I hate the sun. I hate the reflections it's rays create on the ocean floor. I hate how it's warmth just makes the night colder. I hate how much I love it, as it just makes it that much harder when it disappears over the horizon.
"Marina it's already 7, hurry up" Dahlia yanks the covers off of me, goose bumps jump onto my skin as the cool morning air hits me.
"Dali go away." I mutter in response and she grabs my ankles. I land with a thud on the wooden floor and groan, blinking my eyes against the morning sun streaming through the window. Really? School? Again? Pulling on some shorts and a t-shirt, I scramble down the stairs to inhale some breakfast before rushing out the door. I'll admit it is a nice morning, bar the bruise on my back.
There's only 3 more days until summer break, I don't think I'd last much longer than that. Stereotypical clichés and droning teachers will be the death of me if the long expanse of dry dirt isn't. I've longed for the cool touch of salty water and the colourful boats that line the blue horizon. Dahlia takes me to the beach house every summer, and for those few months of sun, I'm once again whole.
The bright sun warms my freckled face as I jump into Dali's blue Jeep Wrangler, her most prized possession. The roof is down letting the cool wind whip my hair and making my eyes water a little. "Rina get your damn hair out of my face or we're going to crash. Jesus when did you get so blonde?" Dali exclaims. Since it got sunnier my hair has changed like 3 shades lighter, it always does. In the winter my hair is almost as dark as Dali's, almost brown, dirty blonde. She'd never admit to being a brunette though. We've got the same sea green eyes from dad, the only part of him left behind. Dahlia cried almost every night after he left, two days after her 19th birthday we came back from school, and it was almost like he was never even there. I wasn't surprised when he left, just hurt that he didn't even bother leaving a note.
Arriving at school always leaves a sinking feeling in my gut, if I could just drive around all day, I would. I wander into the crowded hall, loud voices attacking my ears as I open my locker. The day passes slowly, it's almost like I'm not even there. I chat to my friends - if you can even call them that - and daydream through lessons. Dali drives me home and I crash in my room, exhausted by the long, dry day. The next day passes the same, everyone trying to survive until the holidays, and finally the last day of junior year comes around; no one can sit still, desperate to escape the sweaty classrooms and strict rules.
The last lesson seems like an eternity and 30 sets of eyes stare at the clock obsessively. The minute hand hits 12 and the loud bell sparks hope into the herds of students running through the paper-covered halls. Only one more year now. It kind of feels like I've wasted my high school years. I walk behind the crowds as they desperately push and shove their way out of the prison-like structure. I will not miss this place, I daren't think of the cruel September day when I'll have to return to the death-sentence of a school schedule.
As I approach the crossroad in the corridor I notice a tall boy joining into my hall. His eyebrows are furrowed in a deep frown; brown eyes meet mine and he nods at me. I give him a small smile and he continues out of the doors, stepping out into the bright freedom that awaits me. His hand lingers on the door, inviting me to follow into the exciting summer ahead. I almost leap through, sending him a quick thank you before heading towards the bright Jeep waiting for me.
When we get home I shove my readily packed bags into the boot and sit impatiently on the doorstep as Dali locks the house up for the summer, double checking every door and window. She finally clicks the lock on the last door and we set off towards my true home. I watch the towns pass by, filled with celebrating kids and groaning parents as Dali's playlist blasts. I pull my hair into french plaits before painting my nails a bright shade of blue that almost matches the Jeep. 'Kids in America' from Riverdale starts up on the car speakers, "You still obsessed with that show?" I joke and Dali rolls her tired eyes at me. The sun is lowering slowly beside us as we speed down the empty road. She's loved that show since we were little, probably too little to be watching it.
