"Matty did what?!" Naomi questioned, her voice so loud it drew the attention of the students at adjacent tables.

Covering her mouth with my hand, I waited for her huge eyes to stop bugging out of their sockets before removing it. Then, turning to face the unwanted audience still giving us their attention, I shouted, "Mind your own business, you thirsty thots, and get back to eating your lunch!"

"Oops," Naomi sheepishly smiled.

"Yeah, oops."

"At least she didn't shout the part about how he kissed you, multiple times, and is living to tell the tale," Oli chimed in, but I caught the teasing tone to his voice.

"Listen here, my lanky brother from another mother," I began, threateningly pointing a limp fry at him. "I know what you're insinuating, and that's treason in the kingdom of our friendship, so take your stupid insinuations back."

Chuckling at my dramatics, Oli's eyes lifted from mine, to something behind me before returning to mine. "Someone's looking at you," he sang like a child.

"I swear to God, if it's—"

"I think Matty wants another make-out session."

"Oliver James," I warned.

"Ooo, he totally does," he continued, raising an eyebrow. "Question is, will you reject him this time, or keep letting him have his way with your body—Ow!" he whined when I chucked my water bottle at his head.

"I'm 5'4" and 110 pounds, Oli!" I whisper-shouted. "It's not easy to push Mount Matty off of me!"

"Yeah, I imagine it wouldn't be when you're too busy trying to keep him on you," he snickered, causing my face to turn to stone.

"Um...Oli," Naomi nervously called out, her big eyes carefully watching me as I reminded myself that I loved Oliver James and did not want to murder him in the middle of the school cafeteria. "I think you might want to cool it with the jokes. Bryce is turning red."

Sobering up at the sight of me, he slid his ice cream sandwich to me. "Sorry?"

"You should be," I muttered, already opening up the frozen treat. "You're lucky I love you."

"Awwww, I love you, too!"

"Me too!" Naomi chimed in, and we all laughed, no longer tense from my reaction to Oli's teasing.

But I had to wonder...why did I let it affect me so much?

The next day, in gym class, we were forced to run laps around the track and I hated it. I was athletic, and in pretty good shape, considering how much I loved to surf on our Florida beaches, along with my time spent being a lifeguard when I wasn't in school, so it wasn't the exercise that irked me—it was the way it made me feel like a hamster on a wheel. The gloomy grey clouds rolling in from the distance didn't exactly do anything to make my surroundings a pretty view to look at, so all in all, I was ready to go back inside. 

Jogging, I felt the legs of my maroon sweatpants slide off my calf, where I had rolled them up, but I wasn't complaining, since the air had gotten cooler, a stiff breeze raising goosebumps on my skin. I rolled my eyes every time I passed by the girls on the track that were busy chatting and acting incapable of running because sweating was blasphemous to them. Honestly, I didn't understand why they cared so much about looking cute all the freakin' time. 

"CeCe," that annoying voice spoke evenly from beside me, but I didn't bother looking at him. "What, you not talking to me?"

Not even acknowledging his presence, I picked up the pace, pushing myself to move faster than just a casual jog.

"C'mon, Bryce. I'll let you insult me without a single comeback," he tempted, and I could feel the arrogance emanating off his jock-ish body.  

"You're comebacks are trash, so why would I care?" I gave in, keeping my eyes in front of me.

When he didn't reply, that's when I looked over at him. His brown hair layered messily over his forehead, so he kept whipping it out his face, which unfortunately didn't make him look ridiculous. He actually looked...attractive when he did that.

Why can't you be as ugly as your personality?

"So now you're the one not talking?" I questioned, raising an impatient brow in his direction. 

"I said I wasn't going to rebuttal, didn't I?" he grinned.

"Whatever," I shook my head, trying to outrun him and put some distance between us. If only he wasn't the freakin' running-back of the best high school football team in our state, then maybe I would have stood a chance.

"You're running like you want me to chase you, Bryce," Matty smirked when he was right by my side again. 

"No, I'm running like I don't want you anywhere near me."

"That's funny, cause you didn't mind how close I was when we were swapping spit."

"What? I most certainly did mind! The only reason you're not ball-less is because I thought of your poor future wife and didn't want to rob her of childbirth," I defended. "It was a grand display of selflessness, Ellington. Don't make me take it back."

"Pfft, why don't you just admit that you liked it—oof!" he grunted when he fell onto the rubbery track, courtesy of me tripping him. 

"Shut the hell up and stay away from me, Matty. I mean it."

And he did. The rest of class, Matty stuck by his boys, leaving me to have peace, thank God. By the time Coach Meg, our P.E. teacher, blew her whistle, it was beginning to rain. It wasn't heavy or anything, just a light drizzle, but judging by the angry storm clouds closing in above, I was sure this was just the appetizer.

"Okay guys, head on in and get changed and no loitering after the bell rings. Head straight to your busses or cars and get home before the weather gets worse, alright?!"

Mumbles of "yes" and "sure" came out collectively as we all made our way to the locker rooms, glad the last class of the day was through. Besides the rain, everything was pretty normal as Oli drove Brynn and I home...until I saw my mother's car parked in the driveway of our modest two-story brick house.

"Thanks, Oli," I said, waving goodbye as I walked up to our front door, confused. 

Mom never came by unless she was seeing Brynn or I. Why would she be here, alone, with Dad?

"What's Mom here for?" Brynn asked, voicing my own thoughts.

