"Honey, it's 7, you have to get up and get ready now." My dad says, shaking me gently to wake me up.

My excitement from the night before rushes back and I immediately wake up.

"Is Chloe up already?" I ask.

"Yes, and Amanda is going to start breakfast for you all soon. How many are coming again?"

"6." I tell him.

"Okay. I'll go so you can start to get ready." He then leaves, closing the door behind him.

I check my phone and snapchat back everyone who sent me snaps overnight. I get up and go to my bathroom and get ready. Once I'm done in the bathroom I walk to my closet and pull out a pair of light blue jeans shorts and a light purple backless sweater, that is a light fabric so I won't get overheated in it.

I grab one of my North Face bookbags from my closet and put sunscreen, two bathing suits, two outfits, pajamas, and then a towel, as well as my toiletries.

Lucy texted us last night asking if we should get hotel rooms and spend the night and we all agreed with her idea. They booked two rooms, one for the girls and one for the boys.

I walk downstairs and into the kitchen where Amanda is cooking, dad is in the dining room setting the table, and Noelle is asleep on her bed next to the back door.

"Morning." I say, sitting at the kitchen table.

"Good morning Amelia, I'm almost done breakfast. Do you mind bringing some of the food to the dining room now?" Amanda asks, putting more pancakes on a plate.

"Of course." I grab some plates of bacon and fruit then walk over to where my dad is. I set them in the middle of the table.

"Do you know if Chloe is almost ready?" Dad asks.

"No, she'll probably be down here soon though."

The doorbell rings and we hear Chloe run down the steps as I walk out of the dining room. Chloe opens the front door and it's Christine, carrying a bookbag.

"Aww." Chloe says, shutting the door behind Christine, then walking into the kitchen.

"Good to see you too." She says sarcastically.

"Hey, I thought you were coming with everyone else?" We follow Chloe to the kitchen.

"Nah, I decided just to have my mom drop me off." She sets her bag down on the couch, then comes back and sits in the chair across from me at the kitchen table.

"So Chloe, how was your date?" Christine asks.

"Great, we just really connected and I just can't wait to spend more time with him today." She says. "Also don't take my greeting personally, Aidan said they were going to be here any minute and I thought it was him."

"Oh girl you're fine."

"Amelia, if we are spending the night in Santa Monica, are you and Xavier still going to the mall then?" Christine asks, suddenly reminding me of my Sunday plans.

"I don't know, maybe we will just go another day this week." I'll have to ask him when he is free next then.

Dad comes from the dining room and we start to talk about school and college like every parent talks about with their kids friends. We then move to the topic of homecoming.

"Where are you girls taking pictures?" Amanda asks.

"I think at Xavier and Lucy's house." Christine tells them.

"What about you Chloe?" Dad asks.

"Oh Aidan and I are going to Annas house since she's having a lot of people over from our friend group." She tells us.

"I can go with Chloe to Annas for pictures if your dad goes with Amelia since it's her senior year." Amanda suggests.

Amanda and dad try to be there for us for all of our events. Last year dad couldn't make it to a swim meet so Amanda left work early to make sure someone was there to cheer us on.

"I'm good with that arrangement." I say, as Chloe nods in agreement.

Just then the doorbell rings and we all jump up to get it. Chloe makes it to the door first, even thought she was the furthest from it. In walks Xavier, Aidan, Blake, Lucy, then Grayson.

"Hey guys." I say, once they all get into the house, "This is my dad and his fiancée Amanda."

"Dad, Amanda. This is Xavier, Aidan, Blake, Lucy and Grayson."

"Nice to meet you all." Amanda says.

"You guys can follow us into the dining room. Feel free to make yourself at home." Dad says.

We all walk into the dining room where ten plates are set, while Amanda and dad finish bringing out the rest of the food.

We all sit and are about to eat when dad realizes we forgot to bring out the orange juice and water. "I'll go get it." I say standing up.

"I'll help." Xavier says, standing up from beside me.

My dad sat at the end of the table with Amanda to his left and myself to his right. Next to Amanda was Chloe then Aidan, Blake, and Christine. Next to me was Xavier, Lucy, then Grayson.

Xavier follows me into the kitchen, and walks beside me to the refrigerator where the drinks are.

"You're dad and Amanda seem nice." Xavier tells me.

"Yeah, they are very welcoming to everyone." I grab the Brita water pitcher and the gallon of orange juice and set them on the counter besides the fridge.

"You should come over one night and formally meet my parents, since I've met one of yours now." He suggests.

"Sure, my dad will probably want to come too, so he can meet your parents as well." I tell him.

I'm excited that he wants meet his parents formally. We did meet them that one night, but we barely talked and that was a weird night in general.

"I'll bring it up to my parents tomorrow." He says, as we walk back into the dining room.

We set the orange juice and water in the middle of the table, and sit down.

