FRIENDS LIKE YOU! lucas mendoza

CHAPTER ONE

Knowing the Mendoza's it was obvious you would have an interesting life. Being frenemies with one of the Mendoza's made life even more interesting. Sammi knows that Lucas Mendoza for sure makes her life interesting. Sammi began staying with the Mendoza's when her parents died in a car wreck two years ago. The Mendoza's are family friends of the Alden's and Dave and Lori were the ones who Sammi's parents said would want to take care of their daughter if anything happened to them. Her aunt, Francesca, and uncle, Miles, live nearby but they were often busy with work. Her aunt owns a café and her dad is a police officer. They do often check in on her and she does stay with them from time to time whenever they aren't busy.

Sammi was sitting at the table in the kitchen, working on turning in some assignments since she started college online a few days ago. She's now a freshman in college (just like Lucas) and decided to do college online and stay at home, thinking it will be easier than going to campus and moving into a dorm.

She didn't hear Alexa come down the stairs, but when she heard Dave say, "Hey, first day of school." She glanced up from her laptop, seeing that Alexa now stood in the kitchen.

Dave smiles. "Exciting!"

"Dad, I'm a junior now." Alexa pats her dad's shoulder. "It's not, 'Oh, I'm so excited' anymore."

Sammi raises her eyebrows and shakes her head. "Yeah, I feel like that's not true."

The side door in the kitchen opened and Katie walked in, gasping excitedly as she dropped her backpack on the one of the chairs at the table Sammi is sitting at, meeting Alexa in front of the kitchen island. "We're juniors!"

Alexa jumps up and down excitedly. "Ah! I'm so excited."

Sammi chuckles, nodding to herself as she turns her attention back to her work. "Called it."

Dave looks at Alexa with a 'are you serious' expression as he butters the toast he held. "Seriously?"

The two best friends stare at each other for a few seconds before they both say the same thing at the same time, "Trade." Alexa took off her red jacket that was tied around her waist, handing it to Katie, and Katie took off the bracelet she had on, giving it to Alexa. Alexa tied the red jacket around Katie's waist and Katie put on the bracelet on Alexa's left wrist.

Alexa smiles. "I can't believe it. We're upperclassman, we look amazing, and I'm driving to school with a licensed adult in the car." She looked at her dad with a hopeful expression.

Sammi sends a thankful smile to Dave when he sat a plate of toast beside her laptop. Dave returns a smile before putting the other plate of toast he held on the table for Alexa. "Sorry, honey." Dave looks at Alexa with an apologetic look. Sammi picks up the toast off the plate, beginning to eat it as she looked at the three in the kitchen along with her. "I got a bunch of stuff planned for your mom's and my anniversary, and...I really wanna live to enjoy them."

"But, hey, maybe Sammi could go with you."

Sammi stops eating the toast, looking at Dave with wide eyes when he suggested that. "What?" Alexa and Katie look at the British girl with a hopeful expression. Sammi swallows, setting the rest of the toast down on the plate, immediately shaking her head. "Yeah, no. I choose life." She sent an apologetic expression to Alexa. "Sorry, Alexa, but getting in a car with you at the wheel is choosing death."

Alexa sighs, gesturing to herself and Katie. "Sammi, if we wanna get our licenses we have to do more than practice practice-driving on Katie's couch, and my driver's ed teacher said I need as much time behind the wheel as possible."

Dave slowly nods. "He also said don't drive within thirty miles of his house." Sammi pointed at him as if what he said was proving her point.

Alexa waves a dismissive hand. "Oh, he was kidding."