The Bad Boy's Bucket List

Homecoming

I pulled out the key to my front door upon discovering that it was locked. It was late in the afternoon when we arrived back in the states, but I couldn't be sure that my parents were home. They loved spending most of the day at their works, away from home and me. But whatever.

I twisted the doorknob open and glanced behind me, where Nolen and his car sat parked in the driveway. We made eye contact and I lifted my hand to wave goodbye, hoping I didn't appear looking as awkward as I felt. After our embarrassing kiss on the flight, I didn't really know where we stood.

He backed out of the driveway after returning my wave, and I stepped inside my house. I heard a movie playing from the living room, and decided to head towards the sound. On the couch sat Elena, who was typing away at her phone. What a surprise.

"Hey, I'm home." I waved towards my sister.

She looked up, startled, and a smile began to form on her lips, before being quickly replaced with a bored expression. "Great, there goes my freedom."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, Elena, my trip was great."

She didn't answer and went back to texting.

I gave up after that, and headed back towards the stairs. Grabbing my bags, I lifted them up and brought them to my room. Once I locked the door, I hopped on my bed, taking out my phone and starting it up. I hadn't been able to use it when we were in Europe, and so it wasn't a surprise to see I had missed a lot of social media notifications and texts. Along with that, I noticed that my best friend, Sidney, had called more than ten times.

I walked over to my desk, plugged my laptop in, and Facetimed her. It rang for a few minutes before she finally picked up.

"California!" Sidney screamed as our faces made contact, "Where on earth were you? I tried calling you so many times. It's been like, a thousand days. The group tried to hang out but we couldn't get a hold of anyone!" By anyone she probably meant Nolen and me, but I didn't ask that.

I scratched my ear, "Sid, I'm so sorry I didn't text you before I left. Actually, I was in Europe. Italy." I added.

"No way!"

"I know, but I'm so sorry."

Sidney shrugged my apologies off. "You have to tell me everything! Everything! Did you meet some hot Italian guys? Did you go on any dates or at least kiss someone?" Sid was a little boy crazy.

I blushed, and instantly thought of Nolen's airplane kiss.

"What, you did!" She squealed.

"No," I recovered, "I didn't..."

My best friend shook her head, sending her blond locks shaking. "You're blushing. You did make out with an Italian! Ohhhh!"

I bit my lip, but continued to talk anyway. "I didn't kiss any Italian guys, but I did kiss someone." Confusion crossed her face, so I added, "I didn't go to Italy alone. Actually, Nolen Avery came with me."

Sidney gasped, rather dramatically. Then, she stood up and started jumping up and down. "California. OMG! Nolen Avery! What! Omg tell me everything!" Her high pitched voice squealed louder, and I turned the volume down quickly.

I laughed at her fangirling, but then figured I should talk to someone about it, so why not my bestie. I filled her in on everything, and she stayed quiet while I spoke, aside from the occasional sigh or squeal. Finally, I finished.

My best friend ran her hands through her hair. "As cute as your story is, you have to be careful, okay? It sounds like he likes you, but... Nolen's a bit of a player."

I nodded, sighing. "You think I don't already know that?" The thought had crossed my mind, several times. He asked and flirted with tons of girls. I had seen it myself, over and over again. During the school year, there were always those heartbroken girls running around with his name on their lips.

"I'm just warning you, okay?"

I nodded. "I know, and it's okay. I don't even like him."

A look that could only be described as pity and doubt crossed her face, but I ignored it.

"So, the gang should hang out or something. Maybe we could go to the lake?" I suggested. I know it had been a while since Nolen and I worked on completing his bucket list, but I remembered there was something on there about going to the lake. In our small town, where there were basically no landmarks, the town lake was the 'in' place for teenagers to go during the summer.

Sidney nodded, and we agreed to send out a group text about going tomorrow. I wasn't sure I was ready to face Nolen yet, but realizing that I would have to eventually, I confirmed I would go see our friends.

"I'm going to get food, okay Sid? Love you."

"Bye," she waved, "love you! And say hi to your wonderful family for me."

I rolled my eyes, and we laughed before hanging up. I put my computer away and headed towards the bathroom to take a quick shower before going to get dinner.

When I finished and had successfully washed all the filth from the airplane bathroom off of me, I changed into shorts and a pajama shirt, and headed downstairs. When I made my way into the kitchen, I was surprised to see my mom sitting at the table.

"Hey, mom." I muttered.

"Oh, hi California. How was your trip? Did you and Sidney have fun?"

I turned around to answer, shocked she wanted to interact with me, when her phone rang. Looking at it desperately, she picked it up and fled from the room, leaving me alone once again.

I sighed, grabbing a bowl, a box of cereal, and a carton of almond milk. Then, I headed back upstairs, hoping Netflix would save me from the loneliness I felt.

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