Our Last Summer

Chapter 02: Graduation

Caroline walked into her house and saw that Elizabeth, her mom, left her a note that she was still at work. She walked into her room and shut the door. She pulled out her large suitcase and started to pack up her stuff.

She packed all of her bikinis, underwear, shorts and shirts, and sneakers, knowing that Madelyn would beg her to work out with her or to go on a hike. She packed up some party outfits, some flip-flops, and sandals. She packed her bathroom essentials and zipped up her suitcase and grabbed her travel backpack. She put her computer, computer chargers, and other carry-on items she would want.

Caroline was the most serious about this trip. She raised enough money to buy the tickets and have plenty of money left over for herself and some of the others. She did plenty of fundraisers and carwashes to raise as much money as she could.

Granted, the boys did work during the school year and summers before then. Tyler mowed people's lawns and did any manual labor he could. Noah made a sports camp for some kids to teach them how to play various sports. Ethan picked up a job at the local grocery store and occasionally went into the town to perform songs for people to tip. Jason worked with his dad doing construction in the town.

Madelyn babysat and tutored people all year so she earned a ton of money. Danielle volunteered at a retirement home and she picked up a job as a waitress and earned lots of tips. They all wanted this more than anything and their parents told them that if they would raise enough money, they could go. So that's what they did.

As Caroline was finishing her packing, she heard some keys being placed in the small bowl by the front door. She quickly zipped up her full and overweight suitcase.

"Caroline? Are you home yet?" Liz called. Caroline walked out of her room and went downstairs. "Oh, there you are."

"Hey, how was work?" She asked, walking to the kitchen. Liz followed her and leaned against the counter.

"It was good. Not much crime today. I just went through some cases." She said. Caroline smiled and Liz pressed her lips together. "I'm so proud of you, you know that? I'm so proud of all of you for doing this."

"Thanks, Mom." Caroline smiled and Liz's eyes started to fill with tears. "Are you crying?"

"I'm just going to miss you all summer." Caroline stood up and immediately wrapped her in a hug.

"I'm going to miss you too... But, hey, we still have our phones. I'll call you every night." Caroline slowly pulled away and smiled, tears filling her eyes. As much as it hurt to see her mom cry, she needed to go. She couldn't stay here forever, no matter how much she wanted to. She wanted to get out and see what the world had to offer.

"Okay. Let's go get you ready." Liz wiped her tears and smiled.

Madelyn took the opportunity to go to the beach. When she got home, she noticed that her parents weren't home, so she didn't have to worry about spending time with them before she left for the Bahamas. She spent some time surfing but seemed to get bored. She eventually sat out on her towel and watched the waves crash against the shore. There was something so calming about being alone with her.

Unfortunately for her, her loneliness didn't last long. Jason laid a towel down next to her and sat down. Although Madelyn didn't look at him, she didn't fail to notice that he wasn't wearing a shirt and his dark brown hair was perfectly wavy. She also noticed his perfectly tanned, toned, yet sweaty skin.

"What are you doing here?" Madelyn asked, leaning on her elbows as she let the sun soak her skin.

"Just riding by the area and you looked like you needed something." He said, pushing the toothpick around his mouth.