"Little Sara Beth has grown up on us," Alex cooed, pinching the cheek of the tall brunette who stood in front of him. There once was a time where he towered over her, but when the two parted ways for their Summer vacation, they each came back with something new to offer the world. Alex had grown cocky, Sara had grown tall. "Look at you, I might actually be able to have a conversation with you now without breaking my neck to look down!"

Sara forced a laugh and waved his hand off. She was used to Alex's comments on her being the youngest, the baby of the group; and frankly, she didn't want to hear about that right now. This was going to be a new year for her and she wasn't going to let her older, popular brother spoil that for her. Besides, didn't he have enough going on in his own life to not be concerned about the changes that had occured in Sara's life while she spent the Summer a few states away with her best friend? Their parents were finally letting him tour with his band and he'd obviously taken an interest in the ladies -- Sara knew this because during a phone call over the Summer, he'd tried to talk her best friend into coming back and 'slipping in between his sheets.' It disgusted her, but hey, if it kept him distracted like it'd done the last two and a half months, more power to him.

Alex grew bored of his baby sister in two seconds. He was expecting a sarcastic comment in return, or at least a little bit of bark, but Sara didn't take the bait. Instead, he planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek and began his journey upstairs, where he was certain to be preparing for the last big party before school started again. Typically, the younger sibling would be begging for Alex to bring her along, but that awkward freshman year was over. Sara had branched out, created her own life, she didn't need to live in Alex's shadow anymore. That probably explains why her heart was thudding out of her chest when Jack Barakat's face appeared in the doorway. She'd waited all Summer long for this one moment, seeing his face, being back home where he was just a few houses away. She held her breath and looked down at the ground, suddenly feeling nervous about the comment Alex had made. Was she too tall? Would Jack think differently of her now? She'd grown up in other places, too, so that should count for something.

It was the light in his eyes when he saw her that told Sara that he loved the changes her body had made since she'd been away. The last time Jack had laid eyes on Sara, she was just Alex's annoying little sister. Dancing around and complaining about how she wanted to come parties, be a part of the band, feel as special as Alex had been born to be. Back then, Jack had thought she was cute, so long as she came in small doses, but now? Now he wasn't sure he could stand only seeing her on the weekends. Naturally, her blossoming had something to do with that, because he was a teenage boy, but it ran so much deeper than that. Really, it all started two weeks after Sara left to spend the Summer with best friend. He'd called her drunk one night, totally forgetting that she was gone, looking for Alex. She was so cool about his slurred words and incredibly comforting in the middle of his confusion, that Jack decided to keep talking to her. All Summer long, in fact, to the point that they began to feel awkward about Alex being her brother. That was the only thing standing in their way now. Since they were both home and in the flesh, Jack had to make a decision. Was he willing to risk getting his ass beat by Alex so he could hang with Sara, or would he simply dismiss the brunette as Alex's little sister again?

"Jack, it's so good to see you," Sara finally broke the silence, her dark eyes matching his. It seemed they were both in awe over the other. "It literally feels like I've been away for years."

"Just by looking at you, I'd think the same thing," Jack half-smiled. He stepped further into the house, and without thinking, pulled the tall girl into a hug. The scent of her shampoo was intoxicating, almost making him weak in the knees. If only he knew Sara felt the same way about his cologne. "God, I've missed you."

"Not as much as I've missed you," she mumbled against his chest. Though Jack was skinny and lanky, she felt so safe in those long arms. "How was your Summer?"

"Well, you already know that," Jack chuckled, releasing her from his grip. His body instantly felt cold. "I don't think we've gone a day without speaking."

"Yeah.. I'm just not sure what to say right now..."

Jack studied her face, from the tan on her skin, her big doe eyes, right down to her glossed lips. She was still the same girl she'd been before, but why did he never notice how beautiful she was? He took a step closer to her, feeling as if he was floating above himself, watching the scene from another universe. Did he want to kiss her, or would that freak her out? He didn't care either way. She already knew he was the odd man out. Just another step, one tiny little step, and he'd be able to tell what flavor coated her lips.

"Jack?" Alex screamed from the top of the stairs. "Are you coming up?"

"Uh," Jack stepped away from the girl. He realized that, she was still in fact, Alex's baby sister. The sister he would kill a man for. "Actually, bro, it's about time to roll out. I wanna get there before all the good booze are gone."

"Damnit, Jack, my mom can hear you!"

Sara once again found herself forcing a laugh. Maybe she should have waited to see Jack again, when they were actually alone. Now she was certain Alex had wrecked her chances with him, and honestly, she wasn't even sure if he was interested in her the same way she was interested in him. It was true, they'd poured their hearts out to one another through phone calls, but talking through a device is much eaiser than talking in the flesh; and it seemed that in the flesh, Jack Barakat was far more disconnected from her.

Alex came flying down the stairs, running right past her location on the floor. He stopped right before he ran into Jack and smiled at the two. He'd never admit it to Sara, but next to Jack, she was his favorite person.

"Do you, uh, need a lift?" Alex awkwardly asked. It was the first time he'd ever invited her to an party, and he was in just as much shock as he was. He'd learned through mutual friends that Sara had been trying to expand her social life and break away from the typical Gaskarth name: Which was Alex. For the longest time, no one even knew who she was. "It'll give you a chance to meet some of the upperclassmen. I kind of figure we'll be seeing a lot of each other now, so.."

"No thanks," she shook her head, dark strands flying all over the place. "My ride is already on the way over. You guys go, I'll see you there."

"Okay then."

"Bye Sara." Jack smiled sadly. "Maybe I'll see you later."

"Yeah.. Maybe."

Feeling discouraged, Sara dragged her feet into the living room. Her purse was sitting on the table, so she decided to kill a little time by adding some more make-up to her face. Nothing major, a little eye-liner and mascara, but perhaps it would make Jack feel the need to pay more attention to her at the party later. Emotionally, she felt there was no use. Of course she'd allowed her young heart to be captured by the imfamous Jack Barakat through late night, porch swing phone calls. Naturally, she melt at his touch or feel upset by the idea of him getting drunk and hooking up with an older girl, who Alex wouldn't be angry about. This was just another moment in her life where she wanted to be more than Alex Gaskarth's little sister.

She tried her hardest to push those thoughts from her mind, to tell herself that her 'Summer Romance' with Jack had really been nothing more than a few phone calls when he was bored. Sara was determined to, if nothing more, make her first real party one she'd never forget, and she started this night by climbing into Zack Merrick's car. He was the only one of Alex's friends who had been nice to her over the years, mostly because she was into abstract things like he was. When the other guys would laugh at her, Zack would offer to capture photographs of Sara practicing her dance moves at home. He was like an older brother to her, one much softer than Alex.

"You seem a little down," Zack commented, pulling up in the long driveway that led to the home where the party would be held. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Sara sighed. "Just boy problems."

"Let me just warn you now, they only get worse," Zack laughed lightly. "Don't let any guy get you down, okay? You're too good for that."

"You think?"

"I know." He gave her a soft push on the shoulder. "Promise me you'll try to have a good night, and if anything, and I mean anything, upsets you, you'll come straight to me?"

"I promise, Zack."

"Good. Now let's go get our drink on!"

Notes

This was going to be Sara's one-shot for winning the contest, but I got a little excited while writing it and ended up making it much more than it should have been, so I posted a different one for her. However, I found myself finishing it tonight and figured I'd post it. Hopefully it makes her happy! Part two is coming your way! (: