S L U S H E E

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J U N E  1 9 9 8

It's been way too short of a time for me to feel comfortable with my newfound residency at Glow Fields. I've been here for maybe a day, and I'll be honest, all I've done is slept.

My new 'home' for however long I stay here before going into my Senior year, is along the shoreline with a bunch of other crowded businesses trying to get passerby's attention.

I live on the second floor of my dad's new shop. My mom and dad move around the world with me and every few months we start a new business. I've learned not to make friends because once the shop is ready, dad sells it for an overpriced amount of money and we move again.

What can I say, his system works, and he thinks that this spot will be perfect to sell if he gets residents to love it.

I haven't had a friend other than my family in years....

I walk up the stairs in the back and go through the doors to my room. It's small, but since we are on the shoreline I have a window that looks straight into the ocean.

I don't usually have anything special in my room. I use an inflatable mattress that lies on the ground and that's it. There isn't really a point of making anything pretty when you leave all the time...

"Kelca?" My dad asks as he knocks on the white door. "Yes...?" I say, Leaning against the window and watching people walk along the empty road, walk along the sand, or walk along the the deep blue waves.

My dad slowly walks in. He has dark curly hair, which I have as well, though mine isn't naturally curly like his. He's rather young since he had me with my mother at age 16. At least I made it past 16 without getting pregnant, or having sex, or having a boyfriend at all.

The only thing I've done is I got my first kiss when I was four, though of course I don't count it.

It was in preschool right before I moved. This guy named Jack came up to me and kissed me on my lips as a goodbye.

"I... uh..." he scratches the back of his neck, "I need to call the bank and then I need to make calls to our suppliers and I was thinking maybe you could go out? I just don't want you to bother me-" he says nervously and I nod, backing away from the window.

It's fine, he kicks me out a lot when he and mom are gonna either... y'know... or when he needs to stock the shelves, because he gets way more frustrated than necessary when he stocks shelves.

It would be funny if he didn't get angry at me everything two seconds while doing it.

"It's fine dad, I get it. I'll walk to a grocery store or something.." I say, going over to my bag and picking out my clothes.

"Okay.." he mumbles. He's always loved me a lot, but not known how to talk to me sometimes. He struggles with that.

He soon leaves my room, practically starting to cry as he walks down the stairs to stock shelves.

I sigh, putting on some shorts and a shirt before making my way out of the brick building. I wave to him on my way out, pushing the door open and hearing the bell ding.

It's quite an annoying ding...

I'm met with what seems to be pounds of sunlight hitting my face, along with my arms and exposed legs. Unfortunately it hits my eyes too. I winced covering my face with my hand and running across the busy street. It's not busy with cars though, it's busy with groups of friends walking, skateboarders, bikers, and surfers.

I screech as I get pummeled by a group of friends accidentally. "I'm so sorry-"

"Watch it!" The guy's deep, terrifying voice says as he keeps going down the road. I let out a sigh, walking backwards as I look either direction and reach the sand. I feel the sand start going in between my toes and gritting against my feet and my shoe because I'm wearing flip flops and groan.

I turn around, planning on walking onto the other sidewalk that lines the beach, but as soon as I turn around I hit a hard chest, and recoil backwards into the sand.

I shut my eyes, expecting the slap of my body hitting the sand and covering my body and clothes with it, but it never happens.

Once I'm not completely terrified and so full of adrenaline that I can't feel anything, I feel somebody's cold hand warming the middle of my back, and another hand resting on my waist.

I can feel the cold radiating off of them, and it's nice during a day that's so hot.

But it's also.. a stranger.

Once I open my eyes I'm met with a sharp face. His blonde hair dangles down as he looks over me, his eyes shimmering and gleaming like glitter. They were purple... something I'd never seen before.

"Oh thank god! I thought you'd passed out!" He says, a smile erupting over his firstly concerned face.

He sets me up back on my feet and I chuckle, "I'm so sorry man!"

"Oh no it's fine," he says, before placing his hands on my shoulders and shining an infectious smile my way.

"Which way are you going? I need to know how to set you up!" He says, twisting my body right, left and back to ask which way. I chuckle a little and push my brown hair behind my ear, looking down at my feet, but my eyes keep seeming to flicker to his abs.

He was wearing forest green swim shorts that hung low on his hips.

I look around, "I don't really know..." I say with a chuckle and he laughs.

He walks over to a bench. The bench is looking straight into the water, with the road and my dad's shop close behind us.

He plops down and lays his head on the seat portion, his legs resting on the arm rest.

He turns his head toward me as he brings his sunglasses down to cover his eyes.

"Are you a tourist?" He asks with furrowed eyebrows and I shake my head, tipping my imaginary hat.

"No I'm just an idiot, how do you do?" I say and he laughs, it's deep and goes through him completely.

