Endless.

Chapter 1: Summer Isn't So Bright

~ Chapter 1: Summer Isn't So Bright ~

Mitchell

The sound of the waves crashing around me made my mind become calm. It was her laugh that sent me into tranquility though. Her laugh was my most favourite sound; knowing that she was happy, that she was comfortable made me feel relaxed more than anything else ever could. We've been best friends for 7 years now, but to me - she was more than just a best friend. At first, I tried to fight off those feelings. You know, those ones that make you smile uncontrollably and each time you see that person you become all soft and flirty. That feeling that makes you feel protective of the other. Yeah, those ones. I couldn't let her know, though. I doubt she feels the same way. My eyes wandered over to where she was. Her black/brown hair flowing past her shoulders against the wind, her smile was bright and her eyes were lit up with joy. I smiled, enjoying the view of her. "Hey, Mitchell! Come here!" She called over.
I lifted my glasses up and shook my head, "but I'm so comfortable!"
"Please!"
"No!"
Jaimie stuck her tongue out before running towards me, "you're so lame!" She giggled. I stood up fast and lunged myself at her, grabbing her around the waist and spinning her around. We both laughed as we embraced in a tight hug. "Jaimie..." I whispered into her ear.
"Mmm...?"
I cupped her face in my hands and looked down at her, my eyes making contact with her eyes before moving down to her full, pink, glossy lips. I could feel her shaking softly as I brushed her cheek with my thumb. Not being able to control myself, I pressed my lips against hers and we stayed at like that for a moment.
My eyes opened when she pushed me away, not roughly but not too gently either. I looked at her, "Jaimie, I...I'm..."
"No...I can't. I'm sorry, Mitch. It's just...I..." she stopped, took a deep breath and ran the other way without looking back.

I could feel my heart burning with pain, with anger and sadness. Regret seeped through me.
Why did you do that, you idiot! You just lost your number one girl. Your only girl - the only one you've wanted...I though to myself. I looked at the footprints she had left in the sand once more before returning back home, my emotions becoming sour.

"Hey, kiddo! How was your afternoon? Are you ready for school tomorrow?" My dad's fianceé, Olivia, asked me as I walked into the kitchen. Olivia and my father had started dating when I turned 10. At first, I was a bit sour to her. Well, of course I would be. Another woman was trying to take my mum's place. Over the years, I had warmed up to her and she wasn't as bad as I thought she turned out to be. She would cook for us, clean the house, help me with homework and all motherly things whilst balancing her work as well. Olivia was a clinical psychologist but only worked part time - which means she was at home most days of the week. Dad had proposed to her over a year ago but only after he got my approval. If I hadn't warmed up to her and if she hadn't helped me through the toughest times I would've probably said no.
"Yeah." I blantedly responded whilst grabbing the carton of orange juice out of the fridge.
"I saw Jaimie run past the house earlier..."
"Oh. Cool."
The sound of the chopping knife stopped and she stared at me, "is everything okay?"
I sighed as I took a seat on the bar stool, "I kissed her."
Eyes widening, Liv looked at me with a shocked look on his face, "you did what?!"
"I, Mitchell Thomas Davidson, kissed Jaimie Annaliese Wartol."
"I'm guessing she didn't take it well..."
I shook my head and Liv reached over to hug me, "oh sweetheart."
Olivia was the only one who knew how I felt about Jaimie. I didn't even have to tell her, she sensed it and she's the one who pointed it out to me. There was no use denying it.
"I just don't know what I'm going to do at school...she's probably going to ignore me and it's our first day of high school tomorrow...oh god." I groaned.
"Well, you'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, go take a shower. Dinner'll be ready soon, your dad's in the study so grab him once you're done!" She smiled, returning to cooking.

