Little did I know back then, spontaneity was waiting for me where I was least expecting it: in the bungalow a few doors down from our very own beach house.
1
“Molly! Quit it! UGH!”
I scrunched up my face and turned myself towards the window, watching the scenery flash by and change as we left New Jersey and made our way into the next state. I wanted nothing more than to disappear at that very moment, but I was stuck in this stupid car with my annoying little sister making faces at me.
“Oh, Braelynn! Stop being so mean to your little sister! She just wants some attention from you!” my mother exclaimed from the passenger’s seat as my father drove us away from home.
I let out a loud sigh. The next couple of hours in this car were going to drive me completely insane, but I knew from past experience better than to argue with my mom when it came to my two-year-old sister. I reached into the bag full of her toys on the floor and pulled out her kid tablet. I found her story time app, turned it on, and placed it on her lap. Molly rewarded me with a dazzling smile, and I couldn’t help but smile back. As crazy as she drove me, I loved this kid more than anything else in the world.
“Sorry, Mom. All good now,” I finally responded. I wasn’t really annoyed with Molly. I was just in a sour mood because I wanted to be with my friends more than anything right then. Europe had always been a dream of mine, and I wished I could have been experiencing it with Jessie, Becky, and Tammy. God knew they were going to have an awesome time.
Stopping at a red light, Dad said, “Aww, she’ll be fine now that you turned on her tablet,” then turning to face Mom, “she’ll probably nap most of the way there.”
“That’s true, Dear,” she responded.
I took advantage of Molly being entertained and popped my headphones into my ears. I scrolled through my playlist and started playing my favorite songs. Then I went into my text-messaging app and added to the group text where Jessie, Becky, Tammy and I kept our conversations.
I miss you girls already.
I hit the send button, but I knew I wouldn’t be getting a response till way later; they were currently in the air, flying at God knew how many miles per hour. I had been on an airplane before, but I had never gone away with friends. One day, I would do that and see the world.
I then closed my eyes hoping time in the car would pass by faster.
“Braelynn, honey. We’re here.”
I jumped a bit. “Huh? What?”
Noticing we were parked, I saw Mom standing right outside my door, waiting for me to get out; an alert Molly was positioned on her hip.
“Up, Rae! We here!” Molly shouted. She could never pronounce my name. I hated her nickname for me.
Praising her, Mom exclaimed, “That’s right, sweetheart. We’re here!”
I grabbed my book bag from the seat and stepped out of the car. I slung it across my left shoulder and stretched. I had been passed out for the last hour or so of the ride.
Dad grabbed our luggage out of the trunk, and we started making our way into the house. It was a cute blue bungalow with three large dormer windows lining the top floor. All the rooms were on the first floor, and Mom and Dad just kept the top floor for storage. They had purchased the bungalow right around the time I was Molly’s age, and we had been vacationing here ever since.
I placed my suitcase on top of my bed and began unpacking my belongings. After that was all done, I yelled out to my parents that I would be taking a walk. I always did that right after I had unpacked my things. I didn’t want to stay in the house too long and wanted to get some fresh air into my lungs after the long drive. I loved the ocean air; it always made me feel free.
I walked out the kitchen door, which faced the back of the house. I literally took twenty steps and hit the sand; yes, we were that close to the beach. I slipped my black sandals off my feet and sunk my toes into the sand. I had always loved the feeling of sand in between my toes; the soft texture of it soothed them.
I continued walking with my sandals in my right hand and my cell phone in my left. I placed it into my jean shorts’ pocket and took a deep breath. The smell of the ocean filled my lungs and a smile spread on my face from ear-to-ear. I walked along the coast and recognized a few people on boats and a couple of swimmers. The thing about Waverly was that everyone here was either a local or they would come here to spend the summer every year. In a small town, it was difficult not to know the people you spent time around.
I spotted Misty, my best friend down here in Waverly, sitting on one of the lifeguard posts, texting on her cell phone. Misty was also a yearly vacationer; her parents’ summer house was just two away from mine.
“Hey, Misty!” I yelled up at her, catching her attention.
“Hola, my Bitchola!” Misty shouted back, jumping off the post, coming down to greet me. “When’d you get in?”
I laughed. “Just a little while ago. What’s going on?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Usual shit. Missed you!”
We hugged and then sat down together on the sand. Misty was a year younger, but she definitely looked older than me. If people looked at me, they could tell I was eighteen, but Misty always got mistaken for older. This year, they’d probably think she was twenty-one. She loved it because her fake ID worked that much better.
Misty had long, wavy auburn red hair, green emerald eyes, and a smile that sent most guys swooning. She was more outgoing than I was and always knew about all the happening events down here.
“Well, actually, there’s going to be a huge end of the summer party like a week or so before you guys have to head back. A week before Labor Day, right?”
“Yeah. College life. Gotta make sure everything is ready to go. But who’s throwing it?” I asked.
“Aaron. The hot college junior from down the block. You know he’s gotten even hotter since last year,” she more so stated rather than asked.
“I’ll bet. When did you see him and how long have you been down here?” I asked her.
Shrugging, she responded, “About a week now. I saw him last night down the beach. He’s planning for it to be a huge party and asked that I bring some people.”
“I guess I’ll be there. What else am I gonna do in this boring town?” I said, jokingly.
She chuckled along with me. “Yeah, yeah, bitch. You have no choice but to come with me. I am planning on hooking up with him by the end of the summer.”
I shook my head, lowering my eyes. Aaron wasn’t the type of guy to take it slow just because Misty was younger. He enjoyed the fast life: fast cars, fast girls.
“I don’t think you should just wait on him exclusively. I’m sure there’s better. Plus, you never know who you might meet down here this year,” I suggested.
“Brae, have you taken a good look at Aaron? He’s fuckin’ hot. I want him. I know deep down inside you think he’s too old for me, and you don’t wanna say anything to hurt my feelings, but I don’t care. I want him.”
“Not just you. He’s too old for me, too.”
“That’s your opinion. I’m going to screw him before the end of the summer,” she said with a wide opened grin.
I was still a virgin, but Misty had lost her virginity last summer to her then boyfriend, Joseph. Their relationship had lasted throughout the summer months, but once the time came to head back home, everyone said their goodbyes and that was that. He had never been mentioned again. I knew she’d had feelings for him since we had kept in touch all winter, but now she just wanted to forget the heartbreak and move forward. Joseph wouldn’t be coming down this summer.