Get Lucky: A YA Anthology Read online

  “Where are we going?”

  A mischievous gleam passed through his irises. “You’ll see,” he said. He handed me my book before taking my hand and guiding me to the black Jeep parked at the end of the driveway.

  I had no idea where we were going, and why I even agreed to go with him in the first place. All I knew was, being this close to Hunter in such a small space caused tiny beads of sweat to form on my forehead.

  “So, my mom tells me you’re into robots and shit,” he said, and any uncomfortable feeling I had about being in a car with him alone fled.

  “And shit?” I questioned.

  “You know what I mean. Stop taking everything so literal. So what do you do exactly?”

  “We design, build, and program robots. Robotics is the creation and manufacturing of robots to do everyday things. For instance, have you ever seen the Jetsons?”

  “Of course.”

  “The maid in the Jetsons is pretty much what we aim for.”

  “Wait, you make robots that actually talk and do your laundry?”

  “Not quite. Though it is very possible, it’s just beyond our limits as a club. We don’t have the funding and equipment necessary to go too big. Though, I did make one once that tossed basketballs into a hoop.”

  He swung his eyes away from the road and focused on me. “Seriously?” he exclaimed in amazement and it made me feel really good about myself. “That is awesome.”

  A giddy spark exploded inside of me. Hunter Davison thought something I did was awesome. It might have been something small, but, in my mind, it helped even out the playing field. It brought us to the same level, and all the lingering anxiety drifted out the window.

  “We’re here,” he said, pulling up to a massive house that could be mistaken for a hotel. It had stone columns that resembled rocks, and gave the house a rustic look which, despite it’s size, made it look like it belonged here. Beyond the large structure, the lake glistened in the early afternoon sunlight. I could see the Davison’s house just off shore to the right.

  “Where’s here?” I asked, but, instead of answering, he took my hand, which sent hot sparks coursing through my arm, and guided me around back.

  The smell of smoke was heavy in the air and, as we got closer, I could see the wood burning in a fire pit. Around the fire was a group of people: three guys and a girl, who were completely oblivious to our arrival.

  Hunter went to join them, and I latched onto his arm. “Who are they?” I asked as the anxiety from earlier slammed back into me. It wasn’t that I didn’t like people; it was just that I preferred them in the pages of my books. It’s not like I was a hermit or anything. I had friends, but they were the same people I had been going to school with since kindergarten. New people sort of scared me.

  “They’re my friends. You have nothing to worry about.” Hunter must have noticed the sheer terror in my eyes, or it could have been the death grip I had on his arm. Either way, his assurance helped to calm me a little. He gently peeled my hand off of his arm, and flashed that amazing smile. “You good?”

  “I’m good,” I said and, honestly with him by my side guiding me, I was. Mom was right. It was time to start experiencing my own adventures which meant it was time to start meeting new people.

  Chapter 5

  Hunter stepped toward the group and one of the guys, the one with dark red hair, spotted us. He raised a can in our direction. He was adorable in his navy blue polo and his green shorts.

  “Hunter, my man!” he said, with an accent I couldn’t quite detect. “Long time no see, ejit.”

  “Colin, you Irish bastard!” Hunter shouted as we joined the circle. He held his hand out and greeted Colin with what appeared to be some sort of secret handshake. I wondered if Colin was from Ireland, but was too shy to come out and ask.

  Another guy in the group, who had dark hair, and even darker eyes, handed Hunter a can and then gave him a welcoming pat on the back. Hunter popped the can open, and took a long pull from it, when the smell hit me. It was then that it dawned on me that the cans weren’t soda; they were beer. I was sixteen years old, and never had a beer. Never a single sip of alcohol. I had a feeling this wasn’t what Mom had in mind when she told me to experience new things. Or maybe it was…

  I shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, debating on if I should start walking back to the Davison’s, or if I should stay and play it cool.

