Hey, Darling.

The next four hours went by in a blur. I mingled with cousins and listened as my aunts cooed about how beautiful I was becoming and how I looked like my great grandma Bee (no idea who she was.) My mother left, in a slur of goodbyes and a couple of sideways hugs. My grandma coaxed us into eating some dinner and handed me a fifty when she realized that I didn’t eat animal products.

“For you to get some of your soymilk and tofu,” she said, the words spitting out of her mouth.

I just nodded and thanked her.

Before I realized it, we were already getting ready for bed. I trudged up the stairs slowly, hating the ache in my muscles as I climbed. It was only the first week of summer and I was already getting lazy and out of shape. When I opened the door Mia was already sprawled across one of the beds, her hair still wet from her shower. She had on a pair of tiny green shorts and the same v-neck from earlier.

She smiled at me as I walked in and then went back to going through her iPod. It was evident on her face that she was going to be in a sulking period. I decided to leave her alone.

I changed quickly, into another pair of cotton shorts and a pearl-colored camisole. I slowly pulled my hair out of the plait, letting the waves cascade over my shoulders. I looked around the room for a few seconds, not sure what to do. Should I unpack?

“Tomorrow, we need to go somewhere,” Mia said suddenly, her voice firm. “I don’t care if we just find a Safeway and get you some fucking tofu. I need to leave this place. I’ve only been here for less than six hours and I already can’t stand it.”

I blinked at her, shocked. Her voice was not quiet. “Um, alright,” I agreed. “We can get up early, if you like.”

The words just kind of slipped out, even though I knew that Mia did not wake up until at least eleven on summer days. Some days she didn’t stumble out of bed until three, and even then she would just fix herself some cereal, pee, and then close herself off. She was painfully unproductive.

That’s why it surprised me even more when she nodded. “I’m setting my alarm for seven thirty so I can shower and get ready.”

“’Kay,” I agreed softly, clearing my suitcase off of my bed so I could sit down. “Seven thirty it is.”

Mia was, if nothing, true to her word.

The shrill screeching of her alarm woke me up with a start. I rolled over and looked at an empty bed. Seconds later Mia popped her head through the door.

“Sorry,” she smiled apologetically. “I woke up a little earlier and forgot to shut it off.”

I rubbed my eyes and propped up on my elbow. Her figure was blurred without my glasses.

“Mpph,’ I sighed, laying back down again. Then I figured I should get up and rolled over again. I sat up a little too quickly, and had to clutch the end table to steady myself. I slipped my glasses on and surveyed the room. Already, clothing was strung everywhere. This place had been transformed overnight.

It took about thirty minutes for me to get dressed. My hair was wavy from the braid so I just pulled half it up in a clip and let the rest fall where it may. I pulled on my favorite paisley shift dress, slipped my feet into my worn moccasins and grabbed my tote bag. By the time I had powdered some foundation over my face and swiped on some mascara, Mia was getting impatient.

I rolled my eyes at her before picking up my cell phone from the end table.

“C’mon, girlie,” I said, edging closer to the door. “Let’s go see Arizona.”

She smiled at me before following. We crept down the stairs slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. The quicker we got out, the better.

Thankfully, my grandmother was still a diva, meaning that she didn’t get up before ten on a good day. We slipped out unnoticed.

The air was already filling with humidity as we got outside. The sun was still low in the sky but I could feel the waves radiating off of my skin. The heat was tolerable now in the morning. I almost liked the way it made my skin feel.

My grandmother didn’t live in the middle of nowhere, but she didn’t live in the middle of town either. It was a good ten minute walk before we started seeing anything besides identical suburban houses.

“Ah!” Mia gasped excitedly. “Civilization is near!”

I chuckled with her but didn’t say anything. I focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

The first building we reached was Safeway. I was already separating a cart from the rest when Mia stopped, frozen in her tracks. I looked at her like she was insane for a second.

“What?”

“Van,” was the first thing out of her mouth. I quirked my eyebrow at her.

“Yes, they’re amazing vehicles, I know, but can we please go inside the air conditioned store now?”

“No, no, you don’t get it,” she stressed impatiently. “Not like creepy kidnapper van. Traveling van. Musicianvan. With a shiny U-Haul attached.”

“Oh, dear. Mia, can’t you go anywhere without thinking there are hot boys on the premises? I mean honestly, we’ve been here less than twenty four hours…so what if there’s a quote unquote musician van here. Maybe it’s some creepy old Beatles tribute band.” I said, exasperated.

