The Summer Bride (TSBS-1) COMPLETED

Chapter One

And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.
- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Claire Bishop

The constant ringing of the phone broke the morning silence. The bright yellow rays tapped on my face, demanding me to pull the duvet over my face and escaping to the deep slumber that was harshly broken with the horrid tone. But then the tone never stopped ringing and I had to pull the duvet away to search around the bedroom for the source of the ringing.

The sunshine passing through the curtain gaps indicated it was still morning.

Morning?!

I quickly snatched my phone from the bedside table where it had been ringing and swiped on the screen with an angry thumb. Before she could talk, I asked. "Is someone dying?"

"Clai--- wait what?" My sister's voice said from the other side.

I groaned loudly and sat up on the bed, throwing the duvet away. "Well it's Sunday and it's too early for me."

Sunday Mornings weren't my favourite unless I was sleeping in. Sundays were the only off days for me, other days I worked 10 hours straight from morning to evening at a diner. The job didn't pay much but I had to pay my rents. It didn't help that a loan was added to my list of money problems. I wondered how I would clear that, since the deadline was approaching soon.

"Did you forget you were suppose to bring cupcakes for the carnival?"

And that made my head clear. At once, the sleepy haze puffed out of me and replaced with an abnormal rush in my muscles.

"Oh, that! I remember. I've got them. Let me get ready and I'll meet you soon." I answered back quickly, making use of my limbs and jumped out of the bed. If I didn't reach the school on time, Chloe would go all apeshit on me and that, I wouldn't look forward to, ever. Ending the call, I threw the phone on the bed, hoping it didn't bounce off as I went to the bathroom to shower and freshen up for the day.

The weather was scorching hot and cold water was soothing over my skin but time wasn't my friend this summer morning. After the quick shower, I put on a simple tee and denim shorts. Since it was Summer nearly, the air was warm and clammy but I had no problem with it unless I stank so bad due to extreme sweating which never happened as frequently as people thought.

When others complained about the clammy hands and necks, I walked freely with dry skin under the bright light from the ball of fire in the blue sky. But summer never failed to bring out the busy people of New York on the hot sands of beach. I could already picture the crowd on the beach, tanning their pale skin, little children playing with their small shovels and buckets on the sand, young teens splashing each other in water.

The image in my mind brought out my desire to visit the beach. Maybe I should visit it, well...when I wasn't being a lazy ass on Sundays and a busy waitress on workdays but that would be very unlikely to happen.

The sudden rumbling of my hungry stomach commanded my feet to make a beeline to the small kitchen.

Quickly, I had a light breakfast made and finished it before I went for those cupcakes. I added the frosting and made some finishing touches on them before packing them up for little hungry kids -who were most definitely driving my sister and other teachers crazy. As the Summer vacation were here, the school thought of throwing a carnival to bring all the students together for a joyful day with the school committee, where I'd be taking cupcakes for all the children.