Our Promise

Lewis looks behind me at Mary. Extending his hand past me, he scans her body up and down. "Lewis. And you are?" He says, nearly pushing past me to get closer towards Mary. I roll my eyes, and step out of my room into the hallway.

"I'm Mary...Selena didn't tell me how cute you are."

Tilting my head back, I let out a pitiful laugh. "Because he's not." Before I notice the shut up look on Lewis' face, I begin my trek down the hallway towards the Entertainment Room my dad set up. I press the light switch, and then lights flicker on, leaving the room bright. There is a 48" inch, flat screen television against the wall and a flat screen computer monitor on a white desk in the corner. There is a Stereo near the computer and a ballet bar on the opposite end of the room for when I dance.

I walk over towards the stereo and press the ON button. The music comes out slowly, and finally it blasts through the speakers. I immediately turn the volume down and then switch the radio stations until I come to one I like. Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) by Katy Perry is playing and I began spinning around and dancing to the song. That is when I hear a chuckle behind me. Damn, why do I forget to shut doors? I turn around and Vince has a grin on his face.

"Why are you here?" I mumble.

"So, you don't want to see me?"

Biting my lip, I cross my arms. "No, I do. But, I mean..."

Vince walks towards me, "Your brother and I were out practicing football." He nods his head, "He's a talented guy. You should try out for cheerleading." He says, clapping his hands, sarcastically. I punch him in his chest playfully.

"Whatever dude! I don't cheer. Point blank." I say, crossing my arms in defense. "I dance..."

"Yea. I see." He says, walking closer to me. Now he is only a few inches away from me, and I begin picking with my nails. "I think your brother is into Mary. You want to go out, so they can be alone?" I scrunch up my eyebrows.

"He's into any girl who has boobs and an ass." I mumble, turning back around and fumbling with the stereo. "I think I want to stay in for the rest of the day anyways." I say, switching the radio station and now She Aint You by Chris Brown is playing. "I just came back from shopping and stuff and I'm tired like hell."

Vince grabs my wrist gently. "Come on, Selena! There is this carnival going on. You'll love it." He says, pulling me towards him. His arm encircles my waist and I am pulled against his body. I smile, trying not to blush.

"Okay. Gosh!" I say. "I need to change first, though."

**

Vince leads me toward a big, white tent with a line circling around it. I see a Ferris Wheel, a few Rollercoasters and some other rides behind the tent, going at full speed. Carnival music plays loudly, and then the sound of people chatting, laughing and having fun is mixed in. The smell of food and sweets waft in the air and this immediately reminds me of some carnivals in London.

He pulls me towards the front of the line, cutting numerous people. I grab his arm with my other hand and he looks back at me, "What?"

"Don't we have to stand in the line?"

He chuckles. "No. This is a school carnival, Football Players and Cheerleaders get in first because we are the ones who set it up." He says, grabbing my waist and yanking me forward as the Ticket Person waits for me to hold out my hand. Once I do, he stamps my hand roughly, and I glance down at the print, which says PAID.

When we step through the gate, I glance around the Carnival up close. There are about a thousand people running around, with stuffed animals, food, and other things. The lines for the rides are super long and there are tons of decorations. "You guys did a good job." I say, raising my eyebrows, scanning the carnival once more.

"Thanks. It took us three months to set it all up. C'mon. I want to show you something." I follow behind Vince, who leads me past the Ferris Wheel, a tall wooden rollercoaster, the Pirate Ship, the Power Drop, and a tall building, with a few slides, and whatever else inside. Some people rush past me, bumping me and I roll my eyes. No wonder I usually disliked Carnivals. I am now being lead down some steep stairs. Everything goes black once we get down the stairs and I grip onto Vince. "Haha. Chill out, make a left." He grins.

"Shut up, I dislike going through dark things." I say, giggling. Finally, there is an opened door and I shuffle through it quickly. Now, we are on the beach. There are tents set up, and rental shops on the edges of the water. People are laying down on beach towels, some in groups, some with their mates, and some by themselves. Some people are even out in the water, either playing or in rental Boats. "You guys did this?" I ask, glancing over at Vince.

"Yup. You got a bathing suit?" He asks.

"No, I didn't think I needed one."

Vince glances around. "Stay here. I'll be right back." He says, removing his arm from my waist. I nod my head as he jogs away towards one of the tents. I glance behind me at a bench and I plop down. I chose to wear a blue jean mini-skirt and a white tank top and some white sandals. My hair is pulled up in a ponytail with a pink ribbon tied around it.

I pull my phone out of my pocket when I feel it vibrating. Lia's number pops up on the screen and her bright face shows as she calls. "Lia. Wassup' hun?" I say.

"Hey, where are you?"

I press my finger in my opposite ear to blank out the sound of the Carnival. "At a carnival with Vince." I say, with a grin in my voice. Forgetting she doesn't know who Vince is, I quickly fill her in.

"Ooh! Sounds hot! Does Ty know about him?"

"Not really. He is just a friend!" I yell over the Carnival and look around to see if I spot Vince coming back. "I'll tell Ty eventually, but not now. It wouldn't matter though, because I don't like Vince in that way." I say, biting my lip for Lia to respond.

"Whatever! Don't be stupid, remember about Ty." She laughs. "I miss you so much, while you're out having fun. Damn you, Lena!" She giggles, and I roll my eyes. "I am bored like hell, and my mom is being a total bitch." She mumbles.

"Awwh. Tell her I said hi." I say. Looking towards the direction Vince left, I spot him chatting with another guy who looked to be around his age. The guy has shaggy black hair, and a muscular body and perfectly tanned skin. When I see Vince pointing towards me and the guy glancing over with a grin on his face and waves, I immediately blush. Turning my head, I return back to the conversation. "I have to go babe. I'll talk to you later. IM me."

