9I've known him my entire life. My mother has been trying to set us up for my entire life. I've grown to dislike him my entire life. So when I'm babysitting his little sister, why is it he's the one that keeps me company? And why do I actually like it?
Babysitting Dramas...The Rewrite!
Chapter one
It was the end of school. Finally. It was that time where we didn't care about the teachers, didn't give two bananas about homework, and couldn't care less about school. Summer vacation was nearing, and that was all that mattered.
Yeah, sure, we had a long list of summer reading books to go through...or Google up in my case, but summer was summer, and we were freeeee!
Mind: You say that as if we were locked up or something.
Me: We were...locked up I mean. In school. School-Prison-locked up. Oh and it's I not we!
Mind: That's what you think...
I was sitting in my homeroom listening to our teacher, Mrs Pratt, - no seriously that was her name, in case you're wondering what I mean, in England a 'prat' was an idiot. Being half English came in handy at times – who was doing her normal routine lecture about being safe and behaving, and acting like proper young adults. Like some of the idiots in our school could do that. Pshh.
I leaned back on my chair and surveyed the room. Most of my classmates were talking in whispers; Mrs Pratt was old and a bit out of touch, so to speak and didn't pick up on the small talk. The jocks were showing off to the pretty cheerleaders, the Goths were starring daggers at anything in sight, and the hard workers (aka nerds, I'm not being rude, hey, I'm a nerd myself!) were reading away. I sighed involuntarily. I had forgotten my book at home, otherwise I would've followed suit and read. I giggled silently. It was amusing that I read...well amusing to some. They practically pop their eyes when they hear my perfect average score. The reason, well it's simple, I'm a cheerleader.
Mind: You can practically hear them laughing...
It's true. I am. A cheerleader that is. Ever since I was, about, oh, five or so, I loved to jump about and twirl, and do other pretty things involving dancing. My parents got so fed up of me knocking over all their 'pretty' vases - which were not so pretty and were only kept up because they were gifts from various Aunts and Uncles, and I secretly got the feeling they were kind of glad I kept knocking them down- that they enrolled me at gymnastic classes. And, as they say, the rest is history.
I was pulled out of my daydream when a rolled up paper ball hit me square on the face. There was a small snort from somebody. I slowly turned my glare from the back of the head of the person sitting in front of me, to the culprit who threw the paper ball at my face. I linked eyes him. I glared, he smiled. He was my childhood-partner-in-crime-now-arch-nemesis Scott Stone.
Mind: Oh isn't he a fine young thing!?
Me: Um, no!
Mind: Denial isn't just a river in Egypt you know...
Me: ...growl...
Mind: Feisty!
I turned my glare into a nastier one, if possible, when he blew a kiss to me. I mimed cutting my throat. Scott held his heart (not literally of course) in a dramatic act to piss me off.
Which he did, perfectly.
I should tell you more about this Scott Stone I speak of. It all started off when my mother and father went to an anti-natal class before we was born. Yes, we, I was...or rather, I still am, a twin. My brother, Tyler is two hours older than me. That's right, two hours! Just to think of what my poor mother went through...
So, as the story continues they met Mrs Kathy Stone and Mr Jacob Stone. Mrs Stone was due about the same time as my mother was. When they realised their due dates were so close from each other, they immediately hit it off. Much to my displeasure now. Anyway, they got talking, and gee wiz, another coincidence, they lived only two streets away from each other. Coincidence. Yeah right. More like bad karma! So, Mrs Stone had her green eyed, brown-almost-blonde haired baby boy and three months and two days later, Tyler and I popped out of our mother's womb. It was then that it happened. Our mothers started...thinking. Nothing bad about that, I hear you say, but when two mothers, not fathers, mothers start thinking it all leads to one thing. Madness! Our mothers were firmly set on the idea that when we grew up we would fall in love, get married, have kids and tell our grand-kids the story of how we met.
Yeah, like I said madness!
Sure we were pretty tight growing up. We had our laughs, our cries, our games, but that was when I was young and didn't know any better. It was when I started growing up I realised our cocky and arrogant he was. Yeah, Scott Stone was a wonderfully, amazing thing to look at, but girls falling at his feet only made his ego fill a room. He was nice when he wanted to be, but underneath all the smiles and hair flipping (his hair was admittedly gorgeous) was the devils spawn! Though at least not all the Stones were spawns of Satan. Scott's adorable little sister, Lisa, was the cutest thing in whole planet cuteness! Her long ringlets of golden blonde hair, and sparkling green eyes, that were identical to Scott's, just made you stop and melt.
Mind: Oh, don't get her started on Lisa's puppy-dog face, she'll never stop!
Me: I am right here!
Mind: I know.
Tyler and Scott were very close friends. They were constantly at each other's houses. I was used to Scott sleeping over at our house, so I was over the fact that he had seen me when I first woke in the morning. The other girls at our school would die to be in my position, I was glad I wasn't one of those girls. I unfortunately couldn't say the same for my younger sister Rose. She was fourteen and absolutely adored Scott. She just started high school, and so was majorly obsessed with him. She was the Queen B of the freshman year. Luckily, I had my older sister Amber to talk to, she was not overly smitten to Scott. Mainly because she was older than I was, a sophomore in college, and very much taken. (The lucky guy was her shy, poetic boyfriend from High school Adam) Amber was a cheerleader like me...so was our mum...it was weird that the females in my family were cheerleaders. Though, I'm not so sure about Grandma Lily...
