Collide (2 page)

The outside is gray with white shutters and trim. A stone walk way leads from the back of the house,that faces the road, to the front that faces Lake Erie. I exit the car and stretch my body, staring out over the peaceful water.

The house sits on a small patch of land peppered with shade trees and flowers. It really is one of the most peaceful places in the world. A concrete stairway leads from the back deck of the house down to our private dock where Rob's new white speed boat is sitting proudly in the water. Mom said he had it delivered here last week and is dying to get here and try it out.

“Em, get up!” I shout through my open door, watching my best friend stir in her seat before finally peeling her eyes open.

“We're here already?” She mumbles out, slowly peeling herself out of the passenger seat.

“Easy for you to say. You slept nearly the entire drive.” I say, making my way around the back of the car to retrieve our bags.

“Yeah, sorry bout that.” She smiles sweetly and takes her duffel bag out of my hand, slinging it over her shoulder before grabbing her suitcase.

“I think we beat everyone here. I thought for sure mom and Rob would be here by now.” I say, punching the garage code into the keypad. The door springs to life and Emma follows me inside.

I drop my bags on the kitchen floor before grabbing a quick drink of water. The interior of the home is bright and airy. Every detail of the house is done in cream, white and tan, all the way down to the furniture.

While the furniture has been upgraded over the years, the walls painted and counter tops replaced, the original colors never change. I know it's my mom's way of keeping things as close to they used to be as possible.

“God I love this place.” Emma chimes from her spot in front of a large bay window that looks out over the lake.

“Yeah, me too.” I agree, retrieving my bag from the floor and making my way through the open floor plan to join Emma in the living room. “Come on, we better claim our room or we're gonna end up sleeping in the same bed all week.” I say, bumping my shoulder against hers.

“It's not like we haven't slept in the same bed numerous times before.” She says, following me up the staircase that leads to the second floor.

“Yeah I know. I think my legs are permanently bruised from all your kicking.” I laugh but Emma only huffs. Sleeping in the same bed as Emma is like trying to sleep in the middle of an earthquake. Not only does she kick the crap out of me and usually ends up pushing me out of bed, she also talks in her sleep. Which is quite entertaining but hard to sleep through none the less. At least in separate beds I have a small chance of getting a little sleep.

I follow the hallway that leads to the far right side of the second floor before pushing my way through the last door at the end. This room has the best view of any of the bedrooms with a wall of windows that looks out over the water.

The room is decorated in pale blue and yellow and really pops against the light filtering in through the windows. Unlike the downstairs which is all hard wood floors, this room has beige carpet and very little in the way of décor. Two double beds, each with it's own nightstand and a long, oak dresser along the left hand wall. Add in a large portrait of a sail boat on the back wall and that's about all there is.

I toss my bag on the bed closest to the windows and flop down. Emma claims the other bed on the far left wall and immediately begins stripping out of her tank and yoga pants.

“Em, what the hell are you doing?” I ask on a laugh as she struggles to get her pants off without losing her balance.

“Changing, duh!” She exclaims, pulling open her suitcase and dumping the contents on top of her bed. She rummages through the pile of clothes before pulling out a little black bathing suit. She sits it aside and then pulls out another bikini, this one fire engine red. “Here.” She says, tossing it over her shoulder at me.

I eye the scrap of material and then immediately toss it back to her. “I'm not wearing that!” I exclaim, laughing when she throws it back at me again.

“Oh don't be like that. We both know that you have yet to go bathing suit shopping and I want to lay out. So put the damn bathing suit on and stop your bitching.” She cocks her head to the side, both hands firmly planted on her hips, silently daring me to challenge her.

“I'm almost positive that this will cover about half of one butt cheek.” I whine, holding up the scrap of material. “Even if it weren't a size too small, I still wouldn't wear something this.... Well, this slutty.” I say apologetically.

“It's a bathing suit Gracie, relax. And it's not too small. Last time I checked, we're the same size, so stop making excuses and come on.”

