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Alida Nugent / "Summer House," The Summer I Turned Pretty
Juliet Cruz once measured her life in summers.
The summer she found a love for dancing, insisting on wearing a pink tutu morning, noon, and night. The summer she and Belly Conklin spent searching for mermaids, collecting iridescent seashells and painting their nails turquoise to match the sea. The summer she got the chicken pox, and Jeremiah Fisher stayed with her while the others went to the beach. The summer she discovered she liked boys and girls (thank you Conrad Fisher and Hayley Kiyoko in Lemonade Mouth).
The summer Jules turned thirteen — and everything changed.
Jules was over at the neighbor's house for breakfast. She had just finished her Lucky Charms, pushing her bowl of cereal infused milk to Jeremiah Fisher (best friend #1), when her father came in with the news: Jules had gotten accepted to one of New York City's top dance schools. Jules felt her heart swell seeing how proud he finally was of her, and she decided then and there that no matter what, she'd do anything to keep that feeling alive.
That summer, Belly Conklin (best friend #2) gave her a friendship bracelet promising to be best friends forever. That summer, Jules said I love you to Conrad Fisher (aforementioned crush) before she said goodbye to Cousins Beach and the golden comfort of childhood.
Suddenly, Jules' entire life became perfecting her arabesque or breaking in new pointe shoes every week or finding the right band-aids to cover her blistered feet so she could fit in more hours of practice.
Four years, one wrong pirouette, and a few impulsive decisions later, Jules' mother decides that she needs some time away from the pressures of the city.
Sometimes, Jules felt like her life was an elaborately choreographed ballet that she could never quite keep up with. Trying to keep up, trying to be perfect, falling from grace — and right back to a summer in Cousins, where it all started.
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