Chapter 1: Summer Away

Chapter 1:

"No!!! I can'tmake me goaway!" I was screaming at my mom.

"It's just for a couple of months. I think it's going to be for the best. You love your aunt. I don't see what the problem is." My mom tried to stay calm.

It was true. I did love my aunt. She was like a second mother to me and Tommy was like the little brother that I never got. But, the thought of spending a whole summer with them just didn't sound very appealing. Tommy was only six so it wasn't like there was much we could talk about and my aunt was to old to understand. I was basically going along to baby sit tommy when my aunt wanteed to go out for the night or something. Talk about getting away from parties. Send me to a beach that has one almost every night.

"I do Love aunt Jenn but, I don't want to spend two months with her and Tommy at the beach house. I--"

"Don't argue with me. You're going. I think you need to get away for awhile and going with your aunt is a good idea I think. You're lucky she's even willing to take you on her summer vacation." I rolled my eyes as my mother's voice got louder and she could hardly hold back her anger.

My mom was going crazy. I got caught drinkingat a "start of summer" party and, she already wantd to send me away to get away from all the parties ans such.

"Ugh... Can't you just ground me like a normal parent!?!" I stormed up the stairs to my room.

I slammedmy bedroom door behind me and ran over to my closet. I started pulling out clothes and trowing them on the floor and on my bed. I started screaming, as I did so, to relieve some of the stress. As I relaxed I felt hard tears slowly fall down myhot pink cheeks.

I collapsed to my hard, cold, wooden floor and sat on my acing knees, sobbing.

My mom was a single mother. She was trying to raise me the best she could, and I knew that but, when my dad died, two years ago, I felt like somthing was... missing. So I started acting out.I think for me, at first, it was a way for me to ignore the sadness I felt but, thenit just became my way of life. My mom just wanted me to slop. I could see that in her hurt eyes. She had lost my dad and now she was affraid of losing me, the only one she had left. But, I couldn't stop. No matter how hard I tried... and this is what it finally came to.

- - - - -

"Hon, you have to start getting ready." She put a hand on my shoulder and started shaking me. "Your aunts going to be here in a couple of hours." I moaned and pulled my shoulder away from her hand so she would stop.

As I herd the door shut I groggily got out of bed. I stumbled over to my dresses and grabbed a pair of hollister shorts and a T- shirt. I stopped for a moment when I noticed what T- shirt I had grabbed.It was my softball shirt. I had been kicked off the softball team when rumors started going around about my partying. At the moment I could have cared less but, at the moment I was missing the game and the love I once shared with my dad for it.

I shook my thoughts away when my dad entered. It was like my dad was gone so, I had to start acting like it.

I went into my bathroom and changed. I looked at myself in the mirror. I was a total mess. My hair was ratted, My eyes looked blood shot with big bags under them, and my skin was breaking out from the stress that I was in.

I decided that it didn't matter though and threw my ratted, brown, curlyhair up into a messy bun, not bothering to brush it. Then I walked out noth bothering to do anything else.

When I walked back into my room I saw my mom zipping up a suit case that was sitting on my bed that, I guess, she had just finished packing.

"Ok. I got all your summer clothes and put them in for you." She turned and looked at me. I guess she saw the pleeding look on my face because she said, "This is the only thing I know to do." Her eyes then became watery as I looked into them.

"I know." I whispered looking down at my feet knowing that she was going to cry here in a minute.

- - - - -

My aunt pulled the car up and I climed into the back seat after throwing my luggage in the back and giving my mom a hug.

"Hey Mandy! Do you want to play a car game?" Tommy asked the minute his mom drove off.

Maybe in a little. The ride just started. You don't want to start off with the fun right away." I said in a sarcastic tone that he didn't catch. He nodded in agrement with me and I put my ear phones in and turned my Ipod up. Be My Escape Blasted out loud enough that I know Aunt Jenn and Tom heard it.

After about 5 minutes I noticed that we were going north instead of south. "Where are we going?" I asked Aunt Jenn as I turned my ipod off and put it away.

"Your mom didn't tell you?" she asked looking at me through the rear veiw.

My mother never tells me anything anymore. "No." I shook my head.

"Oh, well... my best friend, May, and her son, Ryan, are coming with us. We're going to get them." she then turned her eyes back to the road.

"Oh, no, I didn't know that." There was an awkward silence as I thought about what to say. "So... How old is Ryan? Is he Tommy's age?"

My aunt let out a stiffled laugh. "Hardly, He's closer to your age. I think he's 17. Just about a year older." A smile crept it's way across my face for the first time sense I had herd about this trip.Finally, I'm not going to be stuck with a little kid and an old lady.

As wepulled up to the houseI saw a guy, about 5' 11", with straitblonde hair anddark green eyes standing on the porch of the house. Of course he was gorgeouse. I mean every summer had to have a cute guy in it. Even if you were being shipped away for your own good.

When he stepped into the car hisdark green eyes met my bright blue ones right away.Then this huge ass smirk cam across his face. What the hell was that about?

"Hi." i said nicely as hesqueezed his but in with mine and tommy's, with mine in the middle.

"Your have a mustard stain on your shirt." What? I quickly looked down to see that there really was one. then I remembered how stupid I looked. My hair hadn't even been brushed and I didn't even put makeup on to cover my zits.

He put on that smart ass smirk again and laughed. What a Jerk. This car ride is going to be very interesting. this "vacation" is going to be very interesting.