The Year I Became Isabella Anders (Sunnyvale, #1)

“Just because you shaved your legs and do your hair doesn’t make you a different person,” she says as we near our room. “You’re still the same Isa that came on this trip. You just have a little more confidence now.”


“Okay, so that might be true, but Kai still doesn’t like me.” When she gives me a doubtful look, I give her a brief recap of mine and Kai’s history.

“Maybe he feels bad about blowing you off now. People do change a lot from when they were thirteen,” she says after I’m finished. She uses the keycard to open the room door, but pauses before she walks in. “And it does kind of sound like he’s been trying to be friends with you over the last year or so.”

I start to protest, but my jaw snaps shut as I hear the sound of moaning coming from inside our room. Indigo’s eyes pop wide as the mattress squeaks and we hear Grandma Stephy groan, “Oh, Harry.”

“Oh. My. God.” Indigo rapidly shuts the door and we both sprint off toward the elevators.

Only when the elevators slide shut, does Indigo finally speak again.

“I don’t know what’s worse . . .” She punches the main floor button. “ . . . what we just heard, or the fact Grandma Stephy is getting more action on this trip than either of us.”

Laughter bursts from my lips, and Indigo quickly joins in. It’s the silliest moment ever, but I’ll cherish it forever. It’s because of moments like these that I’ve made it through this trip without sinking into a pit of despair over what I learned about my mother. Yeah, I know that soon I’ll be back home and I’ll have to finally deal with the truth. But I’ll always have these memories, even if some of these moments are really awkward. Through the good, bad, and painfully embarrassing, this trip changed me. Made me stronger. More confident. And hopefully that’ll help me when I get home.

I’m laughing so hard by the time we arrive on the main floor that my ribs actually hurt. “So what do we do now?” I ask as I stumble out into the vacant lobby.

Indigo’s gaze skims the front desk, which the receptionist has abandoned, then her eyes land on the pool sign just to our right.

“I have an idea,” she says, dragging me toward the doors with a wicked glint in her eyes.

“But I don’t have my swimsuit,” I protest, digging my heels into the floor. “And it’s after hours.”

“So what?” She swipes the keycard through the slot then tugs open the door. “There’s no one here to stop us, is there?”

She’s right. There’s not a single person around. But why would there be, when it’s four o’clock in the morning?

The door bangs shut behind us as we step into the faintly lit room that smells like chlorine. The pool gently ripples in front of us, begging to be dipped in.

“What about swimsuits?” I tentatively inch up to the edge, slip off my heels, and dip my toe into the lukewarm water.

“Swimsuits are for amateurs.” She shimmies out of her dress and kicks it off to the side. “Besides, you can’t cross skinny-dipping off your list if you’re wearing a swimsuit.”

“Skinny-dipping isn’t on my list,” I say as she cannonballs into the water, wearing nothing but her underwear and bra.

“The water feels so nice,” she remarks as she floats on top of the water, her hair spread out like a veil.

She looks so relaxed and the water so inviting.

“Oh, what the hell?” I peel off my dress and wade into the water.

She’s right. The water does feel fantastic. And while the moment is relaxing and not as heart-pumping as dancing in a club or kissing guys on Ferris wheels, it’s one I’m glad I lived.

An hour later, we climb out of the pool, dry off, and slip into our dresses. We don’t go back into the room, instead, heading out to the park across the street, where we watch the sunrise.

“I can’t believe we have to go home in a few weeks,” Indigo says as we rest against each other on a bench near a section of trees.

“I know, but at least we got to experience it, right?” I squint as the sun peeks through the morning haze and lights up the sky.

“I’ve taught you very, very well, young grasshopper. I feel like such a proud mama right now.” She pats my head and we both giggle.

Then we settle against each other and simply watch the sky. I feel so at peace right now with myself, yet afraid at the same time that I won’t have this feeling ever again. Suddenly, I find myself digging out my phone and snapping a photo of me with wet hair and slightly smeared makeup, the sunrise as my background. I have a content smile on my face and actually look fairly decent.

This was who I was once, I type then hit send.

I have no idea why I chose those words, other than I’m still a little high on such an amazing night. A minute later, I instantly regret it, but now there’s no going back.

I spend the rest of the morning with Indigo, waiting for Kai to reply.

He never does.

I’m not sure how I feel about it. Thankfully, I don’t have too much time to wallow over it, because hours later, Indigo and I are moving on to our next adventure.