We all sat around the suddenly clean kitchen table—one normally used to store mail and clothes that needed repairing—eating Mom’s weird healthy pancakes. They didn’t taste that bad. I’m more of a smother-carbs-in-as-much-sugar-as-you-can girl, but if she never told me they were nutritious, I might have been fooled.
Madison passed on the pancakes, sipping on her tea instead. The tea I meant to get her, but Parker showed up with in a total best-friend-stealing-thunder moment.
I still had no clue how he knew my favorite coffee place let alone my favorite coffee. Or why he went out of his way to do it. At first I thought he felt bad for the whole agreeing-to-date-me-against-my-will thing and had come to apologize. Two servings of pancakes later, I realized that was never going to happen.
“Aren’t you going to be late for work?” I asked my mom, interrupting some story about Parker and me when we were kids. I’m sure it was just super adorable, but I needed the madness to end and for Parker to get the hell out of my house. Preferably before he told her about the dare.
My mom sighed. “I guess you’re right. We should have you and your dad over for dinner sometime this week. It’s been so long since we’ve had a proper conversation with how busy we both are.”
“That would be—”
“He can’t,” I blurted out, cutting off Parker midsentence.
My mom shot me a wide-eyed look that was mom code for what the hell is your problem you’re being so rude.
“Lil is right. I just remembered that we’re going up to the lake in a couple of days.”
“Your dad still owns that? Gosh, so many great memories up there.”
Parker nodded and grinned in my direction. “The lake house was always a great time. And I just had a crazy idea. What if we take Lily up with us?”
My mom awed and clapped her hands together and Madison nearly spit out her tea.
I swear my stomach almost pole-vaulted out of my body. Going to the lake house with Parker? Nuh-uh. No way.
“I can’t.”
“Why not, sweetie? It’s not like you have any big plans. You’re not even working this summer.”
I glanced over at Madison, pleading with my eyes. She shrugged and took a drink of her tea. At this rate she would be lucky if she still donned the best friend title by the end of the summer with the amount of times she had thrown me under the bus.
“I just…can’t.” A lame response, but it was the only thing I could think of. I couldn’t come out and admit that spending a week secluded with Parker would make me either kill him or kiss him.
Most likely kill him and throw him in the lake.
“Come on, Lil.” Parker bumped me with his shoulder. “It will be fun. Jet Skis. Boating. You might even get some color.”
“That sounds like a fun way to spend your summer,” my mom said as she stood and picked up everyone’s plates. “How long will you be up there for?”
“Just a week. It’s all my dad could get off.”
“Well, if your father is okay with it, I’m okay with it.”
Parker grinned triumphantly. “So, Holladay, you in?”
“She’s in,” Madison answered for me.
What was with everyone deciding my life was theirs to meddle in?
“Great.” Parker stood and made his way to the door presumably before I could come up with a reason to say no. “I’ll let my dad know. We planned on leaving late Tuesday, but we can drive up together earlier. Get an extra day.”
“Sounds good,” my mom answered.
My mouth dropped open, and I glanced around the room confused as to what was going on. Had I up and disappeared? Because that was the only explanation as to why not a single person heard or responded to the fact that I had no interest in going to the lake with Parker.
The second the door clicked shut I turned to my mom. “Seriously?”
“What?” she asked as she scraped the scraps of food into the trash.
“I don’t want to go to the lake with Parker and his dad.”
“Why not?”
“Yeah, why not?” Madison chimed in. “If I didn’t have to work I’d be all over that.”
“Most kids would kill to spend the week at a lake house having fun on the water.”
“I’m not most kids!” I slammed my palm onto the table making both Madison and my mom jump.
“What has gotten into you, Lily Evelynn Holladay?”
Not the full name.
My body heated from anger, and I turned away. I had never gotten around to telling my mom how much I hated Parker and how much he loved making my life a living hell. She had been so close with his mom before she died, I kind of felt bad tarnishing her perfect little Parker picture.
Now I wished I had told her everything.
“Fine. I’ll go.”
“Don’t sound too happy about it.”
I finished my coffee then tossed it in the trash. He had even buttered her up with coffee. The boy was good. Now I looked like an ungrateful brat. “I have to take Madison home.”
“I’ll be home by four. If you want, we can go shopping for a new bathing suit. I can’t recall the last time you got a new one.”
“Sure,” I mumbled as I headed for the door.
My summer hadn’t even begun and already I couldn’t wait for school to start back up.
* * *
I laid on my bed staring at the ceiling with a book sprawled on my stomach, willing myself to do something, anything. I hadn’t spoken to Madison the entire drive to her house. It didn’t stop her from trying to talk to me though. Either I wasn’t putting out strong enough vibes that I was pissed at her, or she didn’t care.
All she talked about was how much she wished she could come with me and that if I wanted, she would go with me to pick out a smoking hot bikini that would make Parker drool. Her words, not mine.
If she had been feeling one hundred percent, I would have let her have it. But judging from the pale coloring to her face, the alcohol was still wreaking havoc on her body.
One could only hope she learned her lesson though I highly doubted it.
After I dropped her off, I came straight home with the intent on figuring a way to get out of the lake trip. I wasn’t above faking the flu. Summer flus weren’t unheard of. I looked it up.
When I ran into Mr. Hayes and he told me how delighted he was to have me come along, any plan I had blew up. After seeing how animated he was, I didn’t have the heart to tell him no. What was with our parents? It was as if Parker and I hanging out together was the best present they could have received.
If they knew how much of an ass Parker was, they might have felt differently.
I rolled onto my side and let out a sigh. I couldn’t even concentrate on reading and reading was normally my favorite escape. It started when my parents were still together and they would fight late at night when they thought I was asleep. The noise made it impossible to sleep—to think—so I put on some music and read. I didn’t have to focus on how crappy my life was when I could fall into another world and lose myself in it.
Parker had managed to ruin even my favorite pastime.
Figured.
I tossed my book onto my pillow and reached for my phone just as a dinged with a notification.
I expected it to be from Madison. Maybe she came to her senses and sent me an apology text. When I clicked my phone on I was greeted with a text from a number I didn’t recognize.
Unknown: I’m bored
I cocked my head and reread the phone number. It was local. Anyone worth talking to at school was already saved in my phone. With the assumption it was a wrong number I replied.
Me: Who is this?
The reply was almost instant.
Unknown: Wow. R u dating so many guys that u can’t keep us straight?
My stomach sank and I sat up scowling at the phone. Could Parker not leave me alone for more than a few minutes? It was bordering on stalkerish behavior.
Before replying, I saved him to my contacts so that I would know to avoid him in the future.
Me: No, but any guy worth talking to would have already been saved in my phone.
Parker: Ouch. U really know how to cut down a guys ego.
I rolled my eyes, but didn’t reply. I figured he would get the hint and leave me the hell alone, but a few minutes later my phone chimed. It chimed again three minutes after that.
Morbid curiosity got the best of me and I reached for my phone.
Parker: Wanna go to the movies? There’s nothing good but we can eat junk food and make fun of it.
Parker: I know ur home. Ur car is in the driveway.
And there lay the problem with living right next door to a boy that drove you insane. I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t home. He would know. Again, very stalkerish.
Truth be told, I was bored, and that did sound kind of fun. If he wasn’t the bane of my existence and I hadn’t imagined three different ways to kill him—in one day—I might have agreed.
Instead, I put my phone on silent and decided that a midafternoon nap was in order. After that I would need to figure out how to avoid him for the next couple of days.