Summer Blue

Chapter Three

'This place looks insane.' I commented through the center of the two front seats.

'This old thing? you need to get out of the city more.' Mickey remarked pulling a chuckle from Blue who was currently climbing out of the truck and opening my door for me.

'Come on.' he coaxed, and I wasted no time in climbing out, my boots hitting the pebbles beneath them with a crunch as I took in my surroundings. The air buzzed with a blend of laughter, music, and the distant hum of engines. The scent of grilled food hovered in the air, mingling with the unmistakable aroma of the outdoors as groups of people gathered around tailgates and folding tables, conversing over plastic cups and bottles of beer.

'How come you guys have never taken me here before?' I asked as I rounded to the back of the truck where Blue and Mickey were busy rummaging through the bundle of supplies that they had packed.

'You were too young.' Mickey replied as if that reason made any sense at all.

'I'm only one year younger than you guys.' I defended with a hand on my hip, I was seventeen and they were both eighteen so there wasn't much of an age gap between us at all.

'Well, that one year makes you the youngest person here.' Blue said and I glanced around at his words, I didn't noticeably look younger than anyone else here but there were for sure a lot of older people around us.

'Huh.' I muttered, the sound of approaching cars pulling me from my wandering gaze as two more trucks pulled in, parking up alongside Blue's truck and forming a sort of half circle. I watched nervously as people piled out of both vehicles, their loud voices rowdy as they greeted both Mickey and Blue.

'Your Sage right? It's Dalton, I don't know if you remember me, I've been out of town the past two summers, so I missed you on your last visits.' a familiar guy asked as he held his hand out in greeting.

'Sorry, I don't remember.' I admitted sheepishly taking his outstretched hand, There was a familiarity to the guy but I couldn't pinpoint exactly why.

'Course you do.' Blue interjected the conversation and I turned to raise a brow at him in confusion because although this boy seems a little familiar I for the life of me can't pinpoint why. 'He's the boy you kicked in the shins for calling you ugly and stupid.' Blue smirked, his amusement at the memory I'm sure was replaying in his mind.

'Oh my god.' I let out in mortification as the memory of the boy crying on the floor hit me with all guilt force.

'Yeah twelve-year-old me was a little bastard.' He admitted, scratching his neck almost like he was nervous.

'He sure was.' I teased.

'Sage!' Violet's familiar voice squealed as she barrelled her way into me, almost knocking me clean off my feet as she wrapped her arms around me in a tight squeeze.

'Vi,' I laughed, 'oh my god look at your hair.' I pulled back to get a better look at her long red hair, a drastic change from her usual bleach-blonde colour.

'I switched it up a little, do you like it?' she asked with a little shake of her head, and the curly strands that I'm sure she had purposely left out of her up-do bounced with the action.

'I love it.' I said honestly, but I'm for sure going to miss her beautiful blonde locks.

'You do? Come, let's walk we have a lot to catch up on.' she hooked her arm into mine and tugged me along as we left the others behind to wander the new scenery. 'I can't believe you're here; Mickey didn't tell me you already got into town.'

'Same time, every year like clockwork.' I admitted. 'So, you and Mickey? How is all that going, I take it he is treating you right?' I asked.

'Oh Doll, he is everything.' she drawled out so dreamily and I couldn't hold the smile from my lips at her confession.