The Summer (Stepsister X Stepbrother)

12

We both stood up and took our coffees to go. "So where are you taking me?" I ask impatiently. "We're going to Hollywood baby!" He screams dramatically, opening his car door for me. I hop in, at least he's taking me to where I want to go I guess, instead of the same lame mall.

"I feel like we need to properly introduce and start over Rosa," He says reversing into the road. I smile at him for actually using my name for once. "I'll go first" He says. "My names Tyler Adams, I'm 17 and am a quatreback in my schools football team. I'm single, wink wink and I'm a bit crazy, if you haven't noticed." I laughed slightly. "Oh and I find British girls cute when they laugh" He added. I blushed. He looked at me waiting for my answer. "My name is Rosa Jones, I live in London, England, I am a cross-country runner and love television and reading." He nods "sweet" He says.

He then clicks a button on the dashboard and the radio starts up, he adjusts the volume. "This journey is quite long, 40 minutes or so" I nod and get out my phone. A little way into the ride our conversation picks up again. "Tell me a little about your life then" He says. I say sure and begin to start "So I live in London, the capital, in a small rented flat with my mum. My dad left when I was 12 but my mum and I stayed put. I felt like I didn't fit in with anyone or had any talents so I learnt to run and realised I was quite good. So now I'm training to run professionally." He nods approvingly. "What's it like in London?" He asks, eyes focused on the road. "Rainy, gloomy, polluted and full of chavs," I say truthfully. "Chavs? What are they? Mutant zombies or something?" He laughs, confused. "Oh it's a British slang word, it means kids or young adults who have their jeans too low and drink cheap beer at 11 AM underaged, pretty much" He laughs again. "You English kids are weird" We laughed together as we drived down the motorway.

"Okay time to hear about us Americans" He says. "LA is seemed to be all glam and glitz, but really its where hopes are crushed. Thousands of people come here each year hoping to get there dream but really it's nothing more than some hills, a beach, really poor people and really rich people. For you, of course, seeing the sign will be amazing, for me, I just feel like it's some metal on a roof that people mistake for money and fame. " I sit there stunned. He actually talks sense. "Have I moved you deeply? Haha, sorry if I ruined the whole sign thing for you" He says. "No that was really honest and true, I guess there is a huge misinterpretation."

We carried on with the small talk until he eventually pulled over into a bustling street.  "Where are we?" I ask. "The Hollywood stars of course!" He says, he leads me down a few roads until the tourist crowds began to increase. "Look down" He whispered into my ear. His hand placed around my waist. I scanned my head down to notice I was standing on a star "Alfred HitchCock" I read. He gently let go of me as the crowds began to get smaller as people skipped the stars they didn't know. We carried on walking around the streets taking pictures of the stars and sharing stories.

He then took me into "The Cheesecake Factory" sure enough their cheesecake was amazing but very sickly! After lunch he led me up some hills then told me to close my eyes as we made the last bit of the journey, guiding me to the right place. When we stop he covers my eyes with his hands. "Now look up" He says. And there they were. The famous letters, up close.

When we began the drive back home I realised how much fun we had had. He turned on the radio again and began humming to some indie rock. When we pulled up to my road he looked me in the eyes. His fingers met my jaw and traced it soothingly. I lent in and we kissed, short but sweet....