Cruel Summer

Chapter Two

Bye Bye Chicago

Four Years Later...

I was up in my room, sitting on my window seal drawing all the buildings, with the night sky and the stars when someone barged in. I turned my head over.

"Um excuse me, ever heard of knocking?" I asked my brother Caleb.

He rolled his eyes, "Calm down, Mom and Uncle Ben wants us downstairs for a family meeting."

"A family meeting? Why is Uncle Ben acting like he lives here?"

"Sam, chill out. I hate him just as much as you do, okay?"

I rolled my eyes and continued drawing.

"He's helped mom a lot these past years, and us."

"Whatever," I mumbled before getting up from the window, tossing my sketchbook and pencil onto my bed and walked downstairs.

Caleb and I sat across from my mother and Ben on the couch.

"Kids, we have something exciting to tell you," my mom smiled. Caleb and I gave each other a confused look. My uncle gave my a smugged look. God, I think I just puked in my mouth.

"You two are going to be spending the summer in Outer Banks," she said with a big smile, picking up her wine glass and taking a sip.

Our eyes widened. "We're what?" I asked.

"Alone?" Caleb added.

My uncle laughed, "Are you nuts, of course not alone," He drank from his beer bottle before continuing to talk, "You're going to be staying at the Cameron's house."

"Huh!" We both shouted. I looked over at Caleb who had the biggest smile on his face.

"You're happy about this?" I asked.

"Of course I'm happy, I get to see Rafe. God, I miss him. Plus, getting to spend a whole summer in the same house as the Sarah Cameron-"

"No!" My mother shouted. Caleb and I looked back at her shocked.

"There will be absolutely nothing going on between you and Sarah. The Camersons are very good friends of ours. So keep it in your pants, Caleb," my uncle demanded. Caleb had the look of disgust on his face.

"Since when have you and the Camerons been good friends?" I asked, confused.

"Ward was the one that got your mother the job she has today."

"I thought Uncle Ben was the one that gave you the idea to move here?"

"H-he was. Ward mentioned the job opportunity to Ben."

My mother works as a real estate agent selling big mansions to rich people. She loves it much more then the job she had working at a diner back in Outer Banks.

"I'm not going back there," I crossed my legs, leaning back into the couch.

"Oh yes, you are-" My Uncle had an irritated look on his face as he got interrupted by my mother shushing him.

"-Benjamin, that's enough!"

He shook his head, "you're eighteen Samara, start acting like it," he said in a low tone. "I'm sorry, what?" I laughed at the attempt of my uncle trying to discipline me.

"Sam," my brother whispered, hitting the side of my arm.

There was a moment of silence before my mother spoke again, leaning forward off her chair. "You were so upset with me for bringing you here, you're the one that wanted to stay in Outer Banks. Why don't you want to go back there?"

"Because I like it here now."

"It will be good for you-"

"-It won't," I interrupted her.

My uncle stood up, "You're going Samara and I don't care if you want to or not." He took a drink from his beer before standing up, "It's a 12-hour drive, Caleb is driving, that is final. You leave first thing tomorrow morning. Goodnight." He walked away upstairs to the spare bedroom he sleeps in when he stays over.
He has a six bedroom house, yet he chooses to sleep here sometimes. I don't get it.
My mom put her hand to her head and sighed.

"Why are we even going there Mom?" I asked.

"You're uncle and I have some things to take care of."

"What kind of business?"

"Nothing that concerns you, sweetheart," she said with a small smile on her face, like it was supposed to make me feel better or something.

I shook my head. "Unbelievable," I muttered before I went upstairs. I sighed when I got to the top. It hurts when your mother takes away your life once. But doing it again, just when summer was about to starts, it was like a stab in the back. I was about to walk into my room when I heard my uncle talking in his room.

"Yeah, they'll be out of the house by tomorrow."

I tilted my head to look through the crack of the door. He was on the phone.

"No, no. We agreed on this week. It's happening." He hung up the phone and threw it on the bed. Something was going on, and I'm going to find out what.