Free Last Chance Summer by Kels Barnholdt

Chapter One
    I’m convinced my parents are trying to ruin my life. Like right now, for example.
    We’re sitting at my kitchen table and what appeared to be a nice family breakfast has taken a drastic turn towards, well, hell.
    I slam my fork down into the middle of my French toast and a little bit of syrup splashes off my plate and onto the table. My mom lets out a sigh and then reaches across the table with her napkin and starts to clean it up.
    “No way, no way, not in a million years am I okay with this. Not even a little bit.
    On a scale of one to ten, a hundred billion is how much I will never, ever go for this plan.” I push my plate away from me as if to make it clear that I’m too disgusted now to even look at food, let alone eat it.
    My father shoots my mother a worried look, then starts pushing his food around on his plate. This is usually how confrontation is handled in my house; my mom plays the bad cop and my dad plays the good cop. Which is actually kind of weird because in most households aren’t the roles reversed? Like isn’t it usually the fathers who put their foot down about everything? Not in my family, though. My dad’s very laid back and he hates confrontation of any kind, so he usually lets my mom handle everything.
    Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like my dad’s a pansy or anything. If he has to get involved, he will. But only if it’s absolutely necessary.
    “Now, Morgan.” My mom frowns “I don’t think you’re looking at the big picture here. The experience alone would be so good for you and..”
    “The big picture?” I exclaim. “Oh, trust me, I can see the big picture. Mom, I can’t just pick up and leave for the summer. I have a life here. I have my friends…and a job…and…and my summer reading. I can’t leave, I just can’t!”
    My mom rolls her eyes and carries her empty plate over to the sink “Your friends will still be here when you get back, you can do your summer reading anywhere, and you do not have a job.”
    “I do have a job,” I mutter, which is true. Well, kind of. I don’t actually have a job yet, per se. But I will any day now. I mean, I haven’t actually gotten around to going around and filling out any applications or anything yet. But I was going to. As a matter of fact I was going to do that today. Probably.
    My dad looks up from his plate. “You have a job?”
    “Well not technically…”
    My dad chuckles and I shoot him an annoyed look.
    “Well, I don’t understand what you’re so upset about. Most sixteen-year-old girls would kill to spend a few weeks in South Carolina without their parents,” my mom says as she starts to rinse off her dish.
    “Mom, it’s not just a few weeks away, it’s a few weeks away with her,” I say and then my put my head into my hands.
    “Oh, Morgan, really! Arielle isn’t that bad. She is family after all. And it’s not just her, it’s your Aunt Jenna and Uncle Chris as well.”
    “Mom, she’s horrible, and I don’t consider her family. I consider her the devil.”
    My dad chuckles at this and my mom shoots him a look. “Dave!”
    My dad shrugs. “Now honey, Arielle can be a bit much to handle sometimes.”
    “She’s just a very passionate person,” my mom says. “And she’s your cousin.
    Morgan, it will be good for you two to spend some time together. When me and your Aunt Jenna were you and Arielle’s age we were joined at the hip. You couldn’t find me or her without the other.”
    I sigh. “I know, Mom, I know. Ugh.”
    “Besides, Arielle really is a charmer once you get past her cold exterior.”
    Things that should be known about my cousin Arielle: 1) Don’t try to shorten her name or give her any type of nickname, she hates it and will probably never forgive you. For example, one time the guy who works at this ice cream shop by her house called her “Ari” as he handed her the cone she ordered. We had been going there since we were kids and the guy was about fifty, really sweet,