"Ugh, okay! Have fun, but remember Ty." She says, with a grin in her voice before hanging up. I roll my eyes, sliding my phone back into my pocket. By the time I glance up, Vince is in front of me with the guy next to him.

"Oh...hi." I give a tiny wave.

" 'Sup. You going swimming?" He asks, pointing towards the ocean and I glance up at Vince.

"I...don't know." I mumble. "I didn't bring a bathing suit."

Vince shoves a tiny bikini in my face and I am forced to grab it. "Go put it on over there." He points to a building that reads CHANGING ROOM and I roll my eyes. "I'll meet you by the water." He mumbles, before shoving the guy next to him and then racing back towards the other way. The guy laughs before running after him at a full sprint. I stand up, and glance over at the building.

I go over to the building, and knock on a few doors before opening a vacant one. Locking the door behind me, I strip out of my clothes and change into the bikini which is a light pink with blue accents. I examine my slim body in the mirror that is hanging on the door, and I smile. There is a pile of bags next to the mirror on the floor and I pick one up and stuff my clothes into them. I step out of the stall and I go over to the lockers around the corner. Spinning the dial, I stuff the bag in there, and then glance at the Dial's Lock Code. 5-10-8

It takes me about five minutes to get down to the water, and I look around for Vince. When I do not spot him, I get ready to turn back and go sit down, but then I feel him picking me up and tossing me over his shoulder. His body is already soaking wet and I kick furiously, trying to get down. My sandals fly off onto the sand. "Let me go, Vince!" I yell as he jogs into the water. Before I know it, I am falling down head first into the water and I flail my arms and feet around. Choking on the water, I swim toward the surface and take in a few deep breaths. "Ahhh! Oh my gosh, Vince!" I yell, still choking on some water.

Vince laughs before diving under the water and grabbing my ankle. I go back under and begin choking on more water. His hands wrap around my waist and I am pulled from under the water. I wipe the water from my face, splashing Vince. I burst out into a fit of giggles as his face scrunches up. "Ha!" I yell, going back under the water and kicking off towards the middle of the Ocean. Looking behind me, Vince is rushing after me and I begin swimming quicker.

I am forced to quit swimming when I feet a pair of hands grab my waist and yank me over their shoulder. After I wipe my face, I look behind me and Vince is still swimming, so I glance at the guys face who is holding me. When I notice it as they guy Vince was talking too, I begin kicking, trying to get into the water. I toss my head back, laughing as I try and squirm away. "Let go of me." I say. When Vince stands up about a few feet away, I grab onto the guy's neck, not wanting to be flung back into the water.

Vince grabs my waist and begins to pull me back, but my grip on the guy's neck becomes tighter. "No! Please don't Vince!" I yell, my grip becoming looser. The guy tries to pry my fingers away, but I grab onto his waist and Vince pulls me halfway from the guy. "No!" I yell, as my body falls deep into the water with a huge SPLASH!

**

I slide my mini-skirt over my dripping wet bathing suit, and leave my tee in the bag along with my phone. Vince and the guy (whose name I learned is August) dunked me in the water about fifteen times before I managed to swim out the water. I begin searching around for my sandals, when I remember they are still on the beach. Slamming the locker shut, I turn around and crash into August roughly. "Oh my gosh. Sorry." I mumble, rubbing my head. "Damn, you got a huge head." I grin.

"Haha, same here." He rubs his head too, before shoving my sandals toward me. "I found these on the beach."

"Thanks." I drop them on the ground and stuff my feet inside them. "Where is Vince?"

"He went to go get his car keys." August scratches his head, glancing around. "Want me to walk you to his car?" He asks, raising his eyebrows. August is still dripping wet in his bathing suit, but he put on a white wifebeater and some sandals.

I nod my head. "Yea...sure."

"You just moved here...I mean to California?"

I nod my head. "Yea. From London, because my dad got a job here."

August nods his head as we fall in step. "Nice. Are you coming here for school?"

"Yea."

"You going to cheerlead?"

I toss my head back. "No! Why does everyone say I should be a cheerleader?" I laugh, shaking my head. "I am a dancer, but I'm not a prep. Not my style. You're a football player, aren't you?" I glance over at him and he grins. "I'm going to take that as a yes."

"Yea. But, why don't you cheerlead? You're hot."

I pull my lips in a straight line, becoming annoyed. "Just because I'm hot doesn't mean I have to prance around and wear short ass skirts and shake my ass for all the dudes. I'm not like that, August. End of questioning." I mumble, not wanting to answer anything else.

"No need to get hostile." He laughs. "Anyways, I heard your bro is a killer Football Player! You think so?"

"I thought I said no more questioning." I laugh, lightly. "But I don't know, I haven't been around him for so long! I was sent off to boarding school." I explain, biting my lip.

"Why?"

"Is this twenty questions?" I exclaim, looking over at August. He chuckles. "Because, I was a bad ass child. Let's say, I was a rebel." I grin at the word. "I hated being told what to do, and I was just bad."

August nods his head. "So do-" He is cut of when we hear Vince running up.

"Selena!" He yells, jogging towards us. He is by my side in a second. "Ready to go?"

I nod my head. "Sure."

"See ya, dude. Practice tomorrow." He punches August on his shoulder before wrapping his arm around my waist. August waves at me and I wave back before I am pulled out the EXIT gate by Vince. "Did you like the Carnival?"

"Yea. Besides the fact I kept getting dunked." I say, laughing lightly.

"You hungry?" I shake my head no. "Well, I am, I am going to stop by Burger King."

"Fatty." I joke, poking Vince in his rock-hard abs.

He smirks. "Yea...sure." He grins, before pulling open the passenger side car door for me.