Trouble is his Middle Name

Chapter 1: how it all started

MACKENZIE'S POV

"Not gonna lie, I'm really nervous about starting at your school next year for our junior year." I said to my friend Stephanie. "I may have friends and stuff there but---"

"GET OUT OF THE ROAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I heard someone scream. I jumped about 20 feet in the air and looked to my right. A very attractive boy who looked about a year older than Stephanie and I was hanging out the back window of a car that was coming towards us. He had long brown hair and was wearing a snapback. I ran the rest of the way across the street in terror; that seriously scared the shit out of me.

"Hey, it's my cousin!" Stephanie shouted and waved, unmoving from the middle of the road. "I know these people!"

As it turned out, her whole family was going to the same place we were going for lunch. Stephanie and I walked in and sat down at a table, and her family filed in behind us. The boy who was standing out the car window sat down behind me, and I turned around and checked him out. I turned back around and looked at Stephanie, "Okay, who is he and what is his story?" I whispered, not wanting him to hear me.

Stephanie laughed. "That's my cousin, Carter Grant. Sadly we share a last name, but we are nothing alike. Our dads are brothers." She confirmed, knowing the look on my face meant "how the hell are you two related". I shook my head, letting her know I understood and was listening.

He's cute I mouthed and pointed at him. She laughed again. "Don't get any ideas, missy. He has a girlfriend. They haven't been dating for very long, though. Maybe a month."

"Who's his girlfriend?" I asked, sort of disappointed.

"Britaney Ryan."

"NO WAY." I half shouted.

"...way?" Stephanie said, obviously confused.

"My friend Aiden? The one who's friends with that one singer/ skater guy? That's her brother!" I said; I was so excited that I had found a way to connect to this kid, it gave me an excuse to talk to him. I turned around and tapped Carter's shoulder. He turned around and stared at me with his big, gorgeous brown eyes. He looked me up and down before answering my tap.

"May I help you?" he said with a smirk.

I just stared at him for a while, baffled. "Hello?" 

I shook my head and came back to reality. "We have a connection," I batted my eyes at him.

"Oh do we now? And what is that?" he half laughed.

"Your girlfriend's brother is pretty much my best friend."

"..But he's two years older than you."

"So?" I challenged.

"Whatever." He said and turned back around.

I looked at Stephanie. "Whatever?"

"That's Carter." She shrugged. "Wave down the waitress, I'm starving."

"Hi, welcome to Red Robin, can I get you guys started with something to drink?"

---

"Mom, do we have to go to the Brennan's house?" I whined. "It's the Fourth of July. Can't we do something fun?"

"This will be fun!" Amanda, my mom, practically sang. "You will have so much fun with Bryan, I promise."

"Whatever, as long as I get food and it's not too hot I'll be fine." I said.

When we got to my mom's best friend's house, it turned out that her son that's my age wasn't even there. I rolled my eyes and walked into the kitchen to grab a snack off of the counter. As I stood looking out the window in the kitchen, a kid walked by and stared inside. We made awkward eye contact as he walked by and he looked really familiar. He was wearing a snapback, tanktop, shorts, long Nike socks and white, but they were so dirty they looked brown, vans. He had long, brown, shaggy hair and brown eyes. After he was gone it hit me—Carter Grant.

I immediately texted Stephanie, you'll never guess who I just saw.

She replied pretty fast, who?

Carter

MY COUSIN CARTER?!

Yes ma'am. If I talk to him I'll text you and keep you updated. I said back.

Here: I enclosed his number. Just text him. Xo.  

Eh, I wanted to find out if it was him anyways. So, I typed his number into my phone and thought of something to say. 

hey, did you just walk in front of the Brennan's house? I decided to go with just a straight forward question, it seemed better than beating around the bush.

let me guess, this is Mackenzie? Yes, yes I did. Nice to see you still enjoy checking me out ;)

oh boy. What to say back?

Little did I know this was going to be the start of a really crazy year.

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hellllllo gorgeous readers! this is Amanda and my new story, I hope you like it! This is the first chapter, aka the introduction chapter to get the ball on the story rolling. I hope you enjoyed.

xx, Hails