“Fine...” I sigh out, knowing she has a point. Besides, it's just Emma and my family. It's not like it really matters if I lay out in a barely there bikini right? I have no one to impress. Even still, I have never been one for flaunting my body. Not that I'm uncomfortable with my size six figure because I'm not, it's just not my style.

Emma on the other hand, loves the attention and re-emerges from the closet two minutes later walking across the room like she's on a cat walk. “Seriously Em, you realize my brothers will be here right?” I ask, taking in her small frame with next to no black material covering her girly bits.

“Isn't that the point?” She purrs, pulling on a sheer black wrap and grabbing her sunglasses from the bed. “Well come on already.” She says impatiently.

I laugh and then peel myself off the bed and make my way inside the small walk in closet to change. Thankfully there is a full body mirror and I am able to make sure that I am completely covered in all the important areas.

Emma's right of course and the bathing suit fits perfectly. I sometimes forget we wear the same size because I am so much curvier than her. I feel like a cow when I stand next to her. She's lean and toned while I am, well nothing but boobs and hips. I used to say that the only reason I didn't topple over in a certain direction is because my ass and boobs evened out each side. While some girls think curves are what's hot, I disagree greatly. Maybe because I have always viewed myself as too curvy.

I can't deny the red of the bathing suit really does stand out against my pale flesh making me look not quite so albino. Deciding it makes me feel a little less naked, I leave my long, wavy, dark hair down. At least it provides me with some what of a shield. Reluctantly, I exit the closet and do my best to cover my body.

Emma whistles from the doorway, pulling her sunglasses down to rest on the bridge of her nose. “Holy shit Gracie, you look hot!” She exclaims, a wide smile across her face.

“I feel ridiculous.” I whine, searching for something to wear over the bathing suit. Again, I'm not ashamed of my body but I hate walking around in next to nothing. While Emma may be completely comfortable doing just that, I am the more conservative of the two of us.

“Here.” She says, stepping next to me, a white bathing suit cover in her hands. “I am nothing if not prepared.” She winks, giving me a knowing smile. I take the wrap from her and pull it over my head. It's a halter style dress cover, cutting off just past my mid-thigh. I smile at her graciously and then grab my sunglasses before following her back down the stairs.

Emma, with tanning lotion and beach towels in hand, leads the way onto the back stone patio. The area is a large oval, decorated with a six person table with a large blue umbrella and chairs. A propane grill and a picnic table is set up on the far left side. I love sitting out here at night after everyone has gone to bed. It's so peaceful here and I love looking out over the dark water.

“Where are you going?” I ask Emma as she starts heading down the concrete stairs to the dock below.

“There's too much shade up here.” She says, gesturing to the trees that shade a good portion of the grassy area. “Let's go down to the dock.”

Deciding there's no point in arguing, I simply nod and follow her down the stairs. She lays out the beach towels side by side and takes her spot on one, stretching out onto her stomach. I mirror her actions and do my best to relax.

The sun feels amazing on my back and I close my eyes, loving the sound of the water lapping just below us. I don't know how long we lay there like that. Neither one of us speaks and I know that Emma is enjoying the peace just as much as I am.

Unfortunately it's short lived as our silence is interrupted by the sound of car doors closing and a man's laughter. I know it's Ian without a second thought. His contagious laugh echos through the air and I open my eyes to find Emma staring at me, a mischievous grin plastered across her face.

“Let the fun begin!” She sings, pushing herself to her feet and taking off in a full sprint towards the house.

While I am excited to see my brothers, I don't share Emma's enthusiasm. Instead of joining her, I lay my head back down on the towel and decide to enjoy my last few moments of peace while I can. Knowing full well that I will get very little of it from this moment on. Besides my late night escapes, the house will be buzzing and I am in no rush to partake in the family bonding.

Truth is, as much as I love Emma and my family, I would much rather be alone. It's the only time that I don't have to pretend that everything is okay. I don't have to pretend that Kyle never existed or that my life is perfect. It's during my time alone that I can let myself feel the pain and the loss that plagues me every second of everyday.