I love my sister, I really do, but when I bought her those Boy Crazy shirts for Christmas I wasn’t being funny. It was a warning to the rest of the world. My sister would do anything to scout out attractive boys. Anything. I mean, sometimes when she drags me to the Cherry Bean for a show I wonder if we’re going for music or men. She’s obsessed.

She’s always attracted to the wrong type of guys, though. Assholes. Real, 100% dicks, who can’t keep it in their pants our out of her’s. She’s attracted to musicians too, so she can spot a “band van” from a couple miles away. No, I’m serious. On the drive here, she swore she saw Like the Ocean coming down 101. She even made my mother honk a couple of times.

She didn’t even flush when a couple of long-haired hippy dudes waved back.

“But-but-,” she whined, “this could make Arizona so much more interesting.”

“Or it could make it that much more complicated. We’re supposed to have fun, Mia. Not get caught up in some meaningless fling that will leave us heartbroken by the time school starts again.”

“Whatever,” she sighed, moving her feet again. Then, under her breath, she muttered, “Maybe they’ll be inside the store…”

I ignored her as I pushed through the door and started heading down produce section. I ignored every piece of brown lettuce and dried out celery before getting into the Natural Foods section. The products were familiar. I was grasping a bottle of Vegenaise when I heard Mia’s intake of breath.

I was almost tempted not to look, because sometimes she would get worked up over a flash of hair or jeans that looked like they narrowed at the bottom. I let my head turn to the side anyway to look what she was staring at.

“Holy fuck me with a broom stick.” She muttered rather loudly. The man passing down the aisle looked at her strangely.

“What?” I asked, stepping sideways to try and see what she was staring at.

“I was right!” she exclaimed proudly.

I blinked.

“Band boys! Hot band boys! Look at the one in the blue shirt. He’s exceptionally yummy. I wonder if they’re from around here…”

I had just started to get a glimpse of straightened hair and an array of v-necks when I felt eyes connect to mine. The boy next to the boy in the blue shirt was looking our way, and I was so shocked in that second, by the shiver that ran through me when we made eye contact, that I dropped the bottle in my hand.

The plastic didn’t break, but it did land on my foot, causing a string of curses that might have possibly made a sailor cringe break from my mouth.

Now there were five boys staring in our direction and Mia was cracking up.

The laughter choked from her mouth as she pointed at me. “You fucking deserved it!” she gasped out between giggles, “You didn’t believe me when I told you there were band boys here!”

I would have rolled my eyes but I was too busy messing my face up with pain.

“Ow, ow, ohshitow.”

Mia’s giggles were quieter now, but she was still making sounds faintly resembling a hyena’s.

“Oh, fuck you,” I glared at her, sounding harsher than I usually did. I was fighting the urge to pull up my foot and examine it, but I wasn’t in the mood to give a free show.

“Whatever,” Mia breathed out, trying to compose herself. She turned around again - to check out the boys again, I presumed - but they were gone. She leaned around the corner and then shrugged.

“Hmm,” was all she said and I just continued to glare at her.

She said nothing before leaning down and picking up the plastic jar on the ground. She placed it in the cart.

Then, she stepped next to me and leaned closer to the natural food’s display.

“So, do you want silken tofu or extra firm?”

I sighed before grabbing a couple of packages of tofu, substitute meat crumbles and microwavable Amy’s pizzas.

The next ten minutes of our shopping trip were quiet. I had already picked up some soymilk and ground flaxseed when Mia announced that she could see the boys again.

“They’re getting bread. Whole wheat too.” She said approvingly.

“Mia, if you stare any longer you might be confused as a stalker.” I told her seriously, leaning down to check the price on some soy yogurt.

“If you talk any more you might be confused as a retard,” she snapped back childishly at me, but her comeback was on such a scale of lame that I didn’t even bother to say anything.

“You’re hashing my mellow, man,” she told me, her voice irritated. She twisted a loose thread on her tank top subconsciously while biting her lip. She was looking over towards the bakery.

“I think I’mma go get you some bread…” she trailed off, already walking slowly towards the baguettes.

I shook my head after her slowly before grabbing a few yogurt cups and a small container of Earth Balance. I was just thinking to myself how surprised I was that Safeway carried so many vegan alternatives when I felt it. There was someone behind me.

Figuring it was Mia, I turned around quickly, still carrying the Earth Balance container.

It wasn’t Mia.

I took my breath quickly, again chilled through with the eye contact, and accidentally let my fingers loosen.

I was cringing before I had time to think. My foot was throbbing within seconds.

There was a small chuckle. “You know, if you grab anything heavier, you might break your foot.”