Coming of Age the Fast Way

“You really know how to make me cry when you give me those ocean eyes.”

Song: ‘Ocean Eyes’ by Billie Eilish.

♡Chelsy♡

Just as I was about to seal the most memorable kiss with Brad Pinsley, my alarm clock decided that it was the opportune time to scream against my eardrums, signaling the end of the blissful paradise of sleep-land.

I had finally progressed after several ‘dreams’ which only involved me admiring my school’s most famous swimmer from afar, but today? Today I was about to hit the jackpot.

Fucking hell.

I whined in annoyance at the bird-shaped noisemaker sitting on my bedside table and brought a tired hand up to slap it stop, quickly plopping myself back against my pillow in a bid to fall asleep and continue the saga.

Shit! Just fall asleep, Chelsy! Five more minutes! Just until you plant your lips on his!

I jerked my feet, annoyed at the fact that sleep had decided to leave me at relatively awful timing.

Damn you, clock.

I decided to give up the fight and sat upright groggily. I lost the dream, and I was about to lose my mind when I remembered I had school.

I hated school more than anything in this world. Unfortunately, I was only seventeen and had two years left until I graduated.

I brought my hand up to scratch my hair as I heard a loud knock on my door. My mother’s voice echoed through the small creases.

“Chels?! Honey, hurry down! Your brother is about to leave!”

Yeah. I needed to leave for college to finally get away from my mother’s unwanted morning calls and my brother’s corny, fifth-grade insults.

I hated working with my brother’s timing more than anything. I was dying to get my license so I could have my own car. Unfortunately, for now, I was stuck with my big brother Max Holmes, star of the hockey team, and his best friend, Nathan Sharles.

Don’t get me wrong, if my brother were not my brother, I would have described how handsome he is but since he is my brother, an annoying one at that, I will just settle with him being okay with player-like looks that no girl could resist, which explains why he had a different one over every weekend.

Speaking of player, you’d think my brother was the real womanizer, but his best friend Nathan Sharles was the real deal.

The dude couldn’t keep his genitals in his pants to save a life.

Nathan was my next-door neighbor and a family friend since we were toddlers. A lot of my unwanted scenes of porn and sexual images were because of him and the unfortunate placement of my window that landed a front-row watch of his room.

I could see everything he does in that room and boy, was that unfortunate. Nathan was cute; you know the cliche James Dean, ripped jeans, white T’s type of stuff, but didn’t put it to positive use like being a motivational speaker or a model. Instead, he broke girls’ hearts every day. With zero remorse.

Some girls would have gotten heart in their eyes if they lived next door to a ‘hot’ guy (As all the girls at Gilmore High would say) who was allergic to a shirt and listened to hardcore rock band while attempting dance in his mirror. But for me? I was disgusted, I was irritated, and most of all? I was annoyed.

Not like I liked him or anything, but it angered me how he could change girlfriends in such short periods of time. I felt sorry for those poor girls who were thinking about ‘forever’ with him.

The thing was, in movies, the girls always ended up with that guy who she hated. It’s cliche. But me? That would never happen; why? Because that’s just eww, and it would be like crushing on a cousin or something.

Well, leave that to Vicky, who knew my brother for quite some time now, and she just couldn’t take her eyes off him.

She had liked him since she was twelve. And still hadn’t gotten over it. I didn’t think she ever will. I couldn’t judge her when I had been madly in love with Brad Pinsely since forever.

But you will hear about that soon.

Realizing I spent all morning talking inside my head once again, I rolled out of bed and pushed my feet into my bedside slippers.

I hurried off to the bathroom in case my mother called to wake me up a second time. Super annoying.

As I got into the shower, I recalled that after a whole night of contemplation, Vicky and I decided that we were going to tell our crushes how much we liked them. We settled with the most immature thing ever.

Writing a love letter!

Cringeworthy right?

The thought excited me and made me anxious at the same time as I hummed to my favorite song in the shower. Although I had told her that my brother wouldn’t be all excited about something as immature as a letter, she still insisted. I guess she was watching too many teen movies.

I got out only wearing my towel and made my way to my room. I put on my underwear and frowned at how small it fitted. I needed new underwear asap!

I didn’t even look fatter, but my body was saying otherwise.

I pulled a pink bra from my drawers. Up until today, I had been wearing Training bras even though I was seventeen. Safe to say puberty hated both Vicky and me, so she didn’t grant us sexy boobs, unfortunately.

At least it saved funds to buy new large bras. I decided to stick to my middle school trainers until puberty chose to give me woman tits.

Whenever that would be.

