Somewhere Near the Ocean

Chapter 2

Conner

  I hadn't expected to see my new housemate clad in a towel on the first day. In fact, I hadn't expected to see it during her entire stay. I wasn't exactly pleased that some random girl was now living with us, but it helped that said random girl was gorgeous, if not a little disheveled looking. However, my blush flared up immediately when her surprised face mirrored my own as she walked out of the bathroom. Then she was trying to explain, and brought up her bra, which did not help where my imagination was. Ben choked back a laugh as she basically sprinted to her room. I felt bad for her, for sure, but also was holding back a laugh. We walked to my room, where Ben asked to hang out since he wanted to see what Angelina looked like and was using hanging out at my place as an excuse. He finally let a small chuckle escape and flopped down on my bed.

  I used to be in Angelina's room, since this one was smaller with only a single bed, but my parents insisted she get the nicer one. After they explained why she was coming I allowed it, but wasn't happy. I put on some music, then sat down on the bed beside him.
"Well, I got to see what she looked like!" Ben said, smirking at me. What a perv. I pushed his shoulder, frowning.
"Don't bring that up to her, or my parents for that matter. She deserves for us to pretend it never happened." Ben nodded.
"I know. Still, I can't believe a pretty girl is living with you now. All I get is my hellish little sister." I laughed. That was one way to describe Rosie.
"Yeah, but she stole my double bed and the bigger closet." I said, my slight annoyance at the situation coming up again.
"Because you need so much room for your ten identical soccer jerseys and joggers." Ben countered, making me laugh again.

   We talked for awhile, before a timid knock on the door shut us both up. He raised his eyebrows at me as I walked over and opened the door. Angelina stood there, now in a yellow sundress, and her hair in pretty waves behind her back. She looked a little angry, and although I was six feet exactly, she was almost as tall as me, making her anger look real. Not adorable like on short people. I could never take my mom seriously since she was over half a foot shorter than me.
"Hey." I said. Ben snorted behind me, as I wondered what she wanted.
"So, can we just...that didn't happen, ok?" Angelina's cheeks were a flaming red now, making me grin. She glared even more after I did, so I tried to smother it and nod.
"Yep, never happened."
"Except we'll never forget!" Ben chimed in gleefully. I sent him a look, trying to convey What the fuck not now her life sucks she doesn't need a dickhead like you telling her you're going to think about her in a towel all in one glare. It seemed to work a bit, because he stood too, taller than both of us.
"Sorry. Yeah, it never happened." His apology sounded lame even to me, and I looked back at Angelina to see her reaction. She seemed to shrink a bit, looking more mortified than angry again. Until I could basically hear Ben wink, which was something he did far too much, and her eyes basically flashed before us.
"You know what? Fuck you." She basically hissed at us before storming upstairs. Ben and I exchanged a look before going before going back to our phones and resuming conversation. I heard her leave upstairs, and hoped she would come back. Otherwise my parents would give me serious shit. I couldn't help but be intrigued by my new house guest.

***
Angelina

   I couldn't believe it. I was still ridiculously embarrassed, but I was also pissed. Conner and Ben could at least pretend that they didn't enjoy my embarrassment. So, of course, I just nailed another great impression upon who I would be living with, by telling them to fuck themselves. Just like Dad. I had felt like my dad, my temper flaring up like that, using it as a defense mechanism. I could imagine my mom's voice scolding me, even though I hadn't seen her since I was five. The shame I felt was unmatched after I said that. So, I stormed out, walking in a random direction, hoping I would be able to find my way back. After angrily stomping around for five blocks for no reason, I finally found a path down to the beach and sat in the sand. Sure, it didn't smell great, and the sand was, well, sandy, but the view of the ocean, with the mountains tall and proud in the distance, my anger dissipated and  all that was left was shame.