chapter one; wasaga beach
━━━━━ Nicholas Olivar and his sister Noa had a special bond that went beyond the usual brother-sister relationship. They were a dynamic duo, so intertwined that separation seemed impossible. Whether in the bustling halls of school, the calm of their town, or the chaos of their home, their togetherness became a constant rhythm in the symphony of their lives.
When their long-awaited summer break arrived, Nick knew their two months of freedom would be a shared adventure filled with moments that only the closest of siblings could create together.
The sun cast a golden glow on the sandy shore as he and Noa lounged in their beach chairs. Nick was reading a book on his lap. Noa, on the other hand, soaked up the sun's rays to get the perfect tan. Kids were building sandcastles in the foreground, families were splashing in the water, and a beach volleyball game was playing nearby, filling the air with excitement.
Although it was a small town, the shoreline of Wasaga Beach was bustling with activity due to its popularity as a summer tourist destination.
Nick's eyes shifted from his book to the vibrant scene unfolding around them. Women in bikinis strolled gracefully, while shirtless men showed off their chiseled abs. Everyone seemed to be enjoying their summer, and despite the impending return to school in a week, Nick was enjoying the vacation as well.
He rested his head on the beach chair and thought about the end of his carefree summer. Just two more years and he'd be a graduate, ready to begin the next chapter of his life. A chapter that promised to separate him from the town and, more importantly, from his mother, Marjorie. It was a desire that pulsated within him more powerfully than anything else.
Noa, fixated on the waves, encouraged him to take a dip. "You should go swimming."
Nick ignored her and closed his eyes. "No, thank you."
"Come on," Noa urged. "You love swimming."
"Not nowadays." His mind returned to a recent near-drowning incident during spring break. The lifeguard had saved the person in time, but the experience had filled Nick with fear. The belief that the water was cursed kept him from entering it.
Nick couldn't shake the feeling that Marjorie wouldn't care if he drowned. When had she ever cared? This trip to the beach was his way of getting away from her.
Noa saw their mother differently; she saw Marjorie as a role model. Nick, on the other hand, felt more like an unpaid housekeeper than a family member. Marjorie's unequal treatment manifested itself in chores—she made Nick do the dishes, clean his room, and even her room—tasks Noa never had to do.
He knew why Marjorie was acting the way she was. It all started two years ago when he happened to catch her doing something he shouldn't have. Since then, nothing has been the same.
"Why?" asked Noa, raising an eyebrow. "Because of the person who almost drowned?" Nick nodded, and she shrugged casually, picking up her pale yellow drink—lemonade. She took a sip, and when she noticed him staring, she held the cup out to him and offered him some. Nick pushed her arm away with a look of disgust.
"I'll get my own," he said as he stood up. Almost immediately, a frisbee collided with his head. Nick rubbed his painful forehead while Noa burst out laughing.
"That's going to leave a mark!"
"Yeah, I can feel it." Nick deadpanned, still rubbing his head. A short, muscular guy in a tank top and beach shorts quickly approached him, obviously the frisbee culprit. He apologized profusely and threw up his hands.
"I'm so sorry, man. Honest."
"Whatever," Nick said dismissively and handed the frisbee back. That was the guys' cue to leave them alone, but his sister stood up to address him for some reason, so Nick watched the interaction. He noticed that the guy's eyes were focused on Noa's exposed skin. Nick gave him a stern look, which caused him to quickly look at her face instead.
"Well, I definitely need to introduce myself to the guy who tossed some sense into my brother," Noa joked. "What's your name?"
"Sean Cameron," the guy reluctantly revealed.
"I'm Noa. This is my brother, Nicholas."
"Nick," Nick corrected. "Call me Nick."
"Well, hey, Noa and Nick." Noticing Nick's flushed forehead, he suggested, "You need some ice. I don't want it to swell up." Sean reached into his cooler for some ice and handed it to Nick. It was already melting, but it would have to do.
Nick pressed the ice to his head and said a quick thank you. Noticing Sean's solo setup, he asked, "So, uh, where are your friends?"
"I don't have any."
Nick and Noa exchanged confused looks. "Then who were you playing frisbee with?" they asked.
"Myself. I threw it in the air and the wind blew it this way," Sean explained.
"We can play with you if you want," Noa offered, feeling sorry for his loneliness.
Sean declined. "Na, you don't have to."
"Of course not, but we don't mind," Noa insisted. "We're not doing anything anyway."
"Uh, injury, remember?" Nick interjected, pointing to the ice pressing against his head with his free hand. "Besides, I need to get some lemonade."
Then he walked off to get his drink. As soon as he did, the phone in his pocket rang. He stopped and took it out, and saw it was his mother calling. He wasn't in the mood for her right now, or ever, so he ignored the call and continued on his way.
Of course, Marjorie called right back and they went back and forth with him denying the call and her calling back. Finally, Nick got tired of her persistence and picked up the phone, his teeth clenched. "What?"
