ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀɴᴅ|ᴊ.ꜰ

🀣𝟢𝟣𝟤🀣

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴇʟᴠᴇ
↳ᴍᴀᴛᴇᴏ ʀᴏᴅʀÍɢᴜᴇᴢ & ᴢᴀʀᴀ ᴍᴀʜɪɴᴀ:
ᴀɢᴇ 15.

I'd met Mateo when I was fifteen, two weeks before my birthday. It was the beginning of the summer, and I was turning pretty. I wasn't pretty just yet though, so catching attention from boys was harder than it is now. Who am I kidding, it's still hard now. Either way, I'd caught Mateo's attention.
Everything was perfect. Cousins was still cousins, Jeremiah was still my Jeremiah, and everything was the same as all the summers before. I was at Cousins with my second families. The boys were making summer summer.
Steven, Conrad, and Jeremiah.
Jeremiah, Conrad, and Steven.
My boys.

--

I was in the bathroom putting my bands on when Belly came in. She was dressed up for our night on the town. We'd convinced Susannah and Laurel to let us go to the pier during dinner, but unfortunately, Steven decided to butt in and now he's coming along with us. Belly had brought Taylor this year. And I was complaining, not now, at least. But Taylor was bossy and over the top, and she always made sure that Belly and I were her supporting characters.
"You look pretty," Belly smiled. "Lying is a sin, Belle's, have I taught you nothing?" We'd laugh as we exited the bathroom. Taylor was at the door waiting for us. "Oh, good, you're finally ready." She glanced over my outfit and I'd attempted to make myself smaller. Taylors gaze was constantly judgy. I don't think there was ever a moment when it wasn't.
"Yep... I'm ready." Us girls had gotten in the car before anyone else. Taylor was going on about Jeremiah, and she was questioning Belly like crazy. Does Belly like Jeremiah? No way, she knows I like him. I've always liked him. Belly wouldn't do that to me, but Taylor definitely would. Belly was kind of blind to Taylors intentions whenever she was around. But Taylor was pretty and popular and I knew Belly had wanted both of those things.
People do weird things for validation from those around them. I would know.

We'd eventually get to the pier, and I'd let Belly wonder off with Taylor after a while because I couldn't take being around her anymore. Steven hadn't noticed my absence yet and it was understandable. He was wrapped around that blonde girls finger so tight he might just snap.
I walked over to a concession stand to get cotton candy... And then I remembered that Belly was carrying the money. "I'm sorry, I don't have my money on me-"
"I'll pay for it." A boy had walked over and placed three singles on the counter. He was taller than me and had these really nice brown curls, and doe eyes, too. He smiled at me and handed me the cone. "You didn't have to do that," I said. "I know, but that was kind of my way of starting a conversation with a really pretty girl... Social anxiety, if you couldn't tell."
I couldn't. And I couldn't believe he was talking to me, or the fact that he had called me pretty. Maybe he needed his eyes checked. "Do I know you?" I asked. "No but I've seen you here like every year and never really had the guts to talk to you," he said. I'd caught his eye? This has to be a dream. I wanted to pinch myself to make sure but I didn't wanna seem weird. "I'm Mateo Rodríguez."
He'd stuck his hand out and I'd gratefully taken it. "Zara Mahina, but my friends call me Nani." He hummed in response. "That means beautiful, right?" He asked. I nodded. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"My grandpa says I'm a jack of all trades. I kind of just study different languages and cultures whenever reality gets dull and I need to get away for a while." He was kind of a nerd, and I kind of liked that about him. I'd only known him for a few minutes and he was already growing on me. "I know what you mean. I write music, it's kind of my escape from reality, too."
"I hope I get to hear something from you sometime."
Our night had the pier ended up fun, after all. Mateo and I would walk around getting to know each other before Laurel called saying she was on her way. He walked to the car with me. It was really, really awkward with the way everyone was staring at us. I'd stopped a few feet away from the silver van.
"Um... I know we've only just met but I really like you and I wanna see you again. Only if that's okay with you," he smiled. It reached his eyes and made them glow under all the lights on the boardwalk. "I'd like that, Mateo."
He nodded, smiling never fading. "Cool, uh good. Great. That's uh, that's... Sorry," he let out a soft and embarrassed chuckle, his cheeks turning crimson. "Give me your phone." I was choosing to be bold tonight.