Trading Heartbeats

A longstanding family tradition on the first day at Disneyland dictates that we first ride Pirates of the Caribbean, immediately followed by Haunted Mansion. It doesn't matter how long the lines are. It's those two every time. In that order. No exceptions. None of us even really think about it anymore. Without discussing it, we just head toward Pirates immediately upon entering the park every time.

So this trip was no different. Nor was it different that on the second day we started in California Adventure. Jae, Afton, and I were all unintentionally dressed similarly. Tank tops and shorts over our swimsuits, and canvas shoes. Our tops were different enough that we didn't look coordinated, but our swimsuits were the ones we'd bought together. The same, except in different colors. James had made it his mission to spend the entire week in his swim trunks, t shirts, and flip flops.

The lines were long; it was June after all. But not as long as if we'd come in July. And it was hot, especially since we had been spoiled all our lives with the gorgeous, breezy weather of the central coast. There was a tiny breeze, but mostly it was just the sun beating down us. We'd been waiting in line for the Grizzly River Run for thirty minutes when Afton pulled the sunscreen out.

"Are you sure you're not adopted?" she asked as she smeared the thick lotion over the exposed skin on my back and neck. I shrugged, taking the tube from her and squirted some on my arms. "Neither of them burn as easily as you," she said, referring to Jae and James.

"It's a definite possibility that I was, at the very least, switched at birth. Don't they say you can start to look like someone if you live with them for a long time?" I replied.

My companions all nodded and then we burst out laughing. It was impossible. Mama and I don't just look similar. I am the spitting image of her. Except my height. None of us can figure out where my petite form came from.

By the time we got off the ride we were thoroughly soaked and sufficiently hungry, so we headed over to Paradise Pier to eat and dry off in the sun. Jae and James shooed Afton and me away to go find a table, declaring that they had lunch taken care of. Of course, I started to argue but Afton grabbed my wrist and dragged me away from the line.

It took us a little bit to find a table, but luckily for me it was one with an umbrella over it. Luckily for everyone else, it was positioned in such a way that there was still enough sun to dry our clothes more quickly. I sat where there was the least amount of sun exposure and checked my phone.

There was text from Aaron. He and I had been in a gif war since I left his house on Saturday. I'd sent him something stupid as soon as I'd gotten into my truck, and he'd responded almost immediately. And it just kept going, though not as intensely as it would if I wasn't on vacation. Still, neither of us were backing down. I scrolled through my phone until I found one I deemed to be an appropriate response and sent it, then put my phone away.

Afton's eyes were set on me when I looked up. I could feel them. I rolled my eyes behind my sunglasses. "It was Aaron," I said. "I told Niall to fuck off for the week." Even with her sunglasses on, I could tell she didn't believe me, so I pulled my phone out again and slid it across the table to her. I've never cared if she looks through my phone because I don't hide things from her, but it kind of annoyed me that she suddenly seemed to think I was lying.

She glanced at my phone. "I believe you," she said.

"Obviously not," I said. It came out a little more harshly than I intended, but I'm not really that great at hiding my annoyance. "So go ahead. Look and see that I haven't responded to Niall since Sunday night."

"I believe you," she said again, barely shaking her head as she slid my phone back across the table. Her eyes stayed trained in my direction, but I started to get the feeling that she wasn't actually looking at me.

I grabbed my phone and slid it back into my pocket. If she had looked, she would have seen that I hadn't even opened the messages Niall had sent me in the last couple days. There were at least seven. I hadn't even bothered looking recently, but I hoped he'd gotten the message finally.

My sister and brother found their way to table a few minutes later, each holding a tray with two slices of pizza. Jae handed me the plain cheese slice and kept the veggie one for herself, and Afton took one of the pieces of pepperoni pizza from James. I couldn't help but notice how Afton kept looking over my shoulder.

"Did we decide if we're watching World of Color tonight?" I asked, picking up my pizza and then putting it back down again. It was too hot to eat.

