Summer in Golden Bay [ ON HOLD ]

Sun, Surf and Ella

"Ryder, Hayley, we're leaving in five minutes!" Mum calls from the kitchen, doing as only mums can and somehow projecting across the entire house.

"Coming!"

I take one last look around my bedroom making sure I've got everything. Clothes, jocks, phone charger, iPad, toothbrush. Yup I'm ready for the next four weeks in Golden Bay, my favourite four weeks of the year. Sun, surf, and Ella. Not that she knows she makes the list of my top three favourite things about summer in Golden Bay.

Sliding the strap of my bag over my shoulder, I pick up my slides in one hand and my phone in the other, texting Hudson that we are about to leave. This summer, mum and dad agreed to letting me bring a friend.

Sure we have plenty of Golden Bay friends we meet up with every year, but in the house I'm outnumbered by girls. Imagine being the first born, only to be followed by two female cousins and a sister. Add onto that the fact that Krissy has been bringing Ella for the last four years and the estrogen in the house is stifling.

You can guarantee that at some stage over the four weeks at least one if not all the girls are on their period too meaning I can hardly breathe without being yelled at. It's hell.

I walk past Hayley's room and notice she's still in there finishing up her packing. "You good Hayl's?" I ask.

She looks up startled, nodding as she grabs two more books from her shelf and shoves them into her bag. I offer to carry her bag for her and she gratefully accepts. I'm not surprised, this thing is heavy!

"Have you got your entire book collection in here or something? Didn't you get a kindle for Christmas?"

"Yeah, but I like reading an actual book," she explains, walking just ahead of me out towards the car.

I watch her, but don't say much. The old Hayley would have been packed hours ago, have skipped out to the car and been rounding us all up for the last few hours, beyond excited for her summer. The last few months there's been a noticeable change in her behaviour.

I've tried to speak to my parents about it, but they insist it's probably just her age. Being a teenager is rough, we all react differently to the hormones raging in our body, that's what my mum, the paediatric doctor, says anyway. I'm not convinced though. I think something happened, and I'm trying to give her space, but I'm not enjoying seeing her retreat into a shadow of her former self.

We place the bags in the car, playing Tetris with the excessive amounts of bags of food that mum has purchased.

"You excited for Golden Bay?" I ask Hayley.

"Mmmm, yeah," she replies.

See what I mean?

"You'll have fun with the girls, plus I got my boat licence so we can go out by ourselves this summer!" I try again with enthusiasm.