I ran my fingers through my hair as I stepped out of the shower and stared at myself in the mirror. "Ugh..." I groaned at myself. Regret still filled me and I could still feel my heart dropping. I pressed the home button of my iPhone and sighed when I saw Facebook comment mentions, but none from her. Once I had finished getting dressed, I grabbed my phone and walked towards dad's study. "Dad..." I called out, knocking on the door.
"Yeah?"
"Liv says dinner's ready!"
"Be there soon, son!"
"A'ight"
I walked downstairs but stopped half way as I saw who stood in the front doorway, "Jaimie..." I whispered. She stopped talking to Olivia and looked up at me with her brown, almond-shaped eyes. "Mitchell..." she said almost trance-like. Jaimie shook her head and turned her attention back to Olivia, "um, I think I should go now...it was nice seeing you ag--" she tried to say quickly but was interrupted.
"Jaimie! How nice to see you! Please, join us for dinner. Olivia's probably made more pasta than any of us could handle!" Dad's voice came out from behind me.
"Oh no, thank you for the offer but it's okay. Mum probably wants to eat dinner with me and..."
Jaimie's phone rang, "Mum? Hi! I'm just at Mitchell's...oh...okay. Um, no that's fine. Okay, yeah. I'll see you tomorrow morning then..." she ended the call and shoved her phone back in her pocket.
Both Olivia and my dad grinned, "and now you have no excuse!"
Jaimie laughed softly and looked up at me as if asking if it was okay with me. I simply nodded my head as we all made our way to the dining room.

Jaimie

"So, Jaimie, are you excited for your first year of high school?" John asked me.
"Um...I guess so. It's kind of scary, I'm pretty nervous..." I laughed nervously.
The tension between Mitchell and I terrified me, but I couldn't blame either of us. I shouldn't have just walked off like that, but I shouldn't have let him kiss me either. There was no doubt that I had some feelings for Mitchell...I was just scared of losing him. What if we broke up? What if he got feelings for someone else? I couldn't stand the thought of permanently losing him, but I feel as if that kiss would be the reason we temporarily drifted. I was scared and nervous.
"Jaimie?" Olivia's voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Pardon? Sorry, I just...I was thinking about something..."
"Oh, I just asked if you had already decided what you would like to do in the future? University pathway?"
"I was thinking of doing a bachelor of psychology..."
This made Liv smile with delight, mainly because she's a clinical psych herself. "Oh that's amazing! If you ever need any help with information on that..." Liv pointed at herself. We all couldn't help but laugh, and I didn't blame us.

Dinner went smoother than expected, apart from the awkward tension between Mitchell and I. I helped Olivia clean up and wash the dishes while the men bonded over the AFL game. "So...I heard about what happened between Mitchell and you today..." she began. I looked at her in shock, "wh...how?" I asked, trying to sound as casual as possible. Olivia nodded her heard towards Mitchell who was cheering on his favourite team. "Oh...yeah..." I sighed.
"He really likes you, you know?"
I looked down at the plate I was drying and sighed, "I guess..."
"Give him a chance, sweetheart. I know, you're probably wondering what would happen if you broke up or what if you two are just good as best friends but who knows, maybe you two were destined for each other. I can feel a spark between the two of you."
I looked at Olivia and gave her a slight smile. It was true - I was worried and scared, but at the same time I feel like maybe I should give it a go.
"Thanks, Liv." I said as I hugged her.
Once we were done, we made our way over to the boys. I checked my watch and my eyes widened at the time. It was half past 9 already and if I didn't get into bed soon I would be a grumpy mess in the morning. "Thank you for having me over, but I should really get going..." I told John and Olivia.
They both smiled and took turns hugging me, "You're welcome over anytime!"
John looked over at Mitchell, "aren't you going to say goodbye? Go walk her out the door!"
Mitchell groaned and I felt a slight drop in my heart. Olivia winked at me as I walked away with Mitchell next to me. As we stood out the front door, I turned my head to Mitchell, "Mitch, I..." And before he could say anything else, Mitchell interrupted me.
"Look, it's fine. It was stupid anyway, I didn't mean to. Can we just forget about it? I'll see you tomorrow." He walked back into the house shutting the door in my face. Tears started dropping from my eyes as I felt my heart become crushed. I felt so upset with both myself and him. As I started to break even more, I ran back to my house before anyone else saw me.