The number that doesn't count

Chapter 1

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"Of course you don't care!" I yelled through the phone. Another argument with Jesse, my boyfriend.

"This shouldn't be a problem! It's not like I'm cheating!" He yells back.

"Ugh! You're not listening!" I retort.

"The hell I am!" He puffs. "Look, Anna, all I'm doing is taking her shopping. No harm done. Now if you don't like me living ten hours away and having only girl friends, then maybe you should get out of the relationship..."

There was a silence. I was speechless. How could he say such a thing? I love him, I'd never leave him! He's such a dumbass if he doesn't see how bad all these girls around him makes me feel. I'm pretty sure he'd get jealous if guys were always around me! Wouldn't he?

"Anna I have to go. Claire is here to take me to the mall. Bye. I love you"

Click.

Why the hell did that hurt so much? We always fight and we always end up hanging up on each others face, so why did this argument affect me the most? Was it because he proposed a break up? Possibly. Whatever it was it needed to disappear from my thoughts.

I looked at my Batman backpack, that was neatly placed next to my turquoise bed, and picked it up. I shuffled through it for my Sudoku book.

"That was a nasty one!" I hear a girlish voice say. I look up and see my friend Kylie in the doorway.

"Hey! I didn't even hear you come in," I go to hug her. She is tall and skinny, like bone skinny. She has brown hair that's shinier than my black. "What are you doing here?"

She let's out a chuckle. "I can't visit one of my best friends at her families cabin?" I give her a suspicious look. She doesn't just stop by at our cabin, that's 2 hours away from our actual house, for nothing. She came for a reason. "Ok! Your parents invited me to your annual family reunion today..."

"Oh shit! I forgot..I got to do my hair...I have to clean my room!"

"Calm down, I was joking. It doesn't start 'till tomorrow. Oh and I brought someone with me. She's a Bitch though because she left us for the entire summer!" She says the last part extra loudly.

"No way," my eyes widen when i realize who she's talking about. "You brought Skylar! She's back from the Europe trip!?"

" Sure am and I told you guys that there was slots left! I would of paid for both of you" Skylar says stepping into my room. She was a perfect ginger. Bright reddish-orange hair, pale (but not vampire pale) skin, and cute little brown freckles.

"My parents don't want me in Europe by myself, meaning without them." I say.

"And my parents flat out don't like Europe" Kylie adds. We all burst out laughing at Kylie's reply.

"I've missed you guys!" Skylar yelled with a fake little frown. We all came together in one big hug. When we detached from each other, we all sat on my bed. "So what was with that call? Harsh much?"

"Could you hear him?" I ask.

"Faintly," says Skylar. "He sounds like an asshole."

"And a gay!" Kyle adds,while filing her nails. Gosh we look like cliché teenage girls.

We all start laughing again. Kylie was the clown of the group. She always had a joke. But for some odd reason I felt like she wasn't joking this time. "Not joking I swear i think he is! Always hangs out with girls, goes shopping with them, and talks to them about their problems. Why wouldn't he be!?" She added.

There it was my explanation as to why I thought he was gay. I mean even when he used to live in our town he acted that way. He used to wave his hands femininely and walk with a bit more hip movement than a guy should. Maybe he was gay.

"Well," Skylar pats my leg and gets up. "We need to go get settled in, so we'll leave you to clean your room for tomorrow."

"Wait are you guys sharing a room?" I ask before they leave.

"Yeah" they say in unison.

"Damn, my mom is gonna have headaches throughout the night," I say rolling my eyes. "You two talk forever!"

They laugh, then leave, closing the door behind them.

* ° * ° *

I wipe the sweat from my brow. Damn, why did it take so much time and power to clean this room!?

I sit down and stare at the wooden wall. My mind starts to think about tomorrow and all the relatives I'll get to see again. It would be more joyful if I didn't think most of them were annoying. The only person I really was looking forward to see was my big step-brother, Sam. He left to college four years ago and I haven't seen him since then. He can't drive, so he didn't visit very often.

We were really close. He was the only sibling i had, besides Ashely but she's only two years old! Our parents got together when i was six and he was twelve. When we first met we were colder to each other than a block of ice. But one day (two years later) our parents got into an argument and I got scared and started to hug my step-dads leg. I cried to him to try to calm him down but it angered him more, so he slapped me and I ran away. I started to cry, i guess Sam heard it and decided to check on me. A trembling Sam wrapped his arms around me and whispered soft things in my ear. I guess since then he decided to be my protector, like a big brother should.

I hear a knock at my door and get snapped back to the present. My mother stands in the doorway. "Hey honey just came to see how it was coming along and to tell you goodnight."

"I'm almost done just gotta pull out the extra mattresses for Ross and Kim. It was much faster when i got help from Kylie and Skylar." I tell her.

"Great, well goodnight sweetie, " she says while walking over to me and kissing me on my forehead. "I love you."

"Love you too."

Then she leaves and I hear everyone yelling goodnight throughout the house, so I yell it too.