Summer Break

Chapter 1

I've always loved summer. There's just something about it. When you feel the sun heat up your back after you get out the pool. Going on a vacation and seeing something beautiful. Plus there's no school which is beyond amazing. My summers always consisted of driving down to Florida with my family and staying at our beach house for a couple weeks. Well it isn't really our beach house. It's my grandparents house but they moved about a year ago. And now the house is used more as a vacation home for the family.

Anyways. Ever since I was a baby we came here. Normally it'd be for about a week, two weeks tops. But this year my dad has decided we're staying for the entire summer. 3 months. It's not that I don't love spending time there. I just don't know anyone. I'm 16. All my friends are in Atlanta, which is where I'm from. At least in this day and age I have all sorts of ways to communicate with them. I'm trying to look on the positive side here, too many negative things have happened this year.

I'm thrown out of my thoughts when a new song comes on with a loud intense beat completely different from the somber tones of the last song. I stare out the window looking at the ocean as we cross a bridge. We've been in the car for 5 hours. Just my dad, mom, and me. I know the journey will end soon I've been on this ride plenty of times, I know when the final stop is. The bridge is always the sign that we're about 5 minutes away. I smile knowing we'll be there soon and that I'll finally be released from the small confines of the car.

To knock out some time I pick up my phone and decide to scroll through some of my social medias and check to see if I have any texts. I see a couple messages from Christine so I respond.

From Christine:
Ugh I can't believe I have to survive the summer without you! I'm going to miss you so much. Keep me updated on what's going on! And the second you come home we're hanging out. love you!

To Christine:
I'm going to miss you too! Seriously I have no clue what I'll do without my best friend! I'll text you everyday I promise. And we can have weekly night time calls like always. You need to tell me everything that happens back home so I'm not too thrown off when I get back. Love you too!

Oh my name is Charlie by the way. Well it's not necessarily Charlie. My name is Charlotte. But everyone calls me Charlie. It started in kindergarten because I couldn't spell Charlotte so I just would write my name as Charlie and it stuck. Despite the occasional "Charlie bit my finger" references I like my name. Well as much as any other individual could like their name.

I shift my gaze away from my phone back to the view of the ocean and notice that we are nearing the end of the bridge. The entrance to the neighborhood where the house is located is only about 10 yards from the end of the bridge so I start looking for my shoes. It seems that every time I'm in a car for a long period of time my shoes seem to disappear and the blanket and pillow I bring with me end up imprisoning me in the backseat from taking up so much room.

By the time I find my flip-flops and put them on we're entering the neighborhood and I sit back up to look out the window and gaze at the grass, ponds, and houses as we cruise past them. This neighborhood is one of the most confusing places to drive through I swear. There are so many loops and turns and weird little paths. Even thinking about driving through it stresses me out so when I watch as my dad navigates his way through to our house I just sit in my seat in pure wonder at how he remembers how exactly to get there.

The car pulls into the drive way and the roar of the engine fades as the car is put into park. I grab my purse and open my door to hop out. I make my way to the trunk of the car as my dad pops it open to get my bags so I could bring them inside. My mom starts emptying the trunk and hands me my backpack and my duffel bag which were filled with everything to last me 3 months here. I turn and start walking inside while carrying the heavy bags. I slowly but surely make my way upstairs to my room and completely drop everything to the floor. My arms were aching due to the fact that I hardly ever work out because why work out when you can watch Netflix in bed?