Bucket List

Back in the Summer House

After another hour, I pulled up to the beach house. Just by looking through the windows, I knew it was empty. I started to unload the car and gather my belongings to take inside. I also brought new bed sheets for Susannah's rooms. It had buttercups and lilies printed all over it. 

I opened the door with a spare key. The empty house, it felt I came home for the first time in forever. The smell of the sea mixed with the wind that traveled through the opened door washed over me. 

I started heading upstairs to fix up the room. As I began, I turned on a playlist and connected it to a Bluetooth speaker.

 I opened the new bed sheets from Ikea and tucked it over the mattress. I brought out the pillows from storage and fluffed it up.

I hooked the curtains onto the bar and opened up the windows. As I finished, I went to my own room and started decorating it. My favorite colors were placed everywhere in my room. I organized my clothes into the drawers and placed my jewelry box right by the mirror. 

I pulled my makeup box out and put it across my jewelry box. I hung fairy lights around the room and taped my favorite artist's posters and album pictures on the walls. 

I always got a small present for the Fishers at the start of summer, just to say I missed them. This year I got Jeremiah a key chain bear holding a dumbbell since I heard he had started working out. I got Conrad a hat that said, "I'm a college dude, date me," since he was going to college soon.

And I got Susannah a mini watercolor set. Susannah loved painting, I remember she forced all of us to sit for a portrait. It's a nice memory. 

I heard the sound of a car pulling up to the driveway. I looked out one of the windows and saw Jere stepping out of the car. I quickly ran to find the gift I had gotten for Jere, it was lost inside my bag. I kept rummaging through it and I finally found.

I sprinted over to Jeremiah's room and placed the gift on his dresser when I heard him at the door.

"Whatcha doing?" He asked.

I spun around to face him, "Just placing your gift somewhere, like always" I had actually wanted him to find it rather than me give it to him. I think actions speak louder than words. And I prefer it.

Especially if some people are too dense to actually know what the actions are saying. 

Jere stepped forward a bit, "How about you give it to me in person this time?" I sighed at his suggestion.

"Sure," I started, "One bear key chain for you. It's exercising." I smiled as I handed him the key chain. 

Jere grinned, "How'd you know I was working out? Do you ask people about me?" He smirked the smirk he always used when he tried to corner me. He always tried to get a certain answer out of me, which I didn't give in to.

"How delusional are you?" I asked, "Is it the gayness getting to your head?" Jeremiah scoffed with a chuckle.

"First of all, I'm bi. And second of all, you stole that from Mean Girls," Jeremiah said as he fidgeted with the key chain. I tilted my head as I shrugged off his comment.

Then I heard another car stop in the driveway. "Oh, that must be Susannah," I walked out off the room and skipped down the stairs. All the while, I could feel Jere's eyes on me.

I opened the door to see Susannah step out of the car. 

"Susannah!" I exclaimed. Susannah brought me into a hug as Conrad got out of the car.

"Oh! My girl," Susannah smiled, "Leni, you look so grown up! I heard you drove here by yourself. How'd it go?" 

"It was fine, I got to see the sunrise, and I didn't die," I chirped. 

"I'm so happy to see you again," Susannah tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. 

"So am I," I chuckled. Susannah had a proud look on her face as she turned around to her car

"I brought you something Leni," she grinned, "It's a book"

I laughed, she had remembered. "Is it the one by y/f/a? Wait, it is! Thank you!"

"Go take a look while I get the house set up," Susannah beamed as she brought a box towards the house. Jeremiah took it from her hands as they entered the house.

"Hey Conrad," I happily said.

"Hey," he muttered. He was acting weird. He was usually a lot more chipper when we said hi.

"How have you been?" I tried to keep the conversation going, trying to understand his reason for being gloomy. 

"Fine," was his final words as he headed into the house. Confused on this interaction, I retreated back into the house. Susannah had already started filling the cabinets and drawers with things. 

A few hours later, I was helping Susannah with the flowers when she heard my family's car come to a stop.

"They're here!" she yelled for the boys to hear. 

Jeremiah rushed downstairs and outside to say hi. I followed after Susannah as she skipped outside to hug my mom. I leaned against the door frame as I watched them happily reunite. 

And of course, as I suspected, Jeremiah was all over Belly about her glow up. Conrad appeared out of the side of the house, walking over to Belly. 

I saw Belly's eyes lit up as she saw Conrad. The awkwardly stood as I saw Conrad smile as they playfought for a second. 

Then the two other boys decided to do the age old tradition of a Belly Flop. 

Belly started running away, but the boys still caught her. I laughed as she was carried off the pool in the back. 

I watched them swing her around. 

"One, two, three!!!" they all yelled as they threw Belly into the pool.