CHAPTER NINETEEN
I stood in front of my mirror, looking like hell. Like I had crawled from the deepest, darkest depths of hell.
I hadn’t showered yet, so my hair was knotted and unruly, sticking up in seemingly impossibly places. The past few sleepless nights had left their marks in the form of dark bags under my eyes. It didn’t help my case that I was wearing the baggiest sweat pants and tee shirt I owned. I knew I had to clean up though, and fast. Today was the day. Today was Friday. Today was Alexa’s beach party.
“Shit,” I muttered, rubbing sleep out of my eyes. It was almost noon, but I had only fallen to sleep around five this morning. I was a sight for sore eyes.
I grabbed my towel and slipped into the bathroom, turning my iPod on shuffle as I waited for the shower to heat up. I stripped off my pajamas and left them in a heap on the floor. Before You Exit started playing as I stepped into the shower. I scrubbed every inch of my body while humming along with the various songs and bands that came on.
Almost twenty minutes later I finished and dried my body off. I took a comb to my hair, wrestling with the impossible knots until each and every one of them was no more. I wrapped my hair in a towel as I returned to my room to get dressed. The boys weren’t coming to get me until five, but at the pace I was currently moving at, I would barely be ready by then.
Figuring I would do something productive while getting ready, I called my dad since I hadn’t spoken to him much since coming out to California. I stuck him on speaker phone so I could move freely about my room. He answered on the third ring.
“Hello?” Dad’s groggy voice came over the line.
“Hey Dad,” I said, loud enough to make sure he could hear me.
“Hey Allison.” He perked up immediately, though I could still hear a trace of weariness. “How’s my little girl doing?”
“Awesome,” I said, riffling through my selection of tanks. “California is really great. I’ve made a lot of great friends. Gina—Kelly’s younger sister—has been absolutely great with showing me around and such. How was Hong Kong?”
Dad was a high-level manager-slash-international representative for some large company. I wasn’t exactly sure what his job entailed, but I knew he traveled quite a bit, especially now that I was out of the house. He had been overseas for a month and by the sound of it, he was still readjusting to the time zone differences.
“Interesting,” he responded. “Quite different from the US, I can tell you that much.”
I laughed. “Get any good sales?”
“Yep,” he responded, stifling a yawn. “The merger went through as planned, so I’m expecting a nice bonus any day now.”
“Ooh, do I smell Christmas in Bora Bora?” I joked.
“Possibly.” He chuckled. “So are you going to want to return to New York at the end of the summer?”
“Of course,” I replied instantly. “I love school, Dad, you know that. Though I wouldn’t mind spending summers out here. The beaches are slightly colder, but on average, it’s generally nicer than Baltimore. You should just move out here.”
“But then I’d be on the other side of the country during the school year,” Dad pointed out.
“Oh yeah,” I mumbled, biting the inside of my lip. I shrugged, pulling on an Aztec-printed bikini top with solid pink bottoms. “Oh well, we’ll just have to bring my friends over next summer to stay with us. I’m sure Gina would love the East Coast.”
“Of course,” Dad agreed. “They’re welcome anytime.”
I heard a dinging sound, but it wasn’t coming from my phone.
“Damn,” Dad muttered. “Sorry, work’s calling, Allison. I’m going to have to go.”
“I thought you got a break before you had to head back in,” I said, confused.
“I do. They probably just want a report on the results,” Dad replied. I could picture him shaking his head. When he continued speaking, his voice became sterner as he switched into his business mode. “I’m glad to hear you’re having fun and now that I’m back in the States, I’ll want regular updates. Understood?”
“Got it, Dad.” I laughed.
“Okay then.” He returned back to his usual fatherly self. “Stay safe, Allison, and tell Veronica I said hi. I love you.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
I hung up, feeling infinitely better after having spoken with my father. He didn’t know the half of the current situation I was in, but he somehow knew how to brighten my day. Ever since Mom died, we had become closer than ever, and it was for times like this I was thankful for that. Talking to Dad had been just what I needed to get my spirits up, and now I had Bora Bora to fantasize about if things got rough during the party.
Groaning at what I was facing, I shook the towel from my hair as I pulled on a solid green tank and light-washed jean shorts. I dried my roots and ran mousse through the ends to hold my curls in better, even though the salt water would do that anyways. I then brushed my teeth and dabbed some concealer under my eyes to hide the bags. There was no point in putting on makeup to go to the beach, though I never wore it anyways.
I grabbed my phone and jogged downstairs to the kitchen, pouring myself a large bowl of Lucky Charms. I flipped to a channel that was showing The Dark Knight Rises and plopped down on the couch. The apartment door opened behind me and I craned my neck to see who it was. All I caught was a glimpse of dark spiral curls, but that was all I needed.
“Hey Veronica!” I called, my mouth full of marshmallows.
“Hey Allison! What’s up?” She sat down on the footrest so she was facing me. She was as unlike me in looks as she possibly could be. Her dark hair and tanned skin was straight from the Walker side of the family. Save for my curls, I was the spitting image of my mother. Light hair and fair skin came from her genes in me.
“I’m just waiting for Gina and Shawn before the guys come to get us,” I said. “Oh, and Dad says hi.”
“You spoke with him?” She asked.
“Yeah, I called him this morning,” I answered. “He just got back from Hong Kong, remember?”
“That’s right.” Veronica nodded. “Well, I’ve got to run into work. I just came home to change. When your friends come over, make sure they don’t trash the place.”