"If we want Fast Passes for it then we should probably wait until tomorrow or the day after," Jae answered first. "I doubt there's any left for tonight and you know we won't get a good spot without them."

I nodded. She made a good point. "So, then, should we watch the fireworks from the hotel? By the pool?" I asked.

There's a rooftop pool at the Paradise Pier Hotel that offers a great view of the fireworks show. And since it's so close to Disneyland, you can hear all the sounds associated with the show as well. Everyone agreed easily. It definitely beat dealing with the crowds.

With that settled and my stomach growling, I picked up my pizza, suddenly okay with possibility of burning my mouth. I was just about to take a bite when a shadow fell over me. Sighing, I put the pizza back down and turned to look at whomever was standing next to me.

"Excuse me," he said. He wore dark sunglasses and a black Raiders hat pulled down low. There was something familiar about what little I could see of his face. "My friend and I are trying to find a place to sit but everything is full. Would you mind if we joined you?" he asked.

I stared at him for a long moment, trying to place the familiarity. It was a strange request, anyway. One I was inclined to say no to without consideration. But it was also strange that his accent started out American and slowly turned British.

"Who's your friend?" I asked, turning further and leaning back a little to peer around him. But it turned out I didn't need him to answer because I immediately knew who he was the second I spotted Niall standing about 30 feet away. I sat forward and smiled. But not the happy kind of smile. "Absolutely not. Tell your friend that I don't want to see his fucking face-"

"Hang on, Neato," Afton interrupted, looking the boy standing next to me up and down. She leaned forward, setting her elbow on the table. "Liam Payne, damn," she said, her eyebrows raising a little. "You can sit, but tell Niall to take a hike."

He chuckled. "I'm that obvious, am I?" he inquired.

"Your accent faded quickly," she said. "And even with the hat and sunglasses, you look like David Beckham."

Again, he laughed. "I don't hate that comparison. Small problem, though," he said. "Going back to what you said before that. We're kind of a package deal, Niall and myself. If he can't sit, then I'll have to find a different table to crash," he finished.

The words were barely out his mouth when I lifted my hand and waved it in a shooing motion. "Bye," I said, picking up my pizza again. "And tell Niall-"

"They just want a place to sit, Jess." It was Jae who interrupted this time. I looked at her as I put my pizza down. There was a tiny hint of excitement on her face, masked by her sunglasses. But having known her for her entire life, I could see it. More than that, I could feel it. "There's plenty of room at the table for them," she said.

I glanced over at James. He looked bored again. When he caught my glance he barely nodded, giving a slight shrug at the same time. The same way I knew Jae was excited, it was obvious to me that James would rather Liam and Niall didn't join us. But he was giving the green light, and I could only assume it was because he could see the look on our sister's face as well.

I sighed, rolling my eyes hard behind my sunglasses. "Fine," I relented. "Whatever. Sit if you must." I motioned across the round table to the empty space on the bench next to Afton. As I saw Niall making his way over, I realized the other empty space was next to me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in.

Liam set his plate down, sitting where I'd indicated. Moments later, Niall slid onto the bench next to me. I inched closer to the edge, toward where Jameson was sitting. I swear he laughed at me. Barely, but still. I nudged his foot with mine and he looked at me, sending a slight smile in my direction. At least he wasn't mad.

"So, you're Jessilynn, clearly," Liam said after taking a bite of his pizza. "But she called you something else. Neato, right? What's that about?" he inquired.

I slowly chewed the bite of pizza I'd finally managed to take. Luckily it had cooled enough that it didn't burn my mouth. "My--our," I motioned to Jae and James, "last name is Nieto. But when we were kids, for some reason other kids couldn't say it properly and always called us Neato. It just kind of stuck," I explained, and then took another bite of my pizza.

"So the three of you are related," Liam observed. I nodded, removing my sunglasses. Jae and James did the same. "Well that's," he started and then paused. We don't look exactly alike, but it's pretty obvious how we're related if you look at the three of us next to each other. "Siblings, I'm guessing," he said. I nodded again and we all put our sunglasses back on.

