Carolina [h.s]

chapter one

south carolina
june 1990

***

Vada
//

Every summer ends.

All seasons turn

We weren't supposed to work, and we didn't. Not in the right way anyway. But in all the wrong ways.

***

The hot summer day in the small town of South Carolina, started and ended like they always did.

Sat in my grandparents motel, behind the large wooden desk seemed to be my safe place. Piled behind paperwork, and scrabble I found in an old newspaper, I didn't have a care in the world.

My peace was disrupted however, as the front door of the office was bursted open, and my over enthusiastic best friend rushes in.

"It's hotter than a witches coochie out there!" All blonde hair with pink tips, and dark eyeliner, Juliet Parker seemed to be my saving grace that this small town gave me ten years ago.

When Juliet almost ran me over with her skateboard, and then proceeded to steal my banana ice pop on my first day of fourth grade, we've been inseparable ever since.

We're best friends because we each have what the other always lacks, we're polar opposite but that's why we work so well.

She approaches the desk with a red lollipop in her mouth. "What in the hell do you think you're doing, Vada Evans?" Her tone is dramatic as she looks at me from behind the desk.

I looked up at her with a drop of my eyebrows. "Working?" I said in a duh tone.

"You're not supposed to be working, it's
summer." she stated, giving me a bored look.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Normal people still have to work in the summertime, Li." I answered back, because her parents are rich, and would never make her get her own source of income. God forbid.

"It's not even busy, I'm sure your grams can handle answering the phone that never rings." she popped the lollipop out of her mouth giving me a look.

I take a look around the empty office and remember the empty parking lot. "You never know, people could come pouring in any second for a vacation." I still give an excuse.

Juliet scoffs. "Right, like someone would come to this town for a vacation." she rolls her eyes.

She was right though. The only customers we ever got were passing truckers, and sometimes older men came to get away from their wives. Other than that we were short on customers because everyone else who was in this town lived here.