Chapter Five: Summer Skies

Life was coming and going in a flash. Even though the seasons weren't changing, everything else in my life was.

I was the talk of the town for a few days until graduation was seen in the homestretch. Once May hit, everyone was talking about summer and wanting to leave high school hell, but I was still stuck in Disneyland. During the times I wasn't trying to soothe Audrey's fear of moving on, I was constantly day dreaming about Drew or texting Ben.

I had typed messages to Drew on his band's facespace, but never sent them because I felt like a cyber stalker. Then I thought about a letter but Audrey said 'what is this, the 1860's?' So I nixed that idea and decided that I had to settle for living with the moments we had.

As for Ben, things were going swimmingly. Anna Miles finally finished her tour and now the band was in the process of starting their second CD. But even though Ben and I were in constant communication, we never really talked much about music even though you'd think it'd come up every once in a while.

"Can you believe it's over?" Audrey said as she did a cat stretch in the lawn chair. Our joint graduation party had ended over an hour ago, but we were too exhausted to function so we settled for relaxing poolside under the stars in our dresses.

"No I can't." I said as I smoothed out my black dress and wiggled my toes, "You know, I feel like we've hit this huge milestone in life. Like the whole closing-one-door-new-chapter-thing and this should be an epic life changing moment, but I don't feel any different. It just feels like another Saturday…"

"Yeah kind of like when I turned thirteen…"

"And you thought you'd get big boobs and a straight smile?" I said with a laugh.

"Hey, it could've happened. Think about Britney Stanley."

"Britney Stanley had a whole summer to develop and her braces came off the 21st!" I added with a laugh.

"But still, don't you even feel like your whole future is laid out a head of you now?" Audrey asked turning her eyes to the skies.

"What's up with you, Mrs. Philosophical?" I asked turning my head in a similar fashion. Truth be told, thinking about the future scares me.

Not knowing what to expect from life.

Worrying about jobs and bills and how you're going to make it…it's terrifying.

"I don't know, I guess graduation just has me thinking about life that's all. Before it was kind of just a game, but now we're adults. We have responsibilities and duties and life to deal with."

"But that's not until the fall." I said reaching out and finding her arm, "Until then we have a whole summer to live frivolously."

"Actually Ty," Audrey said letting the worry in her voice fade, "I have something to t…"

"Audrey Langston Michaels, are these your expensive suede pumps in the sink?! Come in here this instant and take them upstairs!" I smiled thinking about how her creeper uncle spilt wine all over them when he tried to hug me with his pudgy arms.

"OH CARTEL!" Audrey muttered before rolling off the deck chair. The swooshing of her layered dress reminded me of a breeze, "You would think she'd just take them out for me?"

I just chuckled as the sound of rustling dress faded into the distance.

Just as the night air stilled I closed my eyes and listened. From inside I could hear Audrey and her mother arguing like usual and laying in the summer air life felt normal, not scary or unfamiliar.

"So," I said a little while later when I heard Audrey fall back into her chair, "What were you going to tell me?"

My hand tensed as a large warm hand slipped into mine, "She was going to tell you that the band is spending the summer here in a house on the beach, and I'd like it if you both joined us."

My eyes immediately opened and found them staring into the blued eyed boy that was smiling from ear to ear.

"Huh?" I asked shocked and confused.

He just laughed and squeezed my hand, "the record company said we could have vacation time to relax and work on some song ideas for the next album. So what's a better place to vacation than Florida?"

"But there's nothing here…" I blurted out.

"You're here." He said with honesty in his eyes.

My mind was still trying to process the fact that Ben was sitting here, next to me, by Audrey's pool, under the stars, wanting to spend a whole summer with me in a beach house.

This isn't happening.

"Ty, ever since I've met you lyrics dance around in my head. There is something about you that inspires me, and I'd be a fool to not want to be around you."

Then without even processing my actions I got out of the chair and kissed Ben. My hands were in his hair and his hands were on my hips when Audrey came back out onto the porch.

"I guess that means we're staying with Anna Miles for the summer?"

---

The beach house was everything, but nothing like I had imagined. The driveway was covered with thick bushes and the occasional palm tree. The base of the house was sunshine yellow and the roof was a dark shade of blue.

"Can you tell Lindsey picked it out?" Ben said from the driver's seat of his Range Rover, "It's called Daylight."

"IT'S TINY!" Audrey cried from the background.

"It's eight bedrooms, nine baths!"

"It's perfect." I said squeezing Ben's hand from the passenger seat. I had told him after it all sunk in that I couldn't have possibly stayed with them for the summer, it wasn't like were dating and I was his girlfriend staying with him. We could have just gone as friends, but friends can't kiss which would be impossible not to do if I'm around Ben. So that only left the title of groupie which is something I'm not.

'I'll just have to make an honest woman out of you then.' Ben had said with a smile, and like that we were 'dating.'

