Starting Again

Chapter 2

I dropped Amelia off at her house and waited for her to get inside before driving away. I always found it funny, to see her carrying all of her bags while trying to unlock the door and get inside. From her house to mine it was about a 10 minute drive and I couldn't wait to try on the clothes I had just bought. I normally did that, just to make myself feel better about all the money I had spent, I might as well make myself feel good. The best thing I had bought was a pair of jean shorts, embroidered with roses on the back pockets. I've been wanting a pair of them for ages and I spotted them across the store and refused to put them down.

I pulled into my driveway, grabbed all of my bags from the backseat, and walked inside. The bags were literally weighing me down, who says that shopping isn't a work out? It totally is. When I walked through the front door, my mom was cooking something, God only knows. My brother and I normally ended up calling in and ordering pizza. My mother was an awful cook but we tried everything she made just to make her feel better, I'd do anything for that woman. My brother and I have tried our hardest to keep a smile on her face, even if that means trying the mush she calls food. My dad used to be the cook in the house, he made the best pasta I've ever tasted, but I guess that was because he was full Italian, it was definitely in his blood. He walked out on us about four years ago so we don't really talk about him much anymore. He just sort of disappeared from our lives a few years back and none of us have heard from him since. I don't remember much about him either, but how well was I supposed to remember someone who was barely home in the first place? I always wished to see how different it would be if he was around, being able to have someone call me "pal" or be there to give me all of this advice about life. A part of me misses him, but a bigger part of me hates him for leaving my mom all by herself, for leaving Trent and I here with no father figure to grow up with, for leaving his loving family to go live with that other woman, whoever she was.

"Hey Mom," I said startling her, she was obviously very involved in her cooking.

"Hi sweetie. How was the mall?" she said, giving me a smile.

"It was good", I said raising a ton of bags up in the air, "I got a bunch of cute shirts. I'm gonna go try them on again." She already knew my routine.

"Okay. Dinner's gonna be ready in about 20 minutes. I think at least, so just be down by then."

"Alrighty", I said as I ran up the steps and into my bedroom. I closed the door behind me, hearing Trent playing his video games in the room next to mine, he was such a dork. I emptied all of the shopping bags and sprawled all my clothes out on my comforter. My room had such an aesthetic feel to it. My comforter had these little yellow daisies sewn into the white fabric and my walls were painted white. The wooden desk in the corner was an "accent", if you want to put it that way, and just pulled the whole thing together. The only thing my room didn't have was a walk in closet, which was really unfortunate, but the aesthetic feel was still there.

I looked down at my bed deciding what to try on again first. The white and blue, vertical striped, off the shoulder top caught my eye. It had to have been the softest and silkiest thing I had ever put on my body. I grabbed it off the bed, pulled it over my head and looked at myself in the full length mirror nailed to the wall. I felt pretty, which was as rare as finding a four leaf clover in a meadow. I liked the way my collarbones could easily be seen, it was one the things I liked most about myself. Well that and my hair, it was honestly a tie between which characteristic I liked better. I turned a little, scanning myself, then did a complete spin, my hair spinning with me and falling over front of the top. I loved it. This was definitely going to be the shirt I wore the most this summer.

When my mom called Trent and I down for dinner, we met in the hall.

"Jesus, what is that awful smell", he said as he pinched his nose and waved the air in front of him.

I hit his shoulder as a laugh escaped from my lips, "Don't be mean, she tried her best, we can just order Chinese again if it all goes downhill." He shook his head agreeingly. Trent and I always had a good relationship. Obviously, we would get on each other's nerves more often than not but that's what siblings are for. I knew I could go to him whenever I needed help with something, and vise versa. It was always nice knowing you had someone who cared about you, even if we did fight and tease each other 24/7.

I walked down the steps, Trent following behind. The table was set with my mother's favorite ceramic dishes and rose printed tablecloth, something she'd do every year on the last day of school to celebrate the start of summer. I couldn't help but smile, she seemed so proud of her work.

"Okay you two, I attempted to make chicken marsala so dig in!", she said as a smile appeared on her face. We all sat down and took food from the plate in the middle of the table. I looked at my plate, it definitely looked like chicken with some type of vegetable or something on top of it, maybe it was mushroom. I looked at my mother before taking my first bite and she was already looking at me, eager for me to try it. I grabbed a forkful and shoved it in my mouth, hoping I could get the taste testing over with as fast as possible. It surprisingly wasn't bad, the chicken was a little rubbery but it was definitely edible.

I looked at her, her face yearning for my response. "It's not bad, I could definitely eat it."

"Yes! Success! That's amazing!" She said, her smile spread from ear to ear. Trent was touching the food on his plate with his fork, poking at it. He definitely didn't believe that it could be swallowed.

My mother wiped her mouth with her napkin then continued, "So, Carter." I looked up at her, wide-eyed. Whenever she started a sentence with "so, Carter" I always knew I was going to hate whatever came out of her mouth next. It was like when parents used their child's full name instead of their nickname when yelling at them. "You probably know that your brother and his girlfriend are going on vacation together." Of course I knew that, they go to a beach house every year in Jersey together. Why was she making this such a big deal out of this?

I hesitated before speaking, "Um, yeah?"

She continued, "Well this year you get to go with them too", she forced a smile, too weak to even call smile at that point, and she lost eye contact with me, not being able to look at the disappointment on my face.

"What? No. I'm not going to a beach house with Trent and his girlfrie-"

"She has a name you know", he said defensively, interrupting me.

I rolled my eyes, I hated his girlfriend, I purposely never said her name when we would talk about her. She's "a female dog" as kids would say, there's not much else to say about that. "I'm not going to the beach with Trent and Gabby. Mom that's literally the most awkward situation you could put me in. That's a total third wheel, and you know I hate the beach!" My tone was getting whiney but I couldn't help it, I was still a child deep down.

"I know honey, but I'm going away on a business trip for work and I don't want you home alone by yourself for a week while I'm gone." she gave me those eyes, the ones that said, "I'm so sorry Carter, I don't mean to put you in this position Carter". The ones that made it difficult for me to say no to her, but I was not giving up that easily.

"They go away for the whole month of July and August! I can last a week without you being home, I'm 17 mom, I'm not a child!" I said as I heard Trent scoff, and I immediately turned and glared at him. He may have been two years older than me, but that didn't make me a little kid. I could take care of myself.

"Carter, you're going to the beach house." She said again, sternly.

"I'll even bring you a friend." said Trent with a smirk of satisfaction on his face. He knew that this was getting to me, and that he was winning. The beach and relationships were not my scene. I hated both of them equally and I didn't want to go.

"Oh, that's perfect! I was going to say that you could've brought a friend Carter, but Trent already has plans in mind. Oh this is so exciting! You both can have sibling bonding!" My mother looked so happy, to know that Trent and I would be spending two months together. God help me.

"Fine", I said as I rolled my eyes and groaned. I put my head in my hands accepting defeat, "I'll go."