Feels Like Summer (on pause)

one

Rosie Haynes is leaning against the hood of her family's minivan, three full suitcases stacked beside her. There are two more suitcases in the trunk, plus a bag of Nora's things, plus whatever Ms. Katherine Haynes decided was best to bring on their family vacation, not to mention Rosie's own carry-on bag, stuffed with more books than she could carry and what felt like an entire soundsystem besides. Rosie Haynes is prepared for summer, to say the least. It's been so long since the family went on a proper vacation (seven years and four months, a week after Nora's diagnosis, not that Rosie's counting or anything) that the family had forgotten precisely how to pack for one.

Rosie's moment of silence doesn't last long, however, and soon Nora's shrieks can be heard from inside the closed front door. Rosie should probably be inside, helping her mom to deal with Nora, but she lingers out in the warm air for a few more seconds. Summer is about avoiding responsibilities, she decides. And this will be the first time in a long time she'll have a chance too.

For the past six years, Rosie and Nora attended Rainbow's Summer Friendship Camp, a place that Rosie decided long ago had the worst name in existence. It was a camp for special needs children and their siblings to play and spend time together with qualified caretakers. And Rosie wanted to help, really she did. Hell, that's why she kept going back every summer. But when she finally aged out of Rainbow's sibling demographic (thank god for sweet seventeen), it was like a breath of fresh air. Finally, summer could be what she made of it again. That is, until Katherine Haynes got it into her head to take a family trip down to Emerald Cove.

"It'll be fun, sweetpea," she said to Rosie when she first brought up the subject. "Emerald is a cute little town, the perfect place to spend a month or so just relaxing." Rosie remembers Emerald Cove in a hazy sort of way. It's where Katherine grew up, where Rosie's cousins still live, but they haven't been back since the aforementioned diagnosis. Rosie vaguely recalls vanilla ice cream on the pier, a waterpark with too few children's rides ("wait until you're older, sweetpea, then you can ride all the rides you want"), and afternoons spent swimming by the beach. If she's being honest, Rosie is scared to go back, scared to ruin the only idyllic summer memory she's ever had.

"Rosie, could you grab this for a second?" Rosie is jolted out of her trip down memory lane by her mother thrusting an overstuffed bag into her arms. "Nora refused to leave unless we brought the entire Harry Potter series, but minus the fourth."

Rosie just sighs and shoulders the bag, glancing over at her younger sister, whose composed demeanor gives no indication of the screaming fit Rosie heard only minutes before. "Yeah, of course." She's wishing they took a plane, maybe a boat, anything except the three of them crammed together with countless amounts of luggage for five hours. But then she remembers that Nora is hates planes and she should just count her blessings.

Nora bounces on her seat as she buckles herself in. "Aren't you excited, Rosie? I'm excited. Mom said there would be ice cream, all kinds of flavors, and I hope they have mint chocolate chip. But you don't like mint, do you?"

Rosie smiles and takes Nora's hand. "Nope," she says, placing the final few bags on the floor. "But I'm sure they'll have something for me."

Once Rosie is buckled in next to Nora, the Haynes are ready to go. The front seat is piled high with bags Rosie doesn't remember packing, with Katherine's purse placed precariously on top. She gives it maybe half an hour before the whole thing comes toppling down.

"Okay girls, let's review," Katherine says, her chirpy demeanor undiminished by their late start. They had wanted to get out of the house by nine, and it's eleven o'clock. It would be horrifically late if the Haynes weren't so used to Nora time, in which case they were actually right on time. "We're going to Emerald Cove to see...?" her voice trails off, and Rosie doesn't answer, waiting for Nora to try.