March 2010
"Victoria honey," My mom cooed to me like I was a small child. "I'm worried about you."
"Why?" I snapped. I stabbed the piece of lettuce I had been playing with in my salad and dropped my fork.
"Cool it, Princess." Chris barked. "Just because you're PMSing doesn't mean you have to make the entire family out to be a freak show!"
I lifted my fork again and held it threateningly in front of me. "I swear, Chris, I have a weapon."
He leaned toward me, and spoke menacingly, his words laced with venom. "But I have a better one. How about I tell Dad over here what you did last week. I'm sure he would want to know what his precious daughter did when she said she went over to Laura's."
I lowered my voice. "It was one party, okay? If you tell him that, I will be sure to tell what went down after that date of yours with the blonde chick in the back of Mom's car. She'll never let you drive it again!" Two could play that game, Christopher.
"You wouldn't dare."
"Try me." I crossed my arms and scowled at him.
"Okay, kids." My dad said attempting to alleviate the tension. "I have no idea what just happened, but try and remember - we're on vacation. Anyway, listen to your mother."
"Thanks, Patrick." She said, smiling at him with the same amount of genuine love in her eyes that she had in the wedding pictures 17 years before. "It's just, Vicky, you seem less... attentive today."
"Attentive? What do you mean?" Truthfully, I wasn't being attentive. I'll admit that. I was too busy sulking because I hadn't seen Brandon yet and we were to set sail any moment.
"Well, usually you are so eager to see the Millers, but Brandon has been sitting straight across from us for thirty minutes, and you haven't noticed."
"That's a lie." I said boldly. "He is not sitting ov--" I stopped mid-sentence. There is no way that was Brandon. Not my Brandon.
*BRANDON POV*
Finally, Victoria saw me. Although talking to her is better, I couldn't resist watching her from afar. She still had the same beauty as always, but she seemed so poised and adult-like now. It was nice that her family adored me and passed my staring off as some kind of a joke. Then, with cheeks flushed, she pushed back her plastic chair, stood and made her way towards me.
I was ogling her long, tan legs that were shown off by her floral patterned dress when she snapped me back to reality. "Brandon? Brandon Miller?" She asked, seeming mildly amused.
"No," I grinned. "It's the Easter Bunny."
After a second of hesitation, she leaned in for a hug. Well that's just awesome, I thought. Things are awkward now. I guess after leaving things so awkward at the end of our previous trip, she didn't view me the same way. To my relief, she pulled back from our hug and smiled to herself. "Still the same old Brandon, after all." She said.
----
*VICTORIA POV*
Brandon got hot. Oh my goodness, did he get hot. Not the slightly-above-average-kid-in-your-math-class hot, but the stop-and-stare-makes-your-cheeks-pink-at-the-sight hot. His hair that was once falling into his eyes, was cut back short, and spiked to a single point at the front. Better yet, his braces were nowhere to be found, and his dorky metal glasses frames were replaced with thick, artistic brown frames. He had traded his board shorts and T's for faded jeans and a white button down and---I had to focus, draw closed my gaping mouth and pretend I wasn't imagining being in his newly toned arms.
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The Cruise Ship Chronicles
Подростковая литератураBrandon and Victoria have both been traveling since they were young, and when fate brings their families together, they become friends at age 11. Things are fine when they're only friends, but as the two grow up, everything begins to change. A touch...