I put on tights over my underwear and reached for my bra, and put it on. My boobs peeked out a little, but oh well, I didn’t care; they wouldn’t show beneath my T-shirt. So no one would see anyway.

Guess again, Chels.

Suddenly the door pushed open. “Princess, your mom says breakfast is ready and your brother—”

I froze and flashed my gaze to see Nathan at the door peering in at me.

Holy Mother of-

My jaw dropped and my eyes widened.

His deep blue eyes sparkled with fascination at my half-naked form standing frozen and wide-eyed in front of him.

He swallowed when his eyes fell to my bra.

“Oh, sorry....”

“Get out, you pervert!!!!” I screamed as my hand grabbed the first thing in my reach and threw it at him in a rage.

The pervert is so damn good at sports that he just dodged the lotion bottle effortlessly and slammed the door shut with a giggle.

Oh. My. God.

♡♡

“Max!!!!!!” I cried, stamping down the stairs angrily and stepping out onto the patio where everyone was seated eating.

Our mornings were usually spent feasting on good home-cooked breakfast on my patio. That was when my mother didn’t have early morning shifts at the hospital.

She was a nurse and despite being a very busy parent, she spent a lot of time with us.

My Dad and Nathan’s Dad were away on business since they were business partners and would not have been back for another six months.

“What’s the reason for such a rage this early, sis?” Max asked as he stuffed his mouth with scrambled eggs at the table.

I spotted Nathan wearing a sly smirk while biting into a toast beside Max.

His presence angered me even more.

And that smirk? It wasn’t saving him one bit.

“Could you tell your walking-penis of a friend to stay out of my room?!” I snarled, sitting fiercely on a chair situated right in front of the perv.

My mother, who heard the commotion, exit the kitchen holding two glasses of orange juice and made her way onto the patio.

“What is it, Chels?” She questioned before glancing at Max, who was devouring all his breakfast.

The dude could eat.

“Do say your prayers before you eat,” she rebuked him, and he quickly closed his eyes and whispered something after already starting on his plate.

It’s great that God’s understanding.

“Mom, Nathan walked right in on me in my bra and underwear,” I busted, my eyes darkening on him.

Nathan cleared his throat and raised a finger politely as if he was at some posh antique auction, “Um, excuse me, Mrs. Holmes? As rude as that sounded, it is not. She was wearing biker shorts.”

He always spoke so politely around my mother, which explained why she loved him so much and tended to take his sides, but little did she know how annoying and arrogant he was. And she wouldn’t believe me when I tried to tell her.

My mother gave a small chuckle. “You were wearing shorts Chels, no big deal,”

Did she just take his side for the hundredth time?

I hissed. “As if that makes a difference! He saw my...”

I paused, a sudden feeling of embarrassment coming over me. My cheeks heated as I recalled that I was wearing a training bra, not necessarily something I was proud of.

Maybe we can rest the argument as my Mom suggested.

I just hope he hadn’t noticed.

Oh God, I pray.

“No big deal, it’s just a training bra,” He shrugs, a smile on his lips.

And he did notice.

Just. Great.

You can never get anything past this guy.

Max laughed, almost choking on his food and I wished he did. So he could shut up and not add fire to the burning flame. “Shit sis, it’s time you grow past trainers now, right?”

My mother frowned and rest down the two glasses of orange juice in front of Nathan and Max.

Seriously Nathan was drinking the orange juice that my mom made at my house and had the audacity to be laughing and jeering me. Talk about daring.

“Behave, boys, some females are late bloomers. Like myself. I didn’t wear women-bra until I was fifteen.” My mom added. She was obviously trying to make the situation better but only made it worse.

Gee, Ma. Thanks.

Max laughed again. “Exactly Mom and Chels is seventeen. If she ain’t got them now, when is she going to get them?”

The statement made Nathan cough out all his pancake in laughter, and seeing how amused they were by this, I decided to throw in something that would have Max cramped.

I smiled devilishly as I folded my arms. “Mm. The girl you brought home last night and slept with on mom’s couch, was she wearing training bras?”

I patted myself inwardly.

Good one,Chels. Good one.

The comment caused Max to freeze, a guilty expression surfacing his face. He knew how much my mom loved that couch.

Haha!

My mother heard and pulled out a chair beside me, glaring rebukingly at him. “You did what?”

Nathan smiled. “Mrs. Holmes. She’s just trying to get back at him. Don’t mind that. Max and I played games the entire time yesterday. I saw no girl over.”

I darted my eyes to him, and he gave me a wink before pushing a piece of pancake in his mouth.