The almost summer of raspberry ice cream and Theodore Wilson

I have loved Theodore Wilson ever since I could remember. Simple as that. Though, everyone loved Teddy, his charming witty personality and those honest to god green eyes. We grew up in identical cozy cottages stationed where the sand hit the sea grass in a lazy beach town on the coast of North Carolina. He had moved in when I was a mere 7 month old whiny blue eyed baby and he was an energetic toddler. We had grown up together; the beach was our sand-box. Our moms had quickly become best friends, forcing us to bond in a way unexplainable to those who have never experienced it. And..i fell in love. I loved him when he shoved me off the monkey bars and broke my arm in the 1st grade, through cooties, and even when he called me a scrawny chickened legged baby in front of Lindsay Miller and Danny Tribec in the 6th grade. I couldn't help it; bouquets of sea grass and salt water taffy were enough to send me into a tizzy toward the famously genuine Teddy Wilson.

As we got older I found it harder and harder to keep Teddy to myself, his athletic nature and its-all-good personality drew in many guy friends and his looks kept the line of girls a mile long down the beach. No one loved Teddy like I did though, no one knew him like I did. No one noticed the way he ate ice cream with a fork because he liked the way the tongs pressed against his tongue or how much he loved the Ferris wheel at the pier because he has had a crush on the girl who runs it since he was 11. He was someone who was effortlessly thoughtful and attractive. I learned when I was in 8th grade when Teddy kissed me on my front porch and announced that it wouldn't change anything between us, because I was 'his favorite little sis' that my admiration for him was to stay hidden. So, I casually dated, waiting for him to realize I wasn't his 'pal' anymore.

My alarm clock let out annoying burst of sounds. I rolled over hitting it with my palm. My window was open and my curtains were fluttering with a warm breeze brushing off the ocean. I sat up and shielded my eyes from the mid-morning sunlight sneaking in. My head hurt from one to many beers last night and my half curled hair was smashed against my face. First day of summer and I had to be up at 9:30 to start my shift at the candy shop owned by my best friend, Monica's, senile grandmother. After brushing off the awful thought of the day ahead of me, I swung out of bed and slowly limped into my bathroom. I cranked the knob and hot water poured down onto me. I scrubbed away the smell of smoke and sea water off of me. Yesterday had been the last day of school and Ashley Cranston had thrown her annual end of the year party. Cringing at the conversation me and Teddy had the previous night. He had told me about his plans to leave as soon as school let out this time next year. Claiming there was no reason to stay in this sleepy hell hole any longer. The hot water became luke warm and I was going to be late. After towel drying my hair and pulling on a pair of shorts and my bright red SEE shop t-shirt, I hopped on my bike and pedaled into town. I coasted on Fishers Pier, smiling at all the tourist milling around with "oh how quaint" looks on their faces. I pedaled lazily behind the SEE shop parking my bike by the back entrance and snuck in, hoping to avoid scolding from Katie, my manager, for being 5 minutes late.

Without any luck she stood in front of me, arms crossed. She had resented me since I was a freshman, her and Teddy, both sophomores, had dated and he had broke it off after a month and a half claiming there was someone else he was interested in. Katie had obviously assumed it was me and had been giving me the ultimate cold-shoulder since.

"You're late." She towered a good 6 inches over me. Her gaze was icy and accusing. I held in an eye roll.

"I'm sorry." It sounded lame and forced, but I had never been a good liar so I couldn't come up with a convincing excuse.

"Whatever." Katie said brushing my apology off. "It better not happen again. Go restock the salt water taffy, its running low."

I watched as she pushed the door open and walked into the shop. Then, I opened the closet and tugged out a huge bag of assorted taffy. Unable to pick it up off the ground, I uncomfortably shifted, pulling the bag with both hands while shuffling towards the front of the store. The shop was a colorful, cozy hangout spot for both locals and tourist. All different types of candy lined the walls and a huge ice cream counter jutted out as the focal point of the shop.

"You have to try the raspberry ice cream man, it's legendary." I heard Teddy's voice waft through the screen door, I felt a pang in my chest. I stood like a dope struggling to open the bag of candy. As soon as I heard the familiar creak of the door opening and the shuffling of sandals I stood upright. Teddy was beaming at me, looking amazing in a casual blue v-neck and khakis. He parted his lips in a heart-melting smile and then he easily ripped open the top of the taffy bag. I laughed in spite of myself.

"It looked like you needed some help, Allie-cat." He teased. I rolled my eyes and someone behind Teddy cleared their throat.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Teddy pulled someone underneath his arm. A boy who looked about 17 with blonde hair and the same sleepy green eyes as Teddy. "This is my cousin, Charlie!"

Charlie who had wriggled out of Teddy headlock was now upright and had about two inches on Teddy's impressive 6"1 frame. Almost a whole foot taller then me, he was attractive with a cocky grin. Suddenly aware of my baggy t-shirt and out of control chestnut waves, I self-consciously smiled. Teddy seemed to sense some sort of underlying flirtation because he automatically cleared his throat.

"What time do you get off work?" he asked me. While casting a half protective glance at me.

"3:30." I answered. His eyes got wide and he smiled broadly.

"Perfect! I have football at 4:00 and I would really appreciate if you could show Charlie around the pier and then we can meet up later tonight, your going to Noah's right?" He looked at me with such excitement it made me blush.

"Yeah, of course. I'd love to show him around." I had said it in spite of Teddy but Charlie seemed to find it as a personal compliment because he had a proud grin on his face. Something about how foreign he looked standing almost hunched by the hanging stuffed animals made him seem like an unassembled puzzle.

"So, how long are you staying here in east port?" I asked sweetly. My flirting skills were a little rusty due to the lack of boys I was interested in but I saw a slight flush creep into Charlie's cheeks.

"End of August." He flashed me a quick smile. I couldn't help but smile back. Excitement was starting to creep its way into the pit of my stomach. With a flash I remembered Teddy's breathe low and hoarse telling me that there was nothing to stay in East Port for. Shaking off the excitement, I refocused on my real goal of the summer. I had to show Teddy I was worth coming back for.

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The rest of the day passed slowly. The tourist had just started to roll in so the lunch time rush hour was lacking its usual spark of excitement. Finally, three thirty rolled around. I punched out and sweetly dodged Katie's suggestions to stay around to make up for this mornings tardiness. Reminding myself to tell Monica about killer Katie's extra icy behavior, I quickly rode home.

"Hi sweetie!" My mom greeted me at the door with a water bottle. "How was work?"

"Slow!" I called grabbing the bottle and heading to my bedroom. Closing the door safely behind me, I flew to my closet. I shifted back the old worn t-shirts to where my summer tanks were hiding. Picking one with a flirtatiously low neck line, I paired it with a pair of cut offs and some lip-gloss. My hair was out of control in waves long enough to touch my belly button. I deemed them helpless and ran out to the living room.