Nobody Like You

Chapter Four

The doorbell rings and Mrs. Santon rushes to open it—Mr. Santon is still putting meat on the grill and he doesn't want to burn it. Zack and I are still sitting on the couch, except for now we're eyeing the door instead of talking. Katie is just making sure everything outside is set up perfectly, although I swear she has checked everything a million times already. I have a good feeling that Mr. Santon is going to make partner with a breeze.

"Hi, welcome guys." Mrs. Santon smiles as she pulls the door open. "I'm Kim, Paul's wife. It's nice to meet you all."

One by one, the family greets Mrs. Santon and they all walk into the house. I'm just surprised by who I see walk in last.

What in the world is Luca Novak doing here?

"Oh God, tell me you see him, too." Zack whispers.

"I do." I scowl. I really don't like Luca. "What in the world?"

"What's he doing here?" He asks.

"Your guess is as good as mine." I shrug my shoulders.

"Zack, Zakiyah, come meet the Novaks." Mrs. Santon motions for us to come closer.

This is such a small world.

"Hi." Zack and I say in unison, waving at the Novak family.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Novak are like skyscrapers, looming at a tall height. The kids are no different; they're tall, but the girl isn't taller than either parent. Only Luca is taller than his mother. My eyes gaze over his figure rather quickly. He has on a blue button down shirt with white flowers printed all over it, and white shorts that stop above the knee. That's all I see before I'm told to follow Mrs. Santon outside.

Katie's eyes nearly bulge out of her head when she sees who her dad's boss' son is: Luca Novak. I walk by her side and whisper, "did you know that Luca was his son?"

"No, I had no idea." She whispers, shaking her head. "I told you I don't listen to my dad when he talks about work. I need to start listening, though."

How are we supposed to enjoy ourselves on this trip now? Knowing that Luca Novak is here along with us is enough to kill anyone's mood. I bet he got high before coming here because he has this smug look on his face. I wouldn't be surprised if he had connections in Florida, considering this is his family's vacation home. I'm not close enough to see if his eyes are red, but I bet they are. Or maybe they aren't, who knows. I just want this night to be over with already. My spring break doesn't officially start right now—I don't count it. Once Luca Novak is out of sight, then everything will be cool.

"Hello, how are you guys doing?" Mr. Santon exclaims when he sees the Novak family. They all respond, except for Luca, of course. "You guys can have a seat anywhere you want."

Of course, they can sit wherever they want. We are in their vacation home.

Everyone takes a seat. They leave the head seats open for Mr. and Mrs. Santon. I'm glad that Luca decides to sit across from his mother, instead of next to me where another open seat is. I don't think I can handle sitting by him; I know exactly how it feels because I have him in my fifth hour psychology class. He always smells like weed. I'm surprised he doesn't smell like weed right now. Maybe I am being a little harsh with the accusations and assumptions. I just didn't expect for Luca Novak to be present on my spring break trip.

It doesn't take long for everyone to dive into a conversation. Or more like the adults are talking to the adults, Zack and Katie are talking, and Luca's sister—whose name I learned is Casey—is on her cellphone. Luca and I are the only ones who aren't engaged in a conversation. I would rather stare into space and look stupid than to have a conversation with him. So, I do the only thing I can do: pretend like he's not there.