Stuck on Vacation with Ryan Rupert (Ryan Rupert #1) [PUBLISHED]

CHAPTER ONE - A Holiday from Hell

Summer vacations are supposed to be fun. They're supposed to be filled with memories of friends and first loves and the relief of being completely free of schoolwork. But clearly someone or something (I personally blamed the Fates) had decided to ruin mine by sticking me on an island for six weeks.

Now, I know what you're thinking: what is wrong with this girl? It's summer, and islands are the perfect place to enjoy the sunny days and clear skies that summer brings! They're filled with surf, sand, exploring, and activities. And that's all great if you're someone else.

But not if you're me.

For me, an island is the equivalent of hell. I have a colossal fear of the ocean, and the thing about islands is, well, they're kind of surrounded by water. And if you aren't up for ocean-related activities then, well, what good is being on an island? What good is summer vacation if it means leaving all my wonderful friends and spending six weeks trapped with my sworn enemy?

Who's my sworn enemy, you ask? Maybe I should start at the beginning.

It was a beautiful, early summer morning in Tallahassee, Florida. I was very happily skipping through the morning television programs in the family room, lazing around, and preparing myself for a day of chillaxing. But that all changed as soon as my parents entered the room.

"Aubany, we need to talk to you," my father said. He turned the television off, and faced me. His expression was grim; his eyes lacked their usual twinkle, and his mouth was pulled into a thin line. That made me realise it was serious. They sat down with me and proceeded to tell me the worst news of my life.

"Your mother has cancer," Dad said. That sentence alone took me a few moments to process.

"What?" I said weakly. My Mom had cancer? My beautiful, kind and caring Mom? These kinds of things, they didn't happen to people like her . . . right?

Looking at her now, she looked anything but sick. Her fair skin had a healthy glow, her red hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her green eyes sparkled even though, right now, they seemed sad.

My grandmother told me that Mom had looked the mirror image of me in her youth.

"I don't understand," I said slowly, trying to get my bearings. "What kind of cancer? How did this even happen?"

"Sweetie," Mom said gently, putting her hand over mine, "Everything is going to be okay. It's stage two breast cancer, and I'm going to be flying to California to see a specialist."

"A specialist?" I repeated, feeling numb. That sounded daunting.

"I've been getting regular check-ups, but this came on so suddenly, and the doctor here referred us to a professional who has more experience with this kind of thing. We do have a history of cancer in the family, but it's been quite rare and unpredictable along our generations. So, the specialist is going to try and figure out exactly what genes in our family history might be triggering it."

I swallowed hard, blinking back tears. She had to fly all the way to California just for that? And since when did we have a family history of cancer? I'd never heard either of my parents mention it. Did that mean I was going to get cancer too?

I had so many questions, but before I could ask any more, Dad chimed in,

"I'll be going with her."

The way he said it implied that I wasn't coming.

"What about me?" I asked, frowning. Did they plan on leaving me behind?