Summer High

❁ Chapter one: Two homes by the sea ❁

I needed to breathe and find it within myself to forgive her and let it go like Dad always said. I stumbled onto the beach and collapsed onto my knees, i was tired of crying about what is no longer in my control. If only all the people in town who adored my family knew just how exhausting it was to be a part of it. The ocean breathed, her waves turning in on themselves with rhythmic ease. The tide became her pulse that day, the echo of the souls she kept safe in her cradle of brine. Sometimes I wished I were as strong as water, gracious enough to give life and powerful enough to drown it away.

in the near distance, my eye took notice to an easel along the shore, someone had left it here. Beside it was a crate filled with paintbrushes, oil paints and pastels. I never knew we had an artist in town? Clearhaven wasn't famous for its museums and artistic culture so it made me wonder, what would an artist be doing here?

That was the first time I saw him, as the sun began to set in the sky giving Silver lining Beach a warm orangy purple glow. The door to the beach house next to ours slammed shut which took me by surprise because its last owners moved out months ago, had a new family moved in? I imagined an elderly couple who spent their late years travelling the world and seeing all it was that the world had to offer. But the boy that walked out the tall fishbowl blue house was far from anything I could've possibly imagined. I could tell from his body language that he wasn't from around here, he reminded me of one of those french boys I'd observed on our Christmas in Paris last year.

I couldn't see his face from this far away but I noticed his hair; long, dirty blonde and salty from the sea. We had our own private part of the beach that we didn't have to share with anybody else, it was my comfort zone. But as nana always used to say your comfort zone is a beautiful place but nothing ever grows there. Nana's always saying wise things like that, she reminds me of the oracle at Delphi, she always seemed to know the answers to everything. I missed her but she was spending the summer with my aunt Kate and her snobby kids Yolanda and Albert, they always pulled my hair and made fun of me every time they visited.

I made my way over to the main beach so I could get a better view of this boy i'd never seen before, i suddenly became hyper-aware of my movements and felt really self-conscious. what if he saw me and didn't like what he saw? what if he thought that I was just a spoiled brat like everyone else? It was too late to walk away so I just walked up to him. The ocean crashed into itself and made a calming whooshing sound behind me. He was painting the sunset in the sky as fresh colours brushed upon his blank canvas as if those rays were destined to create a masterpiece. At first, I assumed that he was just going to ignore me and act like he didn't see me standing there gawking- But then he placed his paintbrush in the pot of water and gazed up at me.

Almost immediately I felt unworthy to be in his presence, he was the most beautiful boy I'd ever seen at fifteen. His eyes were the palest shade of blue in nature and resembled a neverending snowstorm, they were bright yes- but also carried this darkness that I couldn't quite explain. His skin was olive and already looked tan from the summer as a normal pale person I knew it would get darker soon. His stare was intense and raised goosebumps over my skin, he looked at me like he was studying me and I never felt so small in my life.

"You've been crying," he stated with a voice like melting honey,

"Yeah, I'm sorry I-" I began feeling the flush in my cheeks intensify,

"Don't apologize, just tell me what's making you so upset?" he asked, and I realized that he was the first person to ever ask me how I truly felt.

"My mom and I got into a fight," I told him, not knowing why I felt like I could trust him.

"Did she hurt you?" he asked keeping the same almost angelic tone.

"No, no never- nothing like that!" I burst out, not wanting him to get the wrong idea about my mother, "unless you meant emotionally."

"Do you and your mom fight a lot?" he asks and I'm almost embarrassed to answer.

"Yeah, but we used to be really close though...are you close with your parents?"

"Yeah a little too close if you ask me," he admits with a slight laugh, I liked his laugh, it was real.

"You're not from around here are you?" I ask,

"What gave it away Blue, was it my small-town charm?"  he shrugs and I let out a sad little laugh.

"Oh yeah sure, let's go with that and totally ignore the fact that you're painting in the middle of Silver Lining Beach." I smile and he smiles back, "where are you from anyways?"

"Fairbanks Alaska, doesn't get any whiter than that," he tells me and I can tell there's a story behind his move- but I won't push.

"That explains why on earth you're so pale." I tease.

"Hilarious, so we're you from?" he asks me moving away from his easel and coming closer to me.

"Right here in Clearhaven Indiana, born and raised," I assure him wishing I had a more interesting backstory.

"Must be fun down here, there was never much to do back home," he says walking ahead of me and I follow.

"Yeah, if your idea of fun is spending your days playing which middle-aged housewife caught her sleazy rich husband cheating next."

"Oh come on Blue I bet there so much to do, you just need someone to show you all the amazing things this shitty life has to offer," he said enthusiastically, and he swore, mom would lose it if she ever heard me talk like that.

"You really shouldn't do that," I mumbled,

"Do what?" he asked shielding his eyes from the midday sun,

"Swear, it is not polite." I scold and he just laughs at me but then stops once he sees the disappointed look on my face.

"Don't pout, I'll try to be less vulgar next time," he says and I can't tell if he's being sarcastic or not.

"Thanks." I say realising that it's getting darker now, "I'm gonna have to head back soon."

"Don't worry about it, and don't waste any more tears on your mom, I'm sure she loves you, some parents just have a tough time showing it," he assures me, and I want to believe him.

"Allison!" I hear my mom call out from the beach house, "Allison where are you come back right now!"

"Allison huh?" he chuckles and i immediately feel insecure, what's so special about Allison? why couldn't I have a more mysterious and interesting name like Scarlet or Raven? "Its a pretty name."

"Thanks, what's your name?" I ask almost too enthusiastically.

"Sky, Sky Maddison." He tells me, "Now I think you should probably go back to your mom before she has a heart attack."

I've never met a Sky, it's not a common name around town, around here parents like to name their kids Mary, Jack and even Peter but never names as pretty as Sky.

"I'll see you around Sky." I waved, wanting nothing more than to talk to him again.

I raced back to the Beach house to find my mom but I didn't know just how many times my mother would have to call out to me because I was out with Sky that summer.

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