though I was traveling somewhere tropical, rather than in the South. The decor design was a direct inspiration from the rest of the house that had a very similar style to it. What can I say? My mom and I had very similar taste.
Catching my reflection in the mirror, I adjusted my sundress slightly, the soft candy-apple red material smoothing under my tan fingers and bright nails. This past summer I’d gotten far more bronze than normal, mostly because I’d been so damn bored that the only thing to do was lay out by the pool with my mom. Luckily, she didn’t work directly for her family company, so I at least had someone to spend most of my time with, and as an unexpected result, this summer was the most relaxed I’d probably ever been. Although, I knew it was somewhat of a calm before the storm, because nothing ever stayed that simple in my life.
Looking over my mom’s expression, I took the time to appreciate the fact that in some ways, we almost did look related biologically. I mean, most people didn’t realize I was adopted unless it somehow came up in conversation. Of course, there were small differences in our appearance. For one, my dark hair had a bit more of a red undertone than hers, but we had the same wavy texture that couldn’t stay straight unless we were taking one of our cold weather vacations. Right now, mine laid down to my shoulderblades, but you would never know that, because unless it was under eighty-five degrees, I had it pulled back in a braid.
I absolutely hated the feeling of sweaty hair on the back of my neck. I knew it was a silly thing to hate, but it just made me feel… twitchy. Because I’m clearly normal.
Unlike myself, my mom had dark, kind eyes that were similar to my father’s. Mine, on the other hand, were a bright, leaf-green shade that was accented by a gold starburst around the pupil that created quite the contrast when I was tan. I personally loved my eyes, or had, but I’d been made fun of enough in high school and told—not asked, but told—that they were contacts that I’d found myself somewhat uncomfortable with them now.
I hated that I let others affect my confidence that much, but what else was new? It felt like that had been the theme of the past year, and it was turning me into a version of myself that I wasn’t completely comfortable with.
At least now that I had graduated, there was no high school bullshit to worry about. Now, did that mean I was totally free from all that crap? No. No, of course not. As with any Southern community, there was an expectation to stay close, so most kids did.
It helped that Silver Oak, a tiny, private college that was located only two miles outside of our town, served the needs of most of the residents that planned to take over their family businesses. Everyone assumed that the wealthy and rich went to the Ivy Leagues, and sure, that was true… just not around here. In our world, connections mattered far more than where you finished your degree, so the sooner you began working, the better. I knew that some from our high school class would leave for college in the fall, but with my luck, every single person I wanted to avoid would stay right here, right outside the gates of Wildberry Lane, waiting for an opportunity to pull some crap. It was just my luck when it came to stuff like that.
I swallowed that thought down, trying to not dwell on the insecurities that plagued me. Not today. Not freakin’ today.
“Kingston is here.”
That completely paused any train of thought as my head snapped towards my mom, my eyes widening as she flashed a smile, knowing how happy that would no doubt make me. She had absolutely no idea.
Kingston was back? I blinked before a huge grin filled my face, her laugh filling my bedroom as I immediately slid past her, rushing through my room and into the hallway.
Most women my age probably would have spent the summer before college hanging out with their girlfriends. The only problem was, I didn’t have any. I mean, besides my mom, but did that really count? I just had never gotten along with the girls my age, and that was before… well, before everything got worse.