Forget Last Summer

The flight from Miami International Airport to Baltimore Washington International took three hours and Brody Wilson felt like the world was lifted off of her when she stepped foot in the terminal. She hated flying. It was up there with spiders, clowns and dinosaurs. Her fingers searched for her wallet where she had a few dollar bills, her debit card and her real ID and fake ID. She fished out her debit card and fake ID and walked towards a convenience store. It was filled with magazines, newspapers, snack food, sodas and water, cigarettes and lots of Baltimore Ravens and Washington Red Skins gear. Brody pulled out an Arizona Iced Tea and walked up to the cashier.

“A pack of Marlboro reds please,” her voice came out sweet as she said please, handed over her fake ID and the man eyed it over quickly before grabbing the pack of cigarettes and rang her up. She swiped her debit card and entered her pin before thanking the middle aged man and leaving. Brody slammed the carton container against her palm a few times, tore off the top part of the cellophane and the foil under the lid. She threw those parts away before putting the pack into her purse. She fished out her phone in the process, turned the Sidekick on and walked towards the baggage claim. There was a text message waiting for her from her cousin, Zack.

im at bag claim. u shuld hav seen my ninja skillz! Brody laughed at his apparent enthusiasm and horrible text spelling. Brody felt nerves running through her. She hasn’t seen her cousin in two years, since her mother and second step-father decided to go through a disgusting divorce last summer that involved Brody’s name change to Wilson and not Merrick like she’s always wanted. She wondered how Zack had filled out through the two years of high school and wondered if he’ll be surprised that she isn’t the bubble gum blonde she was two years ago but brown colored her hair. She fixed her suspenders attached to her jean shorts and brushed a hand through her hair as she saw the sign for baggage claim.

Brody felt someone tap her shoulder and she spun around to see a boy that looked just like her cousin but with darker hair and it was much longer than she remembered. “Brody?” He asked his voice deeper than she remembered but she smiled a wide smile before hugging her cousin.

“Zacky!” She squealed as he laughed and hugged her back, swinging her from side to side like he always did ever since they were younger. “God, you got tall and you need a haircut. Oh dear I sound like my mom.” She prattled off and stopped when she noted the baggage claim conveyer belt begin to move. “Tell me if you see a hot pink suitcase. It will probably be mine but for measure I spray painted Brode on it.”

“Brode?” Zack asked looking down at his cousin, who seemed at least three inches taller than he remembered but he then noticed the heels on her foot. Brody turned, looking at Zack with wide eyes.

“Jeez! I have so much to tell you, don’t I? Well first off, you drove by yourself right?” She watched him nod and she smiled, looking very mischievous to Zack. “Can I smoke in your car if we have the back windows down?”

Zack stared at his cousin, mouth slightly agape and questions swarming around his head. “Uh, since when did you start smoking?” He asked her kind of loudly so a few people turned and Brody rolled her eyes before shrugging.

“Freshman year, that’s not even half the shit I do. I’ll tell you in the car, okay? Oh! I see my suitcase.” Sure enough a big, neon pink suitcase with silver letters spray painted boldly on the front. She grabbed and turned to Zack. “Okay we can go and I’ll tell you about the last two years and you can do the same Mr.” She beamed at her cousin who returned a smile and took her suitcase from her hands.

“So how did the smoking start?” Zack asked as they walked towards the walkway out of the airport.

“Well I met this girl, Jolie, and she is a total bad ass. We met on the first day of freshman year, she was new and I wasn’t,” Brody laughed and Zack furrowed his eyebrow clearly missing why she laughed. “Well, she introduced me to a whole different world. She taught me how to inhale while smoking, Marlboro reds being our choice of cigarette. Then she introduced me to beer and marijuana. God, I love smoking. I love feeling like I’m floating and I’m not anxious anymore. It’s amazing.” Zack nodded along, unsure what to say even though he’s realizing him and Brody are more alike than he imagined. “So, what about you? Any new friends that introduced you to a new world?” Brody turned to him once they got outside, she watched Zack shrug and he gestured her towards his car.

