New by Lydia Hub (best free ereader .TXT) 📕

put my “face” on so I start on my hair. With one swift movement I pull my hair into a neat bun. Smiling, I study my hair and make-up making sure I haven’t messed any thing up. Satisfied I get up and leave the bathroom, I head straight for the stereo. Pushing the buttons quickly I find a station I like and “California Gurls” comes blasting through the speakers. I LOVE THIS SONG! I think as my feet start to move to the beat of the song. I lift my arms up waving them around, twirling around. I’m really absorbed in the music when the sound of someone clearing their throat startles me. Jumping back I smash into the coach and flip over backward landing on the other side.
“Wow! Are you okay?” Keith says in a worried voice.
“Oh my god! You scared me!” I scream at him. “Don’t you knock?”
“I did, you didn’t answer so I tried the door. It was open, so I let my self in.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t have any thing in my hands, I would have thrown it at you!”
“And you would have missed.” He says a smile stretching across his face.
“Yea?” I question, picking up my hairbrush off the end table, I hurl it at his head. He ducks easily to the side, laughing so hard I think he might wet him self. I glare at him letting my hands slid over the end table, searching for something else to throw. My hand bumps into a half full water bottle, I let my fingers wrap around the bottle and with one quick motion a fling the bottle at him. It makes and satisfying thud when it hits his chest, his head snaps up and his laughter stops in the same instant the bottle hits his chest.
“What was that for?” Keith asks.
“Just proving I can hit you.” I say smugly.
“Doesn’t count, I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Does to! I still hit you!” I retort not letting him bring me down.
“What ever helps you sleep at night.” He says, his smile returning. “You ready to go?”
“Just let me get my purse and I’ll be ready to go.” I say smiling. “So where are we going?” I grab my purse, waiting for Keith to answer.
“You’ll just have to wait and see.”
“Just to warn you, I’m not good with surprises.” I reply frowning.
“You’ll survive.”
“I don’t think I will.” I say glumly.
“Come on lets go.” He says wrapping his arm around my waist, he pulls me to the door. We walk down the stairs in silence, it feels as though I will suffocate under the silence. I dig through my head as fast as I can, searching for some thing to say.
“Um… what… did you have for lunch?” I ask and then I laugh at my dumb question. Keith looks at me like I’ve lost my mind but answers my question.
“I had a… hamburger.” He looks at me again, this time with a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. “What did you have?”
“Left over Chinese food.”
“What did you do all day?” His question makes mine seem even dumber.
“I watched TV and did a little online shopping. What ‘bout you?”
“I went surfing with some of the guys.”
“You know how to surf? Will you teach me how?” My voice rises with excitement.
“You want to learn how to surf? I thought you didn’t like water.” Keith asks eyeing me with questioningly.
“Well, you can teach me on land.” I answer as we stop in front of a restaurant called “The Toad” “We’re eating at a restaurant named after a reptile?” I could feel the disappointment on my face.
“Don’t judge and a toad is a amphibian.” He answers waving a scolding finger at me.
“Okay, okay… lets go into the frog.”
“Toad.” He corrects me.
“What ever.” I say as he pulls me into the restaurant. We stop in front of the maitre d’ where Keith gives the name Trip. It occurs to me at the moment that I hadn’t known Keith’s last name all this time. We are escorted to a table in the back of the room. The maitre d’ takes our coats and disappears around the corner. Keith pulls out one of the chairs for me and I sit down slowly careful of the delicate fabric that makes up my dress. Keith settles into the other chair not nearly as carefully as me. Again an awkward silence settles upon us.
“I didn’t know your last name was Trip.” I state slowly.
“Oh your dad didn’t tell you what my last name is?”
“No, but I suppose you know what my last name is.” I reply.
“Yes I do, Ms. Hadlin.” He says a smile playing at the corners of his lips.
“Very good Mr. Trip.” I pause “I have a weird question for you.”
“Okay?”
“What town do we live in?”
“Sunset Lagoon” His answer is automatic like he’s said it hundreds of times, which I guess he has. The silence settles on us once again and again I struggle to think of something to say.
“Um… What are you going to order?”
“I don’t know I’m not really hungry.” He shrugs punctuating his statement.
“I’m not very hungry either.” I feel stupid that I even suggested this.
“Want to get out of here?” His question makes me exited.
“Yea, lets go.”
“What can we do that won’t ruin your dress?”
“I have a back up plan. You just wait here, I’ll be right back.” I push away from the table grabbing my bag and head to the lady’s room. I go right for the only open stall, I slip out of my dress folding it neatly I place it in my bag. I quickly change into some shorts and a tee shirt. I hurry out of the bathroom ignoring the stares of the other dinners. I plop down in my seat again, Keith looks up taking in my new outfit.
