Kismet's Game

Chapter 1

Olivia

"Today's the day ladies! Get your asses up and moving. I'm so exciteeeeee-- Why the fuck are you both still in bed?!! " Ally's voice cuts through the haze of my room, which is a disaster from last night's packing marathon with Elena.

Elena groans, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "We get it, Ally. You're hyped."

"What time is it?" I ask, yawning and sitting up. "I barely slept."

"It's 8 o'clock, sleepyhead," she replies, arms crossed. "You two need to shower and change. You're still in your pajamas with drool on your cheeks. Gross," she teases.

"Okay, okay," Elena and I grumble in unison.

Elena grabs her stuff and heads to the bathroom down the hall, while I dash into my ensuite. A quick shower later, I wrap myself in a towel, throw on a black bikini, a white v-neck blouse, and washed-out denim shorts. Gladiator sandals complete the look. I sit at my vanity, brushing through my chocolate brown hair, tying it into a ponytail. A bit of moisturizer, sunblock, mascara, and lip balm, and I'm ready.

Elena returns, dressed in a black tank top, white high-waisted shorts, and a floral kimono. "Hey, Liv, got any sunblock? I left mine at home."

"Here you go," I say, handing it over.

"Oh, and by the way," Ally adds, "my mom won't let me drive, so my brother's picking us up in about..." she glances at her watch, "30 minutes."

"Wait, what? Your brother is driving us?" Elena asks.

"Yeah and he's coming as well. That little shit. I was planning on drinking till I puke my guts out but I think I'll just save that idea for when we're in New York. Dad wants Chase to look after me,  as if I'm the one who needs babysitting. If only mom and dad knew how much of a manwhore he is, they'd probably shit their pants." She's obviously annoyed, I can hear it in her voice.

"Oh boy, this will be interesting." I shoot a smirk at Elena, she sends me back a scowl. Elena and Chase don't get along very well. Elena's a sweet girl but with Chase in the vicinity, he somehow brings out the worst in her. They're both always bantering and fighting over stupid things. I don't know about Chase but there's something different with the way he acts and laughs when she's annoyed at him or how he looks at her when she's not looking.

Elena turns to Ally,  "I thought he was in New York?"

Ally answers her, "He's home for the summer and will probably go back to New York a week before classes starts."

He goes to the same university Elena, Ally, and I will be entering this school year.

"And he agreed to this? " Elena retorts as she combs her blonde hair. I can't tell if she's annoyed or mad with the idea of Chase tagging along.

"Strangely enough, yeah. He was more than willing to go which was kind of weird. And please don't get me started on your shit with him, El. Both of you need to calm your damn tits or I'm going to lock you both up in a room. You two sound like a married couple. Might as well tie the knot," Ally responds, pulling her pink hair into a messy bun.

Before I can come up with a smart retort to that, Ally adds ,"Oh, Liv, your mom wants to see you downstairs."

"Okay, thanks. You guys go ahead, I'll be right back," I say, heading downstairs.

The smell of pancakes and bacon hits me as I walk into the kitchen. Sue, our cook, is at work. "Hey, Sue. Have you seen my mom?"

"She's in the living room, hon. Go on over."

"Thanks, Sue." I smile and head to the living room where my mom sits, watching TV.

"Morning, Ma." I kiss her cheek.