A year after losing her older sister in a tragic accident, Charlie's Mom marries the father of the most popular boys in school. Still grieving, Charlie struggles to accept her new family and gets involved with her stepbrothers worst enemy, the capta...
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Five hours before I was due to leave, I lay on the beach, drinking beer and soaking up the Florida sun.
I'd texted Joe and Taylor to join us, and the boys had texted their friends. So before I knew it, as company, I was sunbathing on the beach with my stepbrothers and my best friends, Freya Calloway, Jack Williams and Molly Wild, at least until Tommy and Molly decided to go on a beach walk to get some ice cream.
"It's too hot," Taylor whined, sitting up beside me.
"You bet it is," Harry said, glancing over at her with raised eyebrows and a slight smirk pulling at the corner of his lips.
Tommy and Molly came back to join us with ice cream in their hands. Tommy's chocolate ice cream was practically gone. In contrast, Molly was savouring her ice lolly.
"Stop complaining," I sighed, glancing at Harry and Taylor. "My Dads said he's decided he wants to take me to England. Do you know how cold it is there this time of year?"
"Now, who's complaining?" Jack critiqued, glancing at me with bored eyes.
"Let's do something," Tommy suggested, leaning down and pulling me up.
"What?" I said, looking down at Joe and giving him a pleading look. Joe shrugged, trying his best not to smirk before returning to sunbathing, ignoring me.
"Let's race," Tommy said, dragging me towards the ocean. "We can swim out to that buoy."
Tommy pointed towards a buoy in the distance before he turned towards the others. Freya, Jack and Sebastian jumped up with competitive looks on their faces. It surprised me but also amused me. I realised there was more to their friendship than popularity and football rivalries.
"I'm going to beat your ass —" Sebastian said, approaching Tommy and putting him in a headlock.
I glanced at my friends, and Taylor made no move to join us.
"I'm good here," she said, glancing at Sebastian and Tommy with slight intimidation etching her features.
"Me too." Harry agreed, glancing at Taylor before giving me a charming smile as if to say, Don't worry about us.
Joe looked at them hesitantly and then at me with an apologetic smile.
"Same," Joe said bitterly. "Don't drown."
"She's good," Sebastian said with a tight-lipped smile before turning to me. "These two said you jumped off Cafe Rocks' roof." He glanced between Harry and Tommy before raising a disapproving eyebrow at me. "If you can do that, you can swim out to that buoy."
I shrugged, "drunk Charlie's a fun Charlie."
Jack scrunched up his nose. "You know only narcissists talk about themselves in the third person."
