Caroline

Chapter Two

I had just finished off my mocha when my family started clearing out of the dining room. I gulped down the rest of my breakfast, carried my plates into the kitchen, and was about to head to my room when Jason tapped my shoulder.

"Hey, Brandon and Em and Ali are outside on the grounds. Do you want to come?" he asked.

"Uh, maybe. What are you guys doing?"

Jay shrugged. "I'm not sure. Probably just playing games and wandering around," he chuckled.

"Yeah, sure, why not?"

I followed him out onto the grounds. The land my family owned stretched out for a few acres, filled with trees. Farther out, the garden had become so overgrown it was more like a forest, but closer to the house, my aunt kept a huge garden full of fruits and veggies.

My three other cousins were sitting in a messy circle, doing the water bottle challenge. Brandon gripped the cap and tossed the bottle up in the air. It flipped one, two, three times, before dropping to the ground, landing right-side up, on edge. The bottle teetered back and forth before tipping over. Brandon cursed.

"Hey, Brandon!" I called. He looked up. "Watch your goddamn profanity!"

He chuckled and waved.

Jason and I reached the others. I flopped down on the lawn, stretched out on my stomach. The grass stalks tickled my skin.

Emily picked at the grass. "Wanna play Truth or Dare?" she suggested.

Ali's eyes sparkled. She shot a devious look at Jason. "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare!" He replied without hesitation.

Her lips spread out into a grin. "Eat dirt," she challenged with a smug look. You could tell that she didn't believe he would do it.

Jason stared at her for a few seconds, and raised his eyebrows. In one swift movement, he scooped up a handful of loose soil and popped it in his mouth. He swallowed without chewing and made a disgusted face.

Alicia and I collapsed, we were laughing so hard. Emily buried her face in her hands, but when she came back out, she was crying from laughter. Brandon cackled and clapped his brother on the back.

We kept going for a while longer. Finally, it was my turn. I gave Brandon an evil look. "So...is anyone in this miniscule town unfortunate enough to be the subject of your affections?"

Jason snorted. Brandon shoved him into a bush and rolled his eyes, probably in an effort to cover up his flaming red cheeks.

"Well...sort of," he confessed.

"Oooh. Do tell."

"I met her in an art gallery," he began.

I sat up. "What's her name? Where does she live?"

Brandon raised his eyebrows. "I thought I only had to answer one question."

I glared at him. He raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. Her name is Brook. She lives in town with her parents and siblings."

"You know..." Ali spoke up. I turned to look at her. "The town is only a few minutes away."

I jumped up. "Take us to meet her!" I squealed. Ali and Em joined in. Brandon hesitated, then shrugged.

"Fine. She was gonna have to meet you psychopaths at some point, anyways, so why not now?" he said, taking the hand Jason offered and allowing his brother to pull him to his feet. Brandon led us over to his truck.

Ten minutes later, he rang the doorbell and turned to face us. "Look. I really like this girl, so please behave, alright?"

We nodded and squeezed together, trying to get a view of the door.