Hello, Sweetheart

C H A P T E R 1

I listen to the ocean waves run through my ears. Letting the squawk of the seagulls surround me. I take a deep breath of the salt filled air and hold it in. Never letting this moment escape from my fingers. 

I open my eyes and sit up, watching the ocean. Watching the two little girls run up and down the shore chasing each other with snakeskin they found along the side. I laugh softly to myself and shake my head. 

Children have a weird definition of "fun." 

I start stuffing my notebooks and a bottle of water into my canvas bags that has an important, self-loving quote on the front in a cursive font. 

"Do it for you, not them." 

Something I live up by, I tell myself that whatever choices I make, aren't for everyone else to sit back and watch but for myself. My own self love and compassion. 

I stand up, swinging the bag over my shoulder and gathering my palm tree decorated beach towel. I put my white sandals on, feeling the sand in between my toes. I love the beach, but I have a certain dislike for the sand. 

I can't stand the feeling of it sticking to my damp body after swimming in the water, or it gets in your hair some possible way. It's a heck of a time washing it out and making sure you get every hard speck of it. 

I start walking towards the boardwalk, smiling and waving at people that walk by. They always wear some sort of sunhat and sunglasses. It's a pretty stereotypical beach outfit. The daily accessories out in the sun. 

I walk down the sidewalk, feeling the warm temperature from the sun shining on my face, I take a hand and shield my eyes from the bright light and open the door with the housekey once I arrive. 

I hear dogs barking, the stove sizzling and harry styles blasting in the background. I leave my flipflops outside on the porch so I'm careful not to track in sand. I peek my head into my sister's room and she's wearing sunglasses in last night's pjs. 

Shes dancing on her bed singing every lyric to any harry styles song. Shes jumping up and down, using her pink hairbrush as a microphone. I watch her pillows fall to the floor and smile, "Someone's having the time of her life!" I laugh and throw a pillow at her.

She squeals and throws a white fringed pillow back at me, hitting my bare shoulder and laughs when I stumble back from the hit. "ITS HARRY STYLES?! OF COURSE, IM HAVING THE TIME OF MY LIFE!!" she screams over the music and continues dancing her little heart out. 

I laugh and close her door, muffling the sound of Harry's voice in the background and walk to the kitchen, placing my canvas bag on the dining room table. I watch my mother cook bacon and eggs while my dad is outside setting out stone around the flowerbed outback. 

She doesn't notice me until the cabinet door closes with a loud noise. I place plates that are decorated with a giant rooster in the middle and wince at it. 

Thats the ugliest thing I've ever seen on a plate...

She smiles and puts a hand on my shoulder for 3 seconds as a welcoming gesture and wipes her hand on a rag. "Hey honey!! How was the beach? Heard it's even hotter than yesterday." She takes a pile of napkins and sets it in the middle of the stack of plates. '

I open the silverware drawer and take out 4 forks and knifes, "It was the same as always, seagulls squawking their heads off, stealing people's morning funnel cake and the ocean waves overlapping the squawking." I laugh and place silverware at each spot at the table where my sister and parents eat. 

My mother chuckles softly and puts bacon on a plate and handing it to me to put on the table and then pouring coffee into 3 mugs while I pour orange juice in another for my sister Lillian. 

My dad walks in and dusts his hands off against his pants and grins at me "Well good morning Lacey Dacey! How was the beach?" He slicks his hand through his sweat drenched hair. 

I nod giving him the same response as I did my mother "Same as always!" I sit down, watching mom shovel food onto each rooster plate. My dad nods with a bright smile and walks to the bedroom to get changed out of his jogging shorts and baggy t-shirt. 

Lillian walks into the kitchen and slides herself onto the chair. She has a shirt with Harry's face on it and denim shorts that have smiley faces on the back pockets. She has her hair pinned up with a pink claw clip and sunglasses resting on the top of her head. 

She piles food into her mouth and slurps down the orange juice. My mom laughs "Slow down! What's the rush Lils?" she pats Lillian on the back. She slows down her pace and takes one more mouthful. She swallows the mix of eggs and bacon and looks at mom. "Me and Kimberly are going down to the boardwalk! We saw these cute Harrys house bracelets that are a need!" 

My mom rolls her eyes jokingly and runs a hand through Lillians long blonde hair and sits down, waiting for dad to arrive to the table. A few seconds later my dad walks in wearing a teal fake polo t-shirt that's most likely from Walmart and khaki pants. 

He sits down and takes a sip of coffee and spits it out, forgetting how steaming hot it is. He pouts and looks down at his shirt, coffee stains taking place around his chest area. 

"The world must be set to get me this morning." he curses under his breath while trying his best to clean up the droplets on his shirt while me and Lillian are laughing so hard our stomach starts aching while my mother stifles a laugh.