Willow ||Conrad Fisher||

Summer House

My family has been going to Susannah's beach house in Cousins every summer since I was a baby. Since before I was even born. All year long I count the days till I can be in that house. The dad's come to visit, but it's not their place. They don't belong to it. Not the way we do. The mothers and us kids. The summer house is made up of lots of things. The beach. The swimming pool late at night. Movie nights with the moms. But the boys. The boys most of all. It's the same every summer. I have always loved that about it. For me, everything good and everything magical happened between the months June and August.

The worst thing about the summer house was the drive there. It was a 7 hour drive, and I think I would enjoy it more if my brother didn't insist on driving there himself. He turned 16 a year ago, and ever since then, he had taken it upon himself to get us there.

We don't exactly trust his driving.

"You are going way too fast," I comment, clutching the arm rest of my seat tightly as he cruises down the empty road.

"Stop backseat driving," he says, rolling his eyes before glancing at my mom who is sitting in the backseat, her eyes on her phone as she taps away.

She glances up at him and then at the road, "She is right, Arya. Slow down. Avani, has Belly talked to you about the volleyball game? She just messaged me to remind you."

I groan slightly, throwing my head back into my seat, "She has texted me like 10 times about it already. Tell her, I am ready."

Belly, Steven, and Laurel are one of the three families that congregate every year. They were like family. Belly was the only other girl besides me there, and it was nice being able to talk to her when the boys got too much.

My phone buzzes in my lap, and I turn it over. A smile slowly crosses my face.

"Speak of the devil," I mutter, my eyes scanning the text I just received from Belly.

random boy at the gas station just asked me to come to a bonfire tn. i think we should go.

"What?" Arya takes his eyes off the road to try and glance at my screen.

I drop my phone immediately, smacking him on the shoulder, "Please! Eyes on the road, A."

He snaps his head back to the front, "Shut up."

"Kids," my mom breathes in sharply, knowing this was about to turn into an argument, "I am begging you. Please behave yourselves this summer."

I snicker slightly before whacking my brother and turning to my mom with a big smile, "Got it, mom. Love you."

My mother shakes her head, and sighs, "Yeah, yeah."

The car falls into a comfortable silence, and soon the music is the only sound occupying the space. In no time, I begin to recognize the surroundings, smiling at the familiar town, excited to be back. I roll down my windows, sticking my head out just the slightest so I can breath in the air. I loved being back.

As the car turns into the Fisher's driveway, I barely have the time to get out of the car before four teenagers begin to pile out of the pool area beside the house, having heard our car pull in. My brother jumps out of the car, and Steven, Belly's brother, jogs up to him.

"My man," I hear him cheer.

I open my car door, and am greeted instantly by Belly who pulls me into a hug. I hug back, squeezing her tightly before realizing she was soaking wet. I pull away from her, holding her shoulders from an arms length as I look her up and down.

"Belly," I groan, noticing my own shirt now had some wet spots, "Why are you wet?" I question, but as the realization sets in, my eyes widen, "No."

"Oh come on, Avani," Jeremiah, one of Susannah's sons, teases and starts to creep up from around the car, "Hellos can wait till later. It's tradition."