"So Xavier, Blake. How long have you guys been driving?" Dad asks, causing Chloe and I to roll our eyes. Here comes the questions.

"About three years now." Xavier says.

"Okay, and how old are you guys?" He continues.

"We are all 18, besides Aidan who is 16." Blake answers.

"I would like to meet your parents, as they probably want to meet us too." Dad tells them.

"Of course, we can probably have a dinner party at our house soon." Lucy smiles at my dad, which he returns.

Well that's convenient since Xavier and I were just talking about that. I look over to Xavier and he gives me a smile and winks. Lord, I'm about to get in my feels about this boy if he doesn't stop.

"Aidan, I also appreciate that you had Chloe home by her curfew last night." He says, looking over at Chloe and Aidan.

"I don't want to get off on the wrong foot with you sir, and give off a bad impression." Aidan says, smiling at my dad then at Chloe.

"Now what did you guys do exactly?" Dad asks.

"Honey, why don't we hold off on the questions for now." Amanda says, touching my dads hand that rests on the table.

Chloe and I both smile at her grateful that she's not letting him continue.

"One last thing, I'll need all your phone numbers and your parents so if anything happens I'm not left in the dark." My dad says, before he starts to cut his pancakes.

"Of course." Lucy says.

We all start to eat and continue with light conversations. Once we finish, we help clean off the table then Chloe, Christine, and I grab our bags and put on our shoes to leave.

"Okay dad, you have everyones number and you know where we are staying. I'll text you when we get there and call you tonight." I tell him.

"Alright, be safe. And if anything happens call me and I'll be there right away." He says, giving me and Chloe a hug.

"Remember, don't do anything you'll regret, but have fun." Amanda tells us.

We say our goodbyes and follow Xavier and Blake to their cars. In Xaviers car it's him, Lucy, Grayson, and I. Then Blake takes Christine, Chloe, and Aidan.

As we drive away from my house, Lucy and Grayson share a pair of headphones in the back and in ten minutes they are both asleep.

"Do you want to play some music?" Xavier asks, handing me the aux cord.

"Sure." I put on the song Sundress by A$AP Rocky.

"Oh man, this is one of my favorite songs." Xavier tells me with a smile, turning up the music.

We both sing along to the song, and once it's over, he turns down the music as the next song comes on. Smiling, he turns to me and then back to look at the road.

"Since we most likely can't go to the mall tomorrow, when do you want to go this week?" I ask him.

"Why can't we go tomorrow?" He questions.

"Oh well we won't be home until noon or so and the mall closes at six plus we might be tired and stuff..."

"I'm down to go tomorrow if you aren't too tired from this trip. We can just go a little later than we originally wanted." He says.

I don't want to look too into this but it seems like he does really want to hang out alone. "Okay! We can just go around 3 then."

"Good, because I do want to hang out with you and find something for homecoming."

"Yeah, it'll be fun." I tell him.

"What do guys usually wear to homecoming? We've never been to one since we were pulled out before ninth grade."

"Most guys just wear khaki pants and a button down shirt and nice shoes. Nothing too fancy." I tell him.

"Oh that'll be easy to find then."

"Yeah it will be." I agree

It sucks that they had to be pulled out of school their first three years of high school. I can't even imagine how anti-social and depressed I would have become if I didn't socialize with people everyday.

"Were you guys doing online school for the past three years?" I ask, trying to get some answers for my thoughts.

"Yeah, it was an online school. We all decided it would be better for us to come back to public school though." He explains.

"Do you guys usually do everything together?"

"Yes and no." He says, "some decisions we make together and but personal family decisions we make alone."

"Why do you guys all live on the same property?" I ask before truly thinking about it first. My curiosity has always made me say things before thinking.

"My, Blake, and Graysons dads parents all bought the plot of land in the 70's, then our dads just decided to live on it too with their families. It's pretty big, Grayson's house is half a mile from mine and Blake's is about a mile away. So we have our space." He tells me, not seeming to mind my curiosity.

"Do you guys want to live there when you're older?" I ask him.

"Yeah, we all decided to."

"Where will your parents live when you guys start a family?" I continue.

"My parents are moving up north to live in our cabin. Graysons are going to move to Malibu, and Blakes are moving to San Diego." It's weird to think these three couples are going to become so far from each other after living together for so many years.

"Okay one last question, if you don't mind, then you can ask me all the questions you want. Who decides who gets to live on the property?" I know Xavier and Lucy's dad has brothers and sisters, but why did their dad get the property and not them?

"The oldest gets it. So Blake, Grayson, and I will live there."

"What about Aidan? And Lucy?"

"Aidan will most likely live close, but he is very happy to not have to stay in Lakefield. Lucy is planning on marrying Grayson and living there with us." He explains.

Their situation isn't as complicated as I thought it was. I personally wouldn't want to live in the same house as my childhood one until my kids decide to take it over. Maybe it is now so normal for them, they don't mind it.

