The Summer of Dares

Chapter 1

I toss my final pair of socks into the small dresser beside my bed and close the drawer. With sore fingers and the slightest bit of a headache from staring at my suitcase for so long, I fall on the queen bed in the centre of my room. I can feel the weight of my body sink into the cold mattress. I glide my arms across the light blue sheets that haven't changed since I was young. My gaze travels up the blank white walls towards the sleek ceiling. I smile at the star stickers, that have lost their ability to glow in the dark, but are still stuck in a circle around the small chandelier that hangs just over the edge of my bed. My aunt hated the fact that I put them there, but never had the heart to take them down because they were the only thing that could get me to fall asleep.

I feel the summer heat radiating from my windows onto the side of my body, and it's a nice feeling. I turn on my side to stare out the two windows that were adjacent to my bedside and the sunlight moves from my body to my face. The only thing on my mind is how bad I want to stay here for the rest of my life, to live in this town, and never come home to another responsibility.

"Dinner's ready, Scar. Settled in yet?" I hear a deep voice call out, separating me from my thoughts. The voice is familiar yet new.

I sit up from my laying position and rest my hands behind me. I smile at Isaac, who is leaning in the doorway. He looks different from the summers before, just a tad taller and he's gained more muscle around his chest and arms. His dark hair is just as curly as before, but is now shaved on the sides. He never really knew what to do with all of that fluff on the top of his head. "Yes, I am very settled actually. Do I have to come down now?"

Isaac adjusts his stance and steps away from the doorframe. He simply shrugs his shoulders, "You probably should, the burgers are right off of the Q." He laughs a little, "But I can tell you're enjoying the view from the window. What can you see? The Anderson's across the street trying to get in their daily exercise?"

I laugh. A genuine laugh that warms my insides and tugs at my abdomen, "Of course! I think Mr. Anderson is stretching out to go for his walk around the block, want to watch with me? I wonder how far he'll make it today." The Anderson's were a couple we had known for years. They were some of sweetest people I have ever met, as weird as they could be at times.

"Come on, Scar. Burgers, burgers. Think about the burgers." He motions for me to get up off of the bed and follow him downstairs.

I hop off of the end of the bed and follow after him. As I walk down the stairs, I admire the interior of the house. There isn't much colour anywhere besides the abstract art and picture frames on the walls, as my aunt Liz prefers shades over anything. All of the walls are white, and some are almost grey, with black accents. I love how open everything is. When we enter the living room the ceilings raise from nine feet to almost twenty. There is a window that extends from the kitchen to the living room, from the floor to the ceiling, that exposes the entire backyard. The sunlight fills the house and I imagine this must be what a slice of heaven feels like.

Isaac opens the sliding door that leads out to the deck and I quickly follow behind him. My aunt Liz and Mackenzie are already loading their burgers with condiments and toppings that are spread out across the table. "This is exactly what I need right now, aunt Liz. Bless your soul." I joke, grabbing a barbecued bun and burger.

"I know homemade fast food is your favourite." She jokes along with me in her thick, raspy voice, "I expect you to eat lots, though. We've got too much food here." She waves her spatula at Isaac and I. I slide a chair from the table and take a seat beside my sister, who close-mouthed smiles at me with her cheeks full of fries.

I shake my head and pop a fry into my mouth while topping my burger. I look over at my aunt who is now cleaning the grill on the barbecue. She looks skinnier than the last time I saw her, which my mom would say is a result of a diet of vodka sodas and cigarettes. Aunt Liz is approaching her fifties, and it's beginning to show through the veins in her calves and the bags under her eyes. She hasn't been in the greatest physical shape since her divorce, yet I've never seen her happier. I wonder if that will happen to my mother.