"Didn't you see that I called you five times?" Marjorie's stern voice cut through the beach atmosphere.
Nick replied casually, not hiding the fact that he had denied her calls. "I did, but I knew you wouldn't say anything important."
Marjorie wasn't amused. "It is important. Your bedroom is filthy."
"How? I just cleaned it yesterday."
"Well, it's dirty, Nicholas. You have to clean it again."
Nick wasn't eager to do that. He was trying to make the most of his last week of summer break. "My room isn't going anywhere, I'll do it later. I'm at the beach right now."
Marjorie wasn't playing games. He could tell by the tone of her voice. "Come home, Nicholas."
Nick sucked his teeth. He glanced resignedly at his sister, who was still with Sean. She seemed to be having the time of her life, but that was about to change thanks to their controlling mother. "Alright, fine. I guess I'll tell Noa she can't play with her new friend."
"Noa can stay and have a good time. You can't. Come home right now." She hung up before he could respond. Nick exhaled deeply, annoyed, because Marjorie knew exactly how to get under his skin.
He turned his attention back to Noa, who was playing frisbee with Sean. He decided not to interrupt them, following his mother's directive that she should stay and enjoy herself.
At least one of them was having fun.
༺♥༻
━━━━━ Noa and Sean stood barefoot on the warm, sandy beach. Sean held the frisbee and they began to toss it back and forth under the bright blue sky.
Noa would never do this with anyone else, but Sean was different. Maybe it was because he admitted that he had no friends. She felt sorry for him because everyone should have friends they can rely on, but Sean didn't. She felt compelled to do something about it.
Noa threw the frisbee at Sean, breaking the silence between them. "So, Sean, tell me about yourself. Besides playing frisbee on the beach, what else do you like to do?"
Sean successfully caught the frisbee. He looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "I don't have any interests. What about you?"
Noa's eyes swept along the beach. "My brother is a bookworm, but I'm not. I'm the athletic type; I like to run. If my school had a track team, I'd be the first to sign up." She looked at him with a curious twinkle in her eye. "By the way, do you go to my school? I've never seen you there."
She told him the name of her school, prompting Sean to reveal that he wasn't a student there. Noa continued to question him, hoping to peel back the layers of Sean's life. "So what's with the lack of friends?"
Sean looked around at the bustling beachgoers. "I guess I just never clicked with people." He paused, as if surveying the crowd. "It's not like they even like me."
Noa's brows furrowed in genuine concern. "Why not?"
Sean shrugged, a bitter note in his voice. "I'm different. People don't like different."
Even though she had never experienced it herself, Noa knew it was true. "Well, if they don't, just know that I do. You seem cool to me."
Sean's grin matched hers as the frisbee flew through the air again. "You're pretty good at this, you know."
"It's just catching, Sean," she chuckled. The frisbee sailed a little too high for her reach just as she finished her sentence. She jumped to grab it out of the air, but it slipped through her fingers.
The colorful disc unexpectedly collided with the water, splashing a group of beachgoers. A chorus of screams immediately followed. "Hey! Watch it!"
Noa winced and apologized, "Sorry!" The frisbee was tossed back to her, and this time she caught it. "On second thought, maybe I need some practice. I suck." She laughed. Sean joined in the laughter, enjoying the lighthearted moment.
When a sharp whistle pierced the air, the atmosphere changed. Sean's bright smile faded, replaced by an alarmed expression, as if that whistle held a history he'd rather forget. Noa followed his eyes and saw a boy with a mischievous look on his face. Sean's disdain was clear as he said, "He's a lifeguard now?"
Curious, Noa asked, "Who is he?"
"A piece of shit, that's who," Sean muttered as his eyes met hers.
Noa didn't like those words. She also didn't like the way that "piece of shit" was staring at her. His focus was on her face, then her chest, and finally her toned legs and exposed stomach. She quickly grabbed her towel to cover herself, and the guy shifted his attention to Sean with a displeased expression.
The lifeguard confronted Sean, approaching him with arrogance. "What are you doing here, Cameron?"
"What are you doing here?" Sean matched, clearly irritated.
With a grin, the lifeguard pointed to his outfit. "I'm a lifeguard now."
"And I'm trying to enjoy my day," Sean said flatly.
"Mhm." The guy looked at Noa. "I see you finally made a friend, Cameron." Noa tightened her grip on her towel as he teased Sean. The guy was giving off major negative energy. "Do you know he has an illness? It's extremely contagious. You should run for the hills."
Noa furrowed her brows and looked at Sean, unsure if the claim was true. Maybe not. Sean had called him a piece of shit.
Sean confronted the guy by taking a step in front of him. "Leave us alone."
"What are you going to do if I don't?"
Sean's retort was fiery. "You really wanna find out?"
