Beauty Queen

Chapter 9: Next stop: California

The sound of a blowdryer woke me up the next morning. I was lying on the floor of Lenna's room, swaddled in a sleeping bag. Next to me, Skylar had also been woken up by the loud noise.

"Lenna!" She shouted, in the general direction of the bathroom, where I assumed Lenna was. "Turn that off! It's too early!"

Suddenly, the noise stopped and Lenna marched in, a hairbrush in hand. Gone were her flannel pajamas and loose T-shirt. Instead, she wore a pair of frayed denim shorts and a navy tank top, and even a pair of high top converse. "We have to get on the road, guys! Get up and get dressed!"

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45 minutes later, I was wearing a pair of pink khaki shorts and a dark blue sheer top, and sat in the backseat of Lenna's jeep. As we tossed our bags in the trunk, along with a bag full of snacks, and hopped in, Lenna turned back to me. "We have to drop by Skylar's house first and pick up Matt."

"Matt?" I asked, suddenly nervous. The thought of having another person, let alone a boy, on this trip, scared me. Although I was used to boys staring at me, and I put up fairly well with the stuffy sons of rich business owners, I wasn't exactly experienced in the boy department.

Skylar turned around from the passenger seat. "Yeah, Matthew Good. That's my twin brother." She rolled her eyes dramatically, a sign that she wasn't thrilled about having him join us any more than I am.

"Oh, don't pay attention to Sky. She's just mad that I asked Matt to come without asking her first. But hey, the guy's cute." Lenna gave me a little wink and raised her eyebrows, obviously suggesting something.

"Lenna, that's disgusting. Just drive. That little monster better be waiting for us when we get there, or he can spend his summer alone."

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We pull into the Good's driveway almost 30 minutes later. It led up to a large blue house with a wrap around porch and broad, glass windows. Matthew was nowhere to be seen. Lenna started to unbuckle, already willing to head straight to the door, but after a quick honk from Skylar, a boy who I assumed was Matt exited the door and locked it behind him.

When he turned and I saw his face, I froze.

He walked down the driveway in a pair of mid thigh white shorts, and a light pink button down. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of expensive looking aviator sunglasses, but I would recognize his hair from anywhere.

Wavy, caramel hair. Strategically flipped over his forehead, glistening in the warm Miami sun. That beautiful caramel hair, and undoubtedly, under those glasses, creamy almond eyes.

Matthew Good, a.k.a., Phang's boy.

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Before I knew it, Matthew and I were alone in Lenna's jeep, parked in front of the nearest 7-11 gas station, while Lenna and Skylar were inside gathering last minute necessities for our trip. Thus far, Matthew hadn't spoken to me, only winked conspicuously as he climbed in the back of the jeep in the seat next to me.

"Do I know you?" He addressed me with a voice like silk, accompanied by a slight raspiness.

Sheepishly, I turned away. "I don't know." This, of course, was a lie. If Matthew had noticed me even a fraction of how much I noticed him, he did know me.

"I think I do. Phang's right? You ordered a Thai chicken salad. My favorite." The emphasis that he used on the word 'favorite' sent a pleasant chill down my spine. He spoke again. "I didn't know you knew Len."

"We... Recently met."

"Well, I'm Matt."

"I'm Mia."

Outside, I could see Skylar and Lenna approaching the car. Their hands were full of maps, brochures, water bottles, and family size bags of chips. They climbed in, clearly ready to begin our trip.

"Well, you guys," said Skylar, tossing her purchases on the floor of the car. "Say goodbye to Miami!"

Lenna smiles vigorously. "Next stop: CALIFORNIA!"

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It was 9 o'clock when we had to stop again. 5 minutes earlier, Skylar had woken up with a dire urge to use the restroom and Matthew claimed he needed to stretch out his legs, which was understandable after spending over 10 hours cooped up in Lenna's cramped jeep, especially when you factored in his 5 foot 9 inch height.

We pulled over to a rest stop, and Skylar and Matt scurried inside. Lenna turned to me. "So what do you think about Matt? Cute, right?"

"I guess," I muttered. Suddenly, a thought hit me; all of Lenna's bragging about Matt, him buying makeup from Bare Minerals. "He seems nice. You're lucky to have him."

Lenna looked baffled by my suggestion. "You mean as I friend? I guess so..."

"No, as a boyfriend."

Lenna nearly choked on the Diet Pepsi she was currently chugging. "What?! Matt and I aren't dating!"

"You aren't?" I asked. Clearly my assumption wasn't as full proof as I had thought.

"Lord, no. Skylar would kill me. Besides, Matt hasn't dated anyone in like... Forever. High standards I guess."

"That doesn't make sense. I saw him at the mall once. He was buying makeup."

"Probably for Sky. He's always doing nice stuff like that for her. She won't admit it, but he's a good brother."

"Yeah, he sounds sweet."

The rest of the night, I couldn't help but think about Matthew. As he took his turn driving, and Lenna and Skylar dozed off, I stared at the back of his head, memorizing the thick waves of his hair and the way he positioned his hands on the wheel. Watching him was like watching my favorite movie; a pleasant trance, a step into another world.

Matthew Good. Phang's Boy. Single.

Summer just got a whole lot more interesting.

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Well, followers, it's been a while. I have not posted in FOR-E-VER! Anyway, hopefully I'll be back on a writing schedule now that school and everything has slowed down a bit.

I hope you all liked this chapter. What do you think of Matthew being Phang's boy? Comment predictions!

~Loren