Chapter 17

Not to sound unappreciative, but my daily routine was getting kind of repetitive. The surf was amazing, but I kind of wanted to get out of Huntington and just experience California as a whole. When I told Adrianna she got really excited.

"Why didn't I think of this sooner?!" She asked. She got out her phone and started dialing. I gave her a quizzical look. She just smiled at me. "I've got an idea." she said. 

I was left in the dark for a while. I had no idea what was going on until I walked into the kitchen later that day. I saw my mom sitting at the kitchen table along with Selene, Owen, and Adrianna. Sam and Emily were playing on the floor in the living room, also in view. I gave my mother a sideways glance, but her expression didn't give me any hints. She only motioned for me to sit down in the open chair.

I plopped down at the table across from Owen. "Uh, what's going on?" I asked. Adrianna smiled.

"Well, you know how you told me that you wanted to 'experience California'?" She was grinning and she looked like she was going to explode with anticipation.

"Yeah...?" I said, a little afraid. I leaned back in my chair.

"Well. Now you can." Okay that caught my attention. 

"What do you mean?" I questioned slightly excited.

"It means," My mom said "that you can spend the weekend with your friends in LA this weekend." My jaw dropped. 

"No way! We get to go to LA?!" I was bouncing up and down in my seat. Adrianna looked equally excited. Owen on the other hand looked kind of mad. 

"That's not all!" Adrianna squealed. I was smiling so big, I couldn't imagine this getting any better.  Adrianna and I were going to spend an entire weekend in Los Angeles.

"We talked it over," My mother glanced at Selene. "And... we've decided that you could invite the boys." She gave me a slight smile. I completely erupted with joy.

"OH MY GOD! NO WAY!! Thank you mom!" Adrianna ran over to me and we started jumping up and down. I can't believe this is happening! Wait, how is this happening? "How?" I asked still slightly shocked. Selene came over and placed her hand on my shoulder.

"Last year I went to a fundraiser at the twins’ school, and they had a raffle where one of the prizes was a free trip." She said. "So when Adrianna told me that she wanted you to see LA, I thought it would be a good idea to give you guys the trip. It's a great way for you to see California, and it works as a good birthday present for Owen and Adrianna." I jumped around and hugged her.

"Thank you Selene!" I was on cloud nine. I was going to spend an entire weekend with Wes. My mother must have been reading my mind because she put on a serious expression.

"However. We need to set some rules." She said looking me in the eye. Her gaze was completely serious. I bit my lip and waited for her to continue. "First off, there will be no sharing rooms with anyone of the opposite gender." I felt my face turn red.

"Oh my god mom, stop." I said looking down at the table.

"I'm just saying." She threw her hands up defensively. "Second, since Owen is going, Keaton should also be invited to even out the room arrangements." She told me. Okay. That makes sense. Drew and Wes would share a room, and Owen and Keaton could share. An unlikely combination, but Owen was going to have to deal. Maybe that's why he looked kind of mad.

"No problem! Keaton's a great guy." I smiled. It would be nice to get to know him better. 

"And third, please be respectful. This trip is all expenses paid for all of you by the Westminster PTA. Don't do anything stupid." She told me. Okay. That was rather forward. I nodded.

"Yes ma'am." I fake saluted her.

"Okay, you guys leave tomorrow morning, so get all your packing done." She smiled at me.

Adrianna and I looked at each other. We smiled and hugged our moms again. Selene grabbed Owen and my mother and pulled us into a huge group hug. My face was mashed up against Owen's forehead and even though he was in a bad mood, I saw him chuckling. This trip was going to be amazing.

"We've got to go tell the boys." Adrianna said grinning. I couldn't wait. We grabbed our boards and skated over to the Stromberg's house. I was also kind of nervous. This was actually happening. I was going to spend an entire weekend with Wesley. I have no idea where we really stand. We've kissed before, but we never really talked about it. We don't exactly do that kind of thing, like talk about our relationship.

What exactly are we? Are we dating? Are we just hooking up? I'm pretty sure he has feelings for me, but whether he acts on those feelings... I don't know. We were at their place before we knew it. When we knocked on the door, Adrianna and I were about to explode. When Keaton opened the door we practically tackled him. He stumbled into the foyer. 

"Haha, nice to see you guys too." He laughed. He led us into the living room where Wes and Drew were sitting on the couch. Wes saw us come in and he smiled at me. Keaton plopped down on the floor at Drew's feet. We were still standing, and trying to bite back our excitement. Drew noticed something was up and he looked at us cautiously.

"What's going on?" He asked us. We instantly blurted out everything. Wes and Drew jumped up and started celebrating. Wesley wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me up into the air and twirled me. I giggled as he set me down. I saw Keaton looking down at the floor.

"Have fun guys." He said giving us a sad smile. He got up and started to make his way out of the room when I stepped after him.

"We will. Because you're coming." I told him poking him in the chest. Drew came over and ruffled his hair.

"Really? Thanks Avery." He said hugging me. He looked really happy to be included.

"Yep! Since Drew and Wes will probably share a room, you'll be sharing with Adrianna's brother. Is that okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah that's fine." Keaton said still grinning.

Drew and Wesley stopped hollering and whooping and they glanced at each other. "Oh so Owen's coming?" Wes said clenching his jaw. Drew put his hand on Wes's shoulder and glared at him as if to say Shut up, man. What is with those two? Maybe this trip will help Owen and Wesley work out whatever their issues are.

"Yep." I smiled at him. I leapt into his arms for a hug, but he felt kind of distant.

"Great."