The wind dries my nails as I hang my hand out of the open window. I stare into the distance, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of the ocean; we're almost on the cliffside road. A sparkle in the corner of my eye catches my attention and the shining water comes into view. I turn towards Dali, her eyes are lit up in excitement and we join the wide road adjacent to the glistening waves. I watch as a seal bobs up and down, disappearing every now and then beneath the surface. The small town of Saltlook greets us with bright shops and beachside vendors closing for the night; we arrive at the Italian villa style house and I almost run to the door. Mum designed this house, created the interior herself, I can feel her everywhere here. I unlock the wooden door and breathe in the smell of home as I step onto the cool stone floor. My hand brushes along the wooden stair rail as I climb up the familiar stairs, the photos lining the wall make my eyes water and I turn away from the reminder of lost days. I push my door ajar and slide the curtains open, revealing the bright oranges and reds lining the bright skyline. I can't believe I managed to survive the whole year without this view. We pull the dusty sheets off of the furniture and push all the doors and windows as wide as possible, it's almost as if the house comes back to life after being abandoned for so long.
I sleep better than I've slept in a long time and the sun wakes me softly, shining it's morning light onto my peaceful face. I cannot help but smile at the thought of the summer ahead. I pull a jumper over my swimsuit and leave a note on the fridge. I pad slowly down the tree covered path, listening to the birds sing above me as they welcome the bright day. I place my bag down on my rock and pull off the warm jumper. The cool air bites at my exposed skin and I run towards the climbing tide. The water greets my feet with freezing salt and soft sand, I once again feel whole. As I swim further out into the deep ocean a bloom of jellyfish passes me by, their name suits them, they truly do look like small moons swimming through the dark deep. My loose hair floats above me as I dive down for shells, small stinging sensations flutter across my skin as a jellyfish brushes my arm. I emerge from the peaceful depths with a pale white stone, eyes red from the salt but shining in victory. I swim to the shore and return to the empty sand, collecting my things and climbing back up the wooden path I notice someone in the distance, climbing down the steep hill towards my beach.
The mysterious person haunts my thoughts as I spend the day shopping with Dali. I get a new bikini - Dali's orders. She says, "Rina you're almost 18, you can't be an 18 year old without a bikini". She picked out green-blue one with dark swirls that apparently matches my eyes, I'll admit it is very pretty. We spend the evening at my beach, playing in the waves and building sandcastles like we're kids again. I miss the days when our only worries were who could find the best shell and what mermaid tail to have. We get pizza from the main beach and as we're sat eating on one of the sandy wooden benches I notice a tall boy walking along the beach with a golden retriever; it's coat was almost matched the boy's natural blonde highlights embedded in his brunette hair. He must have spent a hell of a lot of time in the sun to get them. For some reason I recognise him from somewhere, but we don't stick around for long and head back home to sleep after a long fulfilling day.
As I lie still in the soft mountain of duvet I think about the boy on the beach, trying to work out why my brain recognises him. Then it hits me like a brick in the face, he was the one climbing down the hill onto my beach, he had that same outfit on. I've never seen him in Saltlook before, he must have just moved here or something. It's strange, not many people move to a small town like Saltlook. I can barely sleep, I'm determined to work out who the boy is. I wake up early the next morning and rush down to the beach in my new bikini, desperate to make the most of the summer and just forget about the stupid boy. The waves crash down into mountains of seafoam and the wind whips my hair around into my face, not the best day for a swim. I decide to sit and read for a while, hopefully the waves would calm soon and I could venture out. The book drags and I end up lying down on my rock and enjoying the warming rays of sun. Before I know it the waves are calm and the air is flat; I sit up, noticing the boy climbing down the hill I suck in a deep breathe.
I watch as he lowers himself slowly down the small edge onto the sand and starts to walk across the beach. He doesn't notice me and lays down his towel and bag onto the sand a few metres away. I sit above on my rock, watching him lie lazily in the sun. I'll admit he's definitely good looking, probably an athlete by the looks of it. I watch his tanned skin as he stretches and blinks open his eyes; I lie back down, hiding from his gaze as I hear him start to walk down to the ocean. I sit back up on my soft towel, searching the beach for him. My heart starts to race as I realise he's not there, how did he just disappear? His stuff is still sat on the sand and I climb down from my rock, still scanning the beach for any sign of him.
"Who are you?" A voice behind me sounds out and I scream, almost jumping straight out of my skin. I spin round to meet the eyes of the boy and almost gasp as I recognise his deep eyes. They aren't the brown that I thought they were before, they're a deep hazel. The sun reflects through them, lighting up streaks of green hidden in the golden of his irises.