Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Casen was playing with Emilia's red and curly hair when I took a seat on one of the deck chairs, right next to Leigh. Austin was making himself all comfortable, earning a head slap from Seeley.
"What was that for, dickhead?" he rubbed his head and Seeley grinned.
"Because you deserve it," Seeley said and nudged his leg with his knee. "Now scooch."
Austin rolled his blue eyes but moved to the side anyway and once Seeley has taken a seat, I leaned forward and took their smug faces in.
"Okay, would any of you tell me what's going on?" I asked and Emilia sighed.
"You could only imagine, my dear Heddy." she clapped her hands together in a dramatic way.
"Truth be told I'm even afraid to imagine." I answered. "You're not planning on having an orgia party, are you?"
"I'd be in." Austin put his hand up with a wicked smile and Seeley slapped his head again.
Casen gave Austin a side glare before crossing his legs and letting out a small sigh.
"He just doesn't stop," he said to himself.
"You know I've been eager to close my high school years with a wild summer." Leigh dropped her hands to her knees.
I narrowed my eyes and watched her in suspicion.
"Define wild." Seeley lifted his dark eyebrows.
"Wild as in spending some quality time with my fellas away from Hillsboro before everyone goes on their way." Leigh's eyes met with Seeley who looked both bored and cocky at the same time.
"You're talking about us?" I asked pointing at our patchy friend group. We were so different from each other but somehow that was the bridge between us leading up to such close friendships.
"Yes, Heddy." Leigh gave me an exhausted look. "I'm talking about you guys."
"You've got horrible taste, haven't you, Leigh?" Seeley asked half serious half sarcastic.
"Seems like it," Leigh shrugged. "It's not my fault you didn't get rid of me when you had the chance."
"Not that we would have had one considering how clingy you could be." Seeley turned to Austin who laughed while Leigh's jaw dropped.
"Fuck you, man." Leigh laughed after she'd overcome her embarrassment.
"You wish." Seeley winked and I tried to hide my disbelief as they had been roasting each other.
Leigh gave Seeley a challenging look before wiping her colorful hair out of her face and lifting her jaw.
"So, we've been kind of planning things around." Leigh continued. "And we'd thought that we all deserve a little get away from this town. Considering how much had happened over the last four years."
A part of me didn't like what she'd just said. Mostly because I hated when people made plans including me but without any warnings or questions. I hated when they dragged me out of my comfort zone.
"And what does that exactly mean?" I asked.
Leigh excitingly grabbed my shoulders while her eyes lit up.
"That with all the amount of work we've been doing after our classes… We finally can rent a house at Cannon Beach for the next two months." she smiled in a way that was both bright and unshakable.
The others except Seeley and me seemed all excited and happy now that we could have some time away from our parents.
"My neighbor is the one who gives it out." Leigh clapped her hands together. "He said that he'd probably quote it lower than he would have for anyone else."
I was happy that Leigh's neighbor had a kind heart and was even ready to lower his prices for us but I wasn't sure if I was ready to leave Hillsboro.
I've never left this town, mostly because I had a feeling that I wouldn't bear life without my mother, even though she was rarely there.
"I don't know about this," I bit into my lower lip as my eyes darted away from her.
"I agree with Heddy," Seeley nodded and uncomfortably rubbed his lap. "We just graduated…"
"And?" Emilia asked with a bitter smile on her tan face. "Do you have anything better to do this summer?"
We were too stunned to speak because she had a point. If I would have looked into the future, all I would have seen was endless circles of arguments with my mom while working all the time, so that I wouldn't be close to her.
And for Seeley, he's had issues with his dad too. He had a typical hate-love relationship with his father who has been an architectural engineer for ten years now and has never missed a chance to brag about his career to others while speaking disparagingly of Seeley while he was only a few feet away.
By the looks of Seeley's face, unwanted and painful memories just had crossed his mind over the past few minutes.
"Just what I've thought," Emilia crossed her hands together. "Then we're all in. One last time before we forget about each other."
Leigh gave Emilia a side glare, she wasn't fascinated by her choice of words.
"Don't be so pessimist, Em." Leigh said, her tone cold and challenging.
"Why? It's the truth." Emilia shrugged while Austin made a face.
"We don't know that, maybe we'll keep in touch." Leigh tried.
