𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 , the summer i turned pretty

𝟎𝟐 where'd all the time go?

( where'd all the time go? ── dr. dog )

❛ and you know i get so forgetful
when i look in your eyes ❜

the moment they pulled up to the summer house, sadie felt like throwing up. it looked the same, it smelled the same, yet it felt completely different. the sisters shared a look, seeking comfort in one another. with a deep breath, piper honked the car horn to signal their arrival. the loud sound rang through the air, disturbing the peace that surrounded the place.

the two girls exited the car, and the first person to greet them was susannah. "oh, my beautiful girls!" the woman cooed, hugging them both. it was one of those strong, motherly hugs. both girls let out a sigh of relief. in that moment, they felt like kids again. in that moment, the weight they had been carrying around on their chests was lifted. the hug provided them with a bubble of comfort—the kind of comfort both had long forgotten.

"oh my god! sadie! piper!" the familiar voice of belly crashed the moment. susannah let go, giving them a warm smile before stepping back to let the kids greet each other. the second susannah released them, belly embraced them in a big hug. she had changed over the past few summers since sadie last saw her. she no longer had braces and glasses—she was turning into quite a young woman.

"i'm so sorry!" belly apologized once she realized she was completely soaked.

"has the infamous belly flop happened already?" piper guessed, ruffling belly's wet hair. the girl grimaced and shot a look toward the boys, who were approaching.

"yep. no matter how old they get, some things always stay the same."

"look what the cat dragged in..." steven was the first to speak once they reached them. piper grinned from ear to ear—one of those rare, genuine smiles sadie hadn't seen on her sister's face in a long time. the pair embraced in a hug.

"it's been a too long..." jeremiah said with a broad smile, pulling sadie in for a hug. she hugged him back. they exchanged a few words before switching, with jeremiah greeting piper and steven greeting sadie.

"we missed you guys a lot," piper told the two boys, a small, sad smile on her lips.

"we missed you guys too." steven tilted his head slightly, smiling.

for some reason, they all burst into laughter—none of them even sure why. they laughed so much that tears pricked the girls' eyes. happy tears, sadie decided for herself. as much as she had dreaded coming to the summer house, she had missed this place. she had missed the way it made her feel.

sadie decided that the summer house provided comfort. she decided that coming back wasn't about reopening old wounds and pouring salt on them—it was about healing.

"it hasn't been the same without you," came a voice from behind the boys.

it was conrad. he was completely soaked, much like belly. piper hid her suggestive smile, while sadie openly raised an eyebrow at the pair. was belly's summer wish finally coming true? it would be a plot twist if conrad had feelings for belly after all this time.

sadie still remembered the summer belly first confessed her crush on conrad. it had happened almost five summers ago. that night, the boys had gone to the boardwalk, and the mothers had a wine night, leaving the girls to themselves.

belly had taken them to the beach and declared a "circle of trust"—what was said in the circle, stayed in the circle. she had built up the moment, saying everything except what she actually wanted to say. the anticipation had made sadie's stomach flip. she had felt a little nervous, unsure of what was about to come out of belly's mouth. but when the girl finally admitted it, sadie had just smiled and told her she already had a sneaking suspicion.

her words had sent belly into a frenzy. at that moment, she had been convinced that not just conrad but jeremiah and steven knew too. piper had quickly reassured her that boys were stupid and naïve—they couldn't figure out a girl liked them even if the fact hit them right in the face.

that night, the girls had revealed a lot of things. piper had admitted that she had a crush on steven when they were nine, to which both sadie and belly had dramatically gagged. the oldest girl had also told them about a girl at school she liked and about the first kiss they had shared.

sadie had confessed that she liked jeremiah, which had come as a shock to belly—but not to piper. well, piper hadn't known exactly, but she had suspected it.

the girls had spent the rest of the night giggling, imagining fake scenarios about their crushes, and dreaming about what the future might hold.

sadie missed those times. she missed when they were just kids—talking about kid stuff, doing kid stuff. those were truly the best years, and she might have taken them for granted.

"it's good to have you back, girls." the last one to greet them was laurel. her dark hair hadn't changed a bit. she hugged them tightly.

"it's good to be back," sadie replied.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ⎯⎯ㅤㅤNESSA'S NOTES!
hi! so i realized that the names parker & quinn just didn't fit the vibe i was going for and after much thought i decided to change them to piper & sadie. idk those names just seemed to fit better. i hope you don't mind.

while i'm here just wanted to thank everyone for the amazing feed back. all the votes and comments have been overwhelming. thank you so much it means the literal world to me that you guys like this book so much considering it's only the beginning.

i'll see you tomorrow with a new chapter, mwah!

EDITED.