𝑺𝑼𝑴𝑴𝑬𝑹𝑻𝑰𝑴𝑬 𝑺𝑨𝑫𝑵𝑬𝑺𝑺. j.fisher

chapter one

Emilie sits on her bed, exhaustion soaring through her body, taking over her entire being, before she's yawning and lowering her head on the pillow. The sounds from the busy home fly past her ears, as the tired feeling grabs hold of her. In this moment, she's in bliss. In this moment, she just wants to sleep. It's a beautiful moment, and there isn't a single thought in her mind. It's the most peaceful she's felt all year.

And she knows exactly why.

"No, no, no. Absolutely not. I don't accept this."

So does Harper.

Scratching her eyes tiredly, Emilie lifts her head up from the pillow to watch her best friend of sixteen years scold her. She shrugs as Harper scrounges through her packed suitcase like a raccoon searching for food. Every few moments, Harper will throw something out, making a huffing sound.

"Ethan's, Ethan's, Ethan's." The intruder scoffs, shaking her head disappointedly. She holds up a lacrosse jersey in her hand. "Seriously?" she questions Emilie pointedly. "His sportswear now? What next? Am I going to find his underwear in here?"

Emilie, still extremely tired, rolls her eyes at her friend, properly sitting up now. She reaches over and grabs the baggy shirt from Harper. "It's comfy," she excuses.

"No," Harper scolds. "No, we're not doing this."

"Doing what?" Emilie laughs.

Harper raises her eyebrows at the girl. "As you're best friend," she begins by saying, which already sends Emilie into a sigh,  "I will not allow you to spend your summer moping about your questionable ex, when you're staying in the same house as a guy you've had a fat crush on for years!"

Emilie cringes. "Gross. I don't like Conrad like that," she denies swiftly, although she knows exactly that's not what her friend is talking about.

Harper rolls her eyes. "Don't play dumb, Emmie," she tells her. "I'm talking about the younger brother."

"Jeremiah?" Emilie asks, her gut twisting just by the thought of him.

"See!" Harper accuses with a laugh. "You're already blushing."

Emilie rolls her eyes at her best friend, fiddling with the lacrosse shirt in her hands.

Harper throws herself on the bed, forcefully removing Emilie's fingers from the jersey and holding her hands instead. "Ethan doesn't exist now," she reminds her. "He's dead to us. But Jeremiah..." She grins. "I will seriously never speak to you again if you don't make a move this summer."

Smiling for a long moment, Emilie shrugs. She always believed her small crush on the family friend was just a little kid thing, but as the years grew, the feelings got stronger. Every summer she spent with him, she came home even more in love.

Eventually, she shakes her head, moving on as fast as she can. "What about you?" she asks. "What are your summer plans?"

Harper grins, and that's the only answer she needs.

...

The Martinez family has been friends with the Colkins' and the Fishers' ever since their moms were in school. Their kids all grew up together, in that summer house in Cousins. They were as close as a group of kids could ever be, and those long, hot nights on the beach would be the memories the six of them would treasure forever.

Since they only live two towns apart, the Colkins and the Martinezes have always met up in the middle to drive down to Cousins together. It's a routine that has happened every single summer without failure. Parking beside a grocery store, Emilie and her brother, Diego, jump out of their mother's car before the engine goes off.