After Hina Tanaka dies in a freak accident the summer before junior year, August Bianchi spends a year abroad in a desperate attempt to heal over the death of his girlfriend. Now, he's back and he doesn't expect for the wounds to break open once aga...
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CHAPTER I
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I GUESS I HAD BEEN TOO WISHFUL about coming back to Port Ivy after spending a year in the Amalfi Coast with my grandparents because after arriving back home two nights before, I was still in bed, my bones heavy and my head congested with thoughts I thought I had left in Italy.
Turns out, my thoughts stayed put in Port Ivy.
And with Hina.
I managed to spend my time away in Italy without thinking about what I had left behind. It was exciting and it was great to make up for lost time with my grandparents. For a year, I was able to keep going with life. It didn't necessarily feel like mine but perhaps another version of me where I didn't have to stay in Port Ivy. But I knew it was just a temporary escape and a part of me had always been okay with that. I had to be.
I mean, I had figured it wouldn't be too bad to come back for senior year of high school and I had convinced myself right from the beginning that a year was enough to grieve over something like this. Surely.
My eyes shut at the sporadic vibrations coming from my bedside table. The screen of my phone lit up the ceiling of my bedroom. I rolled over onto my stomach and reached for it, squinting my eyes as it adjusted to the bright light, to see a text from Alex Park. Well, a new text since he already sent a plethora of texts since this morning.
ALEX
HEARD U WERE BACK!!! LET'S GET THE GANG TGT!!!! 10:23AM
August, I've missed u so much man. Party at Visser's tonight. One last Bacchanal!! 12:05PM
Okay, Idk what Italy did to you bc you're leaving me on read??
At least show up tonight?
Please?
Don't make me double text.
I'm already double texting...
AUGUSTINE!!!!
Idc what you say, I'm coming to your house rn. 11:35PM
Smothering my face against my pillow, I let out a groan. I wasn't planning on telling anyone about my return. I didn't know when I was going to do it but I wasn't going to do it this soon. Alex somehow managed to find out though.
