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  A Shore Thing

  By

  May Gilden

  A Shore Thing Copyright © 2019 by May Gilden. All Rights Reserved.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  May Gilden

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Printing: Aug 2019

  Party

  I've always been a good girl. I’ve played by the rules and stayed out of trouble.

  Community volunteer.

  Straight A student.

  Choir girl.

  In fact, so good, that you'd probably call me boring. And that's not the best thing to be called when you're sixteen.

  So, when mom and dad went away last month to stay at some fancy bed and breakfast in upstate New York, my friend Becca hatched a plan for me to break away from my goody-goody image.

  We were in my room studying for our Social Studies final. Mr. Holden was known for his killer exams and I was totally freaking out.

  "Relax, Colby, " said Becca. "Everyone knows you'll ace this test like you always do."

  Becca was a good student, too. But she was more relaxed about school. And lately she had her mind on other things- like Jeff Henley. She was busy drawing hearts on the back of her notebook with Jeff's name in the middle, while I was rattling off facts about ancient Egyptian pharaohs.

  Up until last year Becca and I were a lot alike. She used to be kind of quiet, focused on school, and boys didn't notice her too much. Then last summer she got contact lenses, straightened her hair, and grew at least two bra sizes. Suddenly all the boys noticed her.

  She had started dating Jeff about two months prior and by then they were totally an item. They'd already broken up three and a half times- twice because Becca caught Jeff flirting with Amber Holgate at his locker, once because Jeff found out that Becca had been texting his friend Gary, and the half time was a fight that only lasted about 15 minutes when Jeff had ditched Becca last minute to play baseball with his friends.

  Becca was really peeved, but I didn't see what the big deal was. It wasn't like she had to spend every minute of the day with him. In fact, I felt like I hardly got to see her anymore. And she'd changed a lot since she started seeing him. She started cutting class to meet Jeff by the bleachers and missing her curfew when they went out.

  So, when she suggested having a party while my parents were away, I thought maybe it would give us a chance to hang out like we used to. Just the girls. We could have Emily and Kalie join us, too. Make some s'mores. Give each other facials. It sounded like fun.

  Becca twirled her ponytail with her pencil. "Come on, Cole. Don't be such a baby. It's just a girls' night. Your parents won't mind."

  I really hated it when she called me a baby. She thought she was so much older and more mature than me, just because she had a boyfriend. She treated me like I was a little kid. That drove me crazy.

  I thought about it. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have a few friends over. I mean... it's not like we'd get in any trouble with just us girls. I knew my parents trusted me, and I didn't want to mess that up, but what was the big deal?

  I nodded slowly, "I guess it would be okay, you know... just a few girls."

  Becca smirked. "Well...we could invite a few boys, too. You know Jeff's friend Alex? He thinks that you're kind of cute."

  "Shut up, he doesn't," I said, shaking my head. I pushed my glasses up on my nose and smiled, my cheeks getting warm. Alex was really cute. I couldn’t believe that he might be interested in me. Would it be so bad to have a few boys stop over, just for a bit?

  "Come on, Cole. You're a big girl now. Time to have some big girl fun."

  I hesitated a moment. I knew my parents would be really mad if they found out we had boys over, but I didn't want to seem like a big baby. And I was tired of always playing by the rules. I sighed. "Okay, but just a few friends. I'm serious, Becca. My parents will kill me if they find out about this.

  Becca whipped out her cell phone and started texting some invites before I had a chance to change my mind.

  I had a sick feeling in my stomach, like I had made a big mistake. Little did I know what trouble I was in for.

  Busted

  Before I knew it, our little girls’ night had turned into an all-out kegger. I didn't even know most of the kids showing up at my door. And when I locked the front door, more kids were busting in through the patio. I was in a frenzy, trying to wipe up spilled drinks and keep wandering couples out of my parents’ bedroom.

  I spotted Becca dancing with Jeff in the kitchen. She had a red solo cup in one hand and her other arm was slung around Jeff's shoulder. I was fuming. I hadn't agreed to any of this. I grabbed her arm and hissed, "You've got to get these kids out of here, Becca. My parents are going to kill me."

  Becca gazed at me; her eyes glazed over. "Relax, Colby. Nobody is going to find out. You worry way too much."

  I pulled her towards the bathroom. "There is a KEG in the bathtub," I said pointing toward the group of kids hunched over the tub yelling, "CHUG-CHUG-CHUG."

  She laughed and said, "You need to loosen up and have some fun. And I know just the trick." She pushed me back towards the kitchen and said, "Hey Alex, this girl needs a drink."

  I caught my breath.

  Alex...in my kitchen?

  And there he was standing at the kitchen table smiling. He poured some kind of green liquid from glass bottle into a plastic cup and held it out towards me. Where the heck had that bottle come from? I wondered.

  Hesitantly, I reached for the cup. I had never really drunk alcohol before. Well, except for a little bit of wine at Christmas, but that was different. "Uhhh...thanks," I whispered, looking down.

  "Well, go ahead. Aren't you going to try it?" he said, an amused look on his face. "What's the matter? You scared?" It's just a little melon liquor. There's barely even any alcohol in it."