However, Emilia wasn't going to believe in that kind of shit anytime soon.
"Casen will be off to college, and we, the other unworthy son of a bitches who couldn't even get into college, will be on our way to prove our family's accusations wrong. We won't have time for things like chit-chat about the old times."
I guess that was one way to put it around. Getting disowned by our parents was the main thing that connected us. And unfortunately, we've all felt the need to prove them wrong until the end of our lives. Even if we'd walk away and never look back, their words would always be with us. Words that had cut us through like knives.
"She's got a point, you know," Austin pointed at Emilia who looked stern and serious.
"I can't believe you don't want to come with us." Leigh looked surprised and sad. "We have to pay less if we split the rent up anyway. Everyone can get a job and be someone else for this summer."
Her last sentence has cut into my heart like a knife. I've never wanted more than anything just to be someone else. Someone who didn't have this many flaws, someone who wasn't a failure already. Someone who had a chance to become a bigger person, someone that could make their family and friends proud of herself.
When my mother's unapproving look appeared in front of me something shifted inside me.
Did I really want to spend any more time in her presence, trying to impress her when I knew that has been a lost cause already?
I wiped my burning eyes and put a comfortable expression on my face. Here I've gotten a chance to leave for a while, why would I say no?
The girls were right. I hated living with my mother anyway, I wanted to know how it felt to be free and not have your parent control everything you'd do or think.
At least my asshole father has been out of the picture for eleven years now but his presence, his scent, and screams were still haunting our house.
"I'm in." I spoke finally and everyone's eyes jumped on me.
"Really?" Seeley was confused by my sudden change of heart.
"Yes. I don't want to sit around and listen to my mother's rant about how much of a failure I am. A little time away wouldn't hurt."
Seeley has been in a war with his thoughts as his green eyes took my determined expression in.
"Seeley? Don't be an outcast now." Emilia gave him a smug smile while Seeley realized that there were five of us against him.
"Come on, man." Casen slapped his knee. "We'll have a fantastic summer that you would never forget."
Seeley didn't look relaxed as he roamed his eyes over us. I knew by heart that he'd say no because he was afraid of his father's reaction.
Austin stood up and stretched his skinny arms.
Casen moves his fingers through his blond hair as his eyes found Emilia.
"Where did you get money anyway?" Casen asked, narrowing his eyes. "I don't remember you going anywhere but school or to McDonald's."
Emilia gave Casen an unimpressed look then forced a smile out.
"I was tutoring some people, Case." Emilia answered. "I knew that I wouldn't have time beyond my AP classes, so I made some business with the other students who didn't want to fail. And lucky me, there were a lot of them."
I smiled at Emilia's proud expression, she really was smart which was why we had been in shock when she hadn't been accepted only her second option had given her a green light but she didn't want to learn Literature. It was only her mother's dream for her.
"So, what do you say, Seeley?" asked Emilia turning back to our black sheep.
"Em…" he started.
"You don't want to drown in the ocean while hot girls barely cover their bodies up with anything?" Casen continued as he lifted his hands to his flat chest.
"Don't forget the hot dilfs who have been working out for the beach." Austin pointed at Casen who looked too stunned to speak.
"That's a yes from me." Emilia nodded without any shame.
We laughed and Seeley seemed to loosen up a bit while he was looking for the right answer. I could see the desire on his face to get rid of his impulsive father but I also noticed a familiar fear shining in his green eyes.
"Just once." Emilia kept pushing and Seeley looked down at her with unsureness in his eyes.
"Then it will only be the five of us, that's completely fine." I teased him while ignoring his side glares.
When Emilia and Casen noticed what I've been doing, they shared a knowing smile before shrugging as if they would accept Seeley's answer.
"You really think that you can get rid of me that easily, Heds?" Seeley leaned forward and my stomach turned into a knot.
It's been so long since he'd used this nickname of his. Back before every bridge had burned down between us that's ever been pulled up.
I would have never thought that he'd ever call me like that. I was almost certainly sure that we've gone too far to comprehend something like that ever again.
"Don't call me that," I dropped my gaze to the ground as sadness crawled its way through my veins like poison.
When he noticed my struggle with words and confidence, something flashed through his eyes. Something unique and unknown at the same time.
Weekly Power Status
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