ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀɴᴅ|ᴊ.ꜰ

🀣𝟢𝟣𝟩🀣

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴇᴇɴ
↳ᴏɴᴇ ʟᴀꜱᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇ.

   I thought the party was a stupid idea. Why're we celebrating losing the beach house? It just didn't make sense to me. Frankly, I was furious. But I'd gotten dressed for the dumb occasion anyways. I would always leave clothes here at Cousins for the next summer, things I didn't wanna ruin or get rid of. I'd still had some things tucked away in the closet and dresser.
   I put on a black pair of jeans, ripped ones that I never even wore last summer, and the orange and blue stripped tank top Susannah had bought me some time ago. I was surprised that it still fit. I was probably fifteen when she'd gotten it. I did my hair too, not that it really mattered. It was down and straight, the red tips now almost completely faded. It'd grown down past my shoulders since October.
   I'd knocked on Conrad's door before people started piling in but it was to no use. He didn't answer, and I didn't really expect him to. I headed back to my room when my phone started ringing, Theo's contact name popping up.
   "Hey!" I answered. I was overly excited but who could blame me? It felt like forever since the last time we talked. "How's basic?" I asked. "Hard," he laughed. "I called to check in, see how you're doing?"
   I sighed. "Fine, I guess. A lot's going on over here at Cousins." Just then, music started blasting downstairs, making the walls shake. "Are you throwing a party?" He asked. "Jeremiah's idea, of course. Mr.Fisher want's to sell the beach house," I said. "How do you feel about that?"

   Theo would always ask me things like that when I told him about something, like he was genuinely interested in my life and what was going on in it. "It's my home. I grew up here, and I was supposed to come every summer. And sure, I didn't wanna come back and the only reason I did is because my childhood friend is going through the motions but... I don't know, I don't think I'm ready to let go of this place."
   "You should say that then, your feelings matter just as much as anyone else's." I sighed. "Lately, its doesn't feel like that. I'd tried to tell Jeremiah but he just brushed me off like what I was saying meant absolutely nothing to him."
   "And Belly?" He asked. "She backed him, as always. I feel like I'm banned from their little bubble right now, like they don't even want me anywhere near it." Theo hummed. "You seem really upset about this, let's take your mind off of it. How's things with your music?"
   That was yet another thing that had been upsetting me lately. "I'm working on a song but I don't know, I can't get the words right," I said. "How about you let loose and just try to take your mind off of things? Go back to it when you feel ready, and when you finish it, I expect to be the first person to hear it."

   I smiled. "As always," I grinned. "Alright, I've gotta go. I love you, be safe and don't fall in love with anyone else," he smiled back. "How could I when the boy of my dreams is right in front of me? I love you, too. And you stay safe, lord knows what's gonna happen while you're at basic."
   We'd hung up, and suddenly, everything felt just the slightest bit okay. Theo had that effect on me. Making things feel better, I mean. He always had, even when we were frienamies. I'd head downstairs into the belly of the beast. There were so many people here that it made me question just how long I had been upstairs.
   I'd grabbed a drink, even though that was never something I did. But Theo told me to let loose tonight, so that's what I'm gonna do. I'd gotten a drink, and one turned to three. I was dancing with whoever I could find, and singing songs on the coffee table. I was somehow nowhere even close to tipsy though, but I was actually kind of grateful for not being a lightweight my first time.
   I'd made my way outside. Jeremiah was sitting on the steps by himself. This party was his idea, it made no sense that he'd decided to sit it out. I sat down next to him. "What's got you so upset?" I asked.
   He glanced at me for a second before his eyes traveled back down to his cup. "I don't think Belly feels the same way about me," he said. "Why do you say that?" I asked. "I dared her to kiss me earlier, she kissed my cheek. Think she realized how upset it made me."