My 16th Summer

Ayden, Honey..

"I saw you, you know." I heard Ayden tell me as I walked into my bedroom. It was 9 am, and all the boys were still asleep.

All the boys aside from Ayden, of course.

"Oh God, please don't tell Oliver!!" Was the first thing that came out of my mouth.

"Tell him that you kissed him on the front porch and I saw it?" Ayden asked me, his voice as confused as I was about this situation.

Oh.. That's what he's talking about.

"Erm.. Yeah sure." I said lamely, sitting down on the bed next to him. "Do you think I shouldn't have kissed him?"

"Of course I don't think you should have kissed him Claire!!" Ayden yelled at me, jumping up off the bed. "I like you!! You should have been kissing me!!!"

"Oh Ayden, honey.." I trailed off, poor kid, I just don't see him that way at all! He's cute, sure, and I don't have an age issue, but he's just so.. Brotherly. I couldn't tell him that though. He'd be so offended. "You're more than a year younger than me!!"

"So?? You're more than a year younger than Oliver! And more than two years younger than Alex!!" My blood ran through me cold as ice at the mention of Alex's name.

"W-Why'd you include Alex in this??" I stuttered nervously. Ayden gave me a questioning look, so I added quickly, "The guy doens't even talk to me! As if I'd have a chance.."

"Oh please, Claire. You'd just have to try harder with Alex." Ayden told me, making sure to add in an eye roll.

"Wait.. If you like me why'd you just give me advice with Alex??" I asked him, totally confused at this point.

"Claire, I like you. But I also want you to be happy.. I've seen the way you look at Alex. Oliver? He's a potential crush for you. But Alex?.. Well he's a potential love for you." Woah, where'd this insiteful kid come from???

"Thanks Ayden.. I've only known you for like  a week and it's like you've known me forever!.." With that I walked into my bathroom and took a nice, long shower.

As I washed my face I tried to organize my thoughts. What am I gonna do with all these boys?? The only one who hasn't shown their feelings for me is Winston. Man, he's probably the only one I can turn to at this point..

X___X

"Winnie, can I talk to you??" I asked Winston, standing in the frame of his bedroom door.

"Sure." He mumbled, not even looking up from his book.

"I need to talk to you about-"

"How all my brothers are in love with you? I noticed their constant glances in your direction."

I shook my head. This kid's smarter than he looks..

I closed the door and sat down on the edge of his bed. "Help?" I asked him pathetically.

He sighed, closing his book and sitting up to face me. "Just so you know, the longest relationship Oliver has ever had was three and a half weeks."

"So you're saying if I dated him we wouldn't last long?" I asked him dumbly. "What makes you think Alex and I would??"

"Claire. You need to choose. Now." He told me simply, folding his hands in his lap.

I wanted to ask what he meant, but I knew what he was talking about all too well. Both him and Ayden agree that Oliver isn't long term, but hanging out with him just feels so.. right.

"I dunno Winston.." I said quietly, staring down at my feet and wiggling my toes. "Alex and I have barely even talked before, and then out of no where I'm like 'well I have feelings for him now for no specific reason'."

Winston laughed at me, and I hit him lightly in the arm. "It's not funny! I feel like I should be wanting Oliver, but there's just something about Alex.."

"Well why do you like Oliver?" He asked me.

"He's sweet, funny, playful, usually smart, cute, tall, a gentleman.." I trailed off, starting to think more and more about Oliver made my heart heavy.

"What about Alex?" Winston asked me curiously. I thought about this for a moment, before coming a complete blank.

"I honestly have no idea!!" I told him, burying my face in my hands.

"Alex." Winston said flatly, leaning back and cracking his book open.

"Huh??" I breathed, totally shocked.

"Alex is the right one." He told me, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"The one I can't figure out why I like is the one I should go after??" That didn't make an sense at all..

"Yup." He told me, as his eyes began to go back and forth along the pages.

"But-"

"Claire, sometimes.. The best relationships are the ones you have no idea why you're in. You know what I mean?" I nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. Like in all the romances, the people who would end up together were always complete opposites.

"Well ok.. But how do I get him to like me back? He doesn't even talk to me!"

"Just start up a conversation with him. I garuntee he'll talk back." Winston reassured me.

"And if he doesn't?.." I asked.

He stuck his hand out for me to shake. Once he started talking I made the mistake of shaking his hand. It was like signing a contract before reading it. You never know what'll happen..

"Then you have to give me a piggy back ride up to bed on Friday." He said, pulling his hand out of my grasp after he was satisfied with the shake.

"Wait, huh???" I asked. The little monster tricked me!!

"So if he does talk like you say he will..?" I asked, knowing after we shook there would be no getting out of our little bet.

"Then I'll give you a piggy back ride up to bed on Firday." He told me in his 'duh' tone.

"You do realize that this bet is totally backwards, right??" I informed him, standing up and making my way toward his door.

"Not really," he said in his 'I know something you don't know but I'm about to tell you what it is and then you'll feel stupid' voice. Yeah.. He uses that voice a lot. "It will encourage you to have a conversation with Alex at all costs by Friday night, or else you'll have to give me a piggy back ride all the way up the stairs and into my bed..."

Great.

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So I have the next (perfectly perfect) chapter done, but I think I'll keep you waiting a few days.. Only because it's so amazingly beautifully AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D Comment what you thought below pretty pleaseee! OOOH! And don't forget to vote and fan meee! (: Thanks for reading my lovelies!! <3