Summer of Regrets
Chapter 1
Lilly
“Eighth grade is going to be
the best year ever Margie!” I tell my best friend. We are already on the phone,
planning what we are going to wear for the first day of school and it’s only
the fourth of July. Margie is my very best friend in the whole world. We have
done everything together since the first grade when she moved here from Colorado. Margie knows
everything there is to know about me, and I know everything there is to know
about her. That’s just how we are.
“I know, right!” Margie
squeals into the phone receiver.
“Only one more year Margie
and I’ll finally be at the high school with Shawn! I can’t wait!” Now I’m the
one squealing. Shawn is my boyfriend. He has been my boyfriend since I was in
the sixth grade and he was in the eighth. Shawn is going into the tenth grade
this year at Central
High School and he is
going to be on the starting line-up for the football team. Since I am first
chair of the Weaver
Middle School trumpet
section, I get to march with the high school band this marching season! I will
get to be at all of Shawn’s games! People tell him he’s crazy for going out
with a middle school girl since he’s in high school now, but what Shawn and I
have is true love. There is no doubt about that. He’s the first boy I ever
kissed on the mouth. I’ve even French kissed him before, although Margie is the
only one that knows about that. As strict as my parents are, I’d be grounded
for life if they ever found out.
“Give it a rest Lilly! You
know it grosses me out when you go on about Shawn. Blah!” Margie doesn’t have a
boyfriend so she gets a little put out with me going on about Shawn all the
time.
“This could be your year
Margie! Just you wait and see! We’ll be traveling with the marching band this
year! One of those high school boys is bound to snatch you up then you won’t be
so grossed out about me and Shawn!”
“Yeah, whatever.” I can tell
by the sound of Margie’s voice that we’re done talking about that subject. “Are
you still going over to your step-dad’s parents for that picnic today?”
“Yeah, have to. Family
tradition and all. Heaven forbid that I don’t get to see the fireworks from the
Country Club for one year.”
John,
my step-dad, his parents live near the Country Club in town. Every year for the
Fourth of July, we have to go over there and have a cook out with their family
and neighbors. It is usually so terribly boring, and there are people there
that go to my school that I don’t talk to when we’re at school, so I’m
certainly not going to spend my summer time with them.
“Lilly! C’mon! Time to go!”
My mom shouts up from the kitchen.
“Coming mom!” I shout back.
“Gotta go Margie. Mom’s hollering.”
“Call me when you get home
and tell me about all the stuck up snobs you get to ignore tonight.” Margie
totally understands how I feel.
“I will! Bye!” I hang up the
phone and run down the stairs. My mom and step-dad are waiting for me at the
front door. Mom gives me the once over to make sure I am presentable to the
Country Club crowd then out the door we go.
When we arrive at John’s
parent’s house it looks like the picnic is already in full swing. There are
tons of people there. I think I’d rather have bamboo shoots shoved under my
fingernails than to go in there, but like always, I put on my best smile and
follow my parents. John’s mom sees us coming and meets us at the front door.
She is a very nice woman, but I can tell that she is just nice to me for her
son’s sake. I don’t think she ever pictured herself as a grandmother. When John
married my mom, his mother told me to just call her Mona, so that is all she
has ever been to me.
“Hello Lilly dear.” Mona
tells me as she pulls me into a quick hug and air kisses to both cheeks. “Don’t
you look darling?”
“Hi Mona.” Darling wasn’t
exactly the look I was going for when I chose my favorite pink sundress, but,
coming from Mona, I’ll take it. “Thanks.”
“Come dear, let me introduce
you to some of your cousins that are in town.” Mona grabs my hand and leads me
through the house. I glance at mom real quick with my best ‘help me’ look only
to have her smile and wave at me. Gee mom, thanks for the help.
Mona and I walk through the
house out on to the back patio where the crowd looks even bigger than usual.
She leads me over to where a boy and girl are sitting kind of away from everyone.
“Lilly, this is John’s nephew Bobby and his sister Melissa.” She gestures
toward the pair. I am closer to Melissa so I reach out to shake her hand but
she just looks at me like I have some sort of disease.
“Don’t pay her any mind. I
don’t.” The boy stands up and sticks his hand out to me. I hadn’t really looked
at him good before, but he is drop dead gorgeous. For a split second I almost
can’t breathe but I do manage to smile and put my hand in his to shake it. “You
must be Lilly.” Gorgeous says with the most brilliant smile.
“Um, yes, that’s me.” I
stammer. He still has hold of my hand.
“Nice to meet you. Mona has
told us about you. She forgot to mention that you were so pretty though.” I
hear Melissa sigh out loud. Then she rolls her eyes at her brother as she gets
up and leaves.
“Well then,” Mona says.
“I’ll just leave you two to talk and get to know each other. You are cousins
after all.” Mona pats me on the arm then heads out through the mass of people
to fuss over someone or something else.
I finally pull my hand out
of Bobby’s. I can’t believe that I am just standing here gawking at him like
I’m some sort of idiot. He is quite possibly the handsomest boy I’ve ever seen
in my life. He is probably about six-feet tall, with dark blonde hair and sea
green eyes. He has a smile that could absolutely melt the polar ice caps. Even
though I love Shawn with all my heart, I think Bobby is even better looking
than Shawn. God forgive me for thinking that way about my boyfriend.
“Don’t mind Melissa. She
never has had very good manners.” He tells me. “Come on. Come sit with me over
here.” Bobby leads me over to a short stone wall toward the side of the yard.
On our way over he picks up two glasses of lemonade. He waits till I sit down
on the wall to hand me a glass. “So, Mona tells me you play the trumpet?”
“Um, yeah. I’m first chair
of the section this year.” My voice is incredibly shaky as I try to answer him.
“My, my. Beautiful and
talented.” He tells me with that sly grin. I am sure my face is beet red by
now. Never in my life have I ever had a boy talk to me the way Bobby is, and
especially not a boy as beautiful as Bobby. I feel really self-conscious but
the way that he is looking at me makes me feel kind of important and
interesting too. All I can manage to do is to smile at him.
We sit here like this for
biggest part of the evening, him asking questions, me answering them as best I
can, and then him complimenting me. I turn red a lot and find myself playing
with my hair and being all shy way more than I ever have in my life. I can’t
bear to eat more than a few chips all evening because I’m so nervous. Bobby is
very attentive and even tries to get me to eat things from his plate which I
flat refuse because I don’t think I could handle a bite of it if I tried.
Later in the evening I stand
in front of him to watch the fireworks. I think this is the first time in all
of these years of coming here that I’ve really enjoyed watching them. Bobby
leans down next to my ear and comments on them often during the show. As usual,
mom and step-dad are ready to go home as soon as the fireworks are over. I am
pretty sure this is the first year that they’ve ever had to come get me.
“It’s time to go Lilly.” My
mom says as she comes up to me. When I nod, she smiles at the two of us, then
turns and walks toward the car.
“I had a really good time
with you tonight. Can I call you tomorrow?” Bobby asks me. “Maybe we can go to
the pool or something?”
“Sure.” I smile and quickly
turn to follow my mom. I can’t wait to tell Margie about Bobby!!
