When Lee Meets Summer (camp nano july 2015)

04

TWENTY MINUTES LATER, after Chris has eaten the wonderfully delicious pancakes, the Carter's head out to the beach with towels and sunscreen stowed in a little basket.

Chris and Lily weave through the small streets, with colourful houses lining both sides and Lee lumbers on behind, swinging the little wicker basket in his hand. He pulls out his sunnies, a cheap pair he had scrounged for in a thrift shop when his Ray Bans (a Christmas gift from his mother) had fallen on concrete and shattered. They weren't much, but they protected his eyes from the blinding sunlight.

A few houses ahead, the door to a pink coloured beach house opens and a middle aged woman steps out. She spots the trio walking and a bright smile blooms on her face. "Lily!" she calls out and after closing the door behind her, trots over to them. "It's so good to see you! You're here earlier." Margaret Elliott envelops Lily in a hug and smiles at Chris and Lee, who is loitering behind his uncle and mother.

"Margaret, it's always a pleasure to see you as well. Yes, I'd thought we'd give Chris some company so we headed up just yesterday," Lily replies, smoothly. Her loose tank top flutters in a rare breeze. The Elliotts were just another family that lived in Four Points year round and were on familiar terms with the Carter, though that didn't mean the Carter's particularly liked them.

"I'm terribly sorry about Sofia, Chris," Margaret says, a frown settling upon her lips, "I was just thinking of making a casserole dish for Chris; get some healthy food in you, yeah?" She pats Chris arms, pity written all over her face and Lee can see Chris clench his fists.

Lily waves her hand in the air, dismissing the idea. "Oh no, that won't be necessary, Magaret. We are inviting the Gonzalez's to dinner over tonight," she says casually.

Margaret makes a little 'ahh' noise, bobbing her head full of red hair slightly. "They moved in beginning of June, I think. Left without a trace, and now they're back again, weird lot," she says, a finger to her lips. "But their little daughter, grown so much, just like our Lee. She's gotten so tall and beautiful, lost all that fatness."

"Summer wasn't fat, Mrs. Elliott,"Lee says, clenching his fists. Summer wasn't fat, she was just a little chubby, but Margaret had never stopped to point that out to her and make her feel horrible. One time, when the group was hanging out at Jack's house, Margaret' son, she had told Summer to lose her 'fat' and that it didn't look nice on girls. Lee could tell that it had taken a lot of willpower for Summer to not burst out crying infront of everybody and run out the door. Later at night, to make Summer feel better, her and Lee had egged the Elliott's house.

"Of course, of course, Lee dear. My little Jack has set his eyes on her, though with you here, she probably won't look anywhere else," Margaret continues her spiel, smiling sweetly at him. Lee was starting to get annoyed by her each passing second. She sets her eyes on Lily. "Mind you, my Jack is nothing less than Lee," she states, giggling.

Lily lets out a little laugh, not a genuine one, the one that meant she didn't find whatever Margaret said particularly funny. "Of course, Margaret. Well, we best be getting along, want to enjoy the day, you see." She made a show of looking at the time on her cell phone.

"Of course! I will see you later!" Margaret give a wave and trotted back to her house.

Lily fluttered her fingers in a wave and looping her arms through Chris's and Lee's, went along the pavement towards the beach.

"How come you didn't tell me Summer was here when you came back from Sofia's funeral?" Lee asks, pulling his sunnies from his head and perching them on his nose. When Chris winced, Lee mentally face-palmed himself.

"I was going to, but when I came back, it flew out of my mind. Sorry, honey," Lily replies. Her flip flops slap against the hot ground before they are muffled by the grass beneath. The little hill was the easiest path to the beach as it was right beside the row upon row of houses.