"Tell me again, why did I agree to come along?" I asked from the back seat of my brother's car. Anthony and Eric were sitting up front singing along to some stupid rap song while I was sulking in the back of the car, wishing I was home and getting the rest I didn't get in London. My parents didn't even know I had a night job or that my school day could easily stretch into the late afternoon hours. I was fond of taking after school classes because I knew I was so behind in school but then it just started becoming a habit I couldn't make myself break. Basically, I lived in London on five to six hours of sleep. Being home made me realize how much I've missed my sleep but now it seemed I couldn't even get that anymore.
"You didn't but if it makes you feel any better, Suzanne will be there."
Oh dear brother, that I do know. Suzanne had called me last night just to remind me that they were heading to the beach and asking me for the thirtieth time if I was sure I didn't want to go with them. The tragic thing is, I told her yes, I was certain I did not want to go. Yeah, a lot of good that did me. Sometimes I wish I was as lucky as my little sister, June, she's not aloud to go although she genuinely wanted to.
"No, it doesn't make me feel better but thanks for reminding me." I snorted and glared out the window while my brothers continued their bad replica of the rap song. Why did I have to be so lucky as to have brothers that actually wanted to take their sister everywhere with them?
It was a two hour drive from the house to the beach. I managed to catch up to at least another hour of sleep before I was awoken by my brother's bad singing again. I was more than ready to jump out the window by the time we reached the beach and that turned out to be exactly what I did. My eldest brother was kind enough to turn the music full blast and started singing, with Erick's assistance, as loud as they could with the song. I didn't even take notice of where we were or that everyone was looking at us. All I was focused on, was the fact that my ears were going to start bleeding really soon. When we finally pulled to a stop, Anthony locked all the doors and I couldn't get out so out of desperation, I rolled down the window and practically threw myself from the car. My brothers looked stunned for a full five seconds before bursting out into laughter along with half the people from school.
"Seriously guys, I'm home for two weeks, two weeks and this is your way of welcoming me back?" I demanded as soon as Anthony's door swung open. He just continued laughing. "Fine, you know what? I give up." Grabbing my backpack from the back seat, I swung around and started stomping my way to the beach. I would have made it too, if it weren't for Erick who grabbed me around the waist and lifted me from the ground with no effort at all.
"Aw, come on sis, it was just so funny seeing you glare at us. Do you even realize how much we missed that frown of yours over the past four years?"
I couldn't help it, Erick made me chuckle before I could even try to stop it from escaping my lips.
"Yeah well, I was in London being a snob so I don't condone your attitudes. I'm a lady." I said with fake flair while trying to still get released from my brother's grasp. Of course, this time it was Anthony who broke down laughing.
"No offenses Hope, but ladies don't jump out of car windows." Erick pointed out.
"Okay fine, you were funny as hell. Now let me go!" I yelled out and finally kicked Erick in the shin, making him drop his hold of me while I straightened out the green sundress I was wearing. Yes, I jumped out of a car window wearing a dress and probably flashing my bikini bottoms to everyone in the vicinity.
"YOU CAME!"
I winced at the yell coming from behind me. Turning around, I was just in time to catch Suzanne who came jumping onto me again. It was like a complete repeat of last week and I was lucky I haven't lost my strength yet. I sighed into her red hair while she giggled and held on tightly to me, it was like I was some kind of idol for her.
"But you said you wouldn't be here." She finally said and dropped from my body and onto her own two feet again.
"That was the plan but my brothers kidnapped me this morning." I shrugged one shoulder before sending a heated glare over at my brothers who were smiling innocently at me. "Even my mother was in on the plan." I huffed out in annoyance.
"I'm happy you could be here." Suzanne completely ignored my displeasure at being here and instead threw her arm over my shoulder and started dragging me onto the beach. "Thank you guys for kidnapping her!"
I wanted to kick her so hard after that.
