Fat Girls Return

34. Meeting the Boys

Elle's P.O.V

My first two full days in California are consumed mainly by a mixture of two things: avoiding Collin and attempting to control Rosie. The second has proven to be much more difficult than I thought.

At first, I tried interacting politely with Collin but when Rosie saw us laughing while eating Fruit Loops at the island counter after I saved her from exploding earlier, my phone chimed a few seconds later with a text that read:

We're ignoring him.

So I did what any good best friend would do and stopped talking. Mid-sentence.

Needless to say, Collin was very confused. He glanced at my phone, then back at me.

"Is something wrong?" He'd asked, looking concerned.

I bit the inside of my lip, feeling guilty as I slid off the barstool and took my bowl of cereal outside.

I watched Collin's hurt expression in the reflection of the patio door and sighed. Just before I slid the door open, I saw him catch sight of Rosie and a look of understanding crossed his face before he scowled.

I looked in the window briefly to see Rosie shrug her shoulders in mock confusion before smirking at Collin and walking outside to join me.

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That night, Rosie and I had been taking advantage of the firepit by roasting marshmallows when Collin approached timidly. The light atmosphere quickly turned sour as Rosie continued to give her cousin the cold shoulder. When Collin started to show his frustration, I bolted with a handful of marshmallows.

I doubted he'd get violent but my panic response set in. I managed to control my outer demeanor enough not to concern Rosie or Collin, but I imagine it would've taken a lot for them to pay any attention to me at all at that point because they'd started half-way shouting at each other.

The next morning I woke up to the smell of cinnamon and vanilla. I smiled widely and ran a brush through my hair before rushing downstairs just to find another tense scene unfolding.

"I thought pancakes were your favorite," Collin was saying, his shoulders slumped as he meekly held out a plate full of steaming pancakes.

Rosie had her arms crossed, "Not anymore."

She'd walked away from Collin then, only stopping to grab a yogurt before she headed out to the patio.

Collin's eyes met mine then. I offered him a sympathetic frown, staring at the pancakes wistfully before I decided to grab a granola bar with a sigh.

Now, it's Saturday morning and I'm standing in the kitchen in my blue bunny pajamas with messy hair and a startled expression on my face as I realize there's a herd of teenage boys strolling through the front door.

A wide range of facial expressions stare back at me.

Collin laughs as he takes in my appearance, shooting me a friendly smile before he introduces me to the four guys surrounding him.

"Elle, these are the guys. Guys, this is Elle."

It takes me a few seconds but I manage to squeak out a nervous "hi."

The tall blond with dimples laughs beside Collin, walking forward to shake my hand. "Don't be nervous, Elle. I don't bite." He lowers his voice to a whisper as he leans forward with a wink, "Usually."

I blush, a nervous chuckle catching in my throat.

"I'm Luke, by the way," he winks again, squeezing my hand briefly before letting go.