Washed Up

Capsize

Riley

Capsize. Verb. [kapsiz]. To overturn in the water.

"Riley, Ross is here!" Lucy calls up the stairs to the room we share.

Goosebumps break out on my arm just at the mention of his name. Today, I get to meet Ross's siblings, and from what little he's said about them, I know how close they are to his heart. Every time he mentions them, a warmth comes into his eyes and something in his face lifts. The fact that he's letting me meet them is a big deal, and even though I should be scared about how close we're getting, I don't feel fear; I'm excited.

"Coming, coming!" I holler back.

I grab a zip-up hoodie and then exchange it for a cardigan. I know his dad's a deadbeat, but I still want to look like the cool, calm, and collected girl I'm not.

"Riley!" Lucy yells again.

I finally answer her call, slamming the door shut to our room and sprinting down the narrow stairs. It's the Fourth of July, and the Covingtons gave me the entire day off from the pizza shop to spend it with Ross and his family--and Javier, who's apparently an honorary Montgomery. For one day, I have freedom from the endless revolving cycle of washing dishes and serving pizzas. I push through the door, slide past Merry Gene in the kitchen, and reach the dining room. Ross lounges against the front counter, his figure lean and cut in a pair of khaki shorts and a navy blue henley.

A smile breaks across my face as soon as I see him, and I launch myself into his arms. He reels backward, catching me with warm hands on my waist, and I can feel him grinning as I kiss him. His lips burn against mine and for a second I forget we're in the middle of a grease factory, and I lose myself in the sensation of being with him, my body melting into his.

"C'mon, guys, this is a public establishment. Show some common decency."

I jerk away from Ross to find Javier lounging in a booth next to us, a knowing smirk on his face. Ross just rolls his eyes and knots his fingers between mine, tugging me closer as I begin to draw away. His eyes catch my gaze, hazy and half lidded. His voice drops an octave and I feel the gravitation pull drawing me closer to him.

"It would be indecent if I didn't kiss her every...single...moment."

Javier stands to his feet. "Alright, we get it, casanova. You're head over heels. C'mon, let's go. Ivy's dying to meet you."

I tear my eyes away from Ross, wishing we were alone so I could let him kiss me some more. Focus, Riley. Today's about getting to know his family, not about making out with him. Then again, maybe I'll get lucky and have the best of both worlds. With that, the Hannah Montana theme song gets stuck in my head and I try to refocus on Ross and Javier.

"You ready?" Ross asks, with that teasing sideways grin that gives me goosebumps.

"I've always wanted to terrify some kiddos." At Ross's slightly concerned expression, I grin at him. "Joking. Let's go."

Ross keeps my hand in his, leading us out of the pizza shop to the sidewalk. We walk a few blocks to the Montgomerys' house under the beaming sun of early July. The humidity is palpable and I'm glad I put my hair up this morning.

"So," Javier says, lagging behind us as the obvious third wheel. "Is Papa Montgomery joining us this afternoon?"

We're planning to walk through Bay Village, the most touristy part of the island, with the three kids before grabbing some snacks and camping out on the bay for the fireworks on the mainland. Today sounds like something I conjured up while lying in my bed at night as a kid. It's a typical Fourth of July for Ross and his family, something normal families do, but something I've never done.