hell of a summer

Chapter one

Travis Hart

It's four in the morning when I grab the car keys, head out the front door, and find my way to my car's door. I pulled the slick handle and climb into the driver seat, letting out a shaky sigh as my hands grip the wheel. I just got dumped for the fifth time by Lola, my girlfriend of two years.

I twist the key, listening to the engine start as I put the car in drive, all without putting on my seatbelt. Pretty badass, I know.

I begin driving, on my way to the gym just a few miles away from my house. I go there to relieve stress, anger, sadness, any emotion you could think of. I'd like to think it's my own version of therapy, but better. A therapy session that makes you look hotter each time you go.

As I pull into the parking lot of the dingy  gym that i've grown to love, I take out my headphones and put them on as I walk through the doors. I'm the only car there, I notice.

See, the thing about being in a very 'off and on' relationship with someone for long periods of time, is that you get used to the fact that you'll never be able to let your guard completely down. Because right when you think everything is good, it completely flips.

Suddenly all you're doing is fighting with them, and you start remembering why the relationship has failed every other time in the first place.

Well, my reason for the repeated death of my relationship is Jonah fucking Davids.

I immediately go to the treadmill, deciding that i'll try to run my anger off and forget about Lola and our breakup as I press start, increasing the speed and incline as the machine beeps and begins. I step onto the moving platform, and close my eyes. I know it's over by the smiths ring is ringing through my ears in my headphones.

Jonah Davids has always been a rock in my shoe that I've just never been able to shake. He moved into the house next to us when I was eight, coincidentally, his bedroom window lining up perfectly with mine. And my twin sister, Tessa, instantly fell in love with the boy. I don't even remember what caused the hatred between me and Jonah, but it's always been there, deep within my chest, gnawing at me. I think it started about ten years ago, forty eight hours after he moved here.

It was the first day of second grade, and I remember seeing him standing alone as we made eye contact at recess. He seen me and smiled softly (which was the last time he ever looked at me with anything other than burning hatred,) as he started walking in my direction. When he got close enough, he mumbled something I didn't quite catch, so in a panic, I awkwardly smiled as my friends and I walked past him.

And after that stupid, ten second interaction, it was like world war had started between us in our small town. Jonah always giving me deadly glances, always trying to throw stuff at me, or steal my favorite lunchables out of the fridge when he would come over with his parents to see my sister (who he is still weirdly close friends with, considering they've never dated and she knows I hate him). As we've gotten older, it was more than throwing paper air planes at me or stealing my favorite foods. No, it was much bigger. It was stealing my friends, my girlfriends, stealing sport positions I wanted, stealing my family.

I remember smiling as I came home from my first day of high school, and seeing my parents and sister sitting at the kitchen table. They were laughing so hard with Jonah that they couldn't breathe properly. I sucked in a breath as I watched the scene unfold. I was so excited to tell my mom about my day, or tell my dad that I had tried out for an actual football position. But, they didn't even notice me. And when I saw Jonah, the urge to talk to my family faded as quickly as my smile did. So, instead, I turned away and instantly headed for the stairs. They never laughed with me like that, I thought as I fought off the swelling of emotion in my throat.

But, i'm older now by two years, and that memory is just a memory. I'm not that hurt fifteen year old boy anymore, I'm gonna be a senior when school starts back up. And with that growth, I've come to accept that eventually, everyone you love will start giving someone else the attention they used to give you, and you just have to move on. That doesn't mean you can't hold a grudge against whoever they're paying attention to though, and for me, that was always Jonah. My parents tell me to this day that they only give him attention and let him come over because he has family issues, but I don't buy it. He seems perfectly fucking fine to me.

I finish up my workout, legs burning as I finish my third mile and decide i've been here long enough. I drive home and fight back the emotion that came with the knowledge that Lola has left me again. 'For good, this time,' the voice in the far back of my head whispers. And it was all because Jonah told her some rumor about me cheating that she knew was a lie, yet she still decided that she couldn't handle Jonah trying to break us up all the time anymore, and that she 'wanted something she didn't have to fight for'.

I park my car outside my house and walk inside. I head to the bathroom, showering and changing before I head to my room for my 'post gym nap'.

When I awake, I hear my mom vacuuming. I yawn and squint before checking the time on my phone, and realize it's twelve in the afternoon. I let out a groan at how badly I overslept and manage to pull myself out of bed, exiting my room and lazily walking downstairs. When I reached the bottom of the staircase, I seen three very shocking things.

A clean living room, my sister with her hair done and dressed in something other than pajamas, and Jonah Davids; standing there with two suit cases, a backpack, and stupid grin on his face.