“Well I’m in a band and they’re, uh, great, I guess. They’re great friends, really, and we’re really going places with our music. We’re going on tour soon for two weeks, you’re welcome to join us I think ‘cause my parents are driving us.” Zack blushed at telling her that his parents are driving his band around the country while they played shows for new faces in different places.

“That’s good, really good, what kind of music do you play?” Brody dismissed Zack’s embarrassment, he had nothing to be embarrassed about, she thought, at least he has supervision.

“Pop-punk I guess you would say, pop-rock, whatever. We basically get our inspiration from Blink-182, New Found Glory, Fall Out Boy and bands like that, you know?” Brody nodded, smiling because she likes these bands also. She felt the heat of the warm summer day but it wasn’t as nearly bad as Florida. It was actually nice. They kept their talk small until they reached the car where Brody finally lit a cigarette and sucked in the nicotine deeply. She exhaled and looked up at the clear sky with a smile on her face.

“So what’s your band’s name?” She asked climbing into the car, kept the door opened and waited for him to start the car. She put down the window, closed the door and kept her hand out of the car.

“You don’t have to worry about the smoke, Brody; my girlfriend, Acey, smokes in here all the time.” Zack laughed and Brody smiled bringing in her hand and taking another drag of the nicotine stick. “All Time Low, that’s my band’s name. Guess where the name came from?” Zack smirked expecting her not to know so he could make fun of her but Brody smirked herself.

“New Found Glory’s Head On Collision. So what’s your girlfriend like and when can I meet her? Is she pretty? What does she like to do? Does she shop? I need a girl to hang out with too, you know, Zachary.” She added the last sentence in a stern voice and Zack laughed.

“She’s gorgeous, Brody, she has these brown eyes that captivate me for some reason. She’s constantly changing her hair and she has an odd sense of fashion but I don’t even care about that. If you hear her talk, you’d think she’s some sort of fact book. And she loves shoes, so she will take any opportunity to shop with you. And you can meet her as soon as we get back.” Brody squealed and laughed at her excitement.

“I don’t have a boyfriend, in case you’re wondering, I mean I’ve had boyfriends but they either fucked me over or I lost interest.” Zack coughed, feeling uncomfortable and Brody tossed her finished cigarette out the window. “If you’re uncomfortable Zack, I’m sorry, but I’m really open about stuff,” she laughed.

“I feel like your brother sometimes, I feel like I should protect you.”

“I wish you were my brother, and then I can have your parents instead of my mom and step-father of the week.” She pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest. Zack looked at her for a brief second before looking back at the road.

“Yeah? Well maybe you could come here for college and live with my parents, you know? Go to Towson or Maryland U?” Brody smiled and looked over at her cousin, feeling genuinely happy. She hasn’t given much thought to college. Sure she took her SAT’s and did decently; she also does enough extracurricular activities to look good on a transcript. She just never gave a thought to where she’d study or what to do. Brody felt like there was a step in the college process now thanks to Zack.

“I haven’t thought of that, thanks Zack.”

“Anytime,” he smiled to her and the conversation ended until they got the Merrick household in Towson, Maryland. As soon as they parked Zack’s phone started ringing, Brody got out of the car trying not to disturb his call and got her suitcase. She began to walk inside and she heard a crash from behind her. She turned around and saw two boys and Zack on the ground and the trash can knocked over with a skateboard rolling away from it.

“You were gone for so long!” The boy with black and blonde hair exclaimed loudly, holding Zack tighter as the dark brown haired boy started getting up, mumbling under his breath about how stupid his friend is. He looked up and noticed the girl standing in the door way of the Merrick’s with a bright pink suitcase in hand. His chocolate eyes scanned her whole body, from her tan boots up her tanned leg, over the jean shorts, the stripped t-shirt and suspenders to her heart-shaped face, long brown hair and intense green eyes. A smirk formed on his face, a dimple formed on his cheek and he walked up to the girl in his most suave manner.