"Yea everybody who loves here is, get used to it." He winks and I roll my eyes.

"Trust me I know, Ive lived with two idiots my entire life and they ended up here so.." I shrug and he trails his tongue along his upper set of teeth.

"Siblings?" He asks and I shake my head, "My parents."

"Oh..." he starts, his smile fading a bit before it returns.

"And why is it that you have no idea where you are going, mystery girl?" He asks with a small smirk, staring at me as I slowly walk closer to him. I don't think I've ever talked to a boy for this long in my entire life.

"Just moved here." I explain briefly, looking around. "Do you have any idea where the nearest convenience store is?" I ask and he nods, pointing off down the nearest road. On this road you can see the faint sight of a few cars in the distance, unlike any of the roads closer to us which are empty.

"You go down that road for a few centuries and eventually you'll see a big neon pink and green sign that says 'Taysie's'. That's the grocery store."

I groan and he nods in response, "tell me about it, they need to make at least another convenience store around here." He sighs and I laugh, pointing to myself.

"You're talking to the daughter of the newest convenience store owners around here." I say and he raises his eyebrows, shooting up.

"But do you have slushees?" He asks and I laugh, "no... I don't think so."

He groans, standing up and walking back and forth along the bench.

"Nobody can get better than Taysie's..."

"Wow you must have some strong feelings about Taysie's." I say and he sighs, looking up at the sky, his sunglasses protecting him.

"God their slushees are the beeeest. You need to try one." He says and I nod... "I'll go now, I have time" I check my imaginary watch.

He looks at me and takes off his sunglasses.

Fuck this is nerve recking...  watching his eyes trail over me.

For a second there's a moment of silence as his face falls as it examines me. It doesn't fall into a look of despair though, it falls into a natural state. His lips are straight and his eyes stare into mine as though I had such importance in the world. But I'm just a tiny speck on the map.

"As a payment for my help you need to let me try to do something." He says before grabbing my hands and pulling me onto the bench where we both sit down, our legs intertwined.

"And also because your probably one of the nicest people I've ever met on this beach." He says and I squint my eyes.

"You've known me for two seconds and you've lived here for how long?" I ask and he shakes his head, "Oh it's nothin'"

"No I wanna know!" I say and he shakes his head grabbing my jaw and looking into my face.

"I've lived here for fifteen years." He says and I smile.

"And I'm on the list!" I scream in victory and he scoffs jokingly, throwing my head out of his hands as I laugh.

Oh god I'm laughing with a cute boy I'm gonna do something wrong like crap my pants or drools

"And what is it that you were planning on doing?" I ask and he grabs my hands with a smile, swinging them innocently.

"I'm doing my favorite beach activity, I'm gonna guess your name!" He says and I raise an eyebrow. "And how old are you?" I ask sarcastically and he sighs.

"I think I'm turning 6 tomorrow- anyways!" He interrupts his own thought.

He takes off his glasses and sets them down on the space of bench behind him. He squints at me and a smirk attaches to his face as he examines my own.

"I could just tell you." I say and he rolls his eyes, "What's the fun in that!"

He grabs onto my jaw and smiles, staring into my eyes. He licks his lips, his breath smelling faintly of blue raspberry. "Yeah your name starts with an H." He says confidently, leaning back. "You just radiate the energy of a Hannah, or somebody who has a really big group of friends and wears necklaces everyday." He says and I laugh a little, leaning back on the arm rest.

"You're wrong!" I say, almost in victory as he gasps falsely, "I'm never wrong!"

He squints at me before sighing, pursing his lips before smacking them and grabbing onto my jaw.
He pulls me in, keeping a grip on my head as our foreheads rest against one another's.

Wow okay he's very energetic... and touchy... and I don't hate it.....

Which I hate that I don't hate it...

I've only met him a few minutes ago, and yet he's touched me more than any boy ever has before. I somehow feel already that he's my boyfriend or somebody I would see everyday.

But I am just touch starved so we never know.

"What is it about you that's different..." he mumbles to what seems like himself. Then suddenly he jumps up, the pink of the sunset covering his skin.

"I'll see you later, Mystery girl!" He screams as he starts backwardly walking away, and somehow, unlike when I walked backward, most people move to accommodate him. He waves his abs and turns around to walk away with his back facing me but I scream after him,

"Wait!"

He turns to me with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't you wanna know my name?" I ask and he purses his lips while thinking before sighing.

"What's your name?" He asks and I smile a little.

"Kelca!" I call back and he nods, an infectious and beautiful smile covering his face.

"Well next time I see you I'll tell you my name, Kelca!" He says and I walk towards him slowly, leaning against the bench. "How do you know we are gonna see each other again?" I ask with my arms crossed in front of me.

I lean on one of my legs with my hip pointed out as he laughs, poking my nose and smirking. "I just know." He says giddily.

