BRIDGER by Megan Curd

looked exactly the same.   Strawberry blonde hair and emerald green eyes was the staple of the McVeans.   Strong genes, Memaw called it.   I thought it was just a serious case of inbreeding, though I’d never say it out loud.
    A young man that seemed to be two of me in height and four in weight bounded forward.   Scooping me up without so much as an introduction, he squeezed the air out of my lungs.   He began rattling on like we were best friends. “Ashlyn, you’re here!   I didn’t really think you’d come, but Emily said you would.   We’ve got loads of things planned; you’ll never forget your trip to Ireland.”
    “I doubt I’ll ever be able to,” I coughed out, trying to give my brain enough oxygen to think in straight lines again.   There was a small gaggle of guys behind him.
    He gave me a once-over. “Emily was right; you don’t look like a McVean at all. You must have got your mom’s genes.” I looked down in embarrassment, feeling as though I’d lost points on a test that I hadn’t been told to study for.   Auburn hair and colored contacts made me stand out like a sore thumb in the family. If Mom wasn’t around, I could pass as being adopted.
    Ignoring our conversation, Jamie’s eyes glazed over.   She was taking in the sight that must have been glorious in her opinion.   She crossed the distance between her and the boys in three strides, taking out two old ladies with her massive bags in the process.   She didn’t seem to notice.
    Looking back at the man who had practically assaulted me in his excitement, I smiled.   “Sorry about Jamie, she’s a little boy-crazy.”
    He laughed, the sound rich and homey.   He felt like a long lost friend as he winked conspiratorially. “It’s alright, they were looking forward to your friend coming.   They have a thing for American girls.   But where are my manners?   I’m Jesse. We’re third cousins or something relationally, but we don’t really keep count.” He waved behind him to prove his point. Jamie was now entertaining the throng of guys with wild gestures.   I was scared to know what she was telling them. “Everyone’s family to us.   Even ones that technically aren’t.”
    There were three guys on the outer ring of the circle.   These must be the ones we weren’t related to.   It was easy to see the difference.   While the rest of the group was as loud and excited as Jamie was, these three seemed more reserved.   All of them had darker hair, two of them chestnut in color and the other jet-black.
    “Who are they?” I asked, taking in the sight.   Jamie was well on her way to being best friends with all of them by the looks of it.
    Jesse shrugged. “Oh, friends of the family.   They go wherever we go.   Maybe not unlike the friend you brought over with you?”
    Jesse smiled while watching the antics of Jamie. She was so excited she was practically levitating off the floor.   She would need to be reined in if I wanted to survive this trip.   I smiled, nodding to confirm his guess.   “Yeah, Jamie’s pretty much the sister I never had.   I love her to death.”
    “It’s good to have a friend like that.   I don’t know what I’d do without Liam.”
    “Which one is Liam?” I asked, assuming from our conversation that he was one of the darker haired guys.   They had cracked to Jamie’s antics; they were laughing along with the rest of the group now.
    He pointed to the one farthest from the circle surrounding Jamie.   “That joker right there,” he said, laughing.   “He’s like a brother to me.”  
    Standing there smiling from ear to ear, Liam was the one with jet-black hair that looked like it hadn’t been brushed in a week. It hung in waves to his ears. It didn’t diminish his appearance, though; instead it gave him a sense of devil-may-care.   He seemed to be more guarded than the rest.
    Sensing my gaze, he looked over to us and winked as he pulled one hand through his mop of hair.   I