I was a little stunned at the amount of people gathered on the beach already. There were so many young people that I could barely see any other aged people there. I could make out a few random teachers I once knew but that's about all I could tell. There were a bunch of girls playing volleyball against the guys, touch rugby was being played a little ways away and then there were a few tables were drinking games were taking place. It was a strange sight to see the principle playing a drinking game with some jocks but I didn't want to loom in the thought of those happenings for very long. I was just about to ask Suzanne about the plans for today when my brothers came running past me, almost knocking me to the ground with their surf boards.
"Sorry sis, we'll see you later!" Anthony yelled out before they went splashing into the waves.
Typical, they kidnap me and then they go surfing, leaving me with my crazy best friend.
"Have you told them about the college scholarships yet?" Suzanne asked.
I looked over at her and found that she looked a little sad. I didn't understand that at first but after looking back at my brothers, I understood. They were in the water with their friends and pointing at me while talking animatedly. I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. I was the sister from London who finally returned for good. The thing was they went to college in the city, allowing them to stay at home until they got married one day or had enough money to move out. My problem was I had to move out immediately if I was to go to any of the colleges that offered to take me in. How was I going to break the news to my family?
"No, I can't really figure out how I should handle telling them. I mean, I've been gone the past four years, now I had to somehow tell them I was moving away to go to college, probably being gone for another five to six years?" I sighed at the mere thought of how torn my family would be. "I have less than two months left before I have to go to college and I have no idea where I want to go or what I want to do with my life. The best way of thinning out the pile is to take out all the colleges that are too far away because there is no way I'm going to be that far away from my family again."
We walked in silence for a few minutes before Suzanne decided to fill it.
"How about you set all those decisions aside for now and the end of this month you can tell your family? In the meantime, you can just let yourself go and figure out what you want to do. It would be a hell of a lot easier than to try handling both of the situations at the same time." Suzanne suggested with a hopeful smile. She wasn't always the best one to ask for advice but this time, she made sense.
"I think I'll do that." I said with a thankful smile in her direction.
"Suzanne! Babe, where did you run off too?" I heard a male voice call out and turned my focus forward. Suzanne took of running again, this time jumping up onto a guy's torso and kissing him full on the lips. I chuckled at the dramatics of it all and rolled my eyes when she jumped down. The guy looked absolutely dazed when he finally pulled himself from the kiss and blinked a few times. "If that's the greeting I'm going to get when you come back, feel free to run off again." He muttered and I grinned at the laughter that broke loose from Suzanne.
"I'm going to be like this for the next two months." Suzanne stated once she's calmed down. "My best friend is back so I'm overjoyed!" She called out loudly, getting more attention than she already had while I felt completely uncomfortable under everyone's scrutiny.
"Suzanne, you're acting as if I've been gone my entire life." I said calmly as I walked over to the couple and felt more than one pair of eyes taking me in. "Besides, I've had full contact with you the entire time I've been gone."
"Yes but talking and hugging are two completely different things." Suzanne huffed and then walked up to me and placed both her hands on my cheeks. "See, this means I can actually touch you and hug you and gossip while seeing the expression on your face the entire time."
"Fine, I'll get Skype for the next time I have to leave." I mumbled through pursed lips and she finally let go with a smile on her face.
"That's a good idea. Now we at least have one of our problems solved, just in case you become some famous-" I placed my hands over her lips at once.
"I don't know what I'm going to do yet so we can stop discussing my stardom for now."
She nodded through silent lips before pulling away and turning to her boyfriend who looked adorably confused. He was actually handsomer than I thought he would be. Suzanne spent the entire week describing him to me but she didn't do him any justice. His dark blonde hair looked softer than she gave it credit for and he didn't just have brown eyes. No, his eyes were hazel with clear specs of gold swimming in there. His lips were perfectly shaped and his face wasn't as soft as she made it out to be. He was taller than her by at least an inch and his body made it clear that her statement of him being a basketball player was true. I would have never believed it but my best friend got herself a keeper.
"Lucas, this is my friend Hope, Hope, this is my boyfriend Lucas." Suzanne introduced with a bright smile on her lips. I chuckled before holding out my hand for the guy. He took it at once before releasing it with a pleasant smile on his lips. "This is my friend I spoke about who was transferred to London after the first year of high school."
Recognition finally entered Lucas's eyes before he glanced over his shoulder.
"Hey, Will, come and meet Suzanne's friend! It's the one from London you said you didn't think existed!" By the time he was done yelling, I felt like digging a hole and burying myself.
No wonder these two got along so well, they're so damned loud! Wait, wasn't Will the teacher Suzanne mentioned?
My eyes flickered over to a table where a young man turned away from a bunch of girls who looked to be the age of my eldest brother. I frowned at first, because they seemed so put out, before shoving the thought aside and looking at the man.
Suzanne wasn't kidding about him being hot. At first glance you wouldn't even be able to tell this man and Lucas was even related. The only thing they had in common were their eyes. Will had a stronger face than Lucas, though in a completely handsome way. There was slight stubble on his chin and his black hair was standing in so many different directions, it was clear that the wind had a lot of fun with it. The only thing was where Lucas was friendly and smiling constantly, this man was grim. He looked like he didn't even know how to smile.
"When was the last time he laughed?" I asked in a whisper and Lucas chuckled lightly.
"Last night. It was so quick; we didn't really get enough time to enjoy the sound."
I snorted at his answer before straightening out when Will came to a stop in front of us.
"Will, this is Hope, my London friend." Suzanne stated with an air of authority.
"I'm not going to hear the end of my London trip, am I?" She smirked at me, causing me to roll my eyes before holding out my hand towards William. "It's a pleasure to meet you." I winced as my strong English accent came out and even William looked stunned at the sound. "Sorry, I had a class specifically designed for girls to act like ladies. My American accent was the first thing they made me drop." I gave a shy smile and was stunned when one corner of Will's lips turned up into a lopsided grin. I think even Suzanne stopped breathing at the difference that made to his handsome face.
"Let me first just say one thing," Will began without removing his gaze from mine. "I'm sorry for doubting you, Suzanne, when you told us about your friend." I felt slightly confused by the way he kept staring at me. This made me almost jump out of my skin when his hand gripped mine. "It truly is a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Um thanks?" I knew it came out as more of a question and felt my skin heat up.
"So, when did you get back?"
Was he seriously starting up a conversation with me?
"Two weeks ago, I wanted to come back as soon as graduation was over but I had a rather unexpected appointment with my principle." I didn't even know why I was telling him this.
"What was the appointment about?" Will sounded genuinely interested and before I couldn't think about what I was going to say, the words just started flowing out of my mouth.
"She sent in some applications for scholarships and-"
"Hope, think fast!" Erick's voice yelled out and I spun around catching the object before it could hit me in the face. "Nice catch sis!"
I glared heatedly at my brother. Not only did he interrupt my conversation with Will but he almost threw me in the face! Why is everyone trying to injure me?
"Can everyone please stop throwing random objects at me? I can't even keep count off how many times I almost lost a piece of my face over the last two weeks?" I demanded and sent a glare at Suzanne as well. She grinned at me before putting up an innocent look when Lucas looked in her direction.
"It was just a way of offering you to join us in the water?" Erick shrugged nonchalantly and I sighed before realizing it was a block of wax I was holding in my hand. "Sis, you were in London for the past four years. Please tell me you didn't forget what surfing is?"
"No, that's one thing not even Madame Logan could make me forget." I stated before shrugging my backpack off and throwing it at Suzanne who promptly scooped it out of the air. "I'll see you in a few hours." I winked at Suzanne who rolled her eyes at me.
"No, not a few hours. I'll probably only see you when the sun goes down and Anthony drags you out of the water because he's just that over protective." She then shooed me off. "Get going then, tonight the bonfire will be our time to chat. Go catch some waves and be the tomboy I know you really are deep in that heart of yours." Sticking my tongue out at her, I took off running towards Eric who already had my board waiting for me.