𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐧 𝐌𝐞 | 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 #𝟏

CHAPTER 1: Mr. Worldwide

Alexandra

"Alex, babe, you've had this thing since 9th grade, I think it's time to let it go." Next thing you know my one-piece lavender swimsuit is flung out of my luggage and into the mess my floor has become.

"This thing has only ever been worn twice and I refuse to let my $20 go to waste, so it WILL be coming with us Jasmine," I say as I grab my suit and shove it back into my luggage. I attempt to close my overfilled suitcase and am met with no success.

"Back up and let a pro handle this," I watch as my best friend Jasmine wrestles with my case, getting her long hair caught on a zipper in the process, and for a second it looks like she might lose the battle, but in the end Jasmine Bakiri was victorious. She's already packed her bags and wished her dad a goodbye, now that my bags are packed the only thing left to do is leave. It's starting to feel all too real.

I look up at the clock and my heart feels like it's about to jump out of me. In less than 3 hours I'll be halfway across the country away from the only sense of security I've ever known. I'll be away for the rest of June and all of July, after that I'll be off to start my new life at college. I've spent every single summer for the past four years working at the library and coming home to Cece to do whatever random activity she planned. It's the only "normal" I've had in my life and now that'll be gone. I know that this isn't the end, but it sure does feel like it.

"Hey!" I'm suddenly jolted back to reality with Jasmine snapping her fingers in front of my face. "Stop getting in your head, Al. This is an amazing opportunity for us, it's going to be great. When we're not working we can have our asses out on the beach, with hot lifeguards running sunscreen on us. Plus, Grandma has been dying to see you."

My eyes take in the girl in front of me. Her rich olive skin is a perfect contrast to her waist-length jet-black hair. Jasmine has been like a sister to me since our freshman year of high school when we were partnered for an English project, and we've been inseparable ever since, even though we couldn't be more than different. In the span of 3 years, I went from staying at home on Friday nights watching "The Vampire Diaries" with Cece to going on adventures, whether it's seeing how many times we can get a free refill at Ihop before they kick us out or sneaking into house parties and exploring the treasures of the obnoxious popular kids at our school. She's helped me realize that I'm not invisible and that I can have fun.

This summer we'll be in California attending an elite sports camp. Which is ironic since I've never even stepped foot onto a football field. The camp is run by Richard Lright, a former player for the 49ers and three-time MVP winner with many other achievements, who recently went into retirement. After finding his website and obsessing over it for 10 minutes, I learned that Mr.Lright went all across the country to attend a multitude of high school sports games and then handpicked kids that he saw potential in, to attend his training camp. The camp consists of numerous different sports, but of course the most looked at it football. This camp will be taking place on a college campus that was recently shut down. Not only will this camp be about turning and enhancing their skills, but also about increasing their knowledge, Mr.Lright is also offering to pay off each student's school fees to wherever they choose to go.

Each person will be living inside the dorms for the entire summer, but do not be fooled, these dorms are the equivalent of a luxury apartment. You're paired off with someone and each one includes a flat-screen TV, room service at any hour of the day, two walk-in closets, a huge fridge, and much more. The part that interested us is that they are looking for people to work on the staff. These People also have to be incoming college students and will work alongside the team and assist them in things like fetching water, washing towels/uniforms, carrying equipment, and then help the teacher with whatever they could need. Mr.Lright is also offering to pay for the college fees of these kids if they need it.