Chapter 3

“So is this place like that town from The Last Song?” I asked, drumming my fingers on the counter. 

“What?” Chris laughed, leaning against the back counter. 

“Haven’t you read the book? Or seen the movie?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. “You know, Miley Cyrus, her names Ronnie, sea turtles, Liam Hemsworth.” 

“Yea I know what it is, but why do you ask?” Chris asked as I turned around to look at him. 

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Just wondering.” I laughed. “So there’s no crazy kids playing with fire?” I raised my eyebrows, a smile growing on my face. 

“Nope. None that I know of at least.” Chris laughed, pushing himself off of the counter. “Customer.” 

I turned around, smiling at a young boy who was approaching the counter. 

“Hi! What can I get for you today?” I asked him. 

“Um, can I have a strawberry, banana, and honey smoothie?” He asked in a small voice. 

“Of course you can Bobby.” Chris said over my shoulder. “It’s on the house.” 

I raised my eyebrows at Chris, but didn’t say anything. I just smiled at the little boy, who stared at me until Chris handed him his smoothie. 

“Thanks Chris!” The boy called, then rushed off. 

“His dad died last month.” Chris explained. 

“That’s sad.” I frowned. 

Chris just nodded, juggling a few oranges. “So when are you going home to wherever you’re from?” He asked, raising his eyebrows. 

“70 days.” I said with a smile. 

“Wow. You really want to go home, don’t you?” Chris laughed. 

I shrugged. “I guess you could say that.” I sighed, watching the groups of people as they passed the smoothie shack. It was 11 in the morning, and most kids were told by their parents to wait for lunch, so business was pretty low around this time according to Chris. 

“Let me guess. You’ve got a boyfriend back home waiting for you?” Chris asked, still juggling the oranges. I felt my stomach squeeze at the thought of Logan.

“Nope. No boyfriend.” I shook my head. “What about you? Girlfriend?” 

“Nah. No one here is worth it. And the chicks who stay here for the summer, take the twins for example, are stuck up and annoying.” Chris replied. “My friends all have girls though, which I don’t get. I mean, we’ve gone to school with these girls since preschool. I mean I’ve seen them pick their noses and eat bugs.” Chris shuddered. 

I laughed. “Guess no one’s your type?” I asked. 

“Hell no.” He shook his head, putting the oranges back in their cooler. “You play any sports?” 

“Soccer.” I nodded. “You?” I asked. 

“I played basketball last year, but hated it.” Chris shrugged. “I play volleyball sometimes, just because that’s what everyone does when we have days off, but eh.” 

“It’s hot.” I sighed. 

Today, I was wearing a white string bikini. My grey tank top was on the ledge under the counter, although I was still wearing my black short shorts. Today, Chris was in a pair of blue swim trunks. 

“So you’re a senior in high school?” He asked. 

“No, no I’ll be a junior in the fall.” I laughed, standing up straight as a customer walked up. 

“The usual, Karen?” Chris asked. 

“Of course.” The woman smiled. 

“5.50.” Chris told me as he started making the smoothie. 

“That will be 5.50.” I told the woman with a smile. 

She handed me 6 dollars. 

“50 cents is your change.” I smiled, handing her two quarters. 

“Thank you darling.” She grinned. 

A few moments later, Chris handed her the smoothie, and we were left alone again. 

“You really know everyone.” I said, wiping my forehead as sweat started to roll down. 

“You want to know what really cools you down back here?” Chris asked. 

“Oh yes please.” I said, staring out at the beach. “The water looks so good...” I sighed. 

“Here.” Chris said. 

I screeched as he placed two ice cubes on my bare back. 

“Wait that actually feels good.” I said, closing my eyes in relief. 

“Told you.” Chris laughed. He removed his hands and the ice fell to the sandy floor, but I was still refreshed. 

“How old are you?” Chris asked curiously. 

“17, why?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

Chris nodded. “Just wondering.” 

“How old are you?” I asked. 

“19.” He said happily, removing his hat to run his fingers through his hair. 

“Ooh. Oldie.” I teased, smiling. 

He rolled his eyes. “I know right, I’m practically a grandpa.” He joked. 

“When do you go to New York for school?” I asked, tilting my head. 

“I’m moving into my dorm the second week of August.” Chris replied. 

“That’s cool.” I smiled, taking a sip of my bottled water. “So do we ever get any days off?” 

“Sometimes. We get Thursdays off sometimes.” Chris shrugged, turning the fan to face him. 

I nodded, tempted to dump some of my water on me. 

“Just an hour and 17 minutes until we can take a break.” Chris sighed, looking at the clock. 

11:43.

I nodded, grimacing. “And then another 4 hours.” 

“Shh... No negativity.” Chris shook his head. 

Mark and I had yet to actually do anything fun. 

Today was the third day we were here, and every day all we did was go to work and then come right home. We spent the nights watching movies and playing board games. 

We hadn’t fought yet, and it was starting to get weird.

~*~*~

“Alright. Let’s go somewhere.” Chris said once we closed up the smoothie shop.

“Where?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. 

“Anywhere. I don’t know.” Chris shrugged, a faint blush growing on his cheeks. 

“Sure.” I laughed, pulling my shirt over my head.

I followed Chris between two houses to get to the road next to the beach, and he walked over to a brown, beat up pick up truck. 

“Nice wheels.” I laughed, getting into the passenger side. 

“Hey. Don’t insult her.” Chris laughed, climbing into the drivers side. 

“Her?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. “Oh Gosh...” I shook my head. 

Chris just smiled, tossing his shirt into the back seat. He set his iPhone in the cup holder between the two seats and turned the car on. 

