerve yelled, "We have a winner!"
Pixie and Swerve came over and held both of our hands in the air, and Seth looked over at me with a huge smile on his face, which just made me laugh more. In that moment, I appreciated Sandy's words from earlier. I had to relish this moment because I didn't know how long this happiness would last. After all, we were returning to Orange County.