The
Summer
of My
Life
[ C h a p t
e r S i x t e e
n ]
A b b i e
' s P O V
"UGH!" I
screamed, standing in my closet. I had half an hour before my
date with Liam, and I had nothing to wear.
"THIS FREAKIN' SUCKS!"
"Woah there, sis, let's
keep this G-rated." Blake joked, walking into my room.
He sat on my bed, and looked at me. "What's the
matter? Don't you have your date tonight?"
"Yeah, and I have nothing to
wear!" I whined, putting my face in my hands. "I'm
stressing out, big-time."
"I can tell. Seriously though,
don't worry about it. He likes you a lot, we're texting
right now. There's no need to be worried." His phone
buzzed on his knee, and he looked at it, quickly typing a reply
to who I assumed was Liam. He chuckled, sliding his phone
shut.
"What is so damn funny?" I
asked, getting annoyed. I went back to looking through my
clothes, and pulled out a patterned high-waist skirt and tossed
it on my floor.
"Chill, seriously. I'm just
laughing at something this girl said, okay?" Blake said, and
he started blushing. I grabbed a light purple tank top and my
gold gladiators, and stepped into my bathroom, changing quickly.
I walked back into my room, and turned to Blake.
"What girl?" I asked, suddenly
interested. I didn't know he knew any girls
here.
"Wow, Abbs. You look amazing."
Blake said quickly, changing the subject. I looked in the mirror,
and smiled. The skirt outlined my small waistline, and made my
legs look longer. The light purple tank made my tan glow, and the
shoes tied the whole outfit together.
"Thanks, bro." I said, putting
my hand against his cheek as I walked by to finish my makeup in
the bathroom.
"Hey, Abbie?" Blake
asked nervously.
"Yeah?"
"How do I get a girl to like
me?"
I stopped applying my mascara, and
stuck my head out of my bathroom. Blake was looking down, tracing
patterns in my carpet with his foot. He looked up at me, and I
saw desperation in his eyes. "Don't laugh, please. I
just... I really like this girl."
"Be yourself. Treat her with
respect, make her laugh. Do things to make her smile. Don't
act cocky, but have confidence. Flirt." I replied, giving
him a look before I went back into the bathroom. "Is this
the girl that you and Liam were talking about when I was
asleep?"
"You were listening?" He
asked, surprised.
"Yeah, I can sleep and
eavesdrop," I joked. "Just... don't hurt this girl,
okay?" I warned, spritzing on perfume and swiping on
lipgloss before walking out of the bathroom. I twirled, and posed
for Blake. "How do I look?"
He didn't say anything for a minute,
and I got nervous. I rubbed my arm with my hand, running my
fingers over the scars on my wrist. He gave me a look, and I
stopped. "You look absolutely flawless, Abbs. Honestly,
he's lucky to have you." He got up, and gave me a quick
hug. "And hey, I would never think of hurting her.
Ever." He said, squeezing his arms tightly when he said
ever.
"You better bring her home to meet
me soon," I joked, poking him in the chest.
"I need to make sure she's good enough for my
brother!"
He laughed, and when he looked back at
me, I saw happiness in his eyes. "You'll meet her soon,
okay?" The doorbell rang, and I gasped quickly. I looked
back in the mirror, and stared at myself. I felt Blake's hand
touch my back.
"I'll get the door, okay? You
look amazing. Go get him, kid." He walked out of the room,
and I heard his feet hitting the stairs as he approached the
door. I took a deep breath, straightening my skirt and giving
myself one last look in the mirror. Relax; it's one date
with your boyfriend.
I heard Liam's voice, and my
stomach jumped. I smiled, and walked out of my room and down the
stairs. I saw Liam standing in the doorway, and when he saw me,
his eyes lit up. He was wearing khaki shorts and a blue and white
striped button-down that brought out his eyes. He had a single
rose in his hand. I walked up to him, and gave him a hug.
"Hi," I whispered, and I felt his hands tighten around
my waist.
"You look... wow, just... wow. You
look incredible, Abbs." He whispered, and Blake grinned,
hearing him.
"Have fun, you guys." He said,
giving me a last parting smile before walking back upstairs. Once
he left, I turned to face Liam.
"You don't look too bad
yourself." I joked, and he chuckled.
"For you, pretty girl." He
handed me the rose, and I fingered it softly. "It's
gorgeous, thank you so much." I said. I placed it on the
table by the door. I felt Liam grab my hand, and tug lightly on
it.
"Ready to go?" He smiled down
at me, and I felt the butterflies in my stomach multiply.
"Of course." I replied, and we
walked out to the street.