And soon he has his eyes covered again by his sunglasses...He blows me a kiss... then leaves.

I watch after him, his back muscles moving perfectly as he walks away. Then he's lost in the crowd.

I swallow, dodging the crowds as I walk a different way from him and toward the nearest convenience store he told me was there.

That was weird....

He was infectiously cheery and unbelievably charismatic. I feel like if I ever get angry at him I wouldn't be able to stay angry at him.

Not that I believe I ever will see him again, let alone know him long enough to get angry at him.

What I do believe though, is that he will be in my mind for a while, occupying the space that my boredom would take up.

Because even though he held the conversation, and it was mostly just him either being hilarious or smirking at me, he was the first boy I have ever met who I talked more than one sentence to.

I always left schools before I could make friends so I never really talked to anybody my age. I think he counts though...

He was just... so fucking charismatic. I couldn't help but smile when I saw him.

I make it onto the somewhat clear sidewalk and watch my new surroundings. Most of the buildings are uniform two stories made out of brick, and as he said, what seems like a century later, I have made it to the convenience store.

It's a small corner store with slanted tile floors and bad quality music. I push the door open and look around, now knowing that my dad's competition isn't much of a competition at all.

There's an old man with a shaggy gray goatee and a man bun sitting behind the counter, looking at an adult magazine with a skinny girl with ratchet black hair on the cover.

When the fact that the bell of the door rang crosses his mind he shoves it under the counter and coughs.

"Welcome to Taysie's, take a right for the bathroom and take a left for the slushees." He says, seemingly bored.

I sniff, looking around awkwardly for something to buy. I barely only have 95 cents on me, but based off of the sign in the corner....

They have 47 cent slushees.

I go to the corner and grab a cup, filling it up with a blue raspberry slushee and putting on a cap. I grab a straw and hand the raggedy old man 50 cents.

"Keep the change." I smile, nodding to him as I leave the store.

Maybe those extra three cents can help him get something that isn't a magazine...

If you didn't get the joke I'm talking about a hooker.

I walk down the street, the raspberry colored skies lighting up my clear cup and making the blue liquid look like it's glowing. I grab my sunglasses out of my back pocket and put them on the bridge of my nose.

I hum my favorite song as I look at my surroundings. It's a ghetto town, with brick buildings, broken windows, and a lot of creepy looking old men, but so far I seem to like it, And the scenery is just amazing...

That's why tourists come here, is for the amazing sunsets and sunrises, the constant pink tint it leaves on your face, and the beaches. Because as far as I know and/or have heard from my dad, the beaches are perfect.

The sand is soft and not sharp, the water is clear and just the right temperature, and it hardly ever rains so they're always open. Since the entire island is practically sand the beaches never stop, so despite the roads next to the shorelines, the beach themselves are almost empty. Mostly because of the fact that tourists don't wanna get sand in their shoes and crap.

I've always been messy and clumsy though so screw that at this point.

I take a sip of the slushee, but this one tastes better than the other ones. It's flavor is better and it's color is prettier and the bottle is prettier. It reminds me of the boy I met on the beach... his breath smelt exactly of this slushee. Everything here just seems right, all of the other places I've been to have never felt like this.

Maybe that's just because a boy winked and talked to me though...

I won't get my hopes up.

I'm soon back to my dad's store, my feet aching and the sun having fully set.

"Sup!" I call as I walk in and my dad groans, laying on the ground face down.

"I don't wanna stoooockkkkkckck!!!!" He whines and my mom comes over and slaps the back of his head. "You're such a little baby Trent!! I'll do the stocking if you do the pricing...?" She bargains, grabbing the box of tampons from his hand and putting it on the shelf.

He flips himself over and groans, "but.... I don't wanna do any of it..."

She looks at him dead in the eyes and sighs, "why did you get into this business?" She asks and he sighs, "Cause I want money."

She nods.

"Good reason...." she mumbles, looking up at me and smiling...

"Honey... do you wanna stock shelves for pops?" Shes looking at me with almost pleading eyes.

Dad slowly stands up and walks tiredly to the stairs. "I'm goin to bed." He says.

I laugh and my mom growls. "If you were my child you'd be a disappointment!" She calls after him before putting another box of tampons on the shelf.

I place down my slushee and get down to stock the bottom shelves with razors.

"Momma...?" I mumble and she hums.

"I met a boy...."

"OH MY GOD MY BABY IS GROWN UP-"

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E N D  O F  C H A P T E R  O N E  ! ! !

T H A N K  Y O U  F O R  R E A D I N G  ! ! !

This book is only one chapter long but god... I love it already... and I love the plot, and I love him ;)

I don't know if I portrayed him I wanted, which is very bubbly and energetic but also very charismatic and alluring.

Let me know what you think so far!!!