Ocean waves (poppy tetanui)

4 🌧️

Sheridan walked away with her board in hand, visibly angry. I looked at Summer with a proud smile on my face. She turned back towards us and started walking over, sitting down next to Ari. Everyone looked at her, expecting her to say something. She noticed us staring and said, "What?"

I laughed and shook my head. "You're crazy," Ari said to Summer, which made me laugh even more. I calmed down and looked up, seeing everyone watching me with amusement on their faces. I shut up and smiled innocently, saying, "It was funny."

Just then, we heard someone calling out for me, Ari, and Summer. It was Thomo and Honey. "Well, it's our time to go," I said, looking at everyone, but most specifically at Poppy. She smiled at me, and we made eye contact.

"Tomorrow, we'll go surfing?" she asked. I smiled big at her and nodded. "Yes, and I'll go easy on you, I'll make sure to go slow."

As I said that, everyone was looking at us and our interaction. Poppy laughed and said, "In your dreams cam," while smiling at me. I then looked at Bodhi and said, "Bye, Bodhi. Say hi to Marlon for me."

Bodhi nodded, still having a teasing smile on her face towards me and Poppy. "I definitely will," she said.

I nodded, smiling. Summer then said, "Well, guys, see y'all tomorrow," as Ari just nodded. We started to walk away, with me and Poppy giving each other one more smile before I turned around, my thoughts full of her. We got to Thomo and Honey, and all got inside the car for a silent but comfortable ride. I looked outside the window, lost in thought.

---

The ride home was quiet

I couldn't help but replay the moments with Poppy over and over in my mind. Her laugh, the way she looked at me when she asked about surfing tomorrow, and her teasing smile when she said "in your dreams." It all felt like a perfect day, despite Sheridan's anger and not being able to go back to new York but I was actually happy about that.

We finally arrived to the house, We got out of the car after arriving at the Gibsons' home, our temporary residence for the summer. Abby greeted us with a warm smile. "Hey, guys. How was y'all's day?"

Everyone replied with a chorus of "good," but I noticed she looked at Summer and me a bit longer. It made me nervous, like she knew something. Trying not to show it, I said, "Oh, it was good," my voice betraying a slight tremor.

Abby nodded, but then Summer's phone buzzed with a voicemail notification. It was from Mom. I glanced at Summer, my heart racing. She pressed play, and we heard Mom's voice: "Summer, it's your mother. I woke up to an alert from the credit card company. You just had to book business class, didn't you?"

It clicked in my head-she knew. And so did Abby. The voicemail continued, "Did you and your sister seriously think I wouldn't find out? Anyway, I told Abby everything, so expect a chat. Summer, Cameron, I know you're angry at me, but please don't take it out on them. These are good people, and Shorehaven is a good place. I was happy there, believe it or not. Y'all can be too."

The voicemail stopped, and I looked at Summer, seeing the guilt on her face. Abby gave us a knowing smile, indicating she was already aware of everything.

I took a deep breath and said, "It's okay. Let's just try to enjoy our summer here. Maybe we'll actually like it."

Summer looked at me, her expression defeated but hopeful. She nodded. "You're right, I guess. We'll try."

I smiled at her, and she smiled back. We carried our bags inside and put them down, then joined Abby at the table for dinner. As we sat down to eat, I took a moment to absorb our surroundings. The Gibsons' home was cozy and welcoming, with a rustic charm that made it feel inviting.