The Summer I Learned to Breathe

eleven

Disclaimer: Most referenced locations are fictional; including Samantha's, Dos Amigos, Springport, and Corton Bay. Such places may be based on real locations in Michigan, however, they do not actually exist themselves, so don't expect to type Springport into Google Maps and recieve a red pin along the coast of Lake Michigan.

☼ eleven ☼

It's the Fourth of July. It was once one of my favorite holidays, but that was back when my family was a cohesive unit; my mom would always bake cookies and my brothers and I would watch fireworks from the dock after we rode in the parade in our dad's friend's fire truck. Since then, everything has changed. Each holiday is forced and awkward, and sometimes we don't really celebrate certain holidays anymore.

That being said, I couldn't be more excited to spend the day with Madison, Sam, and Gabe. We've decided to head on a road trip to Springport to get a change in scenery instead of watching the annual parade in town. It's really convenient for Gabe and I because we won't have to deal with any surprises from our father, who has been absent again for the past three days. Plus, Sam told me yesterday that his sister, Emily, is coming along, and I can't wait to finally meet her.

"You're wearing that?" Gabe comments as I bound down the stairs to meet him in the kitchen. He motions to my ripped shorts with patches sewn on the front and patriotic-colored paint splatters littering the material. I glance down at them in satisfaction, and then I adjust my white cropped tee so it reveals less skin.

"Yeah," I say proudly. "Got a problem with it?"

"Yup," he says. "Everything but the vans."

"It's gonna be a long ride for you then," I smirk and send him a challenging glance. "Because I'm not changing!"

He groans playfully as he leads me out of the house. We're not really in a rush, but we are; we want to escape before our father could arrive at the house to stop us.

"Waiting for you two is like waiting for an elderly couple to climb a set of stairs," Madison complains. I walk toward her, Emily, her boyfriend, Jack, and Sam, who are all hanging out in Madison's Jeep at the edge of our driveway. As I get closer, Emily and Jack hop out of the Jeep to make space for Gabe and I.

"That was so funny I forgot to laugh," I say to Mads, sending her a glare as I slide into the back seat with Sam. Gabe wanders around to the passenger side, and he gets in to ride shotgun. Sam raises his eyebrows at me, and I return a similar challenging stare to which he rolls his eyes at.

Madison's car doesn't have enough seats for all six of us, so Emily and Jake decide to drive to Springport separately. Madison pulls out onto the road, and she honks obnoxiously at Emily driving behind us. We all chuckle, but it quickly dies down and fades to silence.

"But seriously though, we're always waiting on you two," Madison continues.

"Yeah, y'all are actually waiting on Marley and I'm just standing around waiting for her."

I cross my arms in protest, and my lips fall into a pout. "I couldn't find my second shoe," I say.

Gabe rolls his eyes. "You're such a girl." I shake my head, and I lift my hand and flip him off. Sam laughs. "I saw that!"

"Good. That's the whole point."

"You should see her room though. It always looks like a tornado tore through there," Gabe continues to talk, much to my dismay.

"It's true!" Madison confirms. I'm not surprised to see her side with Gabe.

I shake my head. "Lies."