Seventeen Ocean Street

Chapter 2

Stepping inside the beach house feels surreal to me. The atmosphere even feels different in this place. It's the same summery air brushing through the hairs on my arms. I still can't believe that I'm here. Ever since my parents' divorce, it was tough for a 9 year old to understand. All I could do was mewl in the small orbit I call my room. It was my safe place besides the beach house. It's always been that area of the house where I barge into, to lock myself from reality. It was what protected me from the negative air trying to seep me up. But having to step into the beach house again made me feel at home, as if 7 years hadn't passed. As if I'm still 9, counting the days and planning every single one to make this summer as fun as possible.

I can hear multiple pacing in the kitchen where I expect my mom, Carly, Lucas and Kyle to be. But, instead of entering the bright kitchen with exposed windows, I walk past it and decide to stride toward the stairs. As I walk past the kitchen, I can feel his eyes on me for a millisecond. And just by little time, it sends my heart to the olympics. I almost stop walking, but I didn't let myself be affected.

As I march through the steps, my eyes totter to my wall where picture frames are hung up. I start to slow down, examining every picture. One has me and Lucas as toddlers on the beach. He was 7 and I was 5. I was wearing a floral one piece. I wasn't looking at the camera, I was too engrossed with my sand castle in front of me while Lucas has his arms up, smiling so wide he could rip the corners of his mouth, his eyes are squinted, tiny wrinkles showing in each outer corner of his eyes. I smile when I stumble upon a picture where It shows 9 year old Lucas and Kyle in their swim trunks and a 7 year old me hugging Kyle's torso and his arm around my shoulder while Lucas is on my other side struggling to hug us at once. I grin. There are other photos. There's one with mom and Carly in the kitchen making sandwiches, they looked so young. There's another one with the same kitchen with the two of them, smiling with their white pearl teeth shining through the frame, except my Dad was there, kissing my mom's cheek. I frown, the smile covering my face peels itself off.

That photo was 7 years ago, the most recent photo existing in this house. My heart aches remembering my 9 year old self, thinking that it would be like that forever. But it turned out it never was.

I shake my head, shifting my eyes from the wall and proceed to walk through the stairs, leading to the second floor where our bedrooms are located I decided to choose the one furthest from the stairs. This was the room I always slept in when I was little. But I was too young to think that monsters weren't real. In the middle of the night, I would ask my mom to stay with me until I fall asleep and she would leave after I finally put myself to peacefully sleep.

Even though 7 years has passed, it still looks the same it used to be. White walls keeping the room bright, the curtains open to see a full view of the beach from the distance, the sound of the ocean's wave filling my ears, making me breathe loosely. When I was younger, I always thought the ceilings were as high as castles, now it just feels like it's as high as a cottage, though it's not as far down. The distance between the ceilings and my head are still bearable, it's only a few feet close. I let myself indulge the warmth of the room, the floor creaks as I pace around the empty space. My bed is well-made, the corners of the sheets neatly tucked under, three pillows leaning comfortably against the wooden headboard. I drop my duffle bag on the bed along with my backpack, few seconds before I fall into the comforter, my figure slightly sinking in because of the softness of the fabric.

I stare at the ceiling fan, the wings rapidly running into a shape of a circle, the rush of air fanning my body. I close my eyes for 2 minutes before deciding that it's best to unpack now and relax later.

After I unpacked for about 30 minutes, I decide on putting the smallest bikini I own. It's a pastel purple two piece, white framing the sides along with the straps. I wanted to go for a small bikini so I could tan without having to have strange tan lines. It's only 2:00pm, which means the sun is still around and hot enough for a tan.