  I felt my cheeks getting warm and knew my face was red. "I'm not scared," I mumbled. I sniffed the cup and took a sip. It didn't taste too bad. I took another sip, then another. I warm feeling spread through my stomach and I started to relax.

  Jeff grinned and put his hand on my shoulder. “See that’s not so bad, is it?” I shook my head and smiled.

  “How about I give you a refill?” he said, grabbing my cup and filling it to the brim with a combination of more green stuff and lemon-lime soda.

  “Here you go,” he said, holding the cup back out, and smiling side, showing his dimples. “I made this especially for you.”

  I looked into his big blue eyes and smiled. “Thanks.”

  I started to think that maybe Becca was right all along. I mean what’s the harm in a having a little party. No one would find out. I just needed to relax.

  That's when I heard the pounding on the front door. And before I knew it police were storming in the house and taking kids into custody. Kids were hiding in the closet and scrambling out the back door. One kid from my Health class even jumped out of the bathroom window. But they caught all of us. They had officers waiting out back to snag anyone who tried running through the yard. They filled two squad cars and sent for a back-up van.

  I was frozen in place, like I was watching this happen in a movie. I still had the melon drink in my hand when an officer approached me and asked if this was my house. I nodded slowly, then I
started to sob.

  "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for this party to happen. I mean…we were only going to have a few friends over." Between sobs, I whispered, "We were going to make s'mores."

  The officer looked at me sternly and guided me toward the front door. I think you better come with me young lady. And at that moment, I knew I was doomed. S'mores or no s'mores.

  When my parents picked me up from the station, they had a look on their faces that I had never seen before. It was more than disappointment, more than anger...it was like they didn't even know me. Like they were staring at me, trying to figure out who was this stranger, pretending to be their kid. Their voices were flat, and they barely spoke to me during the car ride home.

  Before we got out of the car, my mom spun around in the front seat to look at me. She shook her head slowly and whispered, "Colby, how could you? We trusted you."

  I blinked back tears. "I'm so sorry, Mom."

  Cast Away

  I couldn't sleep at all that night. I kept wondering how could I be so dumb? How did things get so out of hand? Why did I listen to Becca?

  I was up before dawn. I figured I'd try to clean up some of the mess before mom and dad got up. I gathered strewn solo cups in a garbage bag, threw out the pizza boxes left on the counter, and put the pillows back on the couch.

  I was scrubbing the kitchen counters, when mom and dad came into the kitchen, still in their pajamas and looking really groggy.

  "Colby, come sit down," Dad said as he sat next to mom at the kitchen table.

  I hesitantly pulled out a chair and sat across from them. I felt a little like I was at a board meeting and I was about to get fired.

  I cleared my throat. "Mom...Dad...I just want you know how really sorry I am. I know I made a really bad choice. But I didn't plan for that party to happen. It was just supposed to be a little get together. And it got out of hand and it won't happen again...I promise."

  Mom shook her head sadly. "We trusted you, Colby. You broke that trust...and that's not something you can fix so easily."

  Tears slid down my cheeks. "What can I do?" I asked.

  Mom and Dad glanced at each other, then Dad cleared his throat. "Your mom and I have made a decision. We want you to spend the summer with Gran. We think it would be good for you to get away for a little bit. And Gran can use the help."

  I blinked. They were sending me away? I mean sure, I loved Gran and it was always nice to visit her at the beach, but being sent away seemed a little extreme.

  "For the whole summer?" I whispered? "I won't get to see my friends at all."

  Dad stared at me over the top of his glasses. "That's the point, Colby. We think you need a break from your friends."

  I shook my head. "That's not fair! I always do what I'm supposed to. I screwed up one time. You have to give me another chance. You can't just send me away!"

  Mom reached for my hand. "This will be good for you, Colby. You haven't seen Gran in a while. And she's getting older. She can use some help."

  There was no use arguing. I could tell that they already had their minds made up. I just couldn't believe how quickly they decided to send me away.

  As soon as I finished my final exams, they packed the car and shipped me off to Long Beach Island on the Jersey shore. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to Becca.

  Gran was the only person that I knew there, and she was great. But I had a feeling it was going to be a very long summer.

  Beach Bound

  We made the three- hour drive to Gran's in complete silence. Mom and Dad were still really mad at me, but I was mad at them, too. I couldn’t believe how fast they made the decision to ship me off. It was like they were just waiting to get rid of me. So, I spent most of my time in the car reading, till I started feeling car sick, somewhere around Philadelphia. That always happened when I read in the car. Then I popped in my earbuds and fell asleep. When I woke, we were crossing the long bridge, taking us over the ocean and into Long Beach Island.

  I gazed out the window at the ocean waves hitting the shore and the seagulls flying overhead. I smiled, momentarily forgetting my anger. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad summer. This place was really beautiful and I always had a great time when I visited Gran, but I usually had Becca to hang out with.

  Last summer we had so much fun. That was before Becca started to change so much. Back then we were inseparable. We pretended that we were German exchange students and we told everyone our names were Helga and Olga. We spoke with really bad German accents all week.