  “Always looking out for me. Thanks, Mason,” Hunter said as he took another big drink. Nervousness set in as I started worrying that our parents would be able to see what we were doing from across the lake. Not that I had done anything wrong, but I couldn’t help thinking they would hear the sound of the cans being popped open, and the smell would drift across the lake. I would be in so much trouble if they knew. I took a deep breath, needing to chill out and calm down. My brain was on hyper overdrive and there really was no reason for it. My eyes moved toward the other side of the lake, and I tried to spot our families, but we were much farther across than I originally thought. That was a good thing. A calm spread through me, and I let out a rush of air in relief. My ability to think rationally returned. Even if we were closer, I’m sure our parents were too busy catching up with each other to notice us over here.

  “Took you long enough,” the guy with slicked back dark blonde hair said. “We started drinking an hour ago.”

  “Dylan, I’m disappointed,” Hunter said, giving him a hug. “You should have started three hours ago.”

  “Yeah, well, had to wait for the old man’s new wife to get her ass out of the house.”

  Hunter looked over to the girl, who had long brown hair, light brown eyes, and looked completely aloof.

  “Piper,” he acknowledged, devoid of emotion. She eyed him coldly and didn’t greet him with the same enthusiasm as the boys.

  “Hunter,” she said back, her tone holding a bit of ice. Seemed like there was a bit of animosity between them, and I half expected her nails to transform into claws at any minute as she tackled him to the ground.

  “Always a pleasure to see you, Pipes,” Hunter laughed, and Piper stood there callously staring at him with a smirk on her face. “Likewise,” she responded, looking like she really didn’t mean it.

  “And, who is this pretty lass?” Colin asked, peeking around Hunter to me.

  Colin gave me a big white-toothed smile, and held a can out to me. My entire body froze at his offer. Should I take it? Should I tell them the truth? But, then, what if I told them I don’t drink? Would they think I was a complete and total loser? The debate raged on in my head as poor Colin stood there in limbo, can in hand extended out to me.

  Piper let out a loud exaggerated sigh. “Don’t tell me she’s a goody.”

  I don’t know why, but her comment bothered me. Suddenly, I didn’t want to be known as the goody. I didn’t want to be known as the bookworm, or the chick in the robotics clubs, or Joey’s older sister. I wanted to be known as Charlotte, the fun, easygoing girl, so, without another thought, I took the can from Colin.

  “Nah, Charlie’s cool,” Hunter said, as he watched me.

  Charlie? Okay so maybe I wouldn’t be known as Charlotte. Charlie, I said it over in my head. I kind of liked it. No one had ever called me anything other than Charlotte and, if they did, it wasn’t always very nice. Charlie was not only endearing; it was like a new identity. A chance to discover another side of me. A side I wasn’t sure actually existed, but was definitely willing to find out.

  Hunter took a seat around the fire, and pointed to the open chair next to him. I sat down and leaned back, taking in the beautiful view. It was the same lake, but the view from this house extended even farther. I could see small islands out in the middle of the lake that weren’t visible from Hunter’s house.

  I popped the top of the beer and took a sip, instantly regretting it. I tried my best to keep it from spewing from my mouth. Why did people drink this stuff? Oh my god, it was seriously the most disgusting thing I had ever tasted.


  “You good?” Hunter asked, as I managed to gulp down the awful liquid.

  I nodded and tried to force a convincing smile, but knew it probably showed my inexperience. “I’m good.”

  Colin handed me a bottle of water. “Sometimes it helps to wash it down a wee bit.”

  “Thanks,” I said, taking the bottle from his hands.

  “No problem.”

  “So, do you all live here year round?” I asked, curious to the dynamics of the group. I knew Hunter spent Spring Break and his summers here, and the rest of the year he lived in San Francisco.

  The question came out with ease, and I think it was because I knew Hunter had my back. I liked the way he defended me against Piper, and it made me think that maybe he did like me. The idea of it gave me more confidence, and I felt more comfortable with this crowd than I thought I could. Piper still looked like she hated the world, but the way she laughed with Hunter made me think that it was just a bad case of resting bitch face.

  “We do,” Mason said, pointing to Piper. We live just down the road in the other direction from Hunter’s place.

