I couldn’t believe it had been ten days since we graduated.
Ten days since we left it all behind and never looked back. We rode off into the sunset and lived like a king and queen.
Okay, not really. We didn’t go anywhere except for a few parties and the special getaway that Ethan had planned for our graduation night. One in which I fell in love with him ten times over.
After stopping in at a few get-togethers graduation night, Ethan took me a bed and breakfast a short distance out of town. Without me knowing, he had Clarissa gather up a bag for me so that I would have what I needed for the night and the following day. My sister decided to pack Victoria's Secret negligee, stockings, and stilettos, instead of my usual shorts and t-shirt for nighttime wear.
Did I wear them?
Hmm, let’s just say they didn’t stay on too long.
Anyhow, Ethan had been acting kind of weird the past week. He hasn’t told me anything that wa
An hour later, me and Hope packed up two more boxes in her room. I think we spent more time playing around, dancing to her favorite songs than we did any actual work.I heard a soft knock on the door, and Ethan poked his head in. “I have to get Morgan back home.”Really? I didn’t know I had a curfew. Maybe this was his way of getting rid of me?“Aw, c’mon. We were having fun. I won’t get to see Morgan much longer.” Hope flopped down across her bed. She put on her best pouty face, hoping to get her own way.“You’ll see her tomorrow. Maybe.” Ethan would say anything to put a smile on his sister’s face.“Okay.” Hope bounced back up, put her arm around my waist, and led me back down to the living room.I gave her a quick hug and kiss, a promise to come back tomorrow, then followed Ethan out.The ride back home was…quiet. Like Ethan didn’t even turn
It’s been over a month since Ethan and his family made the big move to Florida. We talk every day and video chat at least three times a week. He sent me pictures of him and Hope at the beach. His hair had gotten longer, and the constant sun exposure brought out all kinds of highlights. With his dark tan, good looks, and perfect body he could be a model for some vacation guide or something. I mean really, once someone would see Ethan on the front cover, they would want to go the Keys that minute.He told me Hope has already made some friends, and that he found a new love. But once he saw my hurt expression, he had to backtrack on what he just told me. He loves trying to surf and is even taking lessons from one of their new neighbors.I told him I’m doing well, but that’s a lie, and he probably knew it. I’m sure he could see and hear the pain every time he talked to me.I couldn’t help it, I just wanted him to come back home, but I kn
“Ethan, it’s almost dinner time,” I called out from the balcony that looked over our own private section of the beach. I was staying at Christine’s house, Ethan’s grandmother. Like she’d said back in Pennsylvania, she had a big house with a bedroom just for me if I wanted anywhere to stay. What I didn’t know at that time was that Ms. Christine was quite wealthy. It seemed she and her late husband had bought up a lot of oceanfront property way back in the day before Key West became a tourist site. Then, as the years progressed she sold off several plots of land to developers but kept some of it for her own personal oasis. Now, she has a six-bedroom house on five acres that looks out into the deep, dark blue ocean. I’d been in Key West with all of them for over six months now. Clarissa came to help me pack the night before my flight left. We’d put almost all of my summer clothes, laptop, and the basic necessities that I would need into two suitcases. I said goodbye to
My hand clenched at my stomach. “I don’t know if I can do this.” I was used to being in crowds, like when I was in debate back in high school and with all the reports and public speaking, I had to do with several of my courses, but this, this was totally different.Clarissa smoothed out my veil and gave me a hug. “You’re going to be fine. Just focus on Ethan and don’t worry about the other five hundred people in the church.” And with that comment, she gave me her best non-convincing smile.Five. Hundred. People. And that was the attendance at the marriage ceremony, that wasn’t including all the others who would show up for the reception. It seemed Ethan’s grandmother knew half the population here in the Keys, and according to her, as we made out our guest list, you can’t leave so-and-so out of the invitations, that would be a recipe for disaster.So, since she was footing most of the expenses,
There was a straight line in the carpeting from me pacing back and forth between the window and the door. The photographer got pulled away by Hope over an hour ago, which meant I would be front and center in less than thirty minutes. I wasn’t worried or even nervous about getting married, I knew Morgan was the one and only, but I was terrified of making a fool out of myself in front of all those in attendance. Sure, I was a cocky, confident ass in high school, but picturing myself becoming a mumbling idiot in front of five hundred people, some of whom I’ve never met, well, that’s got me anxious as fuck.So far over the past year of all of us living in The Keys, life has been more than great, it’s been the best time of my life. College was going well, my mom finally became the woman I knew that was hiding away from us for so long, Ms. Christine was more than I ever expected in a grandmother and kept all of us in line, Hope had friends, was high honors i
August 15It was the last day of summer vacation. The last day that I had to worry about ever going back to the first day of school.Well, that was until I started college, but it would be so different then.I wouldn’t have to worry about the Hawks and the Hawkettes and who they were torturing this year. Not that they’d ever done anything to me in the past, I was invisible to them, and that’s the way I liked it. I stayed under the radar, got done what I needed to get done, then got the hell away from the school.I only participated in the debate club, because, well, that was one place I wouldn’t have to worry about any of the elite ever showing up, the soccer stars of the school and the band of um, what would be the right word to describe them…hoes that followed them around. None of them would ever be caught in such a club, as none of them knew much about anything that didn’t d
The sweat dripped down the sides of my face. I grabbed the towel from the back seat of my old beat-up car and wiped away the wetness from the top of my head. I’d gotten my hair cut last week, so instead of my dark brown hair hanging down to my collar, it was now short enough that it felt like prickly stubbles.I’d stayed after practice for some extra weight training, not that I really needed. I knew that I was fit. At six feet tall, chiseled facial features, and a six-pack abdomen, I was a hot commodity at school. But what most people didn’t realize was that it took hours of conditioning and years of training for soccer to keep this status.I walked into the town’s local pizza shop and saw that the rest of the team was already seated and eating. It had become the hangout whenever we got done with soccer practice, and when no one was quite ready to go home.So, it seemed I was the last to arrive for our daily pizza meal. Of course, t
I looked in the mirror one more time. The outfit that I’d picked out last night just didn’t seem the same now that I had it on this morning. There was still time to change before I had to leave, but what would I wear if I didn’t dress in this.Ten minutes later, I walked out of my room and downstairs. I still had on the leggings and tunic shirt that I’d selected earlier. It wasn’t the best attire in my wardrobe, but it was comfy, and that ranked higher than wearing the latest sleaze fashions that everyone else would have on.“You look…nice.” Mom poured another cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table. “What happened to all those clothes we bought with Clarissa yesterday. Those were cute.”I rolled my eyes and wobbled my head side-to-side. There always had to be a ‘but’ in whatever compliment my mom gave me. This time it was the ‘that’s a nice outfit, but