Bennie Donnelly is moving to Los Angeles. Completely different from her small town in Idaho, this new city of fake-tans and beach blonde hair presents an opportunity for adventure and excitement.
But underneath the allure of snappy lipgloss and gol...
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"YOU'RE absolutely disgusting!"
Bennie erupted into her signature laughter—short, abrupt, and that always ended in her wheezing for breath and then laughing again at the sound of her own animal-like noises. She flung another yellow Starburst at the boy across from her, aiming it at his open mouth.
It missed, and bounced off his chin into his lap. With hungry fingers he grabbed it and unwrapped the yellow paper, popping it onto his already-stained tongue with a smile.
"Nasty," Bennie said, shaking her head while she slowly devoured her own cherry candy. "I still can't believe the yellow ones are your favorites."
Ian Ford rolled his eyes while the tangy taste of lemon stuck to his teeth, "At least I'm original. You're favorite flavor is red."
Familiar with her best friend's jabs, she sat up from her sprawled out position on the couch and smirked. "Are you saying I'm unoriginal?"
Ian smirked back. This habitual banter was core of their friendship and spanned all the way from the time they were in 5th grade when she teased him for having "loofa hair." They continued like this for years, the constant shift in power following whoever could come up with a new insult or a new sarcastic observation. Looking at her now, with her natural pink lips curved upwards and deep brown eyes twinkling with amusement, he knew that on his side, the scale of power was rising.
"Yup," he replied, trying to suck out a stubborn piece of candy from his molars. "That's exactly what I'm saying."
With an exaggerated gasp, she clutched a nearby pillow with both hands and hurled it across at the other couch across the rug. This time, it hit her target successfully, and with a thud collided with Ian's face. Bennie's uncontrollable laughter escaped once again and filled the room with a high pitched cackle.
Groaning, Ian recovered from the blow while he caressed his cheek. "Jerk," he mumbled, shooting a playful glare back at his best friend.
Bennie shrugged and reached for the remote, switching it from the Discovery Channel to MTV. She heard him take a deep and uncertain breath. The background noise from the television helped distract them both from the sudden future, but the unstable thoughts were always looming. Would California be that different from Duncan? Would she fit in at college? Would Ian be all right by himself while she was trying to find her way?
She cranked the volume up in attempts to drown out her mind, and let the obnoxious announcer count down the next song on This Week's Top 10. She let her eyes flicker over to Ian, watching him assume his relaxed state by letting his long legs hang over the end of the couch while both of his arms supported his neck. His blue beanie flattened his brown curls, leaving the ends chaotically strung out on his forehead. He practically looked like a Californian already.