"Don't know, but we're about to find out, I guess," I shrugged, tucking my still damp hair from when I showered in the locker rooms earlier behind my ear. "Please don't be having sex," I quietly pleaded.

"What?" Brynn questioned. 

"Nothing," I said way too quickly as I opened the front door, finding my parents talking in the kitchen with the tv on mute. 

"Uh...hey, guys," I greeted cautiously, wondering why they suddenly stopped talking.

"Hey, kiddo," Dad smiled at me, which relaxed me.

"Hi, babies," my mom cooed, hugging us, not caring that her long brown hair was in my mouth. "Your father and I were just discussing what we were going to do about the hurricane.

"Hurricane?" both of us repeated, confused. 

"I thought we weren't going to be affected by it," I said, looking at Dad. 

"That's what they said, but I guess Hurricane Lola didn't get the memo. It's a level four hurricane and apparently we're gonna get the worst of it now," he sighed. "Which is why your mother's here. Our section has been advised to evacuate, so you two are going to go with Britt out of the state, probably to your uncle's."

"And what about you?" I asked, looking into his blue eyes. "You're coming, right?"

"Afraid not, kiddo," he said with a sad smile, pointing to his police chief badge. "Duty calls and whatnot."

In case you haven't noticed, I'm a huge 'Daddy's Girl'. Always have been, always will be. Brynn's closer with our mom, but they didn't want us growing up separated, so we stayed with him, with her spending time with us as much as possible. I wasn't against the idea of going with my mom, or seeing my Uncle Harry after all this time, but...I didn't like the idea of my dad staying here, by himself. He had our city's back—someone had to have his.

"Then, I'm staying, too," I said firmly.

"Like hell you are," he was quick to refute. "Bryce, this storm is not a joke. I'll be cooped up in the school for the most of it, dealing with panicking people that couldn't evacuate, but even then, that's not the safest place for you."

"I don't care," I argued. "You shouldn't be left behind like you're not family."

"Bryce," Mom tried to interject, but I shook my head. 

"Mom, please don't."

"Why are you being so stupid?" Brynn questioned, looking right at me. "It's not like you're going to be with him at all times. He'll probably have to leave you alone to do his job, Bryce. You'll just get in the way, and you'll have Mom and me worrying about you when we didn't have to."

Fair point, but I'm still not leaving him.

"I'll be fine, and Dad will have someone there to make sure he's not risking his life too much trying to be a hero."

"Julian, talk some sense into your daughter," Mom exasperated, running a hand through her hair. 

He was silent for a while, holding eye contact with me, and I made sure he could see the determination in my eyes. 

You're stuck with me, Dad.

When he finally spoke, I was surprised I'd actually gotten him to consider it.

"The school is above sea level," he began, causing me to squeal in hope while my mother sucked her teeth and Brynn just shook her head. 

"Are you serious?" 

"She'll be safe with me, Britt," he said, placing a comforting hand on my mom's shoulder. "Besides, last time you took Bryce to your brother's, she kept running off with that boy down the street. This way, I'll be able to keep my eyes on her."

Switching her gaze from my dad, to me, and repeating the pattern a few more times, she lifted her hands up in surrender. 

"Okay, fine! You two are too much alike for your own good," she said, heading upstairs. "Come on, Brynn. Let's pack up your things and hit the road like the sane people we are."

Chuckling as they left, I smiled at my dad, walking over to him. 

"You know, you really should be going with your mother," he stated, his words muffled by my hair as he kissed the top of my head.

"It'll take more than a hurricane to get me to leave," I joked. "I'll probably be married with kids and still living with you."

"Oh God, I hope not!" he laughed, and I did the same.

When I was saying goodbye to my mom and sister, Brynn pulled me into a hug before giving me a serious look. "You better not drown and die on me, Bryce."

"I'm a surfer, babe. A little water's not gonna kill me."

"Yeah, yeah, just don't die on me. I actually like having a sister."

"Aw, thanks! Wish I could say the same," I teased, causing her to drop her mouth open as a few laughs left her mouth.

"You're mean."

"But you love me anyway," I smiled, hugging her again before shoving her toward Mom's black Camry. "Now go, and stop getting all sappy with me."

Rolling her eyes, she got in the car and Dad and I watched as the two ladies in our lives drove down the street.

"I'll get dinner started," he said, heading back inside. "You should pack some things up, too. We'll be heading to your school later tonight for the lock-in. We'll probably be there for a couple of days, so get everything you might need."

"You got it, dude!" I replied, mimicking Michelle Tanner from 'Full House' as I went upstairs.

Thirty minutes later, I wasn't nearly done packing, and the  smell of Dad's famous chili filled the house, causing my mouth to water. It was literally my favorite thing he cooked. Standing up, I started walking to my door, pausing only to look outside my window at the heavy rain starting to pour down. My brown eyes flickered to the Ellington's house, with all their lights on, wondering if they meant to leave them like that. Both their cars were gone, so they had to have evacuated already...

"Hmm," I shrugged.

They're gonna have one hell of a light bill when they come back.

"Bryce! Dinner's ready!"

Grinning, I turned away from my window and pretty much sprinted downstairs, ready to get my grub on before I found myself locked inside Kingsley High, for who knows how long.

Smh, all I know is, my parents would have slapped the stupid idea that I had a say in whether I left or not right out of my big beautiful head 😂 but hey, sometimes characters have to do dumb things so we can roast them in the comments and also help the story move along ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

That being said, it sounds like a storm is moving in 😉 so maybe this story can finally move along 💃🏾.