Memphis Wills wants out of Whitehaven, the tiny village she's lived in her whole life. So aged sixteen she leaves for college in the city and never looks back.
Until five years later when she finally wises up and leaves her dirt bag boyfriend. Fee...
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"Wow, this place is tiny."
"Told you," I say, holding an open bag of sweets out to Mel. She pops a handful into her mouth. "Now can you see why I wanted out?"
She nods, her red hair blowing behind her with the strong breeze. "You're lucky to live so close to the beach though. I only ever got to go to the seaside on holiday. Even then it was Welsh beaches and the ones I got to visit were never as cute at this. It's like something out of a postcard."
I look out at the pebbles and pastel coloured beach huts from where we're seated on a bench. There's a couple walking an excited pair of dogs and a child working out how to build a castle out of the stones.
"It's just not where I wanna spend the rest of my life. There's no excitement."
"Hey, Bath's hardly exciting when all you do is work and study. I was expecting a couple of houses in a field the way you always described this place."
I shrug, chewing on a gummy worm.
"So am I going to get to meet this Elijah guy tonight." Mel wiggles her eyebrows and I push her playfully.
"It's not like that, trust me. And anyway, you came here to drop my stuff. It's up to you what you wanna do."
"I would have been happy with junk food and Netflix but seeing as you've been invited on your first night out in Whitehaven, I kind of wanna tag along."
The wind picks up, tossing my hair in my face and I push it back, watching as the waves roll up with the rising tide. "It's hardly a night out."
"It's a trip to the pub with people our age. I need you to make friends, so I don't feel so bad when I return to civilisation tomorrow."
"I went to school with the people here. We're sort of already friends."
"Yeah, but you've not been in touch for ages. You need to reconnect, and a couple of alcoholic beverages and your cool friend Mel would love to help with that."
I can't help laughing at her wide smile and insistence. "Fine. But you need to help me find something nice to wear. Seeing as you've returned my belongings to me."
Mel laughs. "I thought it wasn't like that, huh?"
"It really isn't. It's just I've been wearing the same three outfits since I've been here, and I've forgotten how to dress."
"Hallie's better at all that stuff but I'll try my best."
It's on the tip of my tongue to ask Mel where Hallie's sleeping. Is she in my bed? But I decide against it, swallowing down my question in favour of dragging Mel up from the bench.
"Now, do you wanna finish the tour or what?"
Mel had got to Whitehaven at noon, having gotten lost a few times and stuck behind a tractor on the final stetch of road from Rockport. I'd got a little bit emotional when I'd seen her car pull up on the driveway and I'd been glad no one else was home to hear me telling her how much I hate it here still. Sure, it might look idyllic, but I always feel like Whitehaven is a place I'm trying to leave in the past. Bath is where I want to be right now with Mel and Hallie and Remy. I even miss the cleaning job I'd had on and off for the last three years. It's lucky I'd already quit in favour of going travelling this summer with Jerri. The thought of spending my summer here is sad.
