Thousands of Miles

Chapter One

Heyyy!
This is my first story I published so sorry if it's terrible and you are about to waste your time reading what I have, but if you have suggestions or you actually like it, please leave a comment, I would love to here what you have to say! Ignore any weird stuff and try to enjoy :)
-Claire

The words of my textbook blurred and the voice of Mr. Jacobs faded as I slouched at my desk with my cheek smushed up against my fist, my eyes growing sleepy. The room was so quiet and I was so tired, I was probably gonna start snoring out loud right then. A poke on my left arm woke me up enough to look to my side and see a goofy, white smile flashing at me. Joel gave me a you-should-be-paying-attention look, when really, he was doing the same as I was.

"Dork." I mouthed to my slightly annoying, but otherwise awesome boyfriend. He pretended to be insulted, clutching his chest and looking away.

"Mr. Warner, Ms. Lane, what is going on back there?" Mr. Jacobs's voice boomed from the front of the room. His cheeks and large neck swayed as he yelled. Mr. Jacobs is not a normal sized man.

"I just had a question to ask Alison sir," Joel assured Mr. Jacobs with the most serious face he could manage, "That's all."

"Well" the voiced boomed, "There are teachers here for a reason. I think I know more than Ms. Lane about plant growth." Mr. Jacobs bragged. "Right, Ms. Lane?"

"Yes sir," I managed, swallowing a bubble of laughter. "I do not have nearly as much knowledge about plant growth as you do." Joel hid a grin.

"That's right." Mr. Jacobs concluded. That man thinks he's the smartest man alive.

"Now, as we conclude our class, make sure you finish reading 145 to 170 and blah blah blah..." Mr. Jacobs's voice faded again. Thank God this is the last class of the day, otherwise I don't think I could make it. I was woken again by the sweet sound of the bell. I grabbed my science textbook, stuffed my assignment in my bag and raced out the door, leaving behind jiggly Mr. Jacobs.

"Al!" Shouted a voice behind me. I turned around, impatient. Joel was speed walking towards me with that stupid white smile glued to his face. Ok, maybe not stupid. More like adorable.

"Hurry up," I snapped, "I want to get to the beach!"

Joel's toothy smile widened. "I do too babe, do you have a problem with me walking with you?"

"No." I snapped again.

"Jeez Al, is it your time of month or something?" I glared at him, trying to be serious, but a smile tugged at my lips. I shoved him by his shoulder making him run into the lockers next to us.

"Ow!" He yelled, pretending to be hurt. Then I felt an arm hook mine in a firm hold.

"Hey girl hey!" Casey, one of my best friends yelled, her glossy lips in a wide smile.

"Hey Case, ready for the beach?" I yelled back. It's hard to hear in the loud hallways of Lincoln High.

"Yup." She replied. We continued down the hall, pushing through a group of clingy freshmen girls with way too much makeup and out into the bright sunshine of Long Beach, California.

"Ahh..." Joel breathed. "There's nothing like getting out of that school away from the B.O mixed with bad lunch meat smell to fresh air." A chorus of laughter rang out from the three of us as we met with Josh, Stella, Cole, and Molly.

"You guys ready for salty water in our eyes and sand up our cracks?" Josh teased.

"Of course, I love being blind and the gritty feeling between my cheeks." Joel replied casually. Stella, Molly, Casey and I squealed with disgust as Cole stood there laughing.

"Let's just go," I said, annoyance in my voice. "And don't ever talk about your butts again." I yelled at Joel and Josh, slapping them both on the chest. The response I got was two toothy grins instead of one.

• • •

A warm wind blew my wavy, light brown hair back as the girls and I drove in my dad's red convertible. The sun was so bright, and the air smelled like the sea. It was one of those perfect California days. As I eased the car into a spot on the road along the beach, Cole and the boys sped past us farther down the road with Carry on Wayward Son by Kansas blaring through the speakers. Casey shook her head.

"Boys." Stella laughed as we got out of the car. "Case, grab my bag?"

"I got it Stell." I was closer anyway.

"Let's go girls, we gotta go find the boys!" Molly squealed. We all hooked arms and sunk our feet into the sand. These are the Fridays I live for. We walked farther down the beach nearing our spot. Soon enough, I spotted the boys setting up towels and stuffing their faces with Doritos.

"There they are!" Josh yelled as we approached the three pigs.

"Hey baby," Joel managed to say through a mouth full of chips. "Want some Doritos? They're cool ranch." I sat down in front of him at the end of his towel.

"Sure." I dug my hand into the bag pulling out a few chips, along with a coating of flavoring on my fingers. "Ah, the satisfying crunch of Doritos." I sighed. I dug in my chevron pattern beach bag and pulled out my own towel, then laid it down next to Joel's. I stood to take off my swimsuit cover up, revealing my purple drape bikini, then stretched out on my towel.

"Joel?" I whispered. He turned on his side and smirked at me, obviously thinking I wanted to kiss him or something. I turned on my side too. "Can you pass me the bag of Doritos?" I said louder this time, with a smile on my face. Disappointment flashed on his face for a second, then his toothy, white smile returned.

"Sure baby, and I'll give you a little something extra too." He replied. Then that big happy mouth planted a kiss on mine.

How was chapter one? Again please let me know if you like it and/or have any suggestions for my story! I know the chapter was kind of short, but I'm kind of thinking this was just a glimpse into what Alison's life is like with her group and, especially Joel! I'll try and keep writing as much as possible if you like Thousands of Miles! Thanks for reading :)
-Claire