"Jameson and Jaelynn," I introduced them. "And that," I motioned to Afton, "is Afton Sheppard. Or Shep," I said. Introductions are weird. I'm never sure just how much to tell. Like, is it necessary for them to know that Afton has been my best friend since before I could talk, and that she might as well be my sister for as much time as we spend together and how often she's at my family functions? Probably not. But I feel like I'm leaving something out by not saying that she's family.

But then again, I don't really owe anything to either Niall or Liam. So, I left it at that and picked up my pizza again.

And then I found myself saying, "Wait, what do you mean, clearly I'm Jessilynn? What's that supposed to mean?" I put my pizza down even though I'd just picked it up and stared pointedly at Liam from behind my sunglasses.

But he didn't seem to notice. "Nothing," he replied easily. "Just that I've heard a little about you."

I hadn't paid any attention to Niall since he sat down next to me and I wasn't about to start, but I knew Liam was referring to him. "Such as?" I asked.

He shrugged. "That you're," he paused, as if searching for the right word, "fiery," he said after a moment.

"That's much less offensive than heinous bitch," Afton commented. My eyes flicked to her and she shot me a smile. I couldn't figure out why it seemed like she was trying to diffuse the tension when she had been so adamant about wanting me to have nothing to do with Niall.

I nodded, moving my gaze back to Liam. "That's impressive," I said. He quirked an eyebrow, I can only assume in question. "You're really living your media training," I clarified.

His other eyebrow joined the raised one. "What do you know about media training?" he asked carefully and then forced a laugh.

I leaned forward, resting an elbow on the table. "As a journalism and broadcasting major, I know quite a bit about media training," I assured him. I could see the slightest twitch of his expression and forced myself to hold back a laugh.

"Are you a reporter?" he asked. He was so casual and calm, asking as though he was making polite conversation, but there might have been a tiny hint of nerves in this voice. I didn't know him, so I couldn't be sure.

"I'm a student," I said, finally allowing myself to laugh, but just a little bit. "Kind of. I had to take a semester off due to an accident."

At the vague mention of the accident, I felt fingers brush gently against the scar on my thigh. Barely even thinking, I slapped Niall's hand hard. I hadn't told him anything about it, but clearly he had guessed, correctly, that the two things were related.

For the first time since he'd been sitting next to me, I turned to look at him. "If you touch me again, I swear I will break every single one of your fingers," I said firmly. I was staring him down behind my sunglasses, but if he could tell, he certainly wasn't letting on.

"Jess," Jaelynn said, obviously horrified at me. I drew in a long, slow breath and turned to look at her.

"'S'alright," Niall interjected before she could scold me further. "Been missing her special brand of charm for the last few days," he said. I couldn't tell, with the upbeat nature in which he spoke, if there was sarcasm hidden in what he said. I figured there had to be, but his words seemed to placate my sister because the daggers she was staring at me disappeared.

A lesson from elementary school, if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all, popped into my head. It seemed, at the current moment, the best course of action for me, given my sister's reaction to my interaction with Niall. So instead of saying anything else, I took a bite of my pizza, keeping mostly quiet until I was finished eating. Except for when James spoke to me, of course. He didn't seem phased by how abrupt I was with Niall and Liam.

Maybe that was because he knew, because I'd told him that I was boy-free for the whole week. That this was about us getting to spend time together with no distractions. And now, here we were, in the midst of it with the source of my biggest recent distraction sitting right next to me after I'd explicitly told him that I would talk to him when I returned home. And I was furious that he completely disregarded what I said and insinuated himself into my vacation.

When we were all finished eating, I stood, watching my sister carefully. She and Afton gathered everyone's plates to throw away and trays to return. Niall leaned over once they walked away, speaking quietly, "Nice shirt," he said, referring to the word BRAT printed across the chest of my tank top.

I pursed my lips together and shifted my eyes up to his and said, "I'm going to actually murder you."