I was off pondering my family history, taking a trip down memory lane, when the bell rings and huge roar erupts from all over the class and from hallways. It was the end of the school year. I looked over at Scott who grinned at me and wiped his forehead as if to say 'phew, it's over'. I couldn't help but smile back. It was the summer vacation! SCHOOL WAS OVER BABY! WOO!
"BEHAVE!" Mrs Pratt shrieked to the hordes of students that half skipped, half ran through the doors of the school, and into their summer vacation. I grinned to myself and followed them. My two best friends, Andi Parker and Danni Collins, linked onto either side of me. I shot them both smiles.
"We've done it. We are now officially on summer Vaca! Crap, we're seniors now!" Andi cried. I laughed.
"That we are," I replied.
"Eden! How can you be so calm?" Andi asked me with that same cry in her voice.
"I'm calm because I've been through this…oh, I don't know, a few times now!" I said laughing lightly.
"That is true my friend," Danni said agreeing with me. I shot Andi a 'Seeee!' look. Andi pouted and stuck out her bottom lip.
"Well, whatever. School's over and now it's just the sun, sea and summer!" Andi sighed breathlessly. We unlinked as we pushed the doors open and walked out into the summer sun. We stood there and took it all in…
That was until a couple of seniors shoved past us shouting 'High school's over babes!' to us. Normally I would've flipped them off, but I couldn't help but feel giddy for them. In a year's time that would be us!
Mind: Except for the babes comment…right?
Me: Duh!
Mind: Just checking.
"Ede!" a familiar male voice called out. The three of us stopped walking and looked to the source of the voice.
Of course…I thought.
"Scott!" Andi shouted waving. Andi loved Scott, in the completely platonic way of course. I couldn't believe she considered him her best guy friend. Honestly, could she not see the evil I was seeing?
"Hey Andi," Scott greeted her warmly. His gaze turned to Danni. "Sup, Danni?"
"Hey," she replied smiling. Scott looked to me and smiled. I gave him a small smile back and looked at Danni and Andi. They were both grinning at me. They were so like our mothers conspiring to get Scott and I together! Like that was going to happen any day soon, I though.
"So, what are your plans for the summer girls?" he asked, though his gaze was on me. Andi shrugged.
"The beach, movies, home…the usual," she said.
"Same," Danni said. I echoed her but Danni added more in for me. "Oh, yeah, Ede's got a summer job volunteering at the hospital." I shot her a discreet glare, which was only to be returned, but as a sweet smile.
Evil, I thought.
"Really?" Scott asked sounding genuinely interested. "Well I might see you there then."
"Huh?" was my very intelligent response. You can so see that I was taking AP classes next year.
"Oh yeah, your mom told my mom about your summer job and my mom thought it was a good idea for me too. You know, as a way to get to know people better, help with my socialising skills," he said shrugging. I inhaled through my nose.
"Your socialising skills are just fine," I replied calmly. "You know what this is don't you?" Scott looked at me sheepishly and nodded.
"A set up," he said. "I would've said no, but she would've ranted and made me feel guilty and in the end I would've said yes, so I just said yes to save the time and trouble."
I sighed. It was so obvious; I slapped myself for not seeing it before. At the time I thought my mum was being, you know, a mum. She randomly came to my room one day and suggested I do some volunteering work during the summer. I agreed since it was at the hospital where my dad worked, and because I'd have nothing else to do. I completely disregarded the fact that Scott's mum had just left.
"Well, I guess I'll see you then," I replied after a few moments of silence. Andi, Danni and Scott both looked at me surprised. "What? It's not as if I can cancel out on the little kids now can I?" They nodded.
"More like her," I thought I heard Danni mutter. I rolled my eyes at them. Something hit me then.
"You're not going on holiday," I stated rather than asked. Scott looked at me.
"No," he said slowly. "Why would you say that?" he asked not unkindly.
"Oh," I blushed slightly. "It's just every year you would go on holiday to some amazing place, and you're not this year…so…" I trailed off. Scott's eyes were sparkling, much like Lisa's when she was happy.
"Yeah, can't believe you noticed that, but yeah, dad's going to go on his own this year. Those holidays were really just business trips." I blushed a bit more after hearing Scott sound surprised that I had noticed that.
"Well, you're Tyler's best friend, and you're constantly at our house. How could I not notice?" I asked him sarcastically. Scott gave a warm chuckle.
"Do you think they're going to remember that we're right here?" Danni asked Andi sighing.
"No," Andi replied sadly. "I don't think they are."
"So funny," I said dryly to them. I looked at my watch. "Anyway, we'd better get going. See you round Scott." Andi gave Scott a hug and both her and Danni gave him their small goodbyes and we left. As I sat shotgun in Andi's car I gave Scott another glance, he was still looking at us. He caught my gaze, smiled and waved. I returned the gesture with a smile of my own.
We had our moments when we could be civil to each other without throwing sarcastically, rude remarks at each other. That conversation and gesture was one of the few.
"You and Scott both working together for a whole summer, hmm, this should be fun!" Danni said. I could hear a smug smile in her voice. I glanced into the rear-view mirror and there it was. I stuck my tongue out her.
An interesting summer it was going to be indeed.
Well, I've started the first chapter. This is it. So, I guess I mean I've started the rewrite. I probably won't get any chapters in for a few weeks or so, I just had a wave of inspiration and I just had to get it down.
So, I hope you enjoyed it, thanks for reading and if there are any mistakes, please let me know.
Oh, and I'm looking for a beta reader so if you wanna be one, or know someone, let me know. I'd rather have someone that actually read the story than ask a complete stranger…if you get what I mean. So yeah, lemme know! Thanks! :D
Hopelessly Cliché
xoxo