Summer Love

01 || Did you say Lucy Mathews?

"Lacey!" My mom calls me downstairs.

I rush downstairs as I scream loudly, "one second mom! I'm coming!" As I reach the bottom of the stairs I see her sitting at the large dinning room table picking nervously at her nails, "mom, what's wrong?" 

She turns to me and sighs, "please sit down."

"What's happened?" I ask as I sit slowly. "Mom?"

"I just got off the phone with your father," she speaks softly and my face drops. "He wants to see you this summer. So you're going to Tulsa for the summer with one friend."

I stand up slamming the chair into the table as I do so, "what? No! That's not how this works! He walked out on us! He left us and ran away with some younger women! He does not get to just walk back into my life and burn me again! He ran away from being a dad! He abandoned us!"

My mom stands up and pulls me into a hug, "yeah, but he's your father."

A few tears spill my eyes, "I don't wanna go mom, please don't make me go."

"I'm so sorry, hunny," she sighs as she hands me two suitcases. "The train leaves tomorrow, I already asked Beth's mom and she said yes. At least you'll have your best friend with you."

"At least," I mutter as I storm away.

"There's one more thing," I hear my mom's voice going high.

I turn around on one heel, "uh-huh?"

She sighs as she looks down at her feet, "he has a son now."

My heart drops and I can feel the pain in my chest from it breaking, "so, he left one kid and then had another. He abandoned me and then replaced me! What's his name?"

"Keith Mathews," her voice comes out broken and barely above a whispers.

"He even has our last name. Lacey Mathews and Keith Mathews? We don't sound like siblings," I roll my eyes as I storm away, huffing up the stairs. 
***
"C'mon Lacey, it'll be fun," Beth smiles as we get off the train. "We're in a whole new town for three months. We can meet boys. Let's go crazy, make a mark on this town, then leave and never talk about it again."

I look over to hr and chuckle, "yeah, as if that's gonna happen. Where's my damn dad? Did he forget about me already."

Beth shakes her head, "think positively, Lacey."

"With him nothing is positive," I sigh as I plop down on a bench. 

We wait there for what seems like hours before a really cute guys walks over to us, "uh hey, my friends and I are looking for a uh....damn what's her name?"

"Sodapop, have you found her?" Another guy comes running over to the hot guy.

"Nah, Steve," he sighs. "What's her name again?"

"Lucy Mathews," who I'm guessing name is Steve speaks rolling his eyes. "How do you forget her name?"

"Wait!" Beth yells.

The two guys turn to her, "what?"

"Did you say Lucy Mathews?" I ask them.

The guys nod, "uh....yeah?"

I smile as I look down, "that's me, but it's Lacey and this is my best friend, Beth."

"I'm Sodapop," the hot one smiles as he puts out his hand.

"Lacey," I shake his hand then turn to who I think is Steve. "Steve?"

"How'd you know Lacey?" He asks.

"Sodapop called you Steve," I chuckle.

He looks down scratching his head, "oh yeah...duh."

Another guys run over to them, "did ya'll find my sister yet? My dad is gonna kill me! We left late so we weren't there for her stop then we couldn't find her." I clear my throat and the guy looks down at me. "Not now."

"Uh Two-bit," Soda laughs. He nods head slightly. "The blond you just told not now to, yeah she's your sister."

His eyes go wide, "oh my god Lucy!"

"It's Lacey," I look down.

"Oh sorry," he sighs. "I'm really messing up for my dad."

"Where is Bill?" I ask him.

He cocks his head to the side, "you call our dad Bill?"

I roll my eyes as I stand up, "he's your dad, not mine."

"No! He's yours too!" Keith insists.

"Listen Keith, Bill abandoned me! He ran off with another women, who I guess is your mother, but still! He left me and my mother! He didn't give us any warning. One day I just woke up and he was gone. He took on another family! He replaced me with you! You know what I got once, a letter! A stupid letter! So I'm sorry, but he's your dad not mine. I don't have a dad. I have a mom," I speak loudly as I remember the pain of the past. "I hung that letter in my room all my life and would read it over and over again while I cried wishing he wanted me."

"He does," Kieth speaks. "He wants you now."

"After sixteen years!" I yell. "No! I don't even know him anymore."

He looks down as he smiles, "you're my baby sister."

I cock my head to the side, "how is that even possible?"

He shrugs his shoulders lazily, "well when I was really little, dad used to only visit for summers and weeks here and there."

I nod my head, "so he was also cheating on my mom. Great person, Bill is. Such a winner!"

"Hey guys, is this the girl?" An older guys walks over us asking.

Keith nods, "she's my sister."

"I'm Darry, I'll be taking your d-" he begins.

"Bill," I cut him off. "You'll be taking me to Bill."

he nods his head slowly, "who's the other girl?"

Keith 'whispers' to Darry, "my dad told her, she can bring a friend, so she doesn't feel overwhelmed when hanging with us."

I roll my eyes, "I can hear you."

"Oops," he chuckles as we walk to an old car. "Sodapop, Darry, and Ponyboy got the front, we got the bed Beth and Lace...Can I call you that?"

I shake my head, "uh no!"

Beth gives me a funny thing, "why it's cute? You're cutting off all communication with these boys? What's wrong with you?"

I shrug, "maybe I don't want to!"

She rolls her eyes, "you know, you want a dad?"

I give her the look as Keith hops in, "so, we're gonna be spending a lot of time together."

"Whatever," I roll my eyes.

"Sounds like fun," Beth says the same time. "So Keith, where's your house?"

"Call me Two-bit and we're on the North side of Tulsa," he smiles as we drive away.

So this is the start of the books. What do you think? This girl just got shipped off for the summer to her dad who abandoned her finding out she has an older brother, not a younger one. Stay gold. Do it for Johnny!
-Beth