“Will do.”
Veronica winked as she disappeared into her bedroom. She came out a few minutes later, stole an apple from the fruit basket, and left. I filled my bowl again with more Lucky Charms and continued with my mini movie marathon.
At half past four, there was a knock on the door. Not wanting to get up, I yelled, “It’s open!”
“Are you ready to par-tay?” Gina sang as she bounced into the room. She bent over the back of the couch and threw her arms around me. “Three of my favorite things: parties, the beach, and hot guys. And we get to have all three all night.”
“There had better not be any other hot guys,” a deeper voice said from the doorway.
“Hey Shawn,” I said to the blonde.
“Hi Allison,” he replied as he grabbed a soda from the fridge. Shawn had really grown on me since our first meeting at the club. He genuinely was a good guy—unlike most of the frat boys I knew—and he genuinely cared about Gina. From what she had told me, it was about time she got a good guy, and Shawn fit the bill.
“So when are we leaving?” Gina asked, taking one of my marshmallows and popping it into her lipstick-stained mouth.
“Get your own!” I scolded, whisking my bowl out of her reach. Gina rolled her eyes and griped before going over and opening the Lucky Charms box. “Careful so you don’t get fat.”
Gina rustled through the box and moments after I felt something bounce off the back of my skull.
“Rude!” Gina shrieked.
I chuckled. “To answer your earlier question, they should be here soon.”
No sooner had the words left my mouth, there was a knock on the door. Shawn, being the closest, opened it. Jc stood there, slightly baffled by Shawn’s presence. His eyes scanned the room, landing on Gina at the counter, then finally shifting to me on the couch. I noticed he let out a relived breath upon seeing me. I couldn’t help but laugh, thinking Jc was worried he went to the wrong apartment.
“You guys ready?” Jc asked. He cast a sidelong glance at Shawn, who was considerably taller and much more ripped than Jc. I had to cover my mouth to stifle my silent laughs. I was guessing Jc didn’t like to be put in unfamiliar situations with people he didn’t know.
“Yeah,” I answered. “Where’s Connor? I thought he was picking us up.”
“Out at the car,” Jc explained. “He was worried your cousin was going to be home, so he’s hiding in the back seat like a child.”
I laughed. “Oh god. There’s something wrong with that boy.”
“I’ve been saying that for years!” Jc agreed, a large smile spreading across his face.
I quickly cleaned up the mess I had made in the living room and the four of us left (Gina taking the Lucky Charms with her). I locked the apartment door behind us and followed the others down the stairs. When we got out to the parking lot, I was surprised to see a fairly large group of people hanging around Kian and Ricky’s cars.
“Trevor and Sam stayed over at the house last night,” Jc told me as the two boys both grinned and waved at me. “And then Andrea's tagging along. She's Jenn's roommate and Kian's girlfriend. I think you'll like her.”
I looked over at the girl by Kian’s side. I knew who she was from seeing her picture, but I had never met her in person before. She was absolutely stunning, with long dark hair that would give Gina a run for her money. As Jc quickly did introductions so everyone in the group knew everyone else, I noticed someone missing. While everyone else was busy chatting and getting to know their new friends, I crept over to the side of Ricky’s car and opened the back door.
Lying face down on the bench with his arms over his head was Connor. I crouched down so that I was at eye level and pulled a grotesque face, waiting for him to look up.
“You’re so weird,” Connor said.
“Thanks.” I laughed and returned my expression to normal. “Especially since that’s coming from the full-grown man hiding in the back seat of his friend’s car so he didn’t have to face my oh-so-scary cousin. ’Cause you know Veronica. She’s a tough cookie. She’ll kick your ass.”
“She doesn't look like a fairy princess!” Connor retorted, smacking his palms against his cheeks.
“I mean she was only enrolled in karate for six years,” I said.
Connor paled. “Seriously?”
“No!” I rolled my eyes. “It was kickboxing.”
Connor’s face blanched again, but before he could respond Jc’s voice cut across the parking lot to us.
“Hey, you lovebirds! Stop flirting and let’s go!”
“We’re not flirting!” Connor and I yelled back at the same time. We looked at each other and he grinned at me before rolling onto his back to sit up. I felt my face go red and once Connor could no longer see me, I turned back to Jc and flipped him off. He shrugged, trying to act innocent.
As everyone split up and piled into the two cars, Jc came over to my side and threw an arm casually around my shoulders.
“You suck,” I told him.
“Aw, does wittle Allison have a wittle crush?” Jc teased, poking me in the cheek. I bit my lower lip, refusing to say anything. Jc’s mouth fell open. “Oh. My. God. You do! You totally do—!”
“Shut up!” I clamped my hand over his mouth and looked around to make sure no heard him.
Jc moved my hand from his mouth, which was still hanging wide open. “Wait, Allison, no joke. Are you like…Do you…?”
“Yes, okay!” I hissed. “I like Connor—is it such a big deal?”
“Yes!” Jc replied, a little louder than necessary, catching Kian’s attention.
“Hey, are you two done talking? We want to get there before the party’s over!” Kian said as he climbed into the driver’s side and started up the car.
“Please, Jc,” I begged quietly. “Don’t tell anyone. I’m not—I don’t want Connor to know.”
“But—”
“Please.”
I kept my eyes locked on Jc’s brown ones, attempting to make him understand why this was so important that it was kept between us. A secret like this getting out could be disastrous.
“Fine,” Jc said finally. “It’ll be our little secret.”