Summer Seduction

7. seductive

chapter seven: seductive

I woke up at eight and didn't hesitate one bit to jump out of bed. Hastily, I pulled out the outfit that I had already planned: a red bikini top, navy blue bikini bottoms with white stars, denim shorts, and a white "USA" crop top. I then slipped my flip-flops on as I scurried to the bathroom across the hall. No one was up on the second floor yet, so I was able to take my time in the bathroom. I brushed my hair and teeth and applied waterproof mascara. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I groaned. It seemed like no matter how early I got up, I could never escape the wait for the bathroom.

"Kendall, is that you?" Ryan asked from the other side of the door.

"Yes, give me a second," I told him. My eyebrows were looking a little scary today, so I was plucking a few strays.

"Hurry up! I have to go to the bathroom," he grumbled, banging his body against the door with a loud thud.

"If you have to go so bad, go downstairs," I suggested.

"The more I move, the more I feel like I am going to piss my pants," Ryan complained. I plucked a few more eyebrow hairs, placed the tweezers back in the drawer, and opened the door. Ryan was standing with his legs crossed and a look of struggle on his face.

"Thank you," he mumbled. I moved to the side as he carefully waddled into the bathroom. Gosh, he can be such a freak sometimes.

Since I was ready, I went downstairs to wait for the rest of the crew. Surprisingly, the adults were already preparing food for the barbeque. My mom was pulling racks of cupcakes out of the oven and my aunt was preparing the icing. My dad and uncle were outside sticking mini flags into the ground. How long have they been up?

"Good morning, Kenny," my mom smiled as she started to pop the cupcakes out of the trays.

"Good morning," I replied. It smelled amazing and all I wanted to do was steal a cupcake, but I knew that my mom would yell at me. She is very insistent on not eating dessert until it is dessert time.

I took a seat at the kitchen table and observed my aunt as she perfectly piped the icing onto the tops of the cupcakes. I would have asked to help, but she would have declined my offer. Aunt Dina is a perfectionist and would not approve of my shaky, sloppy handwork.

My dad entered the kitchen with a ginormous grin on his face. He loved the Fourth of July just as much as I did.

"Hey, Dad," I greeted.

"Hey, sweetheart," he responded as he walked over to the fridge. He reached inside and began taking out what seemed like hundreds of Jell-O shots. They all must have been up since God knows when.

My uncle then sauntered into the kitchen with a huge portable cooler. There were ice packs covering the edges. He and my dad started filling up the cooler with the Jell-O shots all the way to the brim. It was their tradition to make alcoholic beverages while my mom and aunt made the food.

"Happy Fourth, fuckers," Ryan happily said, skipping into the kitchen and grabbing a Jell-O shot from the cooler. He popped the small plastic container open, ignoring the glares from every adult in the room.

The audacity. Damn.

"Ryan. It is eight-thirty in the morning and you are already taking a shot. Isn't it a little early for that?" My mom questioned. Ryan stared at her as he slowly scooped his fingers around the edge of the container, loosening the Jell-O. He tilted his head back as he put it in his mouth.

"It's never too early, mom," he smirked. There's no saving him at this point.

The adults shook their heads and carried on with what they were doing. While everyone else made their way down to the kitchen one by one, I made myself a bowl of cereal and ate it. The beaches were packed by ten, and I wanted to be ready.