Love Like This

Welcome to Scottsdale! I scowled as I looked at the sign covered in red dust. I praised every day over the past two years that I haven't had to see that sign. But it was summer and my mother insisted I come and visit her and Brian back in Arizona. Of course my father jumped at the occasion, secretly I was sure he was glad to get rid of me so he could spend time with his new wife Julia.

"I fucking hate the heat. I hate sand. I hate palm trees." I grumbled to myself as I drove on the cracked asphalt road looking at every green road sign for one that read Kings Avenue. Despite how long it had been since I lived there, I could still remember the house perfectly... and worst of all how Brian's friends always trashed it.

"Fuck." I grumbled as I got out of the car. I wrinkled my nose and lifted my sunglasses off my face to get a better look at the place I spent my entire childhood. It was a traditional Arizona adobe style house. The orange exterior hid the amount of red dirt and dust that covered it, just like everything else in this town. If a building wasn't orange to begin with, it would be shortly after a few weeks of dry weather.

"BABY SISTER!" I heard a very feminine squeal come out of a very skinny looking man as he ran across the yard picking me up and spinning me around in his surprisingly muscular arms.

"Put me down Brian." I demanded sternly as I watched the everyone else walk out of the house. I recognized Jess almost immediately because just like back then, she was the only girl of the group. I recognized Stephen too, but I didn't know the other guy standing there watching Brian make an ass of himself.

"Yo Stephen! Grab my sister's stuff!" Brian laughed as he carried me over to them, "After all, it is the gentlemanly thing to do."

"Brian you never mentioned your sister was so hot." The blond boy I didn't recognize flashed a grin as he looked at me. I blushed furiously and I was suddenly glad that my hair was in my face still from when Brian spun me around so he couldn't see.

"Gross, dude!" Brian screamed as he ran inside with me still squirming in his arms, "Don't you dare ever think about my sister in that way!"

"Brian let GO!" I screamed as I wrestled out of his grasp only to fall to the floor, "You're such a dick!" I heard a haughty laugh from across the room that made my skin crawl as Brian scampered away down the hall, probably to escape my wrath. I whipped my head around and narrowed my eyes, "What are you laughing at Gomez?"

"You falling on your fat ass, Dales." John replied with a smirk that made me want to slap him.

"Hey, play nice you two." Jess winked as she wandered in the house carrying a few of my things, "I'll be back in a few minutes to catch up Sierra."

"Okay." I said, ignoring John's stares. I stood up and brushed myself off as the boy I didn't know walked in with Stephen following close behind carrying most of my bags.

"Did you pack bricks in here?" Stephen huffed as he pushed past me and made his way down the same hallway everyone else had walked down, most likely to my old room where Jess had gone, "Brian come help me with this shit!" He shouted as Brian shouted no from somewhere off in the distance.

The blond boy took this time to introduce himself, "I'm Josh." He smiled flirtatiously and I blushed, "I've heard a lot about you from everyone."

"Hopefully not from the devil child over there." I rolled my eyes and pointed behind me at where I assumed John was still sitting.

"Why would I ever want your name coming out of my mouth, whore!" He spat as he shoved the rest of a taco in his mouth that they had probably all been eating before I arrived. He scowled and chewed his food as Josh laughed.

"So what's on the agenda for Scottsdale tonight?" Jess asked as she put her arm over my shoulder, joining us once again.

"We have that house party at Parker's, remember?" Brian said as he reappeared suddenly, "I thought that would be the perfect way to reintroduce little Sierra Dales to the Arizona scene. Getting down Scottsdale style!"

"Brian, stop. Just... stop, please." Stephen demanded as he rolled his eyes and sat down next to his brother, shoving him playfully as John continued to glare at me menacingly.

"Fantastic." I forced a smile as I looked up at my brother and lied, "A party sounds wonderful." A party at my high school boyfriend's house with a bunch of my brother's friends and people I hadn't seen in years? I was definitely going to need a strong drink- or twelve- to make it through the night.