"It comes and goes in waves
It always does, always does
We watch as our young hearts fade
Into the flood, into the flood"
• Season 1-?
• Based on the show 'The Summer I Turned Pretty'
• Conrad Fisher x Fem oc
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They'd been driving for what felt like seven thousand years.
Sarah, who was one year younger than her older brother Liam, sat with her feet up on the dashboard while Liam drove at a pace slower than their grandma. Their mother, Jackie, was asleep in the backseat, looking alert even in her sleep.
"Go faster." Sarah urged Liam, poking him in the shoulder. "Let's pass that kid on the bike."
Liam shrugged her off. "Never touch the driver and take your dirty feet off my dashboard."
Sarah wiggled her toes back and forth, insisting they were clean. "It's not your dashboard. It's gonna be my car soon, you know."
"If you ever get your license." He scoffed. "People like you shouldn't even be allowed to drive."
"Hey, look." Sarah said, pointing out the window. "That guy in a wheelchair just lapped us!"
Ignoring her, Liam focused on driving, and Sarah started fiddling with the radio.
One of her favorite things about going to the beach was the radio stations. She was as familiar with them as she was with the ones back home, and listening to Q94 made her feel like she was really at the beach.
Sarah found her favorite station, the one that played everything from pop to oldies to hip-hop. Tom Petty was singing 'Free Fallin'.
She sang along with him. "She's a good girl, crazy 'bout Elvis. Loves horses and her boyfriend too."
Liam reached over to switch the station, and Sarah slapped his hand away.
"Sarah, your voice makes me want to run this car into the ocean." Liam said, pretending to swerve right.
Sarah sang even louder, waking up their mother, who joined in. Both of them had terrible voices, and Liam shook his head in disbelief. He hated being outnumbered, especially as the only guy in the family without their dad to take his side.
They drove through town slowly, and despite Sarah teasing Liam about it, she didn't really mind. She loved this drive, this moment. Seeing the town again, Jimmy's Crab Shack, the Putt Putt, all the surf shops. It felt like coming home after you'd been gone a long time. It held a million promises of summer and what could be.
As they got closer and closer to the house, Sarah felt the familiar flutter in her chest. They were almost there.
She rolled down the window and absorbed the familiar sensations. The air tasted the same, smelled the same. The wind tousled her hair, carrying the salty sea breeze. Everything felt perfect, as if it had been anticipating her arrival.
But then the weight settled on her shoulders like a heavy burden, thumping into her chest and gripping her lungs, making it hard to breathe. It crept up the back of her neck, causing a dull ache in her skull. Her eyes closed as the feeling seeped through her veins, spreading to every limb and unraveling a pit in her stomach.