"Now my turn. What are your plans for college?" He asks.

"I want to go to either UC Santa Barbara, UC Los Angeles, University of Southern California, University of Georgia, or Boston University for Pre-med. Then I'm going to go to medical school on the east coast and work in a hospital in New York City or California." I tell him.

"Wow. I think I'm just going to one of the UC schools then go into real estate."

"That's a good career." I tell him. I use to want to be a real estate agent but I'm not a very good salesperson.

"Tell me about your parents, and your life before Lakefield." He says, genuinely intrigued.

"Okay, so my mom and dad split when I was in 8th grade, because they never had time for each other and just fell out of love I guess. Since my mom's job caused her to travel so much, my dad got custody over us. We originally lived in San Francisco and then moved to Lakefield the summer before 9th grade because my dad got a job offer down here. Now we just see my mom during certain holidays and in the summer." I explain.

"Is your mom lonely?" He asks.

"No, she got married last October to Jason and he has a young son named Andrew. Since dating him and being around Andrew, she has stopped working so much to be with them more."

"Does it anger you she stopped working and traveling so much for Jason and Andrew and not your dad, sister and you?" Damn, he really must care about this to ask that deep of a question.

"No because she only stopped traveling because her boss gave her a promotion that made her have to work at the main office only. I know she loves us equally with them." At first Chloe and I were pissed that mom got a promotion like that after we stopped living with her, conveniently when Jason and Andrew came around. Even now, if I think about it too much, it starts to bug me.

Xavier must have realized my discomfort of the topic of my mom, because he then changes the subject. "Where will your dad live once you both go to college?"

"Him and Amanda plan to move to Washington, since that's where my dad is from. Amanda also has a few family members up there too." I tell him.

"What about Chloe, where does she want to go?"

"Chloe doesn't know yet where she wants to live." Chloe can't decided whether to go with Amanda and Dad to Washington and go to college there or stay in California.

"Would you stay in California?" He asks, and seems nervous for my answer too.

"Maybe, only if I find a better job here then one on the east coast." His mood changes slightly, and he starts to frown.

"I mean I love California though, and it is my home state, so maybe I will stay here." I say quickly, and he starts smiling again.

"Good." He says quietly.

His GPS tells him our hotel is on our right, and we pull up at a very nice looking one. I expected a 3 star, maybe even 2 star hotel, but this one has to be at least 4 stars.

"Chloe and I can pay you back for the rooms tomorrow." I say, realizing how expensive this must have been.

"Don't worry about it." He says, putting the car in park.

We all get out after waking Grayson and Lucy, while Blake parks a few spots down.

"We'll check in, come back to get our bags, then go upstairs and get ready for the beach." Lucy tells us all.

We all agree on the plan and walk into the lobby of the hotel. The lobby was huge, with a light blue/beach theme. The ceiling is high and you could see the ocean from the grand windows on one wall. Xavier goes to the counter and checks us all in, and hands out the room keys.

The rooms are divided by gender and each have two queen sized beds. Our rooms are also across from each other.

We walk back to the cars, grab our bags and go to our rooms.

"Let's meet up in our room in about an hour, so everyone can get ready without rushing." Blake says.

Stepping out of the elevator, we walk down the hall and stop in front of two doors. We go into our rooms, and Chloe, Christine, Lucy, and I all flop onto the beds.

"I just want to sleep." Chloe says, with her head in the pillow.

"You slept enough on Aidans shoulder." Christine says, as Chloe blushes and throws a pillow at her.

After chilling for about 20 minutes, we all change into our bathing suits and grab our stuff for the beach.

We all just put athletic shorts and t-shirts on to walk to the beach in.

"Let's go over to the boys room." I say.

We then leave our room, making sure we have the room key, and knock on the guys door. Blake answers it in his swim trunks and a t-shirt.

On one of the beds is Xavier, asleep, laying on his stomach in swim shorts and shirtless. Damn his back looks almost as good as his abs.

Grayson then walks out of the bathroom, and changed into his swim trunks without a shirt on as well. His body was almost as perfect as Xaviers.

"Amelia, can you go wake up Xavier and then we can go." Grayson asks.

I walk over and sit next to Xavier on the bed as everyone stands by the door talking.

I shake him lightly, "Xavier, we are going to the beach."

He just groans and moves his head to the other side. Now I shake him harder and repeat what I said.

Finally, he turns back to me, and smiles up at me as he still has his eyes shut. Making my heart melt like always. He gets up and his hair was a little messy but cuter than ever.

"Let me grab my shirt then lets go." He goes over to his bag and pulls a shirt out of it and puts it on.

He walks back to me and grabs my hand as I get up from the bed. We walk over to everyone, as I let go of his hand and instantly miss the warmth it gave off.

"Finally! Let's go to the beach!" Lucy shouts, as we all laugh and walk to the elevators.

~~~~