Summer Girl

Summer Girl - Chapter 28

Chapter 28

I avoided my phone for the rest of the evening, but by the time I was getting ready for bed, I knew I had to face what I had done. Cay had texted and called, Harley had texted, Max had called. Everyone was wondering what was going on with me, and I had to face the music now. Even though I didn't want to.

   How was I going to tell everyone - anyone - I'd quit my job? I hadn't thought it through. I had acted on emotion alone. What was I going to do now?

   YOU QUIT? Cay's text said. I didn't want to talk to her right now.

   IZZIE, CALL ME OR HARLEY. SERIOUSLY. One of Max's texts said.

   IZ, WHAT'S UP WITH YOU?  From Harley, early in the afternoon.

   And then, IZZIE, PLEASE CALL ME. SOMETHING HAPPENED.

   It was after 10 P.M. I wanted to see Harley, but now I was so confused and embarrassed for ignoring everyone all day, that I decided against messaging anyone back. It could wait until the morning. Maybe I would feel better after getting some sleep.

   Except in the morning, everything went to hell.

   Cay was knocking on the door as I was sipping coffee, alone. Tom had already left for work. I felt refreshed, like I was finally ready to deal with everything. I thought about calling Max, even though he was back in Lakeland again. I texted Harley back, apologizing for flaking out the day before. I even felt like maybe everything would be okay.

   "Why didn't you text me back?" Cay asked, coming into the beach house. She seemed annoyed, but otherwise fine.

   "I... sorry. It was a weird night," I told her.

   "So, you quit the Burger Hut." She was just looking at me, trying to figure me out.

   "How did you know?" I asked, sitting back down at the table. She sat across from me.

   "Well, Mr. Peterson told Carter. He asked me if you were okay. I said, yeah, why? Then he told me you quit."

   I closed my eyes for a second. "I'm sorry. It was... not planned. At least not to do it yesterday. But I was really freaking out about..."

   "The boys?"

   "Yeah. Max went back to Lakeland. Harley is leaving in a couple weeks... I just don't know what to do with myself," I admitted.

   "But they are just boys... you just met them. You're changing your whole life for them?" she asked, her eyes wide.

   She really didn't understand. They were more than just boys. 

   "I need change. Like... I have for awhile," I explained.

   "So, you're going to follow them to Lakeland?"

   "No. I'm going to go... out on my own for awhile," I said, only just now deciding this.

   "On your own?" She looked confused.

   "I keep thinking about my brother. He lives in Tampa. And I'm eighteen now, I want to go see some other places..."

   Cay put her hands on the table, then sighed. "Wow. I just didn't expect this, at all."

   "I know. It's sort of out of no where but... my uncle is back and my Aunt is bringing my cousin back here in a few days... I need to go."

   Cay was trying to process this, and my phone started ringing suddenly. It was on the counter, and I chose to ignore it. It rang two or three times and stopped.

   "Who are you ignoring?" Cay asked, forcing a smile.

   "Likely Max, or Harley. I'll call them back soon," I told her. "Are you off today?"

   "I am. That's why I'm here."

   "Good. Do you want to spend the day together? Just us?" I asked, hoping she would agree.

   "You know I do," she smiled.

   After a few hours laying in the sun on the beach, then a lunch of microwaved mac and cheese, we were back inside the beach house, the TV on, relaxing. I really, really enjoyed the day with Cay. I was able to forget - even just for a little while - that everything was changing. I hadn't looked at my phone since the morning, so I decided it was time to call Harley.

   IZZIE, CALL ME. A text from him had come in an hour ago.

   First, I decided to listen to the voicemail he had left that morning.

   Hearing his voice made me want to call him immediately and tell him how sorry I was. I wanted him to get to the beach house so I could hug him. But as soon as I heard the message, my stomach dropped and tears filled the space behind my eyes.

"Izzie, I don't know why you're ignoring us, but I guess I have to tell you this on a voicemail. I called like three times last night. I'm so sorry. Max and I are both in Lakeland now. When we left the Burger Hut yesterday, we went to my Dad's cottage to grab Max's stuff. But he was there, and he lost his damn mind. He found out about the restraining order Max got... he gave him a black eye and he threw all of our stuff outside, he said he never wants to see us again... we didn't have a choice, Izzie."

  My heart was pounding, but I kept telling myself I hadn't heard him correctly. There was no way this had actually happened.

  "Please, just call me back. We will figure this out," Harley went on, then hung up.

  I held my phone up to my ear long after the message ended. Cay was watching me, curious. I couldn't believe it, but I also knew it was real. I just knew. Without warning, I screamed, and threw my phone across the room. It hit the wall, making a mark and then hit the table and floor, shattering. Cay gasped. I couldn't tell her what the message said. I knew I'd never be able to say the words out loud. Instead, I just sat down on the couch beside her, shaking. She wrapped her arms around me.

   "What happened?" she whispered.

   "They are... they are gone," I said, closing my eyes.

   Cay didn't say anything else. She just stayed with me, letting me cry, and lose my shit. I finally told her, later that evening, what the message said. Now, I'd broken my phone and couldn't call Harley now, even if I wanted to. But I didn't want to. He had left Siesta without even telling me. He just put his stuff in the car and was gone. Maybe I didn't really mean anything to him at all.

   That night, laying in bed under my blankets, I told myself I would finish my last few shifts at the Burger Hut, and then I would leave Siesta, on an adventure. Maybe I'd go for a week, or maybe I'd leave for good. Maybe I'd see my brother, or maybe I would only go to places where no one knew me at all. I wasn't sure of the details, but I at least I had a plan. Sort of.