The Girl Who Wanted Everything

Awkward-fest

The beach house was in a picturesque little town called Westport about three hours from home. It was an idyll of a place – a rugged shoreline, painted weatherboard houses and a pier. There was a small main street with a few boutiques and a gallery, an ice-cream parlor and a fish and chip restaurant. Besides that, there was very little.  

The house itself was one of the largest and fanciest in the town. It was professionally decorated, with splashes of palest blue and beige against white. There were four large bedrooms, an open living area and an expansive deck with steps down onto the sand.

Mum and I were the first to arrive and we busied ourselves with opening all the curtains and windows and airing out the fustiness of the year.

"Oh, Nadine honey, put both our bags in the bigger back bedroom. We are sharing this year,'' she told me. "Giselle and Sam are sharing the second room, Jamie and her mum are sharing the main. Apparently, Jamie is bringing her boyfriend so he will have the fourth. We have a full house.'' 

Wait, what? No one had said anything about Jamie having a boyfriend, let alone bringing him along for the summer. I considered this information for a moment. It was really a matter of time before there was a boyfriend on the scene. Guys had been scrabbling after her for years already. I wondered who it was that had managed to seal the deal. A football jock? Chiseled jaw and beefy shoulders? Probably.  

God it would be annoying watching them ooze all over each other for three weeks! Imagine it was just the two of them and me? Awkward-fest. But I would have Sam to keep me company. In fact, I would have Sam all to myself now the boyfriend was coming. This could actually be the best thing ever.

I flung open curtains and unpacked coolers with renewed vigor. The holiday was looking more promising by the minute. With Jamie off the scene, I stood a chance at impressing Sam. 

He would remember our connection from years ago and at the same time be wowed by how much I had grown up and changed. I would manage to pierce through his quiet exterior, and he would share his deepest thoughts with me. He would realise that we were made for each other and from there it would be summers for me in Geneva until we chose a college we could attend together. 

By the time Jamie arrived, I was positively buoyant. That wouldn't last.

I had checked myself in the mirror several times already in preparation for Sam's arrival, opting for black shorts and a floral blouse. My hair was smooth and loose, and I had a quick splash of lip-gloss. The aim was to look casual. I arranged myself on the sofa with a magazine, reorganizing my posture occasionally for maximum effect. 

The moment Jamie entered the room I realised that casual was a mistake. Her skin was already naturally sun-kissed before the season had even begun and her hair hung in effortless flaxen waves over her bare shoulders. She was wearing a peasant skirt, espadrilles, and sizeable golden rings in her ears.  She looked beautiful. I felt like I had been punctured; all the buoyancy escaping from my body in scarcely seconds. Next to her I was a pallid, mousy husk.

"Nadine! Hi!" Her voice was warm and her smile lovely, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "God, it's hot, isn't it?" She looked me over critically. "You must be boiling in all that denim.''

It really was amazing how little time it took for her to crush me.

"Jamie!'' My mum soared into the room, saving me from having to reply. She wrapped Jamie up in a generous hug. "My goodness don't you look gorgeous girl!" And then, conspiratorially, "Where is this man of yours? I am dying to meet him.''

I rolled my eyes to no one as they giggled together. 

"Thanks Mandy. He is outside getting our bags.'' She stuck her head back out the front door and yelled, "ADAM! Hurry up and come and meet people!"

A teenage boy appeared in the doorway, staggering against the weight of the heavy bags he was carrying. He was medium height and slimly built – hardly the jock I had been expecting. His hair was dark and shoulder length. I could see it was getting in the way as he struggled with the bags, and he had to put one down and use an agile open hand to brush it back from his face.

His eyes were hazel, and his features looked slightly Asian. He was wearing skinny jeans and a collared black shirt. Sure, HE didn't get sarcasm for dressing too warmly. Ok, he was nice-looking, but not staggeringly so. I was just watching him, musing over what it was that made Jamie choose this guy over all others, and then he looked up at us, his face breaking into a generous, un-reserved, quirky smile. 

"Hi PEOPLE,'' he said.