The Other Side of Tomorrow

“I’ll walk you to the door.” He undoes his seatbelt and gets out.

He helps me out, which is unnecessary since I ditched the heels the second I was in the Jeep and now clasp them in my hands. I quickly shrug into the jacket, hoping my dad hasn’t spied what I’m wearing from the window.

We walk side by side up the walkway, careful not to touch since we have an audience—an audience I’m sure that thinks they can’t be seen, since I also spy my sister and Meredith watching from upstairs.

Jasper kisses my cheek. “Thank you for coming tonight.”

“Thank you for asking me.”

Thank you for asking me? God, Willa, that sounds pathetic. Could you be any more helpless when it comes to dating? Read a book on it or something.

“I’ll see you back on the beach tomorrow, right?” he asks. “No offense, but you need a lot more surf lessons.”

I snort—so attractive, I know. “Am I that bad or do you just want to spend time with me?”

His lips tilt up on one corner. “A little bit of both.”

I smile back. “Well, I’ll take that. Goodnight.”

I give him a small wave and then I open the door, stepping into my house.

“Hi, Dad.”

“What? Who? Me? Hi.” He peeks back around the wall that separates the foyer.

I shake my head and laugh before starting up the stairs. My feet are sore, but I don’t even care.

I barely cross the threshold of my room when Meredith and Harlow inundate me with questions.

But I answer them all with a smile because I can safely say this was the best night of my life.

I roll over and get a face full of blonde hair. Opening my eyes, I spot Harlow passed out beside me, sleeping like nothing in the world could possibly wake her up.

Rolling to the other side I smile when I see Meredith on the floor in a sleeping bag, her red hair fanned around her. When we were little I was convinced she was Ariel from The Little Mermaid and kept waiting for her to grow fins. Unfortunately, she never did.nbsp;

Beside Meredith, curled on his side, is Perry—snoring like a grown man.nbsp;

I can’t help but smile. I love my sister and best friend so much and even that crazy dog.nbsp;

Easing up my sheet and blanket I slip from the bed and tiptoe across the room to my bathroom. I freshen up and, when I come out, the girls are stirring.nbsp;

“Morning,” Harlow says, sitting up and stretching her arms.

“Ugh, can we sleep all day?” Meredith asks, rolling over in her sleeping bag and clutching her pillow to her chest.

“Well,” I begin, heading to my closet, “Jasper invited me to surf again today, that’s what I’m doing. Do you guys want to go?”

“I’m in,” Harlow says, rolling out of my bed. “Spencer said he’s going to be at the beach today, I can hang with him.”

“And what am I? Chopped liver?” Meredith scoffs. “So much for hanging with my girls this summer. You both go and get boyfriends and I turn out to be the single one. What kind of stupidness is this? I’m hot, I deserve love too.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Harlow and I say together and both laugh.

“Whatever, they’re close enough to it. But fine, I’ll go too.”

“I can ask Jasper if his friends are going?” I suggest.

Meredith perks up. “Hot college boys? Um, yas, girl.”