  “You’re brother and sister?” I asked.

  “Twins,” Piper chimed in. “Though I clearly got all the good genes.”

  “But I’m the nice one and that holds more water,” Mason said, and Piper threw him a dirty look. He raised a mocking eyebrow and she huffed.

  “Whatever.”

  Mason pointed over to Dylan, who was lounged in his chair like he didn’t have a care in the world. “Dylan over here would be a townie like us, but he spends the school year at boarding school.”

  Dylan laughed. “What can I say? My father loves to waste his money just so he doesn’t have to deal with me.” He downed the rest of his beer, and tossed the can into a garbage, before grabbing another out of a cooler.

  I didn’t find it very funny at all. In fact, I felt bad for him, and I suspected his laughter was a cover up for something else. He sounded lonely and a little depressed. My parents, on the other hand, always wanted me around, and I couldn’t imagine a life where that wasn’t the case. It almost made me want to give him a hug, to let him know he wasn’t alone, but I didn’t think it was a good idea since I barely knew him. “And Colin, the Irish bastard, spends most of his time in the lovely countryside of Ireland except when he has to visit his Dad here in the states.”

  “So, the accent is real?” I questioned.

  “As opposed to fake?” he asked.

  “I didn’t know if you were faking it or not. Some people do that joking around or to try to impress someone. Not that you were trying to impress me or anything. It’s just… you know… some people do that sort of thing.” I pressed my lips together to keep the words from coming out. Though, I was surprised words could even get by the foot shoved in it. “So, I wasn’t sure,” I finally said since everyone was still looking at me.

  “Nope,” Colin said, and I appreciated that he didn’t laugh at me. “It is very real my Irish brogue.” He gave me a wink. “Are you turned on?

  “Excuse me?” I asked, taken aback as an uncontrollable heat filled my cheeks.

  “He’s kidding,” Hunter said, smacking him across the chest. “He thinks every girl is in love with him here in the States because of his accent. Please tell him he’s an idiot.”

  “I…”

  “You’re an idiot, Colin,” Piper called out as she stretched her arms and legs.

  “I love you too, Pipes,” he said with a laugh.

  Piper walked over, and held her hand out to me. I looked down at it, confused. “Are you ready for another?” she asked.

  I stared at the can in my hand. I had only taken a measly sip out of it and, by the tone in her voice, I think she knew it. “I’m still working on this one,” I said. “But thanks.” I took a nice long sip to get the goody stigma off my back and, again, regretted it.

  “That’s what I thought,” she sing-songed as she walked away.

  I forced the liquid down, and quickly followed it up by some water.

  Hunter casually leaned over to me, his hand covering his mouth so the others couldn’t see. It was like we were in on our own secret. I moved closer to him. “You know, you don’t have to drink it if you don’t want to. Don’t let her force you to do something you don’t want to do.”

  I appreciated his concern. I caught his blue eyes, and pushed down the giddy girl inside of me that wanted to jump out every time he looked at me. “Thanks,” I said. “But it’s okay. I want to.”

  Chapter 6

  The sun had made its descent into the horizon, but I didn’t even notice. Hunter and his friends were fun, well everyone except for Piper, and it was easy to just be. There would be bouts of silence, cutting through the laughter and conversation, yet it was never awkward or uncomfortable. I enjoyed listening to their stories of past Spring Breaks and summers. It made me wish I didn’t pass it up for Robotics Camp.

  “Remember when.” Colin snapped his finger, and then froze. “I forgot what I was going to say.” He laughed. Dylan threw an empty squished can at Colin’s head, and he went to swat it away, but missed. It hit him dead center of his forehead. He shook his head then smiled. “That’s right. You knocked it back into me. Remember that time I almost died.”

  “You almost died?” I exclaimed, sitting up straighter in my seat, curious to see know what happened.

  “You didn’t almost die,” Mason groaned.

  “I did too. See, Charlie, what happened was, we snuck into Dylan’s dad’s liquor cabinet.”

