“You look really happy for some reason,” Julia muttered.
“Oh?” I blushed. I’d felt so bold sending that picture to Luca, but in real life that wasn't anything like me.
“Whatever. Let’s take this AP History test and fuck it in the ass.”
“Julia,” I asked sweetly, “are you eating Jordan’s Adderall again?” She looked at me blankly.
“Snorting it. Come on, let’s study."
The day passed quickly. Sometimes I wondered if I would have my ridiculously high GPA without Julia there to push me. I could see the sun setting outside, painting the sky all kinds of orange and magenta. If there was one thing I was going to miss when I headed off for college, it would be watching the sun set over Texas Hill Country.
“Let’s take a break,” I finally sighed. Her Adderall was probably wearing off anyway.
“Okay,” Julia said. We walked outside and I jumped into the pool in my underwear, shrieking. Julia rolled up the legs of her jeans and dangled her bare legs in the water sourly. I grabbed my phone and took another selfie, in my wet bra with the setting sun in the background.
“Check it out,” I said, showing the image to Julia.
“Cute,” she said flatly.
I wanted to put it on Facebook in the hope Luca would see it, but then thought better of it; first, my nipples were showing through the white fabric of my bra, which could get me into all sorts of trouble in the future; and second, it was too sexy, just not my style. I'm a good girl at heart, I really am.
Still, I was feeling naughty and wanted to take more pictures, so I did. I laid down on one of the pool chairs and slid a thumb under the hem of my panties, pulling it away from my wet skin ever-so-slightly before snapping another picture
“Oh my God,” Julia said, watching me. "What's gotten into you?!"
“What?” I giggled.
“Just because you’re hot now doesn’t mean you have to turn into little miss super slut.” Jake Hanson, the school's football star asked me out last week; it was news all over school. Yeah, okay, maybe it went to my head a little.
“I’m just having some fun,” I smiled, putting my phone away.
“Whatever. Sheesh.”
“Ooh, a message from Luca!” I wiggled with excitement. He had just sent me a picture.
****
I squirmed with consternation as I looked at it. Luca had sent me a picture of him sitting in a hot tub, presumably somewhere in the Alps, with a stunning snow-scape as a backdrop, full of craggy mountains behind him. But it wasn’t the setting, or his chiseled, shirtless body that piqued my interest the most. It was the two topless girls sitting on either side of him. He was holding them such that his arms covered their bare breasts, and the expression on all three of their faces was one of utter mischief. Luca, who had seemed so rugged and handsome before, looked like a total douchebag. And why would Luca even send me a picture like that? Obnoxious. My phone buzzed again.
Sorry!!! Meant to send to my friend Daniela. For art project about social media and culture. I am making lots of pictures for her.
Interesting, I thought. I looked more closely at the picture
I hope I did not offend.
No, I thought. Not really.
It’s okay lol. It’s not every day people send me topless pics of hot Italian girls.
Not only topless, he replied.
Naughty boy, I sent back.
Yes I have not been so good lately. You are only one to see this picture, aside from me and Daniela.
I think we all have pictures like that.
You do...?
I bit my lip, thinking about the picture I had just taken of myself by the pool. Of course, sending it to Luca would be way over the line.
Yes ;)
If you were not my relative I would be thinking you were flirting with me.
I pulled up the picture I’d taken by the pool, of me in my wet white bra with the sun sinking in the background behind me. The wind was waving my wet hair, and my skin was glowing in the faint orange light reflecting off the water. My lips were pursed in a tight smile, as if I were sucking on a secret.
I sent it to him. I immediately regretted it. It wasn’t as if the picture was even that naughty, but my heart was pounding anyway. I waited for my phone to buzz with a lump in my throat, but ten minutes later I still hadn’t received a reply. I guessed that was that.
I sighed. I’d probably weirded him out, and our correspondence was over. Maybe someday we would meet, in a moment of extreme awkwardness.
****
“You sent him that?!” Julia looked at my phone with a dour expression as I giggled uncontrollably. It was the first picture, the one I had taken in my bikini.
“That’s really hot,” she said after a moment of poring over my phone. It was hard not to hear the note of disappointment in her voice. We had both been skinny, plain-Jane girls with braces when we had first met each other in our 9th-grade Honors English class.
“Amelia,” Julia said, her voice level with grave seriousness, “you know you’ll probably meet him in real life sometime, right? Like he’s not just some random boy in Italy you can flirt with. He’s your stepbrother.
Whatever, I thought. I would probably be 23 or something by the time that happened. I was going to be crazy busy in college, with internships during the summer. If we did have a chance encounter years from now, so what?
“Check out the next one,” I said, my voice suddenly a little breathy. I couldn’t wait to see the expression on Julia’s face when she flipped to the next message I had sent him.
“Amelia! Oh my God!”
What? I thought. It was just the picture of me in my wet bra. You could sort of see the outline of my nipples, but it wasn’t that bad.
Julia pushed the phone across the kitchen table. She looked kind of pale, like she was going to vomit. Jeez, I thought, relax.
I looked at my phone and squeaked with surprise. I hadn’t sent him the picture of me by the pooclass="underline" I fucking sent him the one where I was naked and lying on my bed, my legs spread wide with a sexy pout on my face!
No wonder I hadn’t heard back from him.
Yeah, if we ever met it was going to be the most awkward day of my life.
Chapter 2
“Daddy, I love them!” I gushed with excitement.
“I know your birthday is in a couple weeks, Amelia. But Victoria and I already bought you something, so I thought we’d just give you the skis now. Especially since we’re heading to Aspen at the end of the semester. You’ll have to get your new boots fitted at the ski shop."
Robert loved buying me things. I could always tell by the way he beamed as I delighted in my latest present. I couldn’t even begin to dream what I was getting for my birthday.
I looked at my new skis with as much apprehension as excitement. They were for an expert skier: longer and fatter than the ones I had now. I knew I could ski in them just fine, but looking at them still made me a little nervous. They were bright pink, with a retro neon splatter design that practically screamed speed.