Home For The Summer

Chapter 3: California Has Boys

The next day after hours of unpacking with my dad, Hannah and I had carpooled over to Venice Beach where the sun was shining and the air was hot.

"I've missed this so much," I said while laying on my back. Hannah was on my right, applying her third round of tanning oil.

"Honey, I think you're tan enough." I sat up, putting all my weight on my arms as I stared at Hannah, who was, in fact, extremely dark.

"You can never be too tan, Syd. I live for this kind of stuff."

I rolled my eyes. "Well don't come crying to me if you get skin cancer or something."

"I go to the beach all the time, I think I'll be okay."

"You look good, by the way. Like I can definitely tell you got older," I said.

She smiled. "Thanks! I think things started to change when I turned fifteen because that's when my mom introduced me to mascara and I realized that I wanted to start taking care of myself and to look good. Plus my boobs expanded one day, so that gave me more confidence. You look really good too, Syd."

I snickered and looked down at myself. I still felt like I was trapped in my thirteen-year-old body.

"Not much about me has changed," I said.

"Well, what did you do in Ohio, anyway?"

"As soon as we left, we moved in with my grandparents and I went to school there, which was really rough. I made a few friends, but I didn't get too close to anyone, not like with you.

Hannah smiled innocently. "I'm not going to lie to you Syd, I hung out with a lot of people, but that was only so I wouldn't think about you and the fact that you totally ditched me right as high school was about to start." I grimaced. She would try to make a sympathetic moment hysterical. "I did not ditch you, trust me, I would never have left if I had the choice."

Hannah shrugged. "At least you're back now."

I smiled and looked out at the many people swimming in the ocean. It looked super refreshing.

"I'm going to go get a slushie, you want anything?" I said, getting up to wipe the sand off my arms and legs. Hannah put her sunglasses on and laid back down. "I'm good, thanks," she said.

I walked over to the slushie cart that had been set on the Venice boardwalk since I could remember. It was my favorite cart in all of California.

"One Blue Razzle-Dazzleberry, please," I said as I watched the vendor scoop ice into the plastic paper cone.

As I began searching my bag for some cash, I heard a loud voice yell "heads up!" I turned just in time as yellow disc came flying towards my face.

"Okay that hurt," I said as I put my hand to my forehead. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?" I heard a voice say. I opened my eyes to see a very large, muscular man standing above me. "I'm just great," I responded with a fake smile. "I'm so sorry, my friend's an idiot." I crossed my arms. "Oh, so you weren't the one who threw that frisbee at my head?"

"Sorry to disappoint, but no, I had nothing to do with it," he said, playing along.

"So then why isn't your friend coming over to apologize?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He looked back at his friend who was just standing there, watching us. "He's a little shy, but ya know, I'm kind of glad he is," he said with a smile. Was this dude flirting with me?

I was about to respond back when the cart vendor cleared his throat. I turned towards him and saw him holding my slushie. "That'll be $4.50," he said. I bit my lip, remembering what I was originally doing. I started digging through my bag again when the big-muscular man stopped me. "Here, let me take this, it's the least I could do." He pulled out a five and handed it to the vendor. "Keep the change," he said. Okay, he was definitely flirting with me.

The vendor handed me the slushie and I held it to my face.

"Are you sure you're okay?" The guy asked.

"Oh, yeah I'm great, it's just really hot today." I felt awkward at this point. I had never really talked to a stranger for this long, especially not one that was as hot as this guy was.

"Anyway, I should probably get back to my friend," I said, starting to back up.

"Wait, I didn't even get your name," he said. I tried to not smile. "Oh! My name, right. It's Sydney, Sydney Wilson." Should I have told him my last name? Was that a bad idea?

"That's a beautiful name. I'm Austin, Austin Lemont. It was really nice to meet you, Sydney, maybe we'll see each other again soon." He picked up the frisbee, finally, and began walking back to where he came from.

I stood there in shock for a couple of minutes and then started walking back to Hannah.

"You've been gone long," she said as I set the slushie and my bag on my towel.

"The weirdest thing just happened to me," I said, falling to my knees. Hannah lowered her glasses and sat up. "Do tell," she said.

"Well, this really attractive guy hit me with his frisbee, but he claimed it was his friend who hit me, and then he paid for my slushie."

"What's this guy look like?"

I scanned the beach, trying to find him or a frisbee being flung around, and then I saw him laughing at something his friend just said. "There," I said, pointing. It took Hannah a second before saying, "Well damn, Syd. He's hot!" I blushed, as she turned to face me. "And I think he's totally into you. Tell me everything he said." I explained to her, in detail, every word that came out of our little interaction.

"He's definitely into you! Gosh, I'm jealous."

"He was flirting a little, but I don't think he's that into me."

"I know boys, Syd. Especially California boys."

I bit my lip. My first full day back and I've already got a boy who likes me.

Gotta love the west coast.