Summer

Chapter 1

June 23

"How much longer?" Jacob rolls his eyes and asks impatiently. Don't get me wrong, I love my younger brother, but we've only been on this plane for 45 minutes. Plus, we're flying private, and it's only a two-hour flight from Connecticut to South Carolina.

I must say, I'm really excited that my brothers and I chose Charleston as our vacation spot this summer. Jacob really wanted to go somewhere out of the country, but Liam and I wanted something more low-key. If you ask me, our getaway to St. Barthes last year was way too over-the-top for my liking.

Our 'siblings-only' vacations have become tradition at this point and are something that my brothers and I have been doing for five years now — ever since I was 12. We've never been to Charleston before and have family down there, so we decided to make it a 2-month stay instead of our usual 1-week adventure. Liam planned the entire trip — from reservations to rentals, and was even able to find us a 3-story house right on the water.

I know what you're thinking — growing up with two rowdy brothers, how does she do it? Patience and, well...patience.

My name's Sophia, but everyone calls me "Fee" for short. And this is my story. I was born and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. Some like to call it a town of affluence, but, to me, it's just home. My dad Victor Parrish is the founder of a very successful real estate company called Parrish and Co. and owns most of Manhattan, and my mother Charlotte — well, let's just say, she's your typical socialite. I have an older brother Liam, who's 24 and a younger brother, Jacob, who's 16. My brothers are my best friends. Liam and Jacob look alike in the sense that they both have light brown hair, green eyes, and olive skin tones, but Jacob's got a cleaner look going on, whereas, Liam's a bit scruffier.

Liam works for my dad, and Jacob — Jacob's never worked a day in his life. He's all over the place. I guess that's what happens when you're the baby of the family and your parents let you get away with, pretty much, anything. To prove my point, last year he got busted on school grounds for smoking weed. Don't ask me how, but dad was able to get Principal Miller to look the other way. A few weeks after that, Jacob threw a massive party at our mansion. That was a disaster, to say the least. But mom and dad didn't care. To be fair, Liam was just as rowdy as Jacob was when he was his age.

My best friends Allison and Britt always tell me that they don't understand how I get along so well with my brothers. I guess it's because I'm nothing like them. I'm more reserved, I hate to party, and I rather spend my time studying and journaling. School is a big deal to me, as is writing, which is my passion. My dad expects me to work for him when I graduate college, but little does he know that I've chosen to minor in Creative Writing at George Washington University this coming fall.

My friends also argue that I could put more energy into my dating life. You see, I've only ever been in one relationship, and that was with my boyfriend of 2 years, Ben. Ben's also a family friend. I actually ended it a few weeks ago, blaming our breakup on the fact that I was leaving for college in a few months, when really, I just wasn't feeling it. We're two different personalities. He's loud and likes to party. I'm not, and don't. Allison and Britt gave me a hard time for being the one to end things. They think he's super gorgeous, which is all they care about. I've tried to tell them over and over again that there's more to a guy than just his looks, but it's no use; you should see how they fawn over my brothers. I'm not going to lie, it gets pretty annoying when everyone refers to them as the 'Golden Boys of Greenwich'. I guess that's what physical appearances and money get you. Unlike my brothers, I'm not part of the popular crowd.

But, enough about me. It's summertime, and I don't want to think about college or ex-boyfriends. I just want to enjoy my time away from home.

Summer, I'm ready for you.

I think.