Noa noticed that the guy was clenching his fists, ready for a fight. The sudden sound of someone screaming, however, got everyone's attention. The lifeguard realized he couldn't get into a fight; his duty was to protect the beachgoers.
"You're lucky I'm on duty," he hissed before quickly leaving to help the distressed person. Sean fixed his gaze on him and Noa felt confused by the unexpected turn of events.
"What on earth just happened?"
Sean turned around, a look of frustration on his face. "Tyler lied. I don't have an illness."
"Tyler? That's his name?"
"Yes," Sean confirmed disdainfully. "He goes to my school. Like I said, he's a piece of shit, so you should stay away from him."
Noa nodded, clearly intending to follow Sean's advice. She also intended to look for her brother, after realizing she hadn't seen him for a while. "Wait, where's Nick?"
"I saw him leave," Sean replied, glancing in the direction Nick had gone.
Noa's eyes flashed in alarm. "And he didn't tell me?"
"Nope. We should go, too," Sean suggested, motioning towards their belongings.
"Will you be here tomorrow?" Noa asked as they gathered their things.
"Will you?" Sean asked, echoing her question.
"If you are."
After a moment of thought, Sean nodded. "Sure, I'll be here. Gotta enjoy our last week of summer break, right?"
Ugh. The reminder that school would start again in a week hung over Noa like a dark cloud. She really didn't want to go back.
༺♥༻
━━━━━ When Nick returned home, he found his mother, Marjorie, engrossed in watching television. He was relieved that she didn't acknowledge his presence. She'd said enough on the phone.
He went straight to his room. As he stood in the doorway, he was puzzled by Marjorie's assertion that his room was filthy. Everything was in order: his bed was made, his books were neatly stacked, and there were no clothes on the floor. What was she talking about?
He returned to the living room and declared firmly, "My room is clean."
Marjorie, seemingly unfazed, kept her eyes on the TV. "Is it? Oops."
Nick saw through her intentions when he detected the lack of care in her tone. Annoyance flashed across his face. "You didn't want me to have fun, did you? That's why you lied." Marjorie shrugged, still unconcerned. "You know, I should just tell Noa the truth and be done with it," he said, growing increasingly frustrated.
Marjorie slowly turned her gaze to him, a glare forming. "Tell her what?"
"You know what. Your deep, dark secret."
Marjorie stood with a solemn expression on her face, her glare piercing the air. "And why would you do that?"
"So that Noa can see her role model for what she really is. A cruel, dishonest witch—"
Marjorie's anger erupted like a storm and her hand struck Nick's cheek with extreme force. The slap reverberated throughout the room, leaving an overwhelming sense of tension in its wake. Nick touched his stinging cheek, his face stoic, having grown numb to her harsh blows. All she ever did was treat him like shit whenever he tried to challenge her.
Nick looked for a glimmer of remorse in his mother's eyes, but found none. "Was that really necessary?"
His mother didn't apologize. "Yes! You may not like me, but you will respect me in my house!"
"Coming from the woman who doesn't respect her own son," Nick retorted, his indignation mounting.
Marjorie pointed to the door. "If you don't like the way I do things, Nicholas, you can leave. Oh, that's right, you have nowhere to go. You can't go to your father because he doesn't care about you guys. And if you cared about your sister, you wouldn't tell her anything. Do we really need to break her heart?"
Nick was tired of keeping his mother's secrets to himself, but he knew he couldn't tell Noa anything. Who knew if she'd believe him? Their mother was a master liar, good at shifting the blame. If he spoke up, Noa might fall for Marjorie's manipulative story and accuse him of trying to break up the family.
She was a total mama's girl.
The door swung open and Noa's cheerful voice rang out. "I'm home!"
Marjorie quickly put on a smile as her favorite child entered. "Hi, honey! How was your time at the beach?"
Noa beamed and bragged about Sean. "It was awesome. I made a new friend. We're going back tomorrow."
"I'm so glad to hear that. I want you to enjoy your last week of summer break, okay?" Noa nodded. Marjorie kissed her cheek affectionately, basking in her love for her favorite child.
Meanwhile, Nick rolled his eyes, tired of her obvious favoritism. He wanted to pack up and leave, but he had no other family. He was stuck there for two more years.
Noa approached him with a sarcastic tone. "Thanks for ditching me."
"Sorry," Nick replied, placing his hand strategically on his cheek to hide the mark their mother had left. "Mom made me."
"Why?"
"Because..." Nick trailed off, his eyes drifting across the room to their mother. Marjorie kept her eyes on him, too, waiting for his answer. The thought of exposing her crossed his mind, but the consequences loomed. Noa's happiness would be shattered, and that was the last thing he wanted.
In the end, he decided to shield his sister from the harsh reality. "I had to clean my room."
It wasn't even dirty, but it was okay. He knew he wouldn't be dealing with Marjorie for long. The ultimate goal was to free himself from her shackles, which he would do. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but one day Marjorie would feel the consequences of her actions.