Summer Love

Chapter 1

The handsome prince looks at me. "Juliet," he says. "Will you accept this crown and become the queen of Mermaidlandia?" I look around Mermaidlandia, a beautiful underwater mermaid kingdom. Then I look back at the prince and smile. "Of course I will," I say. I reach for the sparkly crown. Before it's in my hands I suddenly hear a beep, beep, beep sound. I raise my eyebrows. "What is that?" I ask out loud. I have to yell because the noise seems to be getting louder. Beep! Beep! Beep! As I look around again Mermaidlandia seems to get blurry and begins to fade away. Beep! Beep! Beep! I still hear that annoying sound. Suddenly I realize what's happening. Irritated I close my eyes. Beep! Beep! Beep! My eyes fly open. *sigh* Ugh! I hate alarm clocks. Mine just interrupted my awesome dream. I rub my eyes and look at the clock. 8:05 am. I have to get to work at 9:30 am. I guess alarm clocks are useful, otherwise I would never get to work on time. I'm an intern for this teen magazine called J-14. I worked there during the school year on the weekends. I wrote some articles for the mag and I even got to interview some celebrities. School got out a week ago. So today is my last day working. I graduated high school this year. In the fall I'm going to the University of California in Los Angeles, UCLA, and majoring in journalism. I love to write! My dream is to work for a famous paper like The New York Times or Time magazine. I head to the bathroom to take a quick shower. On February 2nd I turned 18. I'm finally an adult! As a gift my parents got me my very own apartment. They paid the deposit and the first month's rent. But before the key was in my hands they gave me a mini lecture on how I have to be a mature and responsible daughter. But that was four months ago. My apartment is a little small but it's cool since its only me. When I finish with my shower I go the small closet in my room to find something to wear. I pick out my red plain t-shirt and dark skinny jeans. As I put on my clothes I think about my parents. My dad is Emmett Young. He has black hair that's slightly curly and blue eyes. He looks pretty young for his age and he has dimples, which I unfortunately don't share. You would never believe I'm my dad's daughter because we look nothing alike. But my older brother Jason looks almost exactly like dad. Jason is 20 years old and right now he's in San Francisco attending the University of California of Medicine. He wants to be a doctor. Anyways I look more like my mom, Elizabeth. I have her deep brown eyes and dark brown hair, which is long and naturally wavy. I guess it's a mixture of my mom's straight hair and my dad's curls. I walk to my small kitchen and grab a Pop-Tart. Then I grab my purse and head to down to my car. Near the parking lot are all the little mailboxes for each apartment. I find my own and look inside not really expecting to find anything inside. But to my surprise there's an official-looking letter inside. I open it and the first thing I see are the words "EVICTION NOTICE" in a big bold font. I raise one eyebrow in confusion. Eviction? Is this letter even mine? I keep reading:

Dear Ms. Juliet Young,

We are sorry to inform you that due to your inability to pay the required rent you are to be evicted from your current residence. Please move out by June 4.

Sincerely, Meadow Parks Apartment Management

What!? Apparently this letter is mine and I'm getting evicted! Ugh, I mentally slap myself. Way to be responsible Juliet! I grab the letter, go to my car, and throw the letter in the passenger seat. Calm down, I tell myself, maybe this is just a mistake. I rattle my brain and try to remember if I paid last months rent. Then I remember-the same day the rent was due was the same day of one of my finals. And since I am a huge procrastinator I waited till that last day. But my mind was on school so I ended up not paying. Before I start driving I get out my iPhone and call my mom. After a couple rings she answers, "Hello?" "Hey mom, it's Juliet," I reply. "Oh Juliet, how've you been honey?" she asks. It's time to confess..."Well umm, remember my apartment? Well yeah apparently I'm getting evicted so I need a place to stay. Any chance I can stay at your house-just for the summer though. I'll just get a dorm on campus in the fall..." "Juliet..." my mom starts. I brace myself for a lecture on responsibility. "Honey, I would love for you to stay with me and your father, but we came to Brazil for the summer." My eyes nearly pop out of my head. Brazil?! They went to Brazil without me? I see how it is. Suddenly an idea pops into my head. "Never mind mom, I think I know where I can stay."