Just a normal girl

Eight Seconds

Did you know people form an opinion of you after 8 seconds? That the chances of them shaking that initial impression of you is as probable as you being able to lick your own elbow? It's in our nature to be judgemental, to judge a book by its cover.

School starts tomorrow and this year is going to be my year. For the first time in my life I have an outfit prepared for tomorrow, a simple pale yellow sundress and strappy pink flip flops with my worn out denim jacket. Normally I wouldn't go for such a preppy look but it looks right twirling in front of the mirror.

"Suppers ready dumbo"

"Harvey have some manners, we have guests!" I laugh as I turn out of my room hearing my father chastising my brother for using my family nickname and stumble down the stairs into our yellow kitchen. Dad was dancing around the kitchen with pans, spoons and chaos following him everywhere, but, as always, it smells delicious. My brother, Harvey, was sitting on the counter with a smug grin on his face.

"So who are these guests you were speaking of?" I questioned my father as I skirted around the table to the cutlery drawer. My father turned and smiled sheepishly looking over my shoulder.

"What?" I asked confused as I twirled around and straight into a hard stomach, and I mean a really really hard stomach. The abs grunted and I realised I had been staring at them just a little too long.

"Hey there sweetpea" drawled the abs with a definite southern accent. I let my eyes roam upwards to reveal a wide set of muscular shoulders and further to reveal lips as red as blood and further still to reveal a handsome chiseled face and a dark mess of a mop of hair. His eyes, deep brown with flecks of honey, were staring straight down at me with such intensity I couldn't help but gasp and my cheeks flamed in embarrassment. His lips drew up into a smirk as my dad informed me,

"Honey, these are our new next door neighbours, Shelly and her son Brendan, they just moved in today", grinning like an idiot as he plopped his lasagna down on the table. I turned and was instantly hugged by a motherly looking woman.

"Aw darlin' it's so nice to meet y'all, call me Shelly my dear" she exclaimed in her southern drawl. I look back at Brendan to see him leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed smirking at what he was observing. I humph in disapproval and annoyance at his self-confidence and lay two more places at the table.

I tried to avoid sitting near or opposite Brendan during dinner, and was to a degree successful. Supper passed without any drama or problems and I was a little more relaxed when we went into the living room for a coffee and biscuit. That's where it all went downhill, I was bringing in the last coffee and handed it to my dad when I realised we were one seat short; dad and Shelly had occupied the sofa, Harvey his big red chair and Brendan on the blue loveseat.

"I'll just go grab a chair from the kitchen", I explained as I spun to walk out of the room.

"Don't be silly doll, just go and sit down next to ma boy over there darlin" Shelly insisted as she caught my arm. I looked over at Brendan who was smirking at me again and I felt my blood begin to boil, i looked over at dad in a final attempt to save myself but he smiled sheepishly and looked away. Sighing I walked over to the loveseat and sat down on the arm.

"Now doll he won't bite y'all, go on and sit on the seat darlin' " Shelly insisted. I looked at my dad in a last ditch attempt but he was busy studying the carpet, sighing again I slid down the arm onto the seat. I was squashed and uncomfortable.

"Now sweetpea that doesn't look so comfortable why don't you shuffle on over here" Brendan whispered into my ear sending shivers down the back of my neck. Before I could reply he had hoisted me up onto his lap and wrapped his arms tight around me,

"Better now?" He whispered. I shivered and he felt it and chuckled softly into my ear with a knowing smirk. Fuming and uncomfortable I wriggled around on his lap trying to make myself more relaxed, his arms around me stiffened and I turned to look at his face which seemed tortured. I glanced back at the room, Shelly and Dad were busy chatting and Harvey was absorbed in his phone, I looked back at Brendan's contorted face and wriggled some more to get back into a comfortable position. His arms went straight down to my waist and he plucked me off of him and put me on the arm again. I looked at him in shock and he leaned over and whispered,

"Sweetpea if you wriggle one more time I'm going to take you right here right now" I looked at him in disbelief and, as if sensing this, he pulled me back onto his lap. I gasped when he pulled me further towards his chest and I could feel his hard length against my back and wriggled out of his grip. He groaned causing me to look up at his face, again contort with tension, a sense of power washed over me as I put a hand on either side of the loveseat and leaned forward and whispered into his ear,

"Go on then, I dare you." I looked up into his eyes and watched as they clouded over with disbelief, I waited a second and then twirled out of his reach and walked to the door, swaying my hips with a little more gusto than normal.

"I'm going to bed now, it was nice meeting you Shelly, goodnight Dad" I said as I turned to face the room I had just left and with a smirk at Brendan's shocked face I skipped up the stairs chuckling to myself.

I got to my bedroom and shut the door securely and flopped onto my bed. I cannot believe what just happened, since when did I, Cammie, hold such great power over boys, not to mention the good looking ones! I quickly got ready for bed and changed into my spongebob boxers and white cropped cami. I flicked on my fairy lights which covered the ceiling like stars in the night sky and listened to the street noise outside my window. Just as I was falling asleep I heard a faint knocking at my window, I went over and jumped when I saw Brendan's smirk leaning out of his window on my ledge.

"You really are playing with fire now sweetpea aren't you?" He drawled looking me up and down. I instantly frowned and folded my arms over my chest.

"What do you want?" I asked grumpily.

"Nothing. Night sweetpea" he replied as he ducked his head back into his room and shut his window. More confused than ever I shut mine too and went back to my bed. What was that about? And why did he get to have the last word?! Annoyed I sighed and tuned my back to the window. And it wasn't long before I fell asleep.