  And when Dad fell asleep on the beach, we buried him in the sand, turning him into a merman. Then we took a selfie with him and sent it to Gran, telling her that we were holding him hostage on the beach and that she had to pay us ransom of two vanilla milkshakes with sprinkles on top to have him released and turned back into a human. Five minutes later she texted back a picture of two shakes with a caption that said, "Shakes are ready. Come and get them! Free the Merman! ��"

  I couldn't help but smile...till I remembered why I was here and that this trip would be very different.

  We pulled down Main Street of LBI, past all the little bakeries, bike shops, and gift shops lining the street. There was a family on a four-seater bike pedaling down the side of the road. I remembered when we rented a bike like that last year. We were all pedaling at the wrong time and slowing each other down. So, Mom and Dad ended up peddling the rest of the way to the pizza shop, while Becca and I sat in the back seats with our feet up, laughing.

  We turned onto Fifth Avenue pulled into Gran's gravel driveway. Her house was the white ocean-front bungalow with blue shutters and a wrap-around porch, nestled in the sand at the end of the road. It was the perfect little beach house that looked like it belonged in a painting. I could hear the ocean waves roaring as I grabbed my suitcases from the back hatch of Dad’s Toyota. I had barely had enough time to pack before leaving, so I hoped that I had enough clothes with me to get me through the summer. Dad helped carry my bags into the house, still not speaking to me.

  The house was empty, but the back door was open. We followed the wooden walkway which led from her back porch over the sand dunes, and found Gran sitting down on the beach in her Adirondack chair. She was wearing a big sun hat and reading a book. When she saw me, she jumped up, hurried over and hugged me.

  "There's my girl!" she exclaimed. She held me at arms-length. "Let me get a look at you! You're all grown up! When did this happen?"

  I laughed. "I don't know, Gran. I guess I grew a little during the school year."

  "A little bit?" Gran exclaimed. "I can't believe how much you've changed!" She smiled and hugged me again.

  "A little too grown up lately," said my father.

  Gran shot Dad a look. "Robert, she's sixteen years old. Do you remember what it was like being sixteen? I seem to remember a certain young man who got in quite a bit of trouble. In fact, I think that’s the year that you and your buddies went joy riding in your father’s new car."

  Dad shook his head. “Uh…Mom, let’s not bring that up that story right now,” he said, glancing at me nervously.

  Gran laughed and turned to me. “He and his friends snuck out in the middle of the night to drive to New York. They had this big idea that they were going to travel across the border to buy some chees-steaks from this all-night truck stop up in Binghamton.”

  “Cheesesteaks?” I asked, biting my lip to hold back a smile.

  My Dad’s face turned red. “They had extra mushrooms,” he mumbled.

  I started laughing. Gran continued, “But they barely made it three blocks before Robert crashed into a mailbox on Orchard Street. Mrs. Holgate called us in the middle of the night, screaming that Robert had side-swiped her mailbox and knocked it right off the post. And that he was in her driveway trying to reattach it…with superglue.”

  I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I bust out laughing and when I caught Mom’s eye, I could tell she was trying her best not to laugh too.

  “Real
ly, Superglue?” I asked, smirking at Dad.

  He shook his head and sighed. “On the commercials they said it was strong enough to suspend a man in the air.”

  Gran continued, “Unfortunately, the only thing that the mailbox stuck to was Robert’s fingers. And we had to rush him to the hospital to have it removed.”

  Gran laughed and wiped her eyes. “I still remember us sitting in the emergency room…you with that mailbox in your lap, still attached to your hand. We were so angry at you, but then we all just burst out laughing when we saw how silly you looked.” Gran patted Dad’s shoulder. “I think it was a while before you tried joy-riding in the middle of the night again.”

  Dad's cheeks flushed. "Really, Ma. Let's not bring up the past. This is about Colby and keeping her on track."

  "Oh, she's right on track, Robert. Don't you worry about that." Gran smiled at me. "And we are just going to have the best time this summer, Colby. I'm so glad your here."

  Gran always had a way of making me feel better. I just hoped that she was right about this summer.

  As we headed back to her house, Gran linked her arm through mine. We hurried through the hot sand to her back porch.

  Gran poured us some iced tea and put out a plate of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, as my parents and I said our goodbyes.

  Mom hugged me and said, "We love you, Colby, and we'll see you soon." She smiled and whispered in my ear, "Give it a chance. I think you'll have fun with Gran."

  Dad hugged me. "Have fun... but not too much fun."

  Gran laughed. "Oh, don't worry, Robert. Your daughter is a terrific young lady." She winked at me. "And I'll try not to keep her up all night partying."

  "Very funny, Ma," said Dad. He looked back and forth at us, an uncertain look on his face. "And take care of each other."

  Gran smiled. "We will."

  I waved to them from the front porch as their car pulled away. The warm ocean wind blew my hair, as I watched their car disappear down the street. I still couldn't help but feel that I was being left behind. And I wondered what's next? I hoped my time there wouldn't drag on forever.