“So where are you going to college?” Chris asked me as he started driving away from the center of town. 

“I’m not quite there yet. I’ve got two more years of high school…” I said, rolling down the window. “Probably somewhere one of my brothers is.”

We were silent for a while, the only sound coming from wind rushing through the windows. 

“So what made you come stay with your aunt for the summer?” Chris asked, glancing over at me for a moment. 

I sighed, running my hand through my hair. 

“My brother and I got in trouble.” I said simply. “My dad recently moved to Ohio, so we were all shoved off to live with our mom.”

“How many brothers do you have?” Chris asked curiously. 

“6.” I replied with a laugh. “Two of them are in college, and then two more are leaving next year. But uh, Mark, the one who’s here with me, we’re not the most compatible people. We sort of went off a bit at the end of this school year and our parents just had enough of us I guess.”

“Where do they go to college? The older ones?” Chris asked, glancing over at me. 

“Alex is at NYU about to do his last year.  And James will be a junior at Northwestern.” I smiled. “Then Michael and Justin just graduated high school, they’re both going to Michigan to play football.” I added, slightly growing sad at the thought of my brothers.

“That’s cool.” Chris smiled, pulling off of the main road and heading down a dirt road. 

“Is this the part of a movie where you take me to some secluded woods to kill me?” I joked. 

Chris winked at me, parking the car on the side of the road by the beach. “You know it.” He teased, getting out of the car. “Come on.” 

“Aren’t you going to bring your phone?” I asked as I got out of the car. 

Chris shook his head, walking away from the car. “Leave your shorts and shoes!” He called over his shoulder. I quickly stripped down and tossed them in the car.

I rushed to follow him. 

“I sure hope you like heights.” Chris smiled, beginning to climb a hill. 

“Why?” I asked, following him. 

“Because, my friend, we’re cliff jumping.” Chris laughed, much farther ahead of me up the hill. 

I swallowed, my pulse racing. 

Well shit. 

“Uh... Heights aren’t really my thing.” I said, trying to keep up with him. 

“Aw come on that’s crap. Heights are the best.” Chris said, standing at the top of the cliff. 

I shook my head, standing behind him. 

“Right then. You’re going first. Otherwise you won’t jump.” Chris smiled, turning to look at me. 

I felt the color drain from my face as I looked over the edge at where a waterfall was beating against the water. 

“It’s fun. I promise.” Chris said, looking over the edge with me. 

“No I really don’t want to.” I shook my head. “That looks like-” 

His arms were suddenly wrapped around my waist and we were flying through the air.

I screamed, grabbing tightly to Chris’s shoulders. 

We went plunging into the clear water, the cold water refreshing. I only calmed down once I reached the surface and could breathe again. 

Chris was absolutely dying with laughter.

“That was... Holy shit why’d you do that! That was freaken terrifying!” I gasped, splashing him with water.

 “Let’s do it again!” I said excitedly, a grin forming on my face. 

“We’ll come back another time. Audrey always has dinner on the table at 6:30 sharp and if you’re not there, she’ll get worried.” Chris told me, beginning to swim to the shore. 

I swam after him, struggling to keep up with his fast pace. 

“One more jump. Please!” I said as we walked across the sand. Chris looked torn, glancing back and forth between the cliff and the car. 

“Race you.” He winked, heading towards the hill. 

“No fair!” I called, rushing after him. 

I was just reaching the top as he disappeared over the edge. 

Without thinking, I jumped off of the ledge, feeling like I was flying. 

I let out a laugh in the air, my arms and legs flailing as my hair billowed out behind me. 

I hit the water a few feet away from Chris, and he smiled. 

“Now let’s go. I’m serious if you’re not back in time, Audrey will kill me.” Chris said, slowly swimming towards the shore. 

“Do we work again tomorrow?” I asked as we got into the car. I didn’t even bother putting on my shorts or my t-shirt. I was too wet and it was too hot outside. 

“Every day of the week. Except for Sundays, we start at 1 on Sundays.” Chris told me, turning on the truck. 

“Got it.” I nodded, sliding my feet into my flip flops. 

“So where do you live?” I asked him as we sped down the road. 

“About half a mile down the road from Audrey.” He told me, a smile on his face. 

“Got it.” I nodded. 

“What about you?” Chris asked me. 

“Somewhere.” I shrugged, biting my lip. 

“Somewhere in Neverland?” Chris joked. 

I just looked at him for a moment. 

“It’s an All Time Low song.” Chris informed me. 

“No I know, I love them.” I laughed, liking him even more. 

“Really? That’s sweet.” Chris smiled, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. 

We were silent for the rest of the drive. 

“Will you be in my kitchen for breakfast tomorrow?” I asked as he stopped in front of my aunt’s house. 

“Possibly. If I’m not, you better be at the smoothie shack at 7:30!” He said as I got out of the truck. 

I nodded, pulling my shorts up my legs. 

“I won’t be a minute late. Promise.” I laughed, grabbing my t-shirt. “Bye!” 

“Bye, Marley.” Chris smiled, giving me a wave as I walked around the truck. I waved back and walked up the front porch steps. I left my shoes outside and walked in just as Audrey was sitting down at the kitchen table. 

“How was your day?” She asked as I sat down across from her. 

“Long.” I laughed, a smile still on my face. “Very long.”

Mark appeared next to me. “Where were you?” He asked as he sat down. 

“With Chris.” I replied with a shrug. 

I couldn’t help the smile that spread on my face. 

It was so different, being with him compared to Logan. 

Logan would never do anything so spontaneous as to go cliff diving… And he didn’t listen to All Time Low… 

But still… It felt weird not being with him…