Finding Georgia

5

Getting along with her soon-to-be stepfather was what Georgia intended not to do. She hated him with a passion.

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I slipped on my one-piece swimsuit and looked at myself in the mirror. The feeling of it was tight, but it fits my body quite well, despite the slight insecurity I was feeling in the pit of my stomach.

We were going to the beach, which my mom and I haven't been to in years since the break up with my dad.

My mom called out to me saying that they were ready, so I wrapped a towel around my waist and exited my room.

We got to the beach in 10 minutes, but not before picking up Wyatt on the way. There weren't many people there, and some were surfing, but it seemed to have changed slightly since the last time I visited.

There were lounge chairs with umbrellas everywhere, and an ice cream station and bar appeared in the back.

"It feels so nice out here. The air is cool and calm, and it's not even hot." My mother stated as she laid her towel flat on the sand.

"Hopefully it won't be too hot for me to get sunburned." Ella responded, settling comfortably into one of the chairs.

"You're not going to get sunburned, Ella. Look up at the sun; it's not as bright as it is on a hot day." She replied, pointing up at the sky.

As I looked up at the sun, it appeared simple in the atmosphere, shining lightly and not burning my eyes. The clouds are more visible and clear than before, making them stand out.

"I'm still not taking that risk." Ella declined. She sat on one of the lounge chairs, took a bottle of sunscreen from her bag, and began applying it to her skin.

I sat on the sand next to my mother, opened my sunscreen, and began layering it onto my skin as well. When I was finished, I stood up and walked over to one of the lounge chairs, began moving it closer to Wyatt, and then sat down on it.

"Are you excited to start school again next month, kids?" Mom asked, her hands on her stomach as she laid peacefully on the towel.

"No, I just wish summer vacation was longer than two months so I could stay inside and sleep." Wyatt responded, his back resting on the lounge chair, and hands behind his head.

"I'm not ready to go back, I despise it there. The teachers have anger issues for no apparent reason, and I always feel drained after a hard test, especially after a night of studying; on top of that, the students are annoying and always pick on everyone while the teachers do nothing. I'd rather stay at home my entire life than return to school and face the horror of it all again." I expressed myself.

"You know you have to go back, or I'll get in trouble." She replied. "I understand what you mean though, school was stressful for me as well."

"I'm confident everything will be fine when you return." Keaton joined, puffing out the smoke from his cigarette.

Why is he speaking to me?

I ignored him and tried making myself
comfortable on the chair. I closed my eyes and melted into the calm summer air, inhaling and breathing out a quiet breath.

"And how about you, Ella? Are you ready to return to college?" He asked, ignoring my behavior.

"I'm not sure, Dad. I enjoy art, but there's a lot of pressure on me that I wasn't aware of." She replied, gazing up at the sky.

"But you've always enjoyed painting since you were a child! You don't want to do it anymore?"

"Dad....you made me take art classes in middle school just because I drew a simple eye," she began. "I just drew it because I was bored, and I told you all the time that I didn't want to join art. It wasn't something I wanted to do. You didn't listen, and it drained me to the point where I failed my art exams." She expressed frustratedly.

"Wait, you failed the—?"

"Yes, dad! I failed it. I didn't tell you because I know you're picky about my grades." She admitted.

I didn't even have to look at her to tell she was frowning.

"I thought I could do it, and enjoyed it, but it became too much for me. There, I made some wonderful friends. Great people, but it was simply too much."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I had no idea that was happening to you. I promise that from now on, I'll make sure to listen to you." He assured.

"I doubt that." She mumbled, but I still heard her.

The topic of the conversation then shifted to something else. Or, to put it another way, something that made me want to scream.

"And you, Georgia, you can be the bridesmaid!" My mother offered happily, but I quickly declined.

"Absolutely not!"

Before she could say anything else, I cut her off. "I'm going to get some ice cream."

I crawled off of the chair, standing up and adjusting my feet after having been lying down for a while, and made my way toward the ice cream stand.

"I would like a cup of caramel ice cream, please." The worker nodded and picked up a cup, and began scooping the ice cream into it with the scooper.

"I'd like vanilla in a cup, please." A familiar voice startedled me.

It was Wyatt.

"I got you, man." He responded, handing me my ice cream before moving on to Wyatt's.

Wyatt said, "Thank you," before paying for the both of us.

We walked along the warm sand, holding hands, eating our cold desserts.

"She'll learn someday, you know?" He suddenly spoke up.

I knitted my eyebrows in confusion, scooping a spoon of my ice cream and eating it. "You mean my mom?"

"Yeah," He nods, taking a bite of his cone once the ice cream reached the bottom, then squinted his eyes when the icy effect took over his teeth.

I tried not to laugh, but a small, thin subtle smile crept on my face.

"Don't worry, she'll figure out he's a jerk and dump him someday." He assured.

"I hope you're right."

I hope you liked this chapter!.xX