Brody stared at the boy walking over to her. He seemed cute to her but probably arrogant, the way he wore his jeans tight and shirt barely covering the hem of his pants, showing off a belt that isn’t doing its job. He had a certain swagger to him that only made Brody raise her eyebrow. “Hey, I’m Alex, you must be Brody.” He extended his hand to her and she took it, a small smile forming on her face as he showed off his own heart-melting smile.

“You’re trying to hit on me already?” She asked him in a tone that surprised him. She was amused by his antics. He was generally confused. Most girls he met would giggle and go along with his charm after he smiles. Alex stared back at the girl trying to gain back his confidence.

“What? Me? No, my dear Brody, I am just introducing myself.” He smiled again but it did nothing to change the girls own smirk that taunted him. Alex Gaskarth had met a challenge. By this time Zack and the skunk haired boy got up, Jack Barakat watched the new girl with a smile on his childish face. She had rejected Alex Gaskarth which meant she was perfect to be his new friend.

“Hi! I’m Jack Barakat, you can call me Jack and you’re gonna be my new best friend.” The tall and lanky boy wrapped two skinny arms around the tiny girl and squeezed her tightly. Brody’s eyes widened to Zack who stood behind Jack and Zack half smiled and scratched the back of his neck.

“I should have warned you about these two.” He spoke up and she gave him a look that screamed ‘you think?’ and then the four teens walked into the Merrick home. Jack and Alex went straight for the kitchen where the smell of cookies was coming from. Brody took in a home she’s seen a million times before but she could never get over the feeling of home when she stands in the foyer of this very house. It is a feeling that Brody has missed in the two year absence. “Come on I’ll show you where you’re staying. Mom and Dad are at work they’ll be home by three or four.” Zack explained and took his cousin’s suitcase and led her towards the stairs.

They walked up stairs and to the left, past a bathroom and Zack’s room to the end of the hall on the right where the guest room had been relocated. When the two cousins were younger they had stayed in the room in the right wing on the left second to last. It was a medium sized room that had two sets of bunk beds and a huge chest full of toys. That room quickly changed to Zack’s first bedroom with a dinosaur theme. Then it was changed into Brody’s guest bedroom until the Merrick’s began redesigning the right wing hallway. Her room was temporarily in the computer room downstairs until two years ago when she stopped coming. The left last bedroom was turned into a guest room along with the two bed rooms in the right hallway, mostly for Zack’s friends. But this year the Merrick’s had changed the last bedroom on the right was turned into Brody’s come and go room.

It was a bigger bedroom, enough to fit a bed and the extra couch Brody noticed missing from the living room. The bed was next to a window and she could see the large tree in the backyard and the pool. The room was painted a sea foam green color, one of her favorites and the theme seemed to be that color green, teal and black. It reminded her of the beach and she turned to Zack with a smile. “Is this my actual room now?”

“Yeah, mom and dad decided it’ll be yours, no matter how long you’ll stay for it’ll always be here if you need it. I guess.” He smiled and watched her drag her suitcase into the room and she sat down on the bed. It was comfier than she imagined and she sighed laying down with a content smile on her face.

“Thank you so much, Zack.” Zack just nodded to her before going to turn around. “Where are you going?” Brody asked with a confused look on her face, Zack shrugged and smiled.

“I kind of have two seventeen year old boys in my living room and a plate of cookies from yesterday probably worth fighting for.” The two laughed and Brody got up from the bed and followed her cousin back downstairs. She saw the plate of cookies on the table in front of the couch. She could tell they were peanut butter by the criss-cross markings on top.

