Searching for Summer

1: Percy

Walking across the stage, I felt a breath of relief escape me. I had never felt so relaxed in all my life. Sure, I didn’t graduate top of my class or get any scholarships, but I was finally finished with high school. I was officially an adult. I could be who I wanted to be without the judgments of the other students. My next step was to convince my father of that. I was planning what I would tell him as I shook my principle’s hand and took my diploma. My father would just have to accept that I could be whoever I wanted to be.

After we threw our hats up in the air in celebration, he approached me. I was fully prepared to tell him what for, but as soon as I made eye contact, every amount of courage I had vanished. I wanted to move my mouth, but I couldn’t do it.

“Well, Percival,” he said, reaching out to shake my hand.

I looked at his hand before glancing around. Everyone else was being hugged by their fathers, not shaking their hands. Now that I think about it, he never hugged me. There is not one place in my childhood where I remember him hugging me. I wondered if I was messed up because I didn’t have my dad’s love. Nah, that couldn’t have happened. I’m a very well rounded person.

Finally, I took his hand.

“Congratulations,” he continued with his annoying smile. “It won’t be too much longer before you join me at the office, eh?”

I sighed and took my hand from him. “Sure, dad.”

Little does he know, I don’t even have any interest in law. Actually, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I had never actually thought about it before, and I didn’t actually plan on thinking about it. Perhaps I would just try to make it big with my music. There’s a dream that would automatically be shot down by daddy dearest.

“Let’s get out of here and back home,” he said, directing me towards the door by my shoulder. “I have a nice surprise for you.”

I sighed again. “Alright, Dad.”

On my way out, I saw my ex-girlfriend standing with her parents. She waved to me, so I waved back. I broke up with her, but I still wanted to be friends. Stacy was a good girlfriend, don’t get me wrong. We were just wrong for each other. We could never talk about anything that ever mattered, just cheerleading and her life mainly. There was a girl out there for me. It was just the matter of finding her.

“So, what university did you apply to again, Perc?” Dad continued rambling as I got into his car. “I hope that you choose to go to Harvard just like your old man.”

I shook my head. “Yeah, dad. About that…”

I wanted to tell him that I didn’t even bother applying anywhere. I wouldn’t have gotten in based on my grades. I was a C student and that wasn’t good enough for Harvard. You cares that dad went there. They still wouldn’t let me in. Not that I wanted them to anyway.

“I had the best time at Harvard. It truly was the best experience,” he said, thinking of the old days.

I rolled my eyes and looked out the window. “Of course, dad.”

“You’ll make friends for life,” he said, pulling out of the parking lot. “Just like I did! Harper, Faulkner, and George didn’t make itself out of nothing, my boy. I’m sure you’ll love it at Harvard just like I did!”

I nodded. “I will, dad.”

“Michael loved every minute of it, you know,” he said, turning right instead of left.

I looked at him. Michael, my brother, didn’t love every minute of it. He hated it in fact. He drank and partied way too much while he was there, which ultimately lead to his death. He overdosed on heroin, something dad liked to keep hush hush because he knows he was the reason. He pushed too much. Looks like he didn’t learn his lesson the first time though.

“Dad,” I interrupted him before he could say another word. “You do know that home is in the opposite direction, right?”

He sighed. “I guess it’s time to tell you of your surprise then,” he smiled and tapped the glove box between us. “It’s in here.”

I opened the glove box and pulled out a key. The corners of my mouth pulled up when I realized that it was the key to the beach house in Carolina. I’m guessing that he was letting me go by myself on vacation that summer. A flash of a giggle sounded through my head. It was shrouded in darkness, just as the girl that produced it. The same girl that had been running through my head since last summer when we shared that kiss in the dark.

“Congratulations again, Perc,” he smiled. “The beach house is now yours. Treat it well.”

I swallowed hard. Mine? “The beach house is mine?”

He nodded and pulled into the airport parking lot. “It’s yours to do with as you please. There’s also a plane ticket in the glove box as well for your trip.”

“I’m going now?”

“There’s no time like the present, is there?” he laughed.

At that moment, I didn’t care that I didn’t have the guts to tell him. There was a whole new world of possibilities that opened up before me, and it was all due to my very extravagant graduation gift. It was just what I needed. The only person that had ever listened to me and what I wanted had been in Carolina. It was just the matter of finding out who she was. She was what I needed.