“Do you always carry an extra change of clothes?”
“Not always, but most of the time. I like to plan a head.”
“Well I like this outfit better than that dress.” He says getting up “Lets go.” He helps me up and we get our coats. He pulls me to his side outside the restaurant and I snuggle into the crock of his arm. “So what do you want to do?”
“I was hopping you would have something in mind.”
“Well, I could teach you to surf,” He pauses “on land”
“Sounds good to me.” We walk down the road for a few minutes. We past the only house I recognize, other than my own. Megan’s. Shit I didn’t call Megan back. I quickly pull out my phone. “You mind if I call Megan and apologize for not calling her back?”
“No, go ahead.” He says smiling.
I dial Megan’s number quickly and she picks up after the second ring.
“Hey! Bailey!” Her voice is as bouncy as her orange curls.
“Hi, I’m sorry I didn’t call you earlier. I’m busy now but we could hang out tomorrow. If you want.” Out of the corner of my eye I see Keith frown when I say “hang out tomorrow”
“Yea tomorrow would be great. Are you having fun with Keith?”
“What? How do you know I’m with Keith?”
“I saw you walk by my house.” Her answer makes me feel stupid.
“Oh. Well I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Okay, I’ll call you tomorrow.” She so bouncy I think it would be impossible to be sad around her. I hang up the phone and put it back into my purse.
“Okay, why did you frown when I said ‘we could hang out tomorrow’” I demand.
“I bet you could guess.”
“You wanted to hang out with me?”
“Yes.” He says pausing in front of a big brick house “I have to get my board.”
“Do I have to wait here or do I get to come in?” I ask not sure which one I wanted him to pick.
“Well, if you want to meet my parents you can come in.”
“I’ll come in.” I say smiling. He squeezes my hand quickly then pulls me up the walkway to his house. Once we get to the door I stop dead in my tracks. “How many of your past girlfriends have met your parents?”
“You’ll be the first.” His answer pleases me but I don’t tell him that. He twists the doorknob, pushes the door out of the way and pulls us inside.
“Mom! Dad!” He calls out into the house “I have someone I want you to meet!” A few minutes his parents come down the stairs. His mother is short with long, brown, hair brown eyes and a warm smile. Keith’s father on the other hand is tall with blond hair, gray eyes and I can easily tell where Keith gets his looks. I smile at them and they smile at me. “Mom. Dad. This is Bailey Hadlin, my girlfriend.”
“Hello, Bailey, I’m Chuck and this is Mary.” Keith’s father has a booming voice that startles me a little. I flinch when he laughs at my reaction.
“It’s nice to meet you Bailey.” Mary’s voice is soft and it soothes me quickly.
“Hi” I say nervously. Keith squeezes my hand again then pulls it away.
“I’m going to get my board, then we’re going to the beach so I can teach Bailey to surf.” He smiles at me. “I’ll be right back.” Then he climbs the huge staircase.
“Why don’t you tell us about your self Bailey.” Mary says turning my attention back to her and Chuck
“Um… Okay.” I pause “I moved here from Connecticut three days ago, I’m sixteen. I’m an only child. I run track and…I love to read”
“Oh you run track? I used to run when I was in high school.” Chuck’s booming voice scares me again. “What do you do?”
“I was on the winning relay team back home.”
“Oh that’s fabulous!” He exclaims. I smile and out of the corner of my eye I see Keith coming down the stairs caring a long, green surfboard.
“You ready to go?” Keith’s voice feels like a life-persevere.
“Yup,” I pause tearing my eyes away from his face. “Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Trip.” I smile at Keith’s parents.
“Nice to meet you too.” They say in unison. Keith takes my hand and pulls me toward the door. The instant we step out the door he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me against his side.
“How far is the beach?”
“A few minutes here.” Keith answers, pulling me tighter against his side. We walk in silence for a few minutes, but it’s not awkward like before. Suddenly a cool breeze blows down the road and I involuntarily shiver. “You cold?” Keith asks shrugging out of his coat before I can answer. He lets go of my waist and holds up the jacket for me to put on. I slide my arms through the sleeves and wrap my arms around his waist again.

A few minutes later we are standing two feet away from the water’s edge.
“Do you want to go in?” His warm voice breaks through the silence.
“No thanks, I don’t like the water remember.”
“Why don’t you like the water?”
“I don’t want to have this discussion!” I snap, “And you said you would teach me on land.”
“Okay, okay.” He says laying his board down on the sand, he pulls me over to the board. “So just