  “Before my dad kept the good shit under lock and key,” Dylan interrupted.

  “I told you we shouldn’t have watered down the vodka,” Hunter added.

  “Anyway,” Colin continued. “We brought it down to the lake, and started drinking. It was hot, and I wanted to go swimming, but, when I got in the water, it was knocking me around, and I couldn’t find the surface.” Colin’s arms began to flail as he acted out the scene.

  My hand landed on my lips. “You almost drowned?”

  “I was going under. I could see my life flashing before my eyes and, then… like an angel, this gorgeous bastard.” Colin slapped Hunter on the shoulder. “Came to my rescue and saved my life.”

  Hunter shook his head. “The water was up to our knees. All I did was pick the drunk idiot up.”

  Colin held his hands over his heart. “Still, you’re my hero. Now come here.” Colin held his arms out to Hunter, and Hunter did the same. They came together in a big over-exaggerated hug. They hung onto each other until Colin lifted his leg and pretended to hump Hunter.

  Hunter pushed him away with a laugh. “Sick bastard.” He looked at his watch, and then to me. “We have to get going.”

  “We do?” I asked with a pouty face. Mom was right. There was a whole world outside my books, I just needed to experience it, and, now that I did, I wasn’t ready to leave it.

  “It’s almost ten,” he said, and my eyes widened.

  My mouth dropped open wide in shock. “Ten? We missed dinner,” I whispered for no reason at all.

  “You had what we like to call a liquid dinner. Come on. If we leave now, we might be able to make a stop at the Burger Hut before they close.”

  “Do they have French fries? I love French fries!” I exclaimed, then burped. My hand flung to my mouth to cover it. “Oops, excuse me, must be the beer.” I giggled.

  A muffled laugh came from behind me, and I spun toward it. Colin had his hand over his mouth, but I could still see the wide set of his smile peeking through.

  “Are you laughing at me?” I asked, pointing at him. I went to walk toward him, but I stumbled slightly. Hunter’s hand grabbed my elbow, and he held me in place. “I think the ground is broken.”

  This time, Hunter laughed, but he didn’t hide it. It made me feel giddier than I already was. I heard it a lot today, and it was contagious, spreading through me like rushing water. I looked at his heart-stopping smile, and my eyes lingered on his lips.
I had never been kissed before—unless you count Johnny Gallo in fifth grade—and now I wondered what it would feel like to have Hunter’s lips pressed against mine. Would they feel as soft as they looked? What would they taste like? I felt myself sway, and, once again, Hunter grabbed hold of me to keep me steady. It was nice. I liked his touch. The way his warm hand felt against my cool skin. He didn’t say or do anything other than keep me from falling down, but that single act made me feel like he would keep me safe.

  “You okay to drive?” Mason asked from his spot on the ground. He gave up sitting in the chair hours ago, opting to lie on his back and stare up at the stars.

  “I’m fine,” Hunter said, holding up a bottle of water. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen him drink anything but water since that first beer. I wondered if he did that because of me, or if he just wasn’t a big drinker to begin with. Whatever the reason, I was thankful because I drank a little more than I probably should have. After the first can, the taste wasn’t as bad as I initially thought, and the next can went down pretty easily. I felt all warm and fuzzy as I finished the second one, but now I felt a little wobbly and out of sorts.

  “See you tomorrow,” Dylan said, lazily holding his hand up. He and Piper were on a bench, and his head was in her lap. She stroked his dark blond hair, but her eyes stayed on Hunter. It had been like that the whole night. She eyed Hunter with disdain, and she barely uttered a word to me. When she did speak to me, it was only because other people were talking to me and she had no choice.

  When I had first arrived, I was relieved to see that I wouldn’t be the only girl here, but it didn’t take long for me to wish she wasn’t here at all. She wasn’t particularly nice, and I was curious if she was like that with everyone… or just me. And, if it was me, what did I do to cause her to dislike me so much? I just met her.

  I turned ready to go, when arms wrapped around my waist and picked me up off the ground. Colin swung me back and forth like a pendulum before putting me back down.