"Her body was already dazed, and her mind was already underwater so she might as well let him set the rest of her on fire."
Jodie Carter always spent her summers at the Ivory House with her friends. For the past three years, it had been without the...
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So, I guess that was Hello Sunshine. Everybody say byyyye Bucky!
On a more serious note, I honestly can't believe it's actually over.
I write most of my stories in advance, but clicking that complete button is always weird. I don't think of a story as done until I flip that wonderful switch. Even as I'm sitting here and writing this, it doesn't feel like it's done, but maybe that's just me not wanting to say goodbye to these characters and their relationships.
Jodie as a character was heavily inspired by my late grandma, who passed in the interim of me writing this story. She was one hell of a crazy lady. Most of the things Jodie does were stories my grandma told me about her own life while reminding me to never do anything like it (Maybe don't tell a 12 y/o that stuff, grandma). My grandma dealt with addiction throughout most of her life and became a speaker about it later in life. I've dealt with it myself, but it has luckily become much easier throughout the last years.
Personally, this story helped me work through a lot of stuff. I've come to realise that with every story I write, I dig deeper into my own experiences, how I processed things or didn't. I write most of these stories for myself, they're my little snippets of where I was in life when I had the idea.
And, I don't know if any of you care, but when I started writing Hello Sunshine, I was pretty deep down. Winter depression struck me hard, and I found myself diving into old ways of escapism. I was in that place where I could feel myself slowly slipping, and I knew where I was heading.
Luckily, I had some friends ready to catch me. People who went along with me when I needed them to and gently tried to coax me in the right direction, who gave me the much-needed reality checks. My own Wanda, Pietro, and Tony, if you will. Pretty cheesy, I know.
But, I think I'll look back on this story as my attempt at grasping for summer, for something magical to bring me out of the gutter and 'save' me. I, much like Jodie, romanticized my way out of things. Things don't magically get better, life isn't like that, but it can be tolerable and filled with happy moments – even if it's hard. Life can be good.
Anyway, I'm 19 as of writing this, so what the hell do I know?
I want to thank all of you for taking the time to read this story, and for all the comments, and votes that you've given it. Am I crying right now? I might be. I hope you got something out of this story, even if it's just enjoyment in the smut.
Thank you for reading. I hope you'll check out some of my other works as well.
"It's about romanticizing the summer, or more generally the "brighter days". Thinking that once the weather gets better and the sun comes out, all my troubles will somehow disappear, but realizing once you arrive at that sunny moment, all you can think about is missing the feeling of the rain" – Oliva Klugman on 'Raining in June'
