"This is it. My life is over!"

I fell to the floor and covered my eyes with the back of my hand.

"Oh the pain! The horror!"

"Gemma."

"What am I going to do?!"

"Gemma." The voice persisted.

"This is it! The end of Gemma Conners as you know it!"

"Gemma!"

I slowly opened one eye to peek up at my mom.

"Yes?"

"I found your swimsuit, it's right here."

My mom held up my new blue and black polka dotted bikini that I'd been looking for for the last hour.

"How'd you find it? I looked everywhere for that thing." I asked as I quickly stood up to take the bikini from my mom.

"It was in your closet."

"What?! I checked the closest three times and couldn't find it anywhere."

"Mmhmm." My mom gave me that look. You know, the one that all mom's have and give their kids when they don't believe them.

"I did." I said again, trying to convince her.

"I'm sure you did. Now are you all packed?" My mom asked eyeing my over stuffed suitcase.

I walked over to my bed where my suitcase was laying and tossed the bikini inside before struggling to zip it up.

Once it was zipped I turned to face my mom with a smile on my face.

"I'm all packed."

I was beyond excited for this week. Tomorrow I'd be leaving to spend a week in Hawaii with the rest of my senior class for our senior trip.

I'd been looking forward to this day almost as much as I had been looking forward to graduating.

"You didn't forget anything did you? You have your toothbrush, extra underwear, socks-"

"Mom for the hundredth time, I have everything okay? Stop worrying." I said cutting her off.

My mom sighed before nodding.

"Besides shouldn't you be starting on dinner?" I checked the clock on my night stand which read 5:30.

"Archer should be here soon."

My mom's eyes widened as she noticed the time.

"Oh my goodness you're right!" My mom turned and quickly rushed out of the room. A few seconds later I heard her hurried footsteps running down the stairs.

I smiled and shook my head.

My mom had been begging me to invite Archer over for dinner before we left for our trip. She was convinced this was the last time she'd be able to have dinner with her 'son-in-law' as she liked to call him, for a while.

I kept telling her we'd only be gone for a week then we'd be back for the rest of the summer until college started where Archer and I both would then be attending NYU but she was having none of it.

I dragged my heavy suitcase off the bed and sat it near my closet before heading back to my bed and plopping down on it with a sigh.

I couldn't believe I'd be starting college in just a few months. I remember only a few months ago I wasn't even sure if I was going to see daylight again. I tried to keep that memory buried as far I could in the back of my mind but sometimes, like when I went to sleep at night, I couldn't help but relive it.

I stayed in my room, seated on my bed trying to think of only the good to come in the future until I heard the doorbell ring.

I checked my clock again to see it was now a little after 6:30.

Time flies when you're trying not to relive a hellish nightmare.

I hopped out of bed ready to head downstairs but not before stopping in front of my mirror to check my appearance.

I had recently cut my hair so now instead of reaching the middle of my back it now stopped just below my shoulders. I had even starting curling it so it no longer fell in a lifeless black sheet and had a little volume.

I glanced at my outfit, a simple green baby doll shirt and a pair of black dress pants with black flats to complete it.

Now normally I wouldn't be caught dead in anything that wasn't jeans and t-shirts or hoodies but because my mom had went to so much trouble over this dinner and basically demanded that I wear appropriate dinner clothes I had no choice.

I took a deep breath before hurrying down the stairs to the answer the front door.

I pulled the front door open and was greeted with the sight of none other than Archer Daniel's in all his gorgeous glory.

He gave me a breathtaking smile as soon as he saw me which I returned happily.

Dressed in a black button down shirt that was rolled up just above his elbows and dark washed jeans he looked silent gorgeous which is what I liked to call people who looked too good for words.

His evergreen colored eyes were as stunning as ever and his dark brown hair was stylishly messy.

Yep, definitely silent gorgeous.

Archer's smile didn't leave his face as he eyed me up and down.

"You look beautiful."

I felt my face heat up at the compliment.

"Thanks."

But leave it to Archer to ruin a compliment.

"I mean you don't look as good as me but you come in at a close second." He teased.

I rolled my eyes at him before standing aside so he could come in.

"Shut up and come in before I decide to tell my mom you got hit by a bus and couldn't make it."

"That's not very nice." Archer stated as he walked in.

"Yeah well I've never claimed to be a very nice person." I countered as I closed the door.

"Honey who was at the door? Was it Archer?" My mom called from the kitchen.

"Yeah!" I called back.

My mom stuck her head out of the doorway to the kitchen and waved at Archer with a spoon in her hand.

"Hi Archer, dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

Archer waved back and being the charmer that he was he then tilted his head up and sniffed the air dramatically.

"Whatever you're cooking in there Mrs. Conners smells delicious. If your food tastes like it smells I'm sure you could make dish water taste good."

To my surprise my mom actually blushed!

"Oh Archer you're too sweet." My mom said with a small laugh.

"I think I'm going to be sick." I mumbled to myself.

"I'm already allowing you to date my daughter now you're trying to steal my wife too?"

I turned to see my dad standing in the entryway to the living room glaring at Archer.

It was safe to say that Archer and my dad didn't have the best relationship. It wasn't because of anything Archer had done. My dad just didn't like idea of me being in a five foot radius of any male.

Archer rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Ugh no sir?" Archer said but it came out sounding more like a question.

I had to admit, it was nice to see somebody make Archer so nervous though.

"Oh John leave him alone, you're making him nervous." My mom chided.

My dad folded his arms across his chest and replied, "Good." Before heading into the kitchen.

My mom simply shook her head.

"Don't worry about him. He's all bark and no bite." My mom smiled reassuringly before going back into the kitchen.

"Your dad hates me." Archer said shaking his head.

"I know."

Archer looked at me with wide eyes.

"You're not suppose to agree!"

I smiled and shrugged my shoulders.

"There's no point in lying to you. He hates you."

Archer ran a hand down his face and groaned.

I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"All you have to do is make it through this one dinner and then it's you and me in Hawaii."

Archer's face brightened at that as he looked down at me.

"Right. Just get through this dinner." He seemed to be trying to reassure himself.

"Yep everything should be fine... you know as long as you don't die from my mom's cooking of course." I added as I let go of him and skipped into the kitchen leaving a gawking Archer behind.