How The Allies of Old began: BORN Chapter Five "Little Fool"

Painting in Acrylic by @therealpaul

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Chapter 4

For those of you who missed the post of the release, I briefly explained how the series began as an idea for a Young Adult novel, and that I had in fact written what amounts to a novella taking place the summer before REBORN begins, and I decided to release it here on steemit.

BORN

Chapter Five

Despite her earlier intentions to stick to beer Anna was suddenly feeling the need for something a little stronger. A need that grew in intensity as she passed the campfire just in time to see Gina climb back onto Austin’s lap. She turned away from the spectacle and jogged down the beach pulling a bottle of rum from the cooler. She tipped the bottle up and drank several gulps before Jenna grabbed her arm.

“What are you doing? What happened? Why is Austin back over there with Gina?” she demanded.

Anna blew air out through her nose and grimaced at the burn of the alcohol before grumbling, “It didn't go very well.”

“Are you saying he turned you down?” Jenna’s voice was incredulous.

She took another gulp of rum and shook her head. “I didn’t get a chance to say anything except that I was sorry. I tried, but I got nervous, and he’s really mad at me which was not helping with the nerves.”

Jenna frowned and turned to look in Austin’s direction. “Do you want me to talk to him?”

“No! God no, what am I twelve?”

Jenna’s brow lifted, “I don’t know, you tell me.”

“Oh that’s helpful, thank you,” she took another sip from the bottle and heard her friend sigh audibly.

“Okay, why don’t we go sing some karaoke? Let him cool down and you can talk to him later. Perhaps the party setting is not the right place for this.”

Anna laughed darkly, “Oh you think? Huh that’s funny, I had a similar thought earlier but a friend of mine pushed me.”

“You’re blaming me? Are you kidding, you’re the one who….”

“Stop!” Anna interrupted, “You’re right it’s not your fault it’s mine, I’m sorry. Karaoke sounds good.”

Jenna eyed her for a moment then sighed again and left to gather the girls.

As she waited Anna tried to avoid looking in his direction but couldn’t seem to help it. She watched as Gina stroked him, her stomach clenching with a mixture of anxiety and possessiveness. He’s mine, she thought.

Was it irrational to feel that way? She didn’t think so. She was fairly certain he had felt the same way when he’d seen her with Leo. She winced and guilt washed over her as she faced the fact that she’d caused all of this with her insensitive childishness. Except that wasn’t entirely accurate either, it wasn’t as if he’d expressed his feelings. Wasn’t it supposed to be the guy who made the first move?

Her thoughts circled around the problem and there still wasn’t any resolution by the time the girls pulled her up to the deck to sing.

**

An hour later she slipped away from the girls and when she reached the beach she immediately sought out Austin but he was no longer by the campfire. She meandered her way through the throng of people trying to appear casual, but after fifteen minutes of searching she still hadn’t found him and decided to go check upstairs.

She located his SUV still parked in her driveway. It was blocked in by three other vehicles so unless he got the owners to move he was thoroughly stuck. She went into the house and looked around but it was empty. She repeated the entire process from the crowd at the lake to the house three times before she noticed that Gina was also absent and it finally dawned on her that he could have left after all.

Her stomach sank as she fished her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed his number. It went to voicemail. She tried three more times with the same result before sinking down on the steps of her front porch.

She didn’t know how she felt about any of it. Did she like the idea of him being with Gina? God no. No, she definitely couldn’t stand that idea. But was it simply because she didn’t like the girl and he was her best friend?

Her thoughts were beginning to fray around the edges thanks to the large quantity of liquor she’d consumed. Reason it out, she coaxed herself. Face it down, all the way.

In her mind she went back in time to the day she had first met him. It was the summer after she’d turned thirteen and she was hanging out at the public pool with Jenna and Marina when her attention had been snagged by a couple of guys from her class giving an unfamiliar kid a hard time. Nothing pissed her off more than people being mean just for the sake of being mean so she had intervened, shaming the boys into slinking away. Austin had turned to her with a smile that seemed somehow familiar and within no time at all it felt as if they’d always known each other.

His appearance had changed drastically over the years. When they’d met he’d been about seven inches shorter with adolescent skin, braces, and a funny haircut. And then he had hit his growth spurt and for a while he’d been gangly and awkward as parts of him seemed to grow faster than others. By the end of last year however everything had caught up with one another and the finished product was, well, very nice. Very, very nice.

The girls had been insisting that he was in love with her for years, and she had to admit it did appear that way. And he certainly checked her out often enough, though he also made a point of commenting on other girls he found attractive. But he hadn’t dated anyone, and considering how many girls had been crushing on him this past year it wasn’t as if he couldn’t have.

She shook her head and sighed putting her forehead in her hands and conjuring an image of him. With his All-American looks and charming personality a girl would have to be gay to not be interested. Or a fool.

God, I am a fool, she thought miserably.

Noises from the party drifted into her consciousness and she found she had no desire to go back down to the lake and rejoin. If only she hadn’t chickened out her night would be going a whole lot differently. She heaved another sigh and went indoors, climbing the stairs to her bedroom.

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