Wished

Chapter 15 - Food Fight

The best part about summer is that it's hot. You get to lounge around all day, soaking up the sun and embracing the lazy heat. You're just chilling with your friends (okay, friend), eating ice cream and enjoying the fact that there's no school in this heat.

And then there's heat waves.

I pity the people who live in the places where it's hot all year round because that means they have to go to school in this scorching heat when you really just feel like you can't do anything. It's like the sun makes you sweat out all your energy. Around here we have cool winters and hot summers, like it's supposed to be. But then nature decides it wants to mess it up and throws a heat wave at us.

I could feel the sheen layer of sweat on the back of my neck as I fixed my bun yet again to try and keep my hair up and off my face and the back of my neck. All of my windows were open but it was doing nothing to combat the stifling heat. I was in the shortest pair of light cotton shorts that I now owned and a thin vest top that rode up my stomach when I moved because I wasn't planning on going anywhere. To make matters worse, here I was sitting on my bed, surrounded by homework. Homework. Even the word makes me shudder.

The sound of a van made me sit up from where I had once again collapsed on my bed. I was just not equipped to take this heat. Not yet, I hadn't prepared. Still, the curiosity got the better of me and I peered out the window to see a moving van pulling up to the house beside us. Finally, new neighbors. The old ones had moved out ages ago and it was pretty boring without someone to spy on and distract myself from homework.

Forcing my eyes away from the family moving in, I went back to struggling through my homework. That only lasted so long. I scooched over to the window and I nearly died.

My jaw dropped and I think I might have drooled just a little. My eyes widened and I moved over more on my bed so I could get a better view. The best thing about getting new neighbors is the possibility of getting new, hot neighbors. And boy was this boy hot.

Picking up a box from the truck, he rolled his shoulders as he shifted it in his arms to a more comfortable position. I could only see the back of him but oh my days those muscles. You see, I wasn't the only one affected by this heat wave. So was the new guy. In fact he found it so hot that he didn't feel the need to wear a shirt. I agreed with him. He was way too hot for him to wear a shirt.  I mean, it was way too hot for him to wear a shirt. Yeah...that's what I meant.

My eyes followed him as he turned and walked towards the front door of the house and the clambered over to the other side of my bed so I could look out to window doors that overlook my small balcony. I had to fight tooth and nail for this room because of that balcony. Did you ever see a guy and then you have to start giving out to yourself because you know you shouldn't be thinking like that? That's what happened. Then he turned around.

Getting caught staring is the most embarrassing thing ever. Getting caught staring with your mouth open, your eyes dreamy and nearly drooling is so much worse. Getting caught staring like this reaches the peak of embarrassment when you see the guy you were practically drooling over is Luke Freaking Masters.

Then you realize that in your hurry to continue staring, your old, stretchy vest top had ridden up your stomach and now you're practically standing there in your underwear thanks to the stupid heat wave.

Luke's lips curved into a wicked smirk and he just winked at me. My now closed mouth dropped open once more and my face burned the hottest red I could remember. I was frozen. Paralyzed. Standing in front of my windows with Luke holding back laughter and I just couldn't move. He blew a kiss in my direction and that snapped me out of it. Completely red in the face, I turned away and collapsed on my bed where he couldn't see me.