Paper Rings - (J.F.)

Chapter 01

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Chapter 1

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It was a warm summer day, and Delilah Cruz, like all the other students at her school, couldn't wait to get home and officially begin her summer vacation. It was her last class of the year, and she was in the most tedious class imaginable: social studies.

Delilah yawned, her chin resting in her palms. Her teacher, who stood in the front row of the classroom, rambled aimlessly about economics and other topics. About half of the class had already fallen asleep, while the rest remained constantly glancing at the clock, silently begging for time to speed up so they could get out of this misery.

This class, on the other hand, did not always bother her. After all, it wasn't like it was very challenging. She even looked forward to social studies on occasion because it was the most calming and de-stressing of all the subjects. Her best friend, Jeremiah Fisher, sat directly in front of her, which was also a bonus.

The sound of a bell was heard right then, almost as if it were a sign from the cosmos. The other students surrounding her - both asleep and waking - sprang to their feet and scrambled to tuck their books away, almost as if they'd planned it from the start. They practically swarmed out the door one by one, eager to begin their long-awaited summer vacation. The teacher didn't bother to see them off since he knew they wouldn't care anyway. Even Delilah rose to her feet, in the process of packing away her unopened textbook when she heard a familiar voice calling out to her.

Jeremiah stood across from her, hands pocketed in his pants and a crooked smile on his face. "I would've figured that you'd be the first one out of the classroom today."

"And leave my best friend alone to fend in the crowd outside?" Delilah flashed him a sarcastic look as she snatched up her fastened backpack, which Jeremiah easily grabbed from her. She didn't bother taking it back because it was nothing out of the ordinary for him to hold her things for her - he'd been doing it since they were children.

He rolled his eyes playfully. "That, and the fact that I'm your ride."

"Uh, unless I completely missed a chapter, you've been borrowing Conrad's car." She pointed out the obvious to him and all he could do was sigh deeply.

"Do you want a ride or not?"

"Even if I said no, I know you wouldn't leave me here."

He crossed his arms, peering down at her. "And how do you know that?"

"Because you care too much about me."

Jeremiah didn't even bother to deny it because they both knew that she was right. He simply departed after the two teenagers had exited the classroom to collect his things from his locker, which was not near hers. Delilah was in the middle of opening her locker to fetch her sweatshirt when she noticed him again on the opposite side of the hallway. She observed that he looked as handsome as ever today, turning her head slightly to appreciate the back of him for the hundredth time as he stood, chatting casually with another one of his friends. Delilah was one of those girls that never got tired of gazing at him.

She admired his light hair, which in the sun appeared like flowing white chocolate but was otherwise ash blond, and how stray strands of hair almost always fell down his forehead without him noticing, leading him to brush it back with his fingers. Even if she couldn't see them right now, she also reflected on how much she admired his eyes, which were turquoise as the most magnificent gemstones and always gleamed with mirth as if he were about to laugh.

Delilah sighed and quickly averted her gaze, feeling progressively intrigued. Jeremiah had a way of turning her into an undeniable sucker, all doe-eyed and overly sentimental.

I'll never tell him. And she lived by those words.

***

Delilah sat in her bedroom later that day, her suitcase open, nonchalantly tossing clothing around, many of which landed on the floor or elsewhere, and only a few of which were unique enough to land in her suitcase. It was essentially an annual tradition in her household. Delilah and her mom would head over to the Fisher family beach house on the first week of summer vacation and spend their entire vacation together.

"Mija, your-" Delilah grimaced as she glanced over to see her mother standing by the doorway, her mouth fallen open at the scene before her: her one and only daughter's very messy room. Cheyanne Cruz inhaled deeply while pinching the bridge of her nose before returning her focus to the young girl. "Do I want to know?"

Delilah shrugged. "I think you already do . . . Starts with an S and ends with an R."

"Summer," Cheyanne murmured from under her breath. "Well, I was going to invite you to dinner, but I think you're better off tidying up your room first."

She nodded embarrassingly. "Yeah, mamá."

Delilah and her mom would be driving over to the beach house first thing tomorrow morning. It was a few hours away from Cousins and she knew that Jeremiah and his family were likely already on their way to get started on the preparations.

Cheyanne turned away from the girl, but she paused in her tracks for a brief second to smile softly. "And if you clean up your room quickly enough, I might consider bringing you out to supper instead of staying in."

Delilah's eyes shot up at once. "Really?"

"And we can head down to the mall if you're in? Start the summer off right."

"Okay, okay, I'm in," she squealed, "Give me twenty. I'm on my way."

There was no doubt in Delilah's mind that she had the sweetest mom anyone could ever ask for. It was always just her and her mom, with no exposure to the other side of the story. Also, tomorrow was the first official day of summer with the Fishers. She had no idea then that the summer she was about to witness would be one she would not soon forget.