Completely (Un)expected

Chapter Eight

This wasn't like the comic store. Here, it was just me and the boys and nowhere to run off to. No escaping the inevitable awkwardness of the afternoon.

"Yeah," Mikey said apologetically, turning to Frank but speaking to the both of us. "Sorry you two couldn't meet last week. What did you have to do anyways?"

"Uh, nothing," he lied. "Just this thing for my mom . . ."

It was obvious to all of us that Frank wasn't telling the truth, but neither of the other boys seemed to care enough to push it and I wasn't going to question his alibis. A slight tension had built that, thankfully, Mikey broke.

"It doesn't matter. This is our last weekend of freedom," he exclaimed, effectively getting us over the previous hitch. "And there's a huge Atlantic Ocean right over there. Let's go!"

Bob and Mikey lead the way with Frank and I trailing behind them. I didn't dare look up at him, and his gaze fell contently on the pathway in front of us, eyes unmoving only to see where he was going.

A moment later, Bob turned around, walking backwards as we continued on toward the beach. "So where are you from?" he asked.

I figured the question was for me so I cleared my voice a little and shyly replied, "Originally, Pennsylvania, but my dad and I always moved around a lot for his job."

"What's he do?"

"Sound board engineer. We've been traveling since I was, eight, maybe."

Bob, rather intrigued and impressed by this, nodded his head and replied, "That's sick, must have been pretty sweet?"

I laughed a little at Bob's reaction, finding myself a little more confident, then remembering that Frank was right there and shutting up. My guard raised again, but I replied anyway. "Yeah, it was for a while."

"What happened?"

"He hit it big," I said then went on to clarify. "In July he got signed to tour with this band from Seattle and he didn't want me to go and mess up my last year of school."

"Bummer."

"Not entirely," Mikey piped in, draping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me into his side. "She's staying here with the coolest cousins ever, and she'll be attending our very own, very terrible, Belleville High."

"Seriously?" Frank let out rather unexpectedly, grabbing all of our attention. He didn't sound happy about it, but he didn't seem devastated either. Shocked is a better word.

"Uh, yeah," I informed him uncomfortably, and finally looking up to him. I met his alluring hazel eyes that were now shrouded in a cloud of disbelief. "I'll be graduating with you guys."

"That's cool," Bob added, probably able to feel the tension between Frank and I.

"Isn't it?" Mikey asked rhetorically. "You do realize that you're one of us now?"

I smiled to my cousin as he wrapped his arm around my waist. It felt nice knowing that I was being accepted somewhere, even if not by everyone. Bob seemed nice enough and hopefully I'd get over Frank, but at least I had a few people I could call my 'friends' and not spend my time in Jersey alone.

"Yeah," I nodded to him. "I figured as much."

***

I felt my face flushing bright red as I saw the turtle doves tattooed on each side of his stomach. The boys had all taken their shirts off the moment we hit the beach, complaining that it was way too hot out.

Frank was more hesitant than the others at first, but the heat eventually got to him and he pulled up on the bottom of his Black Flag tee, revealing his tattooed midsection and bringing a flush to my cheeks. He was hot. Plain and simple.

Averting my gaze from Frank's rather amazing body, and now feeling self-conscious of mine, I set down a towel and claimed my spot on the sand, pulling out a book and cracking it open.
"Don't you want to go in the water?" Mikey asked me taking off his sunglasses, leaving nothing to cover his eyes and letting me, for the first time, see that they were actually a nice hazel color.

"No, I think I just want to read a little."

"Oh, come on," he complained. "Come in with us." He sounded like a little kid, but I had to resist him.

"I, uh, can't swim . . ." I let out rather pathetically, looking down at my lap.

"Really?" Bob asked.

"Yeah, I never learned how to. I'll just stay back here." I smiled to show that I had no problem with staying on land and catching up on some reading. Mikey shot a look to Bob and Frank, though by his reaction, Frank hadn't really been paying attention. Shrugging his shoulders, Mikey gave in, saying, "Alright."

He held his glasses out to me. "Hold my specs?"

I smiled to Mikey and took the frames out of his hand and set them down beside me. "I'll guard them with my life," I joked, but seriously meaning it that I wouldn't let them break. The boys all turned away to head out toward the water, but Frank paused a moment.

He glanced back one more time to me with an unreadable expression on his face. Guilt? Shame? Sympathy? I couldn't tell what Frank was thinking, but all I knew was that being around each other wasn't comfortable for either of us.

Since we'd been out, Frank had barely said two words. I didn't know him well, but I knew him well enough to know that Frank wasn't a shy kid. That night at the club, we'd practically talked each other's ears off, but now he was being mute, and that only made things more uncomfortable. I was starting to wonder if it would ever pass.

...
Guess what?!? I survived another week of college!!! And I had time to write which is hella! I'd forgotten how relaxing it can be, especially since college is stressful with all the work, friends, and this new guy...