True Intentions Read Online Free

his sweet peas, since we were twins. I guess the saying "two peas in a pod" is where he got that silly name. While hearing my grandfather use that nickname, flashbacks enter my mind, memories of being younger and Grandpa playing with us on the floor. And times like learning how to water ski and Grandpa yelling from the boat, "Come on Pea, you can do it." That was the first time I attempted to get up on skis, and if I'd have my way—my last. Of course, with my athletic abilities, I wasn't very successful. Aiden accomplished the task of skiing the very first time he tried. It was depressing, but that wasn't the first time he'd demonstrated he was more physically gifted than I was.
    Thinking back to that day reminds me how much I loved being at this lake that summer. Grandpa called Lake Arrowhead the "Alps of Southern California." The natural peacefulness has always lured people to these mountains for relaxation and as a weekend getaway from Los Angeles. To me, Lake Arrowhead is a great place to visit, but Chicago is my true home. This California community isn't about to change that lifelong feeling.
    "Ava, are you nervous about starting a new school?" my grandma asks, interrupting my vivid flashbacks.
    Unfortunately, the schools in Lake Arrowhead—two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school—are very small. It's an everyone-knows-everyone kind of place. That makes it way too easy for teachers to keep tabs on all the students.
    At least in Chicago it was easy to get away with things, like skipping class. Does she actually think I'm looking forward to a major culture shock going from more than two thousand students to a mere fraction of that number?
    "I guess," I mutter while shrugging and picking up speed toward the baggage claim area. Even though I just got off the stupid plane, I miss my friends, especially my BFF Mallory. She has been the one friend who was extremely supportive through the last few months, always looking out for me through this entire mess. I feel guilty leaving her after all she's done for me. I feel like I'm a traitor for abandoning her. We promised we would keep in touch through email, texting, and calling one another often, but it wouldn't be the same as seeing her almost every day.
    Sometimes when I think about everything that has happened, anger builds up inside me like a raging volcano ready to erupt. I get angry at Aiden and Dad for leaving me, angry at myself for not stopping them from going that day, and angry at God for letting this happen and ruining my life.
    What did I ever do to him?
    I'm going to start to cry if I don't do something, so I try to refocus and stop my negative, whining thoughts and shift my attention to Mom's conversation with my grandparents over house hunting. It's not like I have much else to do while waiting for my overstuffed suitcase.
    We're planning to stay with my grandparents while we check for available houses in the area. They live in a modest, log cabin, so I assume it will be cramped there while we look for a place of our own. According to my mom, I will have the entire loft upstairs to myself since all the other bedrooms are downstairs. At least that will guarantee me some privacy. I am completely clueless on how long we will be sharing a living space with them. Since they have lived across the country my entire life, I'm not sure how this arrangement will work. It's totally different spending one week a year with your long-distance family members verses moving into their home.
    As we approach the claim area, my mom continues to explain details of our trip.
    "Our flight wasn't bad at all. Even security was much easier to get through than I anticipated."
    "That's good. We were worrying you would have trouble and miss your flight,"
    Grandpa says with a snicker.
    My mom is known in the family for always being late to absolutely everything. It is a family joke to tell her to be somewhere thirty minutes prior to the time you actually want her to