|Not You|
Summer always meant a five hour drive and three months in Cousins. The six kids had grown up together facing love, laughter, heartbreak, pain, and joy together. But this summer was different, with new feelings emerging, and an ever loomin...
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"June," A voice came from the darkness. "Juniper get up."
She heard this voice again, wondering where it coming from. Slowly her eyes started to blink open, seeing Conrad looming over her. She sucked in a quick breath realizing she had fallen asleep on the side of the pool. Her feet were still dangling in the water as she peered up at the boy leaning over her.
"Get up," He said forcefully, staring down into her eyes.
"What?" She said groggily, wondering how long she had been there.
"Get up," He said again, not moving a muscle otherwise.
"Conrad, what are you-"
"Get up. We are going somewhere," He said again, this time stepping back from her, and leaving her more room to right herself.
She lifted her back up off the cement, a slight pain shooting down her spine from the movement. Slowly she rose to a seated position, swinging her feet out of the pool and turning around to face Conrad.
"Get up June, please," He said, extending his hand towards her.
She took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet which had fallen asleep. The tingling feeling spread throughout her feet, traveling up toward her knee before stopping. She stumbled a little, holding on tighter to his hand for balance. Once she was right on her feet, they let go, both staring at each other.
"Why did I need to get up from my perfectly comfortable position?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Still reeling from their argument earlier.
"Nothing about that looked comfortable," Conrad said, looking her up and down with a knowing look on his face.
"I was stretching things out. It actually felt great," She lied, trying to pretend like there wasn't still a shooting pain throughout her back from the position. "So I'll ask again, Conrad. Why did I need to get up?"
"We are going somewhere," He said, walking around her and starting towards the exit to the backyard.
"What?"
"We are going somewhere," He said again. "Keep up."
"Conrad, I am not going to follow you blindly after you just left me like that," June said, not moving from her spot.
"Juniper, I just need you to trust me. I promise I won't let anything happen to you," He said, still waking away from her.
"I've heard that one before," She muttered under her breath as she reluctantly began to follow him.
"Huh?"
"Nothing," June said, slowly following Conrad. She went around the fence grabbing his surfboard as June continued to follow him warily. "What are we doing Conrad?"
"I'm getting you away from this house for a little bit. I can't stand the ghost in the walls," Conrad explained.
"So what? You want me to sit there and watch you surf? I don't know Conrad, doesn't sound like a good time to me," June said, rolling her eyes.
