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Authors: Ren Alexander
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opportunity to drop her first.
My aching knuckles make themselves known and I release my grip from the frame, pissed off that I’m wasting my time on this girl who means zilch to me. Shaking my head, I leave in a huff to find Tony. However, instead of working with him today, I’m helping Lange with siding. It’s a light blue, which is probably better than having boring white in my face the whole damn day. Then again, who cares about fucking siding? It could be neon orange and I wouldn’t give a fuck today.
I continue to watch for Kat; still irked from our non-convo earlier, but even angrier with myself because I’m still checking for her whereabouts.
With her still on my mind, I’m pretty useless. Lange often has to repeat something or ask if I’m okay.
Maybe I should be asking, “What the hell is my problem?”
When Lange announces it’s time for us to take a break, I grab some water, a stale donut, and disappear to the back of the house, taking a seat on one of the back patio’s steps. The backyard is approximately half an acre of nothing. My dad’s yard, which is about the same size, is nothing but trees. My sister and I used to climb some of the trees, and play hide and seek amongst them. One time, we played hide and seek in the trees. I wound up losing my grip, as well as my balance, and I fell, breaking my arm. Good times.
I knew my dad would plan a family reunion while I’m staying with him. That man just can’t help himself. He’ll take any opportunity to shove my sister in my face, making his comparisons and telling me what I’m doing wrong with my life. It doesn’t matter that she had no fucking clue what she was doing with hers until three years ago, when she got her current job and moved away.
As I lift my blue Solo cup to take a sip of my water, a feminine blur catches my eye, and I automatically pull the cup away from my mouth. Looking the other way, Kat sits down on the brick patio’s wall, making sure not to give me the impression she wants me to talk to her, which only provokes me more.
Determined to figure out what her deal is with me, I stand and go over to where she’s sitting. “This seat taken?” I try joking with her. Unfortunately, I’m too tense and I end up sounding stilted, and as cheesy as my father.
Looking up, her purple streaks glow in the daylight and her sunglasses hide her eyes, but they can’t hide her pursed lips. Bowing her head to the ground, she shrugs and blandly mutters, “I guess not.”
“Calm down. I said I’d sit with you.” I smirk at my teasing, but she doesn’t respond to me at all.
“So, you from Annapolis?” Fuck. Why do I care?
“Yep.” Oh, we’re back to this answer.
“I am, too.” I prop my foot on a huge rock next to the wall. “What’s your last name?”
She actually glances at me before dipping her head down again. “Brandcroft.”
“Mine’s Beckett.”
She nods at the ground. “I know.”
“Oh. Right. My dad.” I roll my eyes at my own ineptness. We sit in wooden quiet until without thinking, I idiotically ask, “Is there something wrong?”
Grasping the edge of the wall, she leans forward, like she might jump down and take off again. “Why would there be?”
“Because you barely talk.”
“Maybe it’s you.” Me?
“Me? What did I do to you ? We just met! I don’t usually get that accusation until after a date.”
Kat dourly laughs. “Yeah.” She glances over at me, the light brightly reflecting off her sunglasses, and shakes her head. “We just met,” she repeats with a not-so-subtle bite to it.
I perplexedly scowl. “I don’t get you.”
“You absolutely don’t,” she says, forlornly this time. Twisting away, she swings her leg over the wall and leaves me gaping after her.
Wait. What?
I spontaneously jump up and follow her. “What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing. I can’t do this with you.”
“What?” She ignores me, walking faster, which makes me walk faster.
“Jared, you
My aching knuckles make themselves known and I release my grip from the frame, pissed off that I’m wasting my time on this girl who means zilch to me. Shaking my head, I leave in a huff to find Tony. However, instead of working with him today, I’m helping Lange with siding. It’s a light blue, which is probably better than having boring white in my face the whole damn day. Then again, who cares about fucking siding? It could be neon orange and I wouldn’t give a fuck today.
I continue to watch for Kat; still irked from our non-convo earlier, but even angrier with myself because I’m still checking for her whereabouts.
With her still on my mind, I’m pretty useless. Lange often has to repeat something or ask if I’m okay.
Maybe I should be asking, “What the hell is my problem?”
When Lange announces it’s time for us to take a break, I grab some water, a stale donut, and disappear to the back of the house, taking a seat on one of the back patio’s steps. The backyard is approximately half an acre of nothing. My dad’s yard, which is about the same size, is nothing but trees. My sister and I used to climb some of the trees, and play hide and seek amongst them. One time, we played hide and seek in the trees. I wound up losing my grip, as well as my balance, and I fell, breaking my arm. Good times.
I knew my dad would plan a family reunion while I’m staying with him. That man just can’t help himself. He’ll take any opportunity to shove my sister in my face, making his comparisons and telling me what I’m doing wrong with my life. It doesn’t matter that she had no fucking clue what she was doing with hers until three years ago, when she got her current job and moved away.
As I lift my blue Solo cup to take a sip of my water, a feminine blur catches my eye, and I automatically pull the cup away from my mouth. Looking the other way, Kat sits down on the brick patio’s wall, making sure not to give me the impression she wants me to talk to her, which only provokes me more.
Determined to figure out what her deal is with me, I stand and go over to where she’s sitting. “This seat taken?” I try joking with her. Unfortunately, I’m too tense and I end up sounding stilted, and as cheesy as my father.
Looking up, her purple streaks glow in the daylight and her sunglasses hide her eyes, but they can’t hide her pursed lips. Bowing her head to the ground, she shrugs and blandly mutters, “I guess not.”
“Calm down. I said I’d sit with you.” I smirk at my teasing, but she doesn’t respond to me at all.
“So, you from Annapolis?” Fuck. Why do I care?
“Yep.” Oh, we’re back to this answer.
“I am, too.” I prop my foot on a huge rock next to the wall. “What’s your last name?”
She actually glances at me before dipping her head down again. “Brandcroft.”
“Mine’s Beckett.”
She nods at the ground. “I know.”
“Oh. Right. My dad.” I roll my eyes at my own ineptness. We sit in wooden quiet until without thinking, I idiotically ask, “Is there something wrong?”
Grasping the edge of the wall, she leans forward, like she might jump down and take off again. “Why would there be?”
“Because you barely talk.”
“Maybe it’s you.” Me?
“Me? What did I do to you ? We just met! I don’t usually get that accusation until after a date.”
Kat dourly laughs. “Yeah.” She glances over at me, the light brightly reflecting off her sunglasses, and shakes her head. “We just met,” she repeats with a not-so-subtle bite to it.
I perplexedly scowl. “I don’t get you.”
“You absolutely don’t,” she says, forlornly this time. Twisting away, she swings her leg over the wall and leaves me gaping after her.
Wait. What?
I spontaneously jump up and follow her. “What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing. I can’t do this with you.”
“What?” She ignores me, walking faster, which makes me walk faster.
“Jared, you
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