[ 18+ COMPLETED high school romance]
Lina Andrews has always been a bookworm; she loves to read, and she loves to learn the depth of what lies behind the words-hence, why she's always found with her nose in a book. Even with how much her brother, B...
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I dreaded stepping foot into this place again.
Italy was such a great escape—I didn't have to worry about my mom, about Roy, about nothing. In Italy, it was just Lina and what Lina wanted.
I think I got used to it too quick.
Cause as Brooks gets out of the car, wrestling both our luggages from the trunk, I just stare at the house with...distaste.
I grip the handle of my luggage, dragging my feet behind Brooks. With the door unlocked, Brooks lets us in, mom popping up from her seat in the living room.
"There are my babies." She coos as she wraps her arms around Brooks.
When she comes to hug me, I give a forced smile, allowing her to wrap her arms around my neck. After a few seconds of me not returning the gesture, she steps back.
"Look at you two! You're so tan. How was it?"
I shrug as I shut the door, edging closer to the stairs. "Fun. Lots of beach time, so."
"Yeah. It wasn't too crazy down there. I kept my eye on her."
Roy chuckles, making my skin crawl. "Well, someone ought to, or who knows what kind of trouble she'd get in to."
He smirks at me from across the room and I have to resist the urge to barf right then and there. I reach into my pocket, looking at my mom.
"I know it's small, but," I shrug. "I thought I'd bring you back something."
I place it in her hands. Like I said, it was small. I didn't intend to bring my mom something back, but when I saw the little keychain dangling from the souvenir shack, I thought why the hell not.
It's just a silver keychain, saying I heart Italy. It was cute, and I did love Italy.
And maybe, just maybe, my mom would be able to experience that some day.
"Aw," mom smiles at me. "Thank you, Lina Bear."
I wrinkle my nose. "You guys and these stupid nicknames," I shake my head. "I'm gonna go unpack."
I don't wait for a protest, I just start climbing the stairs. Mom says something about ordering pizza, but I'm not really in the mood.
Maybe it's the distaste I have for being home right now, but I didn't really feel hungry. I was just exhausted, and I could feel a headache forming. I felt drained and I didn't want to do anything.
I unlocked the door to my room, pushing my luggage inside. I set it on the floor, unzipping it. Most of the clothes were dirty, so I just tossed them into the bin. Then I sat on my bed, closing my eyes.
I wonder what Hayden's doing. Is he as tired as I am? Is his mom okay, happy he's back home? Is he thinking about me right now, too?
Soft knocking pulled my thoughts. I hop up and walk to the door, pulling it back to see Brooks.