I have not been the same since that day five years ago. The day that I try so hard to push out of my mind. The day I try to forget. The day that haunts me everywhere I go, no matter how much I pretend that it doesn't.

––––––––

“G
race Ellen Morgan. Get your ass up here!” Ian's playful voice cuts through my silence. I peek my head up to see him standing at the top of the stairs, tapping his foot. Even from here I can see the wide grin across his face. I wave him off and lay my head back down. He can wait a few more moments.

“You just gonna hide out here all day baby girl?” Alec's smooth voice fills my ears just moments later, startling me. I shoot my head up and pin my eyes on my oldest brother. He smiles at me lovingly and takes a couple more steps down the dock until he is standing just feet from where I am laying.

“If it means avoiding Ian's taunting for a few minutes longer, then yes.” I say, smiling widely at him. He nods, knowing full well what I mean and closes the distance between us. He sits down next to me, his long legs stretched out in front of him.

I pull my sunglasses down onto the bridge of my nose and peer up at him. While Ian made it out to my graduation with mom, I have not seen Alec in almost a year. Even still, time has not changed him. He looks almost exactly as I remembered him. Rumpled brown hair that hangs across his forehead, his large toned frame dressed in tan cargo shorts and a white t-shirt. He crosses his muscled arms in front of his broad chest and meets my gaze.

“How are you Grace?” He asks. “I mean really.” He adds, knowing full well that I will tell him everything is wonderful no matter what is going on with my life. Even with that knowledge, he still pushes for the truth. Unlike Ian, Alec has always had a way of reading me, even if he doesn't admit it.

While Ian is my cute, playful, snowboard loving, free spirited, artist of a brother. Alec is the more serious one. While I like to think that I know him well, like me, I know that he never truly lets people in. But he is my protector. The one who stepped into my father's shoes even though he was already away at college when dad passed. Being ten years older than me, he has always been very protective of me and that fact increased one hundred fold when he became the eldest man in the family.

“I'm good.” I finally answer, sighing loudly and resting my chin on hand. “How's New York?” I ask. While the main reason I am moving there is for Emma, it doesn't hurt that my oldest brother also resides there and will give me some sense of home in the craziness that is New York. “How's the business?” I tack on, referring to the software development company that he started a few years back with his college roommate. While he doesn't brag, I know that they have managed to be very successful. Creating and selling various apps for smart phones and other devices.

“It's good.” He says, being completely modest by how well he has done for himself. I mean, I don't know what kind of money a business like that brings in but from the way mom describes his downtown penthouse, I would say he makes more than he would ever need.

“Sorry I couldn't make it out to see you graduate. Hell, I barely got away to come here for the week.” He shrugs. “We both know mom would have killed me.” I can only nod my head in agreement, knowing full well that my mother would have been heartbroken had he not been able to make the trip. None of us has missed a year yet.

“No worries. It wasn't that big of a deal. Besides, my part lasted a whopping thirty seconds. The rest of the time you would have had to sit there and listen to them call out hundreds of names and I can only imagine how dreadfully boring that would have been for you.”

“It would have been worth it baby girl. You're a college graduate now. That's something to be very proud of.” He says, smiling down at me.

I shrug. “Yeah I guess. I'm just glad it's over honestly. I mean, it was a great experience and all but I am ready to start living my life. College was just a necessary step. I need publishing houses to take me seriously, having an English major is the first step in achieving that.”

“Hey Alec.” A man's voice I don't recognize interrupts us. I twist my head to the side and instantly my mouth falls open. Holy hell. Zayne Evans. My brothers college roommate and best friend has always been a looker but I certainly was not prepared to lay my eyes upon the sex god that is now hovering just feet from where my inappropriately covered body is laying. “Your mom and Rob are here.” He says casually, his eyes finding mine for a fraction of a second before turning back to Alec.

“Thanks man.” Alec says, pushing himself to his feet. “Come on baby girl.” He says, holding his hands out to me. I push up on my knees, doing my best to make sure all areas are covered before taking his hands and letting him help me to my feet.