A Month is All I Have

Chapter One - We Meet Again

 As the final bell rang, the usual rush of joy hit me. Who doesn't love the end of a school day, especially on the last day of school before summer starts? I gathered my things quickly and rushed to meet my friends by the front of the school, where we usually met before going home. We made plans to go to the movies on Sunday, and then went our separate ways.

 I walked to my car and drove home, smiling to myself. It felt really good to be finally free of the stress of school, because while I am no nerd, I do value my school work, and all those late-night studying have really stressed me out.

 I pulled out in front of our house after a few minutes of driving. Smile still in place, I walked through the front door, expecting to see my parents, but instead found my eyes landing on my summer camp friend and crush, Nate.

 I blinked my eyes a few times to see if he is really there, but he never disappeared!

 Heart thumping wildly, I took advantage of the fact that he had yet noticed me and slipped up the stairs to go to my room. In my rush to go to my room, I suddenly bumped into someone.

 "Oops! Sorry!" Looking up, I saw that it was my dad.

 "Oh, hi dad! I, uh. I was just wondering. Who's that guy on our couch?" I asked, wanting to know if it's really Nate or not. I mean, I know who I saw, but I wanted to make sure.

 "Oh, you've met him! That's Nathaniel. He's the son of Arthur, one of my business friends. They came to vacation here for the summer, so I offered them to stay in our house since we have spare rooms. They're going to be here for quite a while, so I expect you, Chase and Dee to treat them nicely."

  With that, my father walked down the stairs, while I proceeded to my bedroom. I couldn't deny that I felt really excited and lucky to have my crush living in our house, but I also felt nervous. I mean, how would I act? We became friends during the summer camp last year, but we didn't become that close, so all conversations stopped after camp ended. 

  I shortly wondered why my dad never mentioned this arrangement before the guests arrived, but well, that's my dad for you!

 God, Nate's still as handsome as ever, with those blue eyes that attracted me to him in the first place. I knew he was a player, but I just couldn't help it. I know, I know, foolish of me. Girls who threw themselves at players used to disgust me, that is, until I understood them when I met Nate.

 With a sigh, I decided to ignore the butterflies in my stomach - both from excitement and nervouseness -  and stared at my book shelf before pulling out a book to read. I got absorbed to the story quickly, and continued to read until my older brother Chase poked his head through my door.

 "Hey Nina Banina! Dinner's ready! Mom asked me to tell you to go down now. Wouldn't want to keep our guests waiting!" He said, with a sarcastic smile.

 I laughed. "I see that dad talked to you about being nice and all that already."

 "Yeah, yeah. Just come down already!"

 "Fine."

 I climbed out of my bed and went down the stairs, but not before making sure that my hair is combed and checking my reflection on the mirror. I see that everyone is already present including Nate, and who I think are his parents and sister. 

 I smiled at Nate before taking a seat at my usual place, surprised when he didn't return it. Okaaay? I know that he's a player, but he's never been this rude before. I decided to write it off as discomfort the the new surroundings, and smiled at his parents and sister instead. 

 "Nina, this is Arthur Evans, Janine Evans, their son Nathaniel, and their daughter Ayeesha." My dad introduced, pointing to each one accordingly.