My parents hadn't put up to much of a fight about going and standing outside of the huge beach house I couldn't help but realize how surreal life felt.

"BLUE!" A shrill voice said as their arms wrapped around me from behind.

"Uh," I let out as I was being hugged to death, "Hey Jeff. Good to see you, but I can't breathe."

"Oh, but I missed you!" he said snuggling his head into my back.

"Hey now." Michael said from behind me, "Don't kill Ben's girlfriend he just got her."

Jeff's pythons released me and extended them to Audrey who just scoffed and introduced herself to Michael.

"Well ladies the other females of the house are on the porch which is through the doors straight to the back. How about we take up your luggage and meet you there?" Ben said grabbing the luggage from my hand and shooting me a smile.

"Sure."

"Great." He said giving me a kiss on the cheek, "See you in a bit."

I just smiled and lead Audrey up the wooden front steps.

The house was one word; ridiculous. From the outside it looked like a small house that would have wicker furniture and two bathrooms tops. Yet, as we stepped into the large room it clearly wasn't the case. A whole palm tree was set in the corner of the living room, which was the size of three master bedrooms. Against the wall was a plasma television and through the completely glass wall was the view of the beach and everyone sitting around Anna on the porch.

"Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." Audrey said in awe as we walked around the midnight blue couches placed perfectly around the room.

"Yeah…"

"This is…"

"Extravagant? Awesome? Epic?"

"Unexpected." Audrey said with her jaw still hanging to the floor. I just nodded, "Let's go out back."

"Yeah, good idea."

"Now come on or you'll miss the show, just take my hand and we can go. For us the world blurs the lines when you kiss me deeply in the sky. You hand in my hair, mine on your thigh, practicing our physical exercise… You knock me off my feet but for you I'd happily fall. Tripping, slipping into the most magical thing of all…" Anna sang as she strummed her acoustic guitar, then right as another verse was flow she abruptly stopped. "And that's about as far as Ben's gotten, but he thinks he'll finish in a day or two. He thinks it'll be the one to launch us…"

"TYLER!" Lindsey said snapping her head up from the conversation and running into my arms. "I'm SO happy you're spending the summer with us!"

"You're blonde." I blurted out not being able to get over the fact that the girl who wrapped herself in my arms had long dirty blond hair.

"Yeah, sadly the hot pink wig is just a cover up. Mom says it gives us a little privacy for our real lives. Tabloids only see me with pink hair so that's what the world thinks, but in school no one really knows I'm related to this superstar…" Lindsey said nudging Anna playfully.

"Kind of like that Hannah girl, that's where I got the idea. Except, I wanted Lindsey to go with brown hair not bubblegum pink, but to each their own." Marjorie said as she sipped her drink.

I had to admit I was a little disappointed. Her long razor cut blonde hair was cool, but something about her pink hair just fit her.

I guess my disappointment showed because Lindsey smiled and added, "Don't worry I still have a little personality." Her hand reached to her hair, pulling some of the strands back, and underneath were bright purple streaks.

"Nice," I said with a smile, "Everyone this is Audrey. Audrey this is Lindsey, I think you met Anna, their mom, Marjorie, and Michael's girlfriend Natalie."

Anna and Marjorie smiled, but Natalie just looked Audrey over and scoffed.

"Well thank you so much for letting us stay with you for the summer," Audrey said not letting Natalie's rudeness affect her.

Marjorie smiled like someone had told her Santa was coming, "Now isn't that charming? You are definitely welcome here anytime sweetheart."

"Hey LADIES!" Jeff said as he stepped onto the porch with only his bathing suit and a captain's hat, "Let's get a game going in the pool."

"Why? So you can get schooled again?" Lindsey said with a smirk.

"Such a big mouth for ten year-old…"

"I'm thirteen you idiot. Now get you and your big ego into the court and I'll show you how to play some hoops." Lindsey said as she shed off her sundress revealing a neon checkered bikini.

"Come on Ty and Audrey; let's show these guys what girls can do."

"Uh, by playing ball in bathing suits?" I asked a little confused.

"Yeah we have a court set up in the pool." Ben said ripping off his shirt and for a minute I forgot about everything except how to drool.

"Pshcheyahaha," I said with a nervous laugh.

"Oh yeah, well Ty and I are in then," Audrey said unbuttoning her khaki shorts and tank top to reveal a red bikini. Suddenly standing around all of these gorgeous half-naked people I felt extremely uncomfortable to strip down into my bathing suit.

I wasn't huge, but I definitely wasn't model material like everyone around me. Suddenly, I wished I had laid off of the jalapeño Cheetos and Diet Coke.

"Earth to Ty," Lindsey said waving her hand in my face, "come on we have some domination to lay down." And with a smile she bound across the deck with Michael and Jeff in tow.

"Uh yeah…" I said as I gave a nervous laugh and pulled my purple cover-up over my head revealing my simple white bikini with a lace trim around the bottoms.

