summer romance (e.d.)

forty-two

ethan

anna cringes slightly in the short, black cocktail dress.

"this is... not me," she sighs, nervously tugging on the silver necklace that hangs from her neck.

"okay fine, how about we ditch the dress and just give you lessons on how to be more country club material," i offer up, scratching the back of my neck.

she nods, and disappears into her closet. "good call! cameron's dresses are cute and all, but black is such an unflattering color on me."

anna returns shortly after in a pair of grey nike joggers and a white sports bra.

"it's not unflattering, white just suits you better," i try to say in a positive tone.

she narrows her eyes at me, then sits down next to me on the bed.

"so teach me how to be rich and stuff," she yawns, waving her hand in the air while speaking.

i laugh a little. "you can have good manners and not be wealthy, anna."

"yeah but when you have money it makes more sense."

nodding, i say, "true, but i'm not the one that's going to teach you how to meet my mom's expectations."

she furrows her eyebrows. "then who is—"

i smirk as her words get cut off by the front door and a yell of, "hello?"

anna sideyes me. "why is grayson here? do you need to hide?"

"relax," i laugh a little. "grayson knows."

"you told him?"

"no, he just figured it out. plus, i'm a bad liar. anyway, he's here to teach you."

our heads snap at the direction of anna's bedroom door, where my twin brother stands, surveying the room.

"why does it smell so good in here?" he mumbles, sniffing the air.

"right!" i agree enthusiastically. "see, an. i told you."

she smiles a little and says, "thank you. not to be rude or anything, but... why are you here, grayson?"

rolling his eyes, he replies, "because ethan's a slob. he meets just about as many of my mother's expectations as you do, but she has to like him, because of the whole son thing, you know?"

"hey," i say defensively. "not nice."

he ignores my comment and sits down on the trunk at the bottom of anna's bed. "so since i'm my mom's favorite, i felt like i could give you an inside scoop on what she's looking for."

anna raises an eyebrow. "really? you'd do that?"

"of course," he shrugs. "first thing that my mom likes: when girls wear shirts. go put one on."

anna's face reddens as she looks down at the sports bra and immediately fleets to her closet.

"grayson," i lecture quietly. "she's sensitive to stuff like that, don't be so harsh."

"i was kidding," he laughs.

"she doesn't know you enough to know that. be nice."

anna returns, still flushed and wearing a baby blue golf team t shirt, and the back reads her last name, along with the number 22.

"okay," grayson says in a softer tone. "now that that's settled, show me your posture."

"my posture?" she deadpans. "really?"

"really," he nods. "my mom hates when people hunch their back when they sit. it's the first thing she'll notice."

"i hunch my back all the time," i scoff. "she never tells me to sit up straight."

"she tried. multiple times. do you not remember the dinner where you had to stand because you kept slouching?"

then a memory clicks in my brain, and i shudder. eating potato soup is not as enjoyable if you don't have a chair.

anna sits down in the chair in the corner of her room, and i see grayson wince at the arching of her back.

"yeah, no. do you have any books?" he asks, standing up to scan the room.

she points to a small stack on her nightstand, and grayson grabs them.

"keep the books on your head until i tell you you can be done," he mutters, stacking them carefully on her head.

"i feel like those princess movies where the girl has to walk in a straight line with books on their head," she giggles, and i find myself smiling.

grayson backs away, chuckling a little bit. anna's back is certainly straighter as the books teeter totter.

"good," grayson praises. "see if you can do that while i ask you rapid fire questions my mother is bound to ask girls we date."

i settle in, already intrigued at how she's going to answer this.

"where do you see yourself in five years?" grayson says incredibly monotone.

"um," she thinks. "probably in grad school, trying to get my masters in—"

"ehh," grayson sounds off, sounding like a game show buzzer.

"you didn't even let her finish," i frown.

"she used the word um and probably. sound confident. so let's try again," he explains. "anna, where do you see yourself in five years?"

"in graduate school, studying to get my masters degree in human biology," she says confidently.

"better," grayson nods. "less is more. be vague, but to the point."

"got it," she says, and waits in utter stillness as the books on her head threaten to topple.

"are you interested in business? does your family own one?"

"no, i have no interest in business, nor does my family own one."

grayson cringes. "lie, if you have to."

"wait seriously?" i cut in. "you want her to lie?"

"do you want mom to approve of your relationship or not?" he shoots back at me, and i become quiet. "thought so," he huffs, turning back to anna.

"again. are you interested in business, and does your family own one?"

"i personally don't know a lot about business, but i would love to be educated on the topic more. it sounds very fascinating, and my grandfather once owned a family restaurant business that was passed down to my cousins."

i'm shocked at how easily the lie came out, and she smiles. "did i do it? was that a good answer?"

"perfect," grayson pronounces. "just what she's looking for. you're a good liar, anna."

well that makes me a little nervous, not gonna lie.

she shrugs. "i try. what's next?"

grayson and anna spend the next hour practicing things to say and do that might impress my mom. i just stand back and observe with a smile on my face.

obviously i'm not happy about anna having to change herself a little bit—

—but anything to get my mom to like her will have to do.