“Oh my God, those are peanut butter!” Brody exclaimed, scaring the three boys as she darted to the table, grabbed at least four cookies and started to munch on them happily. “Mama Merrick made this, yes she did. God they’re delicious.” Alex looked to Zack with a confused face and Jack watched the girl eat like he’s never seen a girl eat before.

“Why did she call your mom, Mama Merrick, I thought I made that up.” Brody stopped mid-chew to look at the dark haired boy with wide eyes.

“No!” She exclaimed, giggling slightly as she wiped the crumbs off of her shirt. “I made it up when I was like five because she’s more of a mom than my own. And these cookies were made for me so if you eat them all I’ll kick your ass.” She added the last threat with a fierce glare to the two boys as Zack just laughed.

“It’s true, sorry Alex if you thought otherwise. And I’ll be back,” Zack checked his phone and a text message from his girlfriend told him it was time to pick her up. He just up and left with Brody staring at the door baffled.

“Did-did he just leave with you here like this? With me? Is this even normal?” She asked in various confused tones and her eyebrows furrowed as she looked to the two boys staring at her.

“Yeah, I guess, you could call it Acey or love or something. He does this every time if she texts him asking him to pick her up. Why didn’t we pick her up?” Jack spoke in a fast manner that Brody only caught the part about Acey asking Zack to pick her up and why didn’t they pick her up. Alex stopped looking at Brody to look at Jack with an annoyed face.

“Because she’s Acey and she’s a bitch,” Brody’s eyebrows raised in alarm. She didn’t think that Acey was that bad by what Zack had told her and Alex sounded so mad with the mere mention of the girl. Alex turned to see Brody’s expression and he could sense a fear in her and instantly felt guilty. “It’s not like-like I h-hate her, Brody, it’s, uh, more like we’re like siblings that can’t get along.”

Brody didn’t feel much better even after Alex tried to tell her a story on why Acey and Alex can’t get along. It all started when he moved to Maryland from England, Acey lived down the street and they became friends. Brody felt like it was a typical friend’s story until they reached middle school and everything changed now they can’t get along. “Basically, when we both ended up going to public school and I met Jack and she met Roxie we stopped hanging out. She blew me off all of sixth grade for a girl.”

“That’s seriously why you hate me is because I finally stopped acting like a boy?” Brody jumped a bit at the girl’s voice in the door way and watched Zack walk past rolling his eyes. Alex rolled his eyes and didn’t bother to look at Acey.

“Acey I’m not explaining it to you, you wouldn’t understand.” The girl, Acey, rolled her brown eyes before noticing the other girl in the room. She smirked, her lip ring slightly moving over as she moved towards Brody.

“You must be Brody, Zack’s cousin, he didn’t tell me how pretty you were. I guess he wouldn’t since you’re related, but gosh your hair is soft looking.” Brody smiled awkwardly as the other girl circled her like a vulture, taking in all her features. Brody tried to understand the girl with the multicolored hair, in skinny jeans and combat boots. Acey wore a bikini top under a white tank top and her skin was just barely tan, still pale. She had freckles lining her nose and cheekbones and a stud in her left nostril. Brody envied that she was able to be that bold with her appearance. Her mother would surely kill her if she showed up to dinner with a ring or stud through her skin.

“Acey, you could stop scaring her,” Zack piped up giving the girl a water bottle and Brody smiled to her cousin thankfully.

“Sorry, I do that often, I just like to observe people carefully.” Acey explained before taking a sip from the water her boyfriend gave her. “Well we can talk and lay out, you want? I was going to swim too because it’s a thing I do when I come over here.” She smiled to Brody, who nodded and held up a finger before running up to her room. Brody changed into a bikini and flip flops, grabbed a towel from the hallway closet and ran back downstairs. No one was in the living room anymore, so she walked through the living room to the sliding glass doors. She saw everyone around or in the pool. The boys were basically in their underwear and Acey laid out on a towel next to the pool talking to Zack.

“So is this a normal hang out for you guys?” Brody asked and conversation started up again.