Snippet #1861278

”I’m not sure why you think it’s okay for you to just disappear for the week.” Shaun growled as he stood outside Andy’s front door. “Have you talked to mom and dad about this? You’re going with that goody two-shoes Gabe? And a bunch of other pot-heads?”

“Beats being home.” Andy replied, acid in her tone. “Especially if you’re going to be here…”

Shaun had shoved her so hard that her head rattled, spots appearing behind her vision. She was fortunate enough to get inside the house and lock herself in her room before he could do any more damage.

Andy was interrupted from her quiet musings when a very distinct smell permeated the vehicle.

“Ok, seriously guys! If you’re going to crack a jack, open a window or something!” Andy shouted towards the back of the van. The entire car was stuffy, in spite of the air conditioning that Gabriel’s poor vehicle was trying to pump out. Of course, the red head was mostly kidding, but in an environment where everyone was sitting in cramped quarters, the smallest infraction of personal space was bound to be misconstrued. For Callie’s benefit, Andy signed what she said, and glanced to the side of Gabe’s face as he drove.

That boy…

There was something distinctly different about the way he’d been treating her lately. Not just in the car, but in the few days leading up to their big trip. She’d always been pretty close to Gabe, closer than she had been to any guy, so the subtle things she’d noticed hadn’t really come as some kind of a big surprise at first. But now, with the small smiles, his occasional embraces, even reaching over to just touch her shoulder, to convey comfort, it was hard for her to ignore that something was off.

At the same time though, she couldn’t say that she minded all that much. It wasn’t that Gabe was bothering her with his…advances? She wasn’t even sure what to call them. But with the anxiety she’d started to feel towards the end of the trip, and the sense of claustrophobia she got as they pulled up to the Cabin, she was starting to read into things a little more than she was used to, and it made her feel uptight, uncomfortable, even a little concerned.

It wasn’t all that fair, really. For all she knew, Gabe was just being his normal, comforting, caring self. She liked him for that. Everyone did. He was a good guy.

Making eye contact with Callie, Andy reached over and prodded the girl in the shoulder. “This’ll be fun.” She promised, smiling and turning back to face the front just as Gabe went and pulled into the long drive that sat outside of the Cabin.

“Everyone grab their own shit!” Andy hollered as she pushed the door open and all but spilled outside. Gravel crunched under her sandaled feet, the smell of pine and fresh air nearly making her sneeze with its freshness. Andy wrinkled her nose, scratching at a spot behind her ear before going to the back to start unloading everyone’s suitcases.

When she found her own beat-up duffel, she yanked it out of the pile, slung it over her shoulder, then stood by and waited for Callie to get her things. The red-head would help where she was needed, but for the moment, she felt it was safest for her to remove herself from the chaos that would be initial unloading and re-loading of the Cabin.

This cantankerous group of teens was going to be making some noise, and a serious mess by the end of this trip. She just knew it, and the thought had her smiling wide.

"Callie!" she called should the girl happen to look her way. "I'm heading inside. I'll save us a room, ok?"

She took a few steps back, waving to the girl before turning on her heel and stepping inside. There was Patrick, the one serious problem with the entire trip, looking for all the world like a child in a toy store. She gave him a slight smile for politeness' sake, then walked past him, deciding that she'd play it safe and just put as much distance between him and her as possible. She'd have to watch Callie around that one too. No sense in letting her get mixed up with his type.

"I got the room FURTHEST away from the bathroom!" she shouted out of the bedroom towards the others.