I tried not to squirm under Ben's stare, but I couldn't help but blush.

"Let's go then," Audrey said as she walked off and I was all too happy but to follow her towards the pool. We were at the bottom step when I felt two strong hands pull me backwards and underneath the wooden staircase.

Ben's kisses were urgent and demanding.

"Ben…" I gasped with a giggle as he kissed my neck in a ticklish spot. When he pulled back his was breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. You look so good in that bathing suit, it took all my self control not kiss you in front of my mom."

I just smiled and wrapped my arms around him, "Thank you."

"For what?" He said pulling back and smiling at me with those baby blues.

I wanted to tell him for making me feel comfortable, hot, beautiful, needed…but I just settled with, "Just for everything."

"STOP SNOGGING AND COME PLAY BALL!" I heard Jeff said as Ben began to say something else.

"Jeff…" Ben muttered kissing me on the lips one last time, "come on I'm going to show you how us ballers role."

I just laughed, the guys didn't know what they had coming to them.

When we rounded the corner I had expected to see one of those above ground pools or maybe a regular sized pool, but instead in front of us was a huge Olympic sized pool with two regular sized basketball hoops standing at each end.

"It's only a few feet from being Olympic sized."
"Neville Longbottom." I said stunned.

"Yeah it's why we let Lindsey pick this house. Plus the beach view

isn't that bad either." He said with a smile as he ran and did a cannon ball into the pool.

---

"How does it feel to be a triple loser?" Lindsey said as we walked up soaking to the house. Jeff who wasn't taking their defeat very well just mumbled to himself.

"Well I think you were the star player," Ben said as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me playfully.

I just blushed and wiggled free from his grip, "I wouldn't be anything without my teammates."

"Yeah only because you guys play dirty…" Michael said from behind us.

"Hey Audrey's bathing suit top really was falling off."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what you say but I know you tied it in extra slow motion just to distract us."

"Not our fault you don't have a good strategy."

"Yeah, you should play with your brains not your body."

"IT'S BASKETBALL! Physical sport. No brain needed." Jeff said flustered.

"Uh hey, ya'll want to go to the beach?" Ben said trying to distract Audrey and Jeff from a fight.

"Yes. Beach." I added with a smile.

"No, it's starting to get dark. We should all go have dinner."

"Yeah dinner."

"I could go for some Mac and Cheese." Lindsey said as she bumped into Jeff.

"We could go for a boat ride?" Ben whispered into my ear.

A boat ride at sunset sounded excellent.

"Yeah," I said with a smile.

"Uh, guys we're going to go on a walk we'll catch you later." Ben said as we both turned around and headed towards the shore.

"Right. Use protection!" Jeff said as Audrey and Lindsey both punched him in the gut.

I laughed, "I think Jeff's going to be the one needing protection."

---

Somehow, this isn't what I imagined for a boat ride at sunset.

I thought small fun boat where we could grab a blanket and cuddle at the bow of the boat as we watched the orange sun settle into a purple hue. Instead I was idling on the back of a jet ski where sharks were probably circling us.

"You know sharks feed at nighttime."

Ben laughed and his smile made me forget that with one accidental flip I could potentially be shark food. I let my teeth barely scrape the bottom of his lip as we pulled apart.

"I am glad you decided to stay with us for the summer."

"I am happy you asked me to." I said breathing heavily before he pulled me back into a heated kissing session. After a while we finally pulled back apart, and it was just as the last bit of light was hitting the horizon.

Ben's dark hair was tasseled from the wind on the Jet Ski and for a brief moment I went back to a memory I hadn't visited in a while. It was watching Drew walk away and out of my life.

The way his dark hair blended into the sunset and how his green eyes glanced over his shoulder for one last look.

I felt guilty missing Drew while I was with Ben, but I reminded myself that I was here, now, happily with Ben. Then as quickly as the feeling came, it left, and I was able to enjoy the rest of my sunset wrapped in Ben's embrace.

a/n: okay. so i know it's not fair that i haven't posted in forever and then i post this:

This is the last chapter of Star Struck for a while.

i know. i know. it's shameful. it's just that I've honestly tried to go back and write more chapters but i think that even though it's only been a few months, I've seriously changed. So I don't feel like i can relate to Ty anymore. :/ which sucks.

BUT BUT BUT

I do have a new story in the works and i have to say it's going to be pretty fresh :D so GET EXCITED! It'll be set in high school but have some of my excellent college adventures thrust into the mix and GAH I'm SUPER pumped.

so tell me how you feel about all of this, be honest. and if you want you can even send me name suggestions for the new characters. i need

main character: start with a

D:

other Characters start with:

female:

A:

A:

P:

male:

C:

A:

k:

and there are SO many more characters to come that it's going to BLOW your mind! gah! I think it'll maybe rival get even on the excellence level :)

but yes thank ya'll for being as awesome as always and now that i've gotten my feet on the ground expect some updates!!

W or M: