I Love You, I'm Sorry

Chapter 1.

The Summer I Turned Pretty

My family's been going to Susannah's beach house in Cousins every summer since I was a baby.

Since I was even born, actually.

All year long, I count the days until I'm in that house again.

The dad's come to visit but it's not their place.

They don't belong to it.

Not the way we do.

The mothers and us kids.

The summer house is made up of lots of things.

The beach.

The swimming pool lay at night.

Movie night with the moms.

But the boys, the boys most of all.

It's the same every summer,

that's what I've always loved about it.

For me, everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.

🐚

"SO FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE LET ME GET WHAT I WANT."

"LORD KNOWS IT WOULD BE THE FIRST TIME."

Lemon hummed along to the song that blared in her ears, completely at peace and oblivious to the outside world.

She liked this.

This serene feeling that came with music.

She loves music, she couldn't survive in a world without it.

"You know, Drew and Romeo are bummed you guys are missing the beach match-up with the boys' team next weekend." Taylor informed, eyes glued to her bright screen.

"Um, make sure to tell Sophie to square up for the block." Belly told Taylor, ignoring what her best friend had just previously told her.

Taylor could only roll her eyes upon Belly's ignorance and glanced at the girl that laid between her legs, watching as the girl continued to hum.

"Earth to Lemony Cricket." Taylor sung as she removed one side of the headphone from Lemon's ear, leaving the girl to let out a sigh.

"You know, distracting me from listening to The Smiths is not a nice thing to do." Lemon tilted her head up to look at Taylor.

"You know what's not even nicer?" Taylor raised a brow, "Not listening to me!"

Lemon then let out yet another sigh, "I was listening to you." She mumbled as she sat up, "And Romeo is a big boy, he can survive without seeing me. Plus, he gives me the creeps when he just stares into my soul when he comes to our practices. It's terrifying." Lemon made a dramatic show of her shivering.