I sighed and stretched as my mom's van pulled into the driveway behind me and our summer in Coopersville began.
“That boy’s looking at you.” My mom said poking me in the side. I snapped out of my daydream and was back to reality on the boardwalk.
“Shut up.” I hit her lightly. “You always say that.”
“Suit yourself.” She snorted.
I quickly glanced up. There was a boy looking at me. Our eyes met. I started choking on my ice cream. He was cute. He grinned at me with a genuine smile. He had dirty blonde curly hair and was wearing a red muscle shirt, khaki shorts, and a grease-stained apron. I jerked my head in the opposite direction. My heart was beating out of my chest.
“Let’s go back to the house,” I said, my cheeks getting redder and redder as I spoke. My mom giggled and I shot her a look walking away.
..
“I can’t hold it in anymore!” Reagan squealed.
“What are you all hyped up about?” I snarled.
“I’m coming to Coopersvi-!”
“You’re what?” I replied before she could even finish.
“Yeah! I’m coming to see my one and only, best friend!”
“What, how?!” I questioned.
Reagan lived with her mom, Angela, and her mom’s live-in boyfriend Stephen. Once Reagan’s parents got divorced in eighth grade because of her dad’s alleged affair, Reagan’s mom packed her up and moved back in with her parents in North Carolina. A short time after moving, she met a guy named Stephen and they were inseparable. Reagan was outgoing so she settled into North Carolina life just fine. She made friends and even found a delinquent boyfriend. Reagan and I made a promise to always keep in touch and this consisted of everyday facetime calls and yearly visits. Reagan usually came to visit me. Although after a wild weekend with her boyfriend, Shane, Reagan’s mom punished her by refusing to pay for our yearly visit.
“Shane just bought an old stalker van.” Reagan chuckled. “Specifically for road trips. I figured Coopersville would be a great first trip. And Sutton, he’s really trying to better himself. He’s staying out of trouble and is going to work on getting a job when we get back.”
“Oh my God, I’m so excited!” I screamed into my phone.
“We’re gonna start driving down tomorrow morning! We should be there that night!”
“Wow Reagan I can’t believe it. I can’t wait! And your mom’s okay with all this?” I asked, belly flopping onto my bed.
“She said she wasn’t paying. She never said I couldn’t go!”
I laughed. “Okay, well I’m gonna get some sleep. So I’ll see you tomorrow night then?”
“See you then! And let’s hit the boardwalk right away.” I nodded and disconnected the facetime call.
The next day I woke up to my sister Gia shaking me silly. “Sutton, wake up! You said today was MY day. Ronnie is already waiting downstairs,” she whined.
The previous week after my charger broke and all the stores were closed, I had promised Gia if she let me use hers overnight, I would take her and her bestie Ronnie anywhere she wanted.
Ronnie was Aunt Helen’s next-door neighbor. He was the cutest little guy with big round glasses. When we began our summer in Coopersville, Ronnie introduced himself to Gia and they instantly became the best of friends.
I picked up my phone and checked the time “7:43.” “Ughhhh,” I groaned. “You’re kidding, right G?”
“No! This is a rare occasion; we have a full day planned,” she said pursing her lips making the sweetest little puppy dog face ever.
“And what does this day consist of?” I asked. “So I can prepare.”
“Well, first we wanna go to breakfast at Seaports. Then we wanna go to the bay to catch a turtle to be Theo’s friend. You know Ronnie thinks Theo is getting depressed, missing his friends in the bay. Then we wanna get ice cream. Then-”
“Stop right there.” I interrupted. “Reagan is coming tonight. I am done being your slave at 4, got it?”
“Reagan’s coming?” Gia squealed. “Okay. Okay. Deal. Done at four, but you have to be ready to go at 8.” I groaned again and stood up shuffling her out of my room to prepare for my day of babysitting.
After a breakfast of M&M pancakes, and chocolate milk, I parked my old jeep on the side of the road and grabbed my beach chair and book out of the trunk. Gia and Ronnie found their spot near the murky water and searched for turtles. I sat in my chair and sunbathed.
Around 3, we were on our way to the Ice Cream Hut with a turtle named Penny in a bucket in my trunk. Gia and Ronnie both enjoyed dreamsicle cones and had melted ice cream running down their faces.
“I love summer,” Gia said, quickly trying to lick her cone clean before it all dripped onto the cement.
“Thank you, Sutton.” Ronnie said pushing his glasses up on his nose with one finger and grabbing the bucket that Penny was in. Gia talked over him discussing the plan for Penny and Theo’s initial encounter. I giggled.
“I’m going inside Gia; stay close.” I shouted over my shoulder as I walked towards the front door. She ignored me and continued on barking orders at poor Ronnie.
I pulled the screen door open with a creek. “Hello!” I yelled, my mom and aunt Helen not in sight from the entryway.
“In the kitchen!” My mom called out. I could hear the stress in her voice.
“No, Lynn. I told you we don’t need to wash them. You think
