𝐄𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫, Jeremiah Fisher

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 (𝟏)

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When April St. James was five years old, she had come to the most simple and fathomable conclusion that she was, and always would be, best friends with Jeremiah Fisher. Now most five year old friendships were never that serious, but most five year olds didn't have a friend like Jeremiah, which meant they didn't spend every summer throwing pizza at each other and singing along to karaoke till their ears bled.

Because she was five years old, April knew that she and Jeremiah would forever be inseparable. By the time she turned eleven, she'd even planned - in great detail obviously, for them to move in together when they turned eighteen. She was of course, kind enough to share this with Jeremiah, who was just as enthusiastic about the idea as April was.

It was nearing up to another Summer in Cousins and April was sixteen now, although her usual excitement for visiting had not faltered even slightly. She loved nothing more that spending time with her favourite people by the beach. She was particularly looking forward to seeing her friends of whom she had missed oh so very much in her absence.

Now that's not to say that April hadn't been constantly checking in with them over the year because she had, she really had. She seemed to have a love for group chats and long energetic FaceTime calls that only Jeremiah and Belly ever answered. Her sister Aimee found her excitement exhausting to the point where she went months with April blocked from her phone. April knew she could be a bit much, she tried calling them less (Aimee's advice), that only made her bored often. She tried to be less present in the chats with them (Archer's advice), but that didn't work either, it just left her feeling alone and miserable.

So now she was back where she started, impatiently counting down the seconds until she would be back in Cousins.

"Are you ready to go back then?" Archer asked, as he sprawled onto April's massive bed, his head flopping down over the edge. He'd done this every summer, and every summer he knew the exact answer his sister would give him.
"What a foolish question Ace!" April responded, jumping onto her bed to join him, "of course I am."
"Hmm, I never would've guessed from all the countdown gifs you send to the group chat." He retorted, trying his best to hold in a squeal from the pain of April elbowing him in the ribs. With that the pair resorted to lightly shoving and laughing with each other.
"If I come in there and you're clambering around on the floor I'm gonna convince moms to leave you here." Aimee threatened from outside the door. Archer and April scrambled to their feet desperately before she entered. "Let's all pretend that you weren't just fighting like five year olds shall we?" Aimee chuckled as she stepped forward to move her brothers now ragged hair from his eyes. "Moms just told me to come and get you."
"We're going?" April asked happily.
"We're going," her sister repeated back at her, a smile appearing on her face, "now get your asses downstairs please!"