The Summer Scene

I got up and started to make John’s bed while I waited for him to come back with my clothes.

“Here.” He stood in the doorway. I started to walk towards him and he threw my clothes at me. I caught the articles of clothing and continued towards him. I closed the door in his face.

“Hey.” He whined.

“I’m getting dressed.” I yelled back, slipping into my jeans.

“It’s my room.”

“They’re your eyes.” I retorted, zipping and buttoning my pants.

“It is also my room.” He said again.

In my jeans and John’s shirt, I cracked open the door and stuck my head out. “You really want to come in?”

“Just get dressed.” He smiled.

“Oh my god.” I slammed the door back in his face.

“Hurry up. I have to get in my room.” He hollered.

I threw my newly clean shirt on and threw open the door. “FYI it’s not your room. Your parents own the house, not you.”

He entered his room and grabbed his keys off of his desk.

“You couldn’t ask me to grab them?” I eyed from my position if front of the doorway, where he last left me.

“Nope.” He replied. “After you.” He gestured for me to exit the room first.

I descended the stairs with John right behind me. I glanced towards the kitchen and noticed Mrs. O preparing something. She saw me and smiled a small smirk. That’s abnormal.

John took the lead, and I followed him outside the house.

“Pick a car.” He declared referring to his white pick-up truck and small, black BMW.

“Doesn’t matter.” I replied, my mind still processing the meaning behind Mrs. O’s lack of greeting.

We got into his BMW.

Once we were buckled up and on our way I asked, “Is your mom okay?”

“I think so, why?”

“Cause she didn’t greet me or anything.” I clarified.

“Oh, yeah. She’s still mad about last night, and the fact that none of us took care of you until it was too late.” He passed on.

“Wow. Really?” I responded. “I’m 16, I’m not that incapable of taking care of myself.” I folded my arms over my chest and stared out my window.

“Yeah she thinks of you as one of her babies. And you kind of are incapable after last night.” He smirked at the second sentence.

“That wasn’t even my fault. It was peer pressure.” I raised my voice.

“You drank the stuff. Melissa didn’t hold you down and force it through your esophagus.” he advised.

“I thought you were on my anti-Melissa side.” I dropped my arms and stared at him.

“I am, but in reality it was your fault for getting yourself sick.”

Defeated, I stopped my arguing and went to staring out my window, leaving the car in utter silence.

---

When I got over myself a few minutes later, I remembered what John was doing on his computer. I turned my head to face him. “What was that stuff?”

“What was what?” he asked, staring at the road like a good driver.

“What you were doing on your computer before.”

“Oh, new lyrics that I wrote.”

I was so excited. “Oooo! Can I read them?”

“Maybe when they’re done, and I think you’re worthy enough.” He advised me with a smirk.

“I have to be worthy to read what thousands of girls are going to be fawning over.” I snickered in disbelief.

He nodded in clarification.

“Well then.” I sunk back in my chair again. Why is he not giving in to me anymore?

---

I entered my summer home and came to face Aunt Ilene sitting at the kitchen table with a coffee mug between her hands. She did not look happy.

“Natalie Marie I am extremely upset with you.” Where the first words that flew out of her mouth.

Oh shit. “For what?” I thought Rach handled everything.

“For not calling to say you were staying out all night, or giving me a fair warning.” She uncovered.

“Sorry. I fell asleep. And Rach said she called you.” I started to ramble out excuses.

“Oh she did, at 2am.” She informed me. “Usually I wouldn’t care, but you’re my responsibility when you’re staying here. And to top it off, you weren’t even at a party with people I know.”

“I know them, they’re my friends. I hung out with them last summer with no problem at all.” I brought up.

“But now’s the time when everyone is getting into alcohol and drugs; also the fact that Jess wasn’t there to watch you makes it worse.”

“And you don’t trust me.” I folded my arms across my chest.”

“I trust you. I just don’t trust the people your with.” Aunt Ilene lightened her tone.

“You’d rather me hang out with Jess and her friends.” I mumbled.

“That’s a good idea. For a whole week when you aren’t in your room, you’ll be with Jess and her band. Fair enough?” she concealed.

“No. That’s not fair. I’m only here for two more weeks!” I shouted at her.

“Would you rather be locked in your room?” he asked, taking a ship of whatever was in her mug.

“No.” I went back to mumbling.

“Good.”

“This is so unfair.” I said, storming away and up to my room.

“This is how a mother is supposed to act.” I heard her yell from behind me.

--

I flopped onto my bed and let out one big, anger-filled sigh. I stared at the plain white ceiling for a couple of minutes before Jess let herself in.

“So what really happened last night?” she asked placing herself at the foot of my bed.

“Which part of last night?” I asked, still sprawled out on my bed.

“First, how was the concert?” she asked cheerily.

“They were good, but we had some bitchy girls come up and try to get hooked up with Garrett, John, and Kennedy.” I replied, still in my mood from the showdown with Ilene.

“Ooo how was that?” she pushed for information.

“Garr and Kenny got off easy since Rach and Gabi were there. But we had some problems when it came down to John.” I was still lying down, staring at the white paint.

“And they were?”

“I tried to explain to them that he has a girlfriend, it’s not me, and that she’s not here. But John saved me and called the three of them up on stage.”

“Ok, then what?”

“Then we went to the after party at Max’s house. Melissa de Vil tried to kill me with some sort of alcoholic substance. I got sick, went to the bathroom to puke, John followed me, held my hair, and stayed with me until I finished. Rach made him take me home. He took me to his house cause I was already asleep and because he didn’t want to deal with Aunt Ilene or you. I slept over, he took care of me, we talked, I came home.” I gave her the quick synopsis.

“What’d you sleep in?” she eyed me, with the same reaction Rach had when she asked John.

“John’s clothes. And before you ask his mom dressed me with my underwear still on.”

“Anything else happen?” she could tell there was more.

“I told him about Kearl and everything.” I started to prop myself up.

“Wow. He must be special.” She said softly.

“I also hung out with Ross for an hour and we talked.” I added to take her mind off of John and I’s serious conversation.

“So which boy do you like more?” she wondered.

“I don’t know.” I was sitting up fully; my legs crossed Indian-style.

“You have to choose. You have no choice.”

“I don’t know. Ross is my age, so we have that in common and he’s easy to talk to, and he gets me. And the mediator between me and John is the band. But John is sweet and handsome and his smile is beautiful and I can get lost in his eyes. But he’s so much older than me, but he also takes care of me. And what brought me to Ross is John.” I rambled, weighing the brothers against each other.

“Well all the signs point to John.” She observed, trying to make my pick easier.

“I guess they do.”

“Well you have a full week to decide.” She patted my knee, a smile on her face, silently laughing that her mother grounded me for the little information that she knew, instead of the full story, which I probably deserved to be punished for. I’m a teenager god dammit!

“Yup.” I agreed stoically.