Let’s Get This Over With

“Squirt. I want you to meet Jada,” Keegan said, grabbing my hand as I walked passed.

“Oh, I didn’t even see you guys. I was in my own world. Sorry I am just so tired from shopping. Hi Jada, I’m Brees, not SQUIRT,” I said looking annoyedly at Keegan, as I reached out my hand with the fakest smile I could muster.

“Hello Brees. It is such a pleasure to meet you. Keegan talks about all of you so much, but especially you Brees,” Jada said. “He said you are like a little sister and he thinks we would be great friends.”

Her words stopped me in my tracks. Little sister? That’s all I’ll ever be to him. I will be 16 this Christmas and he literally hasn’t even turned 16 yet, but I’m like a little sister? Someone get me out of this nightmare. It wasn’t bad enough that he didn’t love me back, but now he has his girlfriend at my house and she thinks I’m like a sister to him. I could literally scream right now.

“Keegan has always been like an annoying brother to Brees too,” Casey jumped in and pushed me towards the door.

“Sorry guys we wish we could stay and chat but Brees has to call this cute boy that has been majorly crushing on her. Jaa ne,” Casey said, winking at me.

It drives Keegan nuts when she speaks Japanese because he doesn’t know what she is saying and he always thinks it’s something rude about him. When really all she said was, “See you later.”

This can’t be how my summer ends. My crush of four years is booed up and I’m like his little sister. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse it did. I threw my shopping bags onto my bed and slid down the side of my mattress, onto the floor.

“No James, you aren’t coming in here and crumbling on our last weekend before school starts,” Casey chastised me, as she closed my door. “Here,” she said, handing me her phone, “call Jeff now!”

“Oh my gosh, no way. That isn’t happening. He is a complete douchebag Case,” I whined pushing her phone away.

I laid my head on my knees and took a deep breath before climbing onto my bed.

“Well he invited us to the Huffington High bonfire tonight at the beach and we have to go. One thing he did doesn’t make him a douche. You never even tried to talk to him James. Everyone is going to be there. He literally told one person about Coda and she told the entire cheer team, to be fair,” Casey said, smiling and pouting at the same time.

I rolled my eyes and put my hands over my face. What do I really have to lose at this point?

“Ok, I’ll go, but everyone better keep their fingers to themselves,” I joked.

We took the next hour to do our hair and make up. Imagining how the night may go. Casey has her eye on a sophomore named Cyman. He is truly a sweet kid. We had a math class together when I was in 7th grade. I am hoping this works out for her. At least one of us could find love this summer. Casey just turned 15 this summer so she is almost an entire year younger than I am. I watch over her closely like she is my little sister, I suppose as Keegan does to me.

As we put on our final touches we looked at ourselves in the mirror. Casey was wearing a red and white tube top and ripped jean shorts. She threw on a cowboy hat and looked absolutely adorable. I wore a blue romper-type outfit that I had kept in my closet out of shame all summer. It was a halter top and clung tightly to my body, so it wasn’t my first choice. But today, this night, this was the perfect night to wear it. I felt good. I looked good.

“Holy smokes James. We are fine as hell!” Casey said, adding a bit more lipgloss to her already super red lips.

She was right though. We didn’t look like those girls we did in May when freshman year ended. We looked more mature, more sophisticated, almost, dare I say, HOT! I did one last look-over in the mirror before giving myself approval.

When we stepped back outside, the vibe was different. I saw Keegan staring at me like he had just saw a piece of steak after starving for a month. I’m sure it meant nothing, but it felt good to watch him gawk. Mom made us ride to the party with Keegan, Jada and Baylen. Jada sat in the back with Casey and I. I put Casey in the middle so I didn’t have to make small talk.

“Are you guys excited for your first “true” year of high school?” Jada asked us.

She was a junior, so I guess that made her more experienced or whatever. We both nodded. I tried looking out the window so she didn’t say anything else to me. Casey however couldn’t help herself.

“So Jada, where did you meet old Kee P. here?” she asked.

I shot her a dirty look and she knew I wasn’t happy. She giggled and turned back to Jada.

“We met at my dad’s work party. Her dad and my dad work for the same firm. My dad thought we should connect and we have been texting all summer,” Keegan answered, never turning around to meet our eyes.

Why isn’t he gloating and beaming when he speaks about her? Does he even want this relationship? Wait, knock it off Brees. You get yourself into these fanciful scenarios and it only gives you anxiety later.

“He asked me to Homecoming yesterday. It was really sweet,” Jada pined. “He rented an ice cream truck and had it come down my street with the words Ice Cream it out loud Jada be my HOCO date. It literally melted my heart.”

We all sat quietly for a second and then she piped back up to end the awkward silence,” I will be at all the football games this fall too so we should all hang out,” she said in such a sweet way that even I couldn’t say no.

“Of course we should Jada. I would like that,” I lied.

I want anything else, but that. Cut my toenails off and spill acid on my feet. Cut up my Harry Styles posters, anything but this, I thought.

We all got out of the car at the beach. I put my sandals in my bag and started out to the beach. Before I hit the water I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around to see it was Jeff. Jeff Chandler the “finger bandit.”

Boy was he handsome though. I see why girls fawned over him. His chiseled jaw and tan skin glistening in the sun. He looked like a freaking Ken doll for goodness sakes. Those emerald green eyes and his black hair were dangerously attractive.