I wrote this story for a creative writing class in high school, and since my writing style has changed a bit since then, I'm going to rewrite it soon. I wanted to post the original here to see what everyone thought of it.

Hope you like it!

- Jellybean

I let my head rest against the warm passenger-side window of the car and sighed. The only scenery that has been going by for the past two hours was all farmland. As pretty as all the patchwork fields and barns were, I'm not feeling very optimistic about this summer. Spending the two and a half months on my aunt's farm in Virginia was my mom's idea. Easier than sending me to an overnight camp I guess. Although I probably would have gladly taken eight weeks at a stupid camp doing macramé and canoeing instead of a farm. Especially the smell, which I fortunately got used to after the first hour of driving through dairy country.

"…and your little cousins are so excited to see you, Meghan." I just realized my mom had been talking. I took the lime green earphone out of my ear and turned to her. She looked at me and said "you haven't been listening to a word I've been saying, have you?"

"Sorry, but no. Although I'm equally as thrilled to see the little beasts." I said rather sarcastically. I never met any of these cousins, but I've seen pictures from the Christmas cards Aunt Claire sends every year and all six look like little menaces. Yeah, six. Aunt Claire is nuts.

"Don't worry. It will be fine, you'll have fun." My mother is a total optimist, basically the opposite of me. "Who knows, you might even make a friend or two." She adds that kind of sarcastically. She knows better than anyone that I'm kind of a social retard, meaning I don't make friends easy. So making new friends is off the list of things to do this summer. My only response was a "mhmm" while putting the earphone back in my ear and turning my mp3 back on.

I must have fallen asleep a little because I was jerked awake by the van bumping along an uneven dirt road. I figured we were close to Aunt Claire's, and my assumption was proven correct when I saw the simple Goff Farms sign a few feet from a wooden gate somewhat covered with white paint. And sitting on said gate was my Aunt Claire and a young man probably no more than a couple years older than me, and when they saw us they climbed down off the gate and came toward us, Aunt Claire running and the boy following distantly behind. I felt my cheeks redden as Mom stopped the car and we got out.

"Welcome, welcome!" Aunt Claire sang out. "My God, Meghan, you're all grown up! When did you get taller than me?" The last time she saw me I was six years old and missing my front teeth, so I've changed a bit during the past ten years. She pulled me into a tight hug before turning to mom. It was one of those great reunions for my Mom and Aunt Claire. She moved down here from Connecticut, where my mother stayed, and married my uncle Jeff and started this farm. So it's been awhile since they've seen each other. "I'm so sorry we had to meet you down here, but there's a huge pothole up the road we've been trying to fill. It looks like a meteor hit!" Aunt Claire explained.

"Hey. I'm Parker." The boy said, coming toward me and sticking out his hand. I turned even redder (if that was possible) and shook his hand. "I'm Meghan." I replied, looking him over as subtly as I could. He was pretty scrawny to be a farmhand, or whatever the reason he was there for. His long brown hair went past his ears and was parted to the side so some of the shorter strands fell over his thick eyebrows and brown eyes. He reached up and shoved some of the hair out of his eyes and began walking toward the back of the van. "I can help you bring up your stuff." His voice was higher pitched than most boys I knew and it fit his smaller frame well. I had one of those delayed-reaction moments before I hurried ahead of him to the trunk. "Geez, are you moving in or something?" Parker laughed sarcastically. So I admit that I basically packed my entire wardrobe of summer clothes, but I'm here for a good couple months, never know what I'll need. He grabbed the two heavier bags and I shouldered my light blue L.L. Bean backpack and pillow and we followed Mom and Aunt Claire up the road to her big white farmhouse.

Aunt Claire's farmhouse, built in the early 1800's, was as welcoming inside as it was outside. The floor plan when you first walk in is open and bright, the wood floors reflecting the sunlight from the big bay windows in the front. The furnishings were simple and light and there was a scattering of toddler toys everywhere. Aunt Claire and Parker knew exactly where and where not to walk, but Mom and I had to watch where we were going to we wouldn't get a big alphabet block under our feet.

"I swear, these kids have more stuff than Jeff and I do combined." Aunt Claire said in a way of an apology. She pushed a large cardboard box with "NO GRILS ALOWD" written in messy crayon out of the doorway leading into the hall. She led Mom to the kitchen but Parker headed for the stairs with my bags.

"The guestroom is up here." Parker explained, leading the way. He knew where my room would be. I silently laughed to myself but then told me to shut up. Stop being immature, you. From up here I could hear the kids playing on their playscape in the backyard. Parker stopped at the last room at the end of the hall and turned to me. "Here it is." He said opening the door. I went in first and looked around. The room was small and kind of…pink. And flowery. There was a large oak armoire, twin bed, desk with a mirror over it, and a comfy looking reading chair by the large window overlooking the fields.

"It kind of feels like I'm in the Barbie Dream House I had when I was five." I laughed, throwing my backpack and pillow on the floral bedspread. Parker put my two bags down by the desk and looked around a bit, making a face. "Yeah, it is kind of pink." He said. Awkward silence followed. Fantastic.

"Okay, well I should-"

"Thanks for-"

Oh my god. We both shut up and I laughed kind of nervously, which made him chuckle a bit. I don't think my face could have gotten any redder. Parker tried speaking again. "Okay, well I need to be getting back to work. Um, see you around." I nodded and smiled and he left to go back down to the gardens. Moments later I saw him through the window doing some kind of handshake with another of the farmhands and laughing. I went back downstairs to see my mom and aunt, and of course to meet my demonic little cousins. Let the fun begin…

I'll try to post a chapter a day. Thanks for reading!