Chapter One

 

"Oh my gosh, stop. That's gross." 

Bret set his ice cream spoon back into the bowl.Then, without hesitation he slowly put it back onto his tongue, sliding the very last bit of it on the surface, while giving Taylor full eye contact. Taylor cringed. I gave a tiny giggle. "Well, Taylor, you don't have to look at something if you find them unattractive..." Bret said.

 "I know, but, it's just so gross!"

 "Then don't look!"

"Yeah." I said.

They both turned their heads toward me. I gave them a "what?" look.

"Where'd you come from, Lila?" Bret said.

We all laughed. It was the end of sophomore year, and all of our worries and lost hair had been washed down the drain. My mom and her boyfriend finished the last of the packing for the house, and my brother had just graduated high school. Taylor took Bret's glasses from his face and placed them on hers. 

"My goodness Bret, you're almost as blind as my grandmother!"

"Pshh, I'm not that blind."

"She's dead, Bret."

Bret gasped over-exaggeratedly. 

Taylor giggled and gave Bret back his glasses. I looked out the window of the ice-cream parlor and observed the people walking the perimeter of the city outlet. My phone went off. It was Jenny. 

Her text: "Hey, I'm on my way. DON'T EAT ICE CREAM WITHOUT ME." 

I took a picture of the three of us with ice-cream stuffed in our faces, and sent it to Jenny.

"Too late.." I replied.

She sent me back a crying emoticon. The bells attached to the parlor door jingled, and in came our red-headed friend, Jenny.

"Jenny's here!" Bret exclaimed.

"YAY!" Taylor cried. 

I smiled as she tried to find our familiar faces.