Luke Collins has always had a thing for dark-haired boys with dark eyes. But the last seven days of summer have turned his world upside down. Instead of spending his time binge-reading his favorite novel and getting his schoolwork sorted, he's force...
Another frustrated groan escapes my lips as I drag the seemingly adamant bike.
I probably look stupid right now; a seventeen-year-old asthmatic kid dragging a flat tire bike with toothpaste and pencils in his pockets. And the sun is up just to remind me that I will need sunscreen, soon.
Fuck.
If this is not the worst day of my life, I don't know which one is because, from the start, I woke up feeling like a stupid zombie, I walked in on a stupidly hot body—just for toothpaste. And I can't even find a way to get his back out of my head. It's not my fault that I am a genius, but the ability to not easily forget things sucks right now.
It's as though each second I blink, I see him. Stupid Axel with his torn body right there, mocking me or asking me if I am sleepwalking—is that guy okay in the head?
Choosing to ignore the two teenage girls—I just crossed paths with—who are still laughing. Perhaps at me? Honestly, I would laugh at myself, too.
I will fucking give Jamie hell for giving me a flat tire bike.
Maybe I should have picked a skateboard? But I don't know how to ride one, I would still end up in the same situation—walking home for fifteen minutes in the scorching sun.
I want to cry. I wish to call mom and cry to her, so she can come and pick me up, but I glance at the time. She's working.
Her boss is mean as fuck, so I decide against causing her more trouble.
"Hey!" I hear a voice behind me; high-pitched, sharp, and sort of annoying considering the sun over my head.
Everythingisannoying.
I grit my teeth and, with a tiny unwilling smile, I crane my neck to look behind me.
One of the two girls waves at me and I wave back, as soon as I do they fall into giggles, which makes me wonder if I have peeped my pants or something. Just to make sure, I look down, scanning myself for any error in my dress code. I should be at the beach with this shirt printed with pine trees, surfboards, and all the beach vibes.
ButIamhere.
Talking to silly girls. They remind me of Marie, especially the one with blonde hair. It's so cliché how blondes want to be the mean girls in every scene—no offense—but this one is not mean—for now—she is just…crazy.
I confirm my diagnosis when she comes up to me, her pink pencil skirt and crop top revealing the smooth skin of her tummy and thighs. She wears pink slippers on her feet and guesswhat? Her nails are painted pink.
Typical mean girl vibes.
"Can I kiss you?" she asks, trying way too hard to be shy.
Meanwhile, I just gape at her; striving to make sense of whatever she just said. It seems like the sun is affecting my thinking capacity, or is it that what she asks is insane?
Either way, I part my lips and mumble a low, "What?"
She rolls her eyes and, without so much as a second thought, places a not-so-gentle peck on my cheek. I bet her sticky lip gloss stays there because I can feel something on my cheeks. She pulls away and stares at me for a second—her friend back there only giggles.
"What was that for?" I ask, half annoyed and half bewildered.
"You're cute." She shrugs and walks away. I only watch as they bounce away on the sidewalk, leaving me in the sun.
Then I realize I did not even get her name, but why does it matter? It's not like I would want to hang out with psychos.
Miraculously, I make it back to the house in one tired, thirsty, and hungry piece. I dump the bike in the yard and go straight to the kitchen, totally ignoring Jamie and Axel, sprawled in the living room like fucking kings.
After gulping down two full glasses of water, I have the energy to face Jamie.
"Your bike had a flat tire," I grumble, collapsing on the other couch.
"Oh shoot! I forgot to pump it up, sorry." Not even concerned about me, Jamie keeps his eyes on the TV screen. There's a show playing and I would rather not be part of this—all of this.
"You should have chosen the skateboard. It doesn't have flat tires," Axel mumbles, reminding me once again of his presence in this room. Truth be told, there's no way to entirely ignore him, not after this morning.
How do I politely tell him that I don't know how to get on that thing and not lose my balance?
My brain does not find any, so I just settle with, "Yeah."
"There's some food in the fridge, I can have it if you're not hungry," Jamie says—again, he does not look at me.
Neither does Axel, which somehow bothers me. How good is that show?
Maybe it's best if they don't see my sun burnt skin right now. It's not as tanned as Axel's under normal circumstances, but it's far better than this.
"So a girl-"
"Shh!" they hum in unison.
Is the show that good?
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