Chapter Two
"What is all this stuff?"
Ally was looking around at all of the duffel bags and suitcases I had strewn all over my room. She picked up a jelly bracelet from my nightstand and slid it onto her wrist. I hadn't worn it for years, but I still had to bite my tongue to resist throwing what dad called a 'Shelby Tornado.'
"How many clothes do you need?"
"It's not all clothes," I explained. "That bag has my shoes. That bag has my art supplies. That bag has my horse brushes and stuff that dad bought me the one summer I went to riding camp down here. The other bag has my straightener and makeup."
"Why do you need to wear makeup if you're just going to work and get sweaty?"
I sighed. Ally was a girl, but she was only eleven.
"ARGH! Let go of me treasure!"
Ally and I both turned. Brayden and Tristan leaped into the doorway, plastic swords smacking. Tristan was wearing my old pirate patch. Brayden had my old stuffed parrot bobbing on his shoulder.
Looking back at the pictures from when I was little, I really can't believe some of the stuff I wore. It was no wonder people have always told me I'm unique. Or course, that's the nice thing to say when you're really thinking about what a freak someone is.
Unique, freaky...I was fine either way. I was just me...and I loved it.
"Guys! Out of my room!"
"Argh, lassie. Walk the plank!" Brayden growled. His dark hair hung in his eyes and he squinted up at me. I picked up a bottle of perfume.
"ARGH! Abandon ship or I'll poison yer noses!"
That did the trick. A second later I heard them down the hallway, swords at the ready.
"Can I wear some of your stuff while you're gone?" Ally asked. While I was kicking the boys out, she had managed to open my closet doors.
"Uh, no? Nothing will fit you and I want everything just like I left it."
"You mean a mess?"
My closet was a disaster area. But that was besides the point.
"Okay, Al, I need to finish packing."
She smiled and shrugged.
"I was going to offer to help."
I laughed. "No, you're being sneaky."
She rolled her eyes but happily bounced out into the hall. She let things go so easily.
I started to dig through swimsuits and had almost narrowed it down to the two I was going to bring when my cell rang. I picked it up and smiled. It was Mason.
"Hey Mas."
"Hey Shel. You packing?"
Mason's voice was deep, but smooth. I still had a hard time matching the voice with the tall, skinny blonde boy in my mind. After all, I hadn't seen him for almost a year. His voice had plummeted sometime around Christmas. I had actually hurt his feelings the first time he had called after the change. I told him to stop joking around.
But he hadn't been joking.
"I'm packing. I think I'm going to need my own cargo bay," I teased. Mason laughed.
"You don't need to bring that much. A couple pairs of jeans, some shirts, and a swimsuit. That's it."
I rolled my eyes. "You are such a guy."
"Okay...and deodorant."
"Mas!"
He laughed. "Fine, I'll quit. I wanted to call and let you know that I'm coming with dad tomorrow to meet you at the airport."
I grinned. "I can't wait. This summer is going to be a blast."
"Well, while you're earning a paycheck from mom, I'll be earning a paycheck at the diner."
"You're not helping your mom?"
"Uh, I want money."
I didn't blame him. I knew his mom and dad expected him to do all the stuff I was getting paid for as chores. Unpaid chores.
"What are you going to do at the diner?"
"Bussing tables. It's not glamorous, but it's a job."
"And before I leave, we can go blow all our cash in Lexington!"
"I'm supposed to save up for college!"
I snorted. "That's forever away."
We talked for a few more minutes and I hung up feeling amazingly happy. I was so excited. Time wasn't moving fast enough.
It never did when I wanted it to.
---------------------------
"Two scoops or three?"
"Three!"
It was two thirty in the morning and dad and I were quietly shuffling around the kitchen. I took out the bowls. Dad got out the ice cream scoop. I rummaged around the freezer and yanked our secret tub from the back.
"Who am I going to eat ice cream with in the middle of the night when you're gone?" he whispered. I smiled.
"You'll survive, dad."
Ever since I had fondly called him 'Mr. J,' we had been sneaking down in the middle of the night to share rocky road ice cream.
I blame all the chocolate goodness for my big butt.
We sat down across from each other, spoon in hand. After a couple bites he glanced my way.
"Shel, I think we need to have a talk."
He sounded so serious. Any conversation over ice cream was not supposed to be serious.
That was a rule.
"Sup?"
Dad cleared his throat.
"Well, I mean, you're a young woman now and your interests are changing."
He was turning his spoon around in his fingers. He was avoiding looking directly at me.
"I guess what I'm try to say is, that, well, guys your age find girls your age very appealing. And, well..."
My eyes widened. I had a sneaking feeling where this way going.
"Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"Mom had this talk with me like four years ago. Seriously, we're cool."
A look of relief washed over him. "She did?"
"Yeah. Besides, if anyone tries to mess with me, Mason will beat 'em up. And I'll probably help."
Dad smiled. "Good to know."
With that awkward moment over, we both dug into our ice cream. I contemplating licking the bowl, but I thought that was too much of a 'Joe' thing to do. We washed out our bowls and put them in the dishwasher.
"Night dad," I whispered. I kissed his cheek.
"Night Shel."
I crawled into bed with a nice, full stomach. In a few short hours, I would wake up and jet off for eight weeks of work and play. I couldn't wait to see Mason and head to the huge lake and...
It was the stuff good dreams were made of.
