"And now I understand why we name hurricanes after people."
Annabelle Gold is just starting to settle down in her new house, new town and new school when Melanie Washington comes along and turns her entire world upside-down. What will happen between...
"I'm a wanderlust I'm a one night stand Don't belong to no city, don't belong to no man." -Halsey: Hurricane
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Jonah Mitchell
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It was a bright and clear afternoon in Ocean City, New Jersey, and was so picturesque it was almost as if a postcard came to life right there.
The sun felt warm against Annabelle Gold's cheeks, but it wasn't hot enough to make er feel like it was burning. There was no breeze but the air didn't feel stagnant and heavy, like it does on any given day without a good breeze flowing from the ocean.
It was a pleasant temperature, the coastal city not yet feeling the chill of autumn. It was warm enough that a light jacket was unnecessary, but not warm enough for a bikini top to be worn alone. Annabelle never got a sudden chill or goosebumps on her arms, which was quite a change from living her entire life in New York.
Though, as she sat there in the frozen yogurt shop, her mind drifted to how she felt like she was starting her life over again as a senior in high school. Her AP English project seemed distant, as if it weren't even there anymore, she was so out of focus. Just then, one of her group members snapped her out of her daze.
"Hey, Goldilocks, what's on your mind?" Jonah asked Annabelle, gently nudging her with his elbow.
"Nothing. It's just this project for AP English I'm worried about." She responded, slightly shaken but honestly, a little distracted.
Melanie Washington had just walked into the frozen yogurt shop the group was sitting in, located next to the practically famous mini golf course on that strip of the boardwalk. Melanie Washington was nothing short of a legend.
"I think we're going to get it done in time, Annabelle. Stop worrying so much." Adam pitched in, typing another sentence they had decided to add to their essay on the document; but that wasn't what Annabelle was concerned about.
As Jonah and Hunter were flipping through The Catcher in the Rye, Annabelle's eyes drifted to the girl standing at the counter, waiting in line to pay for her frozen yogurt. She put her cup down on the counter and slipped her hairtie off of her wrist, tying back her honey blonde hair that reached down to her natural waist.
When she lifted her arms up to do so, her loose black crop top also lifted an inch up, revealing a silver, sparkly belly button piercing. Along with the top, she wore light washed denim shorts, the fabric of the pockets poking out from the hem. It seemed as if her goldenly tanned legs went on for miles before they ended at her black Vans on her feet.
Melanie Washington was the most popular girl in school. She was asked out almost all the time, and rejected every single guy who asked. She's won a few local skateboarding competitions, is the captain of the Varsity softball team, the reigning champion at the mini golf place with an unbreakable high score, and she always looked like an ethereal goddess. Most people believed she was one, and came to earth just to grace us all with her presence.
Annabelle broke her gaze when Melanie got her change from the cashier, smiled and then turned to face the four of them. Annabelle quickly tried to recover herself and jump back into the group project, diving into the pile of papers littering the table and chairs.
"Hey there, boys. Hey there, New York. What goes on?" She asked, addressing Annabelle separately. Annabelle felt blood rush to her cheeks; Melanie Washington was talking to her. Maybe not in depth, but she was here and talking to them. This had never happened.
Annabelle noticed that Melanie's hands were adorned with three silver rings, and her right wrist had two sliver bangle bracelets with charms that lightly clinked together when she moved. Melanie wafted a slight perfumed scent into the air when a warm ocean breeze hit her.
She was perfect. And everyone knew her name, as if she were a legend. It was hard to believe she wasn't by the way people talked about her, Melanie was a puzzle that everyone wanted to figure out, but no one ever did. That must explain why everyone felt drawn to her, as if she were magnetic.
"Hey there, Melanie. Want to sit?" Hunter offered, greeting her in return.
"Sure, I don't have anywhere to go. Are you guys working on the AP English project?"
"Yes, and it's basically killing us. Goldilocks looks like the walking dead, over here." Jonah answered, marking his page and putting his copy of the book down on the table.
"You guys do know that this book is about teenage angst, right?"
"All the three of us got from it was just boring and slow. Goldilocks suggested teenage angst, but that seemed like a lot of work. Isn't that right?"
"Yeah. The whole thing is obviously about angst, just open to any page and you'll see. But of course, they had decided we're going to write about something else for the essay."
"I see. That wasn't smart." She remarked with a gentle edge in her tone, leaning back in her chair and bringing one leg up to her lap.
"I didn't know you were a cheerleader, New York. I probably would have went to the last few football games if I had known. Do you fly, or...?" Melanie asked, changing the subject. Just for a moment was Annabelle confused, but eloquently responded to her question.
"Yeah, I'm a flyer. I was the captain of my squad back in New York." Annabelle responded, remembering she was wearing her uniform. She and Jonah, the school's star football kicker, just came from practice at their school.
"What's it like?" She inquired, eager to know more about Annabelle.
"New York?"
"Yeah. Tell me about it."
"Well, the subway can be scary and everything is expensive, like REALLY expensive, but the people are amazing and so is all the architecture. There's so much to do, so many things to see and so many dreams to be made there."
"So why did you leave? What brought you to New Jersey?"
"Well, it's a long story."
"I have nothing but time. Tell me."
"Okay. Well, my grandparents gave the deed to their beach house to my older brother, who's 22 and currently an ocean lifeguard and an EMT. He lives here. I got accepted to college here, and my parents sent me down here to live with my brother so I could get the in-state price for tuition. They couldn't leave their jobs, but New York isn't terribly far away, and my grandparents still live in the area. So that's what brought me here."
"Alright, Goldilocks. I'm glad you ended up here, you seem cool."
"Well, thank you. I'm still getting adjusted to life here." Annabelle responded before Adam interrupted them.
"Hey, sorry to disrupt your flirting, but I could use both of your inputs on this essay. Let's get to work, ladies." Adam exclaimed, and Annabelle and Melanie shared Annabelle's copy of the book and they worked on the essay for a while longer.
Just from this, Annabelle knew that Melanie wasn't done making an impact on her life. Melanie was just getting started, and she brought the rain with her as she did so. Annabelle just hoped she would be able to keep her head above water when Melanie did so.
