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Chapter One
"Josey, don't you worry." Cassadee Pope's voice blared. I sat up with a jolt and slammed it off. The alarm clock with the picture of the members Hey Monday on it flew off the table and crashed to the ground. With a sigh I flipped the covers off and stood up on the cold wood floors. It's the first day of summer vacation but I'm still getting up at six in the morning.
I was about to put on my usual outfit when I remembered what I was trying to achieve. With a sigh I slid on the clothes I forced my dad to buy me over top of my also new bathing suit. Someone banged on the door. Knowing exactly who it was I flung it open and walked out. But of course Tyler didn't move so I slammed right into him. I was actually happy to see him but I didn't show it. Him and his brother Mike lived next door. They were my older brother Josh's friends and not mine so I had no excuse to see them. Tyler was my age so we were friends but we didn't share a single class this year. And Mike was a year older so I didn't have classes with him either. And since Josh went to college I didn't see them at all. But now Josh was back from college.
Tyler shoved a piece of pop-tart in my mouth and then put a piece in his own "Ready to work?" He asked. I shrugged "I guess I am." I worked at his parents boating/wakeboarding Marina during the summer with Tyler, Mike, Josh, and Adam. Tyler's eyebrows furrowed and as he shoved another piece of pop-tart into my mouth he asked "What the heck are you wearing?" Then remembrance flashed over his face. "Oh yeah, you're trying to get with Mike." I slapped my hand over his mouth just as he put another piece of the pop-tart in "Tell the whole world why don't you!" He shoved pop-tart through my closed lips and jerked his head away "I shall if I want to."
We shared his pop-tarts as we walked to the Marina. "Where is Mike by the way?" I asked as I broke off a piece of the pop-tart. Through a mouth full of crumby strawberry he said "He left before I woke up." I rose my eyebrows and said "So he left like fifteen minutes ago?" Tyler shrugged and stuffed more pop-tart in his mouth "Probably." He threw the silver wrapper behind him as we climbed the wooden stairs to the office.
When he pushed open the door his mother was glaring at him. With a groan he turned back around to pick up the wrapper. This time he threw it in the black trashcan next to the office door. "What do we have?" His mother checked the chart and said "Cara, you're on gas. Tyler, you're at the boating area with Mike." Tyler ruffled my hair and said "Alright, lets get to work." He quickly walked out the door and disappeared.
I glanced at Mrs.Malone and said "Well?" She glanced up from her laptop and said "What?" "Notice anything different?" I asked. She looked me over and quizzically said "New look?" With a grin I nodded "Yup." She glanced me over again and said "Just don't distract the boys or I'll make it a rule for to go back to wearing Tyler's outgrown shorts and football jersey." I rolled my eyes and headed to the dock.
Halfway into the day very few people had come even though it was the busy season. Pretty soon we would all be off, which is when the people came, and we'd be on the water wakeboarding to try to draw in customers. Mike and Tyler sped towards the dock. I didn't know who was driving since they looked exactly the same except for the fact that Tyler wears the puka shell necklace I gave him three years ago from when I went on vacation. He's worn it ever since then.
Adam and Josh were in the back shouting over top of the music blasting so loud the speakers could have broken. They pulled up. It was Tyler driving. They all jumped onto the dock and came over. I hoped that my short shorts and tight yellow tank top that ended at my bellybutton worked. When I saw the expression on Mike and Adam's faces I knew it had. Tyler came up and we did our handshake. High Five, handshake, handshake upside down, elbow touches, high tens, fist bump, spit in hand, shake again. We'd done that since we were little, always adding things in it randomly. "On that note," Tyler said "It's about time to add to it."
Mike pretended to cough "Freaks." Tyler pretend coughed right back "Friendless loser." Then everyone staring fake coughing. After about a minute I shouted annoyed "Oh my god! What is wrong with you all!?" Mike grabbed me, his hands on my stomach "Apologies Cara." He wrapped his warm hand around my neck caressing it teasingly and when I pushed him away he said in a vampire voice "I'm vam so sorry. Vut I van't help vyself. Mwahahaha." He always used that stupid fake vampire accent ever since I became obsessed with Dracula in middle school. If I didn't know better I would've thought he was flirting, but I knew better.
Josh looked at use disgusted "Dude, hands off of my little sister." I felt myself scowl. Why did he have to go and call me that? When he said it Mike immediately let me go. Tyler frowned at me when he noticed my scowl but said "You guys ready to go wakeboard!?" "Yeah!" they all shouted.
