Riptide (An Emblem3 Fanfic)

Chapter 27

Hi guys :D Sorry I didn't get to update yesterday, but I was at the Nothing to Lose signing meeting the boys! It was awesome and ugh they're just so perfect. ANYWAY, haha here's chapter 27.

One of the things that I liked about California was the fact that the air wasn't so humid. It was still hot out, but the air was dry, not sticky. It was the first day of August today, so I was extremely thankful that there was no water in the air. August was always a bittersweet time for me. It was still summer, but it was almost the end. In three weeks I would have to leave Huntington and head back to New Jersey. I would have to pack up all my things and leave this place behind. I would have to leave my friends behind... I would have to leave Wes behind.

I didn't even want to think of what that would mean for us. I would always keep up a long distance friendship with Adrianna and Drew, but I don't even know what to call Wesley. My friend? My boyfriend? We hadn't exactly defined the relationship. 

My biggest fear was leaving him. What if he meets someone else? This kid is not going to have any trouble finding a girl to like him. He's crazy talented and gorgeous, he's the complete package.

I tried to brush all those thoughts away and just enjoy myself. I walked over to the closet to pick out something to wear to the Stromberg house. I pulled on a bathing suit first, to avoid being unprepared if Wes tried to throw me in again. Over it I layered an off the shoulder shirt and some jean shorts. Wes had texted me that it was casual so I just chucked on my Vans too. 

All seven of us packed into the car and drove the short distance to their house. We went around back to see Laraine setting up some lawn chairs in the grass. She saw us and smiled, making me feel welcome. 

"Boys!" She called into the house. "Come out and greet our guests please!" I heard a bunch of footsteps coming from inside the house and within seconds the three guys were standing in front of me. They all had on their usual stuff, Drew and Wes were in tank tops and board shorts, and Keaton opted for the classic cotton t-shirt and beanie.

They greeted our parents and introduced them both to Laraine. The moms hit it off immediately and went over to the table to have some drinks. There were chips and dip laid out for munching but I locked my eyes on something else. Aw yeah they had cheese puffs! I walked over to the bowl and reached in to grab one when my hand brushed against something. Or someone.

"Well it figures’ I'd find you here." I heard Wes say. I looked up at his smirking face.

"What? Can a girl not get any cheese puffs around here?" I asked being purposely sassy. He lifted the bowl and cuddled it into his body.

"Nope." He said plainly, chomping down on a cheese puff. I made a face at him. "Nope, no one gets a cheese puff. They're all mine." He said laughing. I made a fake pout at him. He almost fell for the puppy dog eyes, but he was too good for that. Finally though, he decided to give in. He held up a cheese puff and motioned for me to open my mouth. I did and he fed it to me.

"Yep keep 'em coming." I said keeping my mouth open. He laughed.

"You're the only person I know who likes these more than I do." He said inserting a few more cheese puffs into my mouth. I chewed happily.

"Yeah at home I pretty much live off these things. No one in my family eats them except for me." I said.

"No way. Haha, Keaton doesn't like these either." He said. "But I still have to guard these because Drew is basically a human vacuum who will eat anything." He jerked his head in Drew's direction, who was conveniently eating who-knows-what off a plate. We laughed and went to go sit down with Adrianna and Drew.

Keaton was playing with Sam and Emily in the pool, and he saw us and waved. I smiled back at him and turned to Wes.

"Keaton's such a sweet kid." I said

"Yeah, he probably gets it from his older brother." He said. I punched him lightly in the arm and laughed.

"Okay sure." I said sarcastically. We plopped down in the lawn chairs across from Adrianna and Drew. Owen was there too next to his sister. "So when do you guys go back to school?" I asked. Everyone groaned as if saying ughhh how dare she mention school in the middle of summer!

"We actually start pretty early. September... fourth I think we go back?" Drew said doubtful, trying to picture the calendar in his mind. 

"I go back the same day, actually." I nodded. It all went quiet. They forgot that I was leaving too. Wes looked the most upset, but didn't say anything. We sat in silence for a while before I spoke again. "You guys are all going to be seniors, right?" I asked. Everyone perked up at the mention of that. It was pretty exciting- at this time next year we'd all be off to college.

"Yeah man!" Wes went over and clapped Drew on the shoulder. "This year's going to rule." 

"So you're going into senior year too?" I asked Drew. He was older than Wes, so I just assumed he graduated.

"Yeah, I had a bit of uh, trouble in the past, so I just decided to hang back a year." He said. Drew's past must have been pretty checkered. It made me wonder what had happened with him. I saw Adrianna put her hand on his shoulder and his expression changed. Drew was back to his happy self. 

For the next few minutes we all just chatted and talked together, enjoying each other’s company. Laraine called us over to the table. "Dinner's ready!" Wes got up first and offered me his hand, leading me over to the table.

"Thank you so much for having us Laraine." My mother said putting a basket of rolls down on the table.

"Of course! My boys haven't stopped talking about you guys since they met you." Laraine said ruffling Drew's hair and kissing Wesley and Keaton on the cheek. They all blushed at the same time. I locked eyed with Wes and smiled at him.

After we finished eating, Drew stood up at the table. He clapped his hands together and rubbed them like he was trying to keep them warm. "Okay, so we wanted to make an announcement." Drew said. We all looked up at him intently. "So the guys and I have decided to audition for America's Got Talent next week." He said. I grinned at Wes across the table and clapped excitedly along with everyone else. "We've talked about it and the guys and I think it's a good idea to get our name out there."

For the next couple hours that was all we could talk about. It was all so exciting. The boys could finally live their dream! I couldn't contain myself. Even though I've only known them for a few weeks, I can tell that they're going places. These boys work so hard all the time. When they aren't hanging out with Adrianna and me, they're always in the studio, or trying to book a gig. They really deserve this.

When it was time to leave, Wesley pulled me off to the side. "You're going to come with us right? To the audition?" He asked. I could see the hope radiating in his eyes.

"Of course I'm coming. I wouldn't miss it." I said kissing him lightly.

"Good. Because I can't have my girlfriend missing out on possibly the biggest day of my life."