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─── 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 ──── 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝟕𝟒𝟓 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬
NOVA WELLS LIVED AND breathed summer. When the temperature started to rise during June and July those were her happiest moments. Not because of the days of from school, even though that was a plus, but because of the way she spent every summer since the age of three.
Like clockwork, at the beginning of every summer, the Wells family drove down from Boston to Cousins Beach where they inhabited the summer house a couple of streets away from their high school friends who coincidentally had children their daughter's age.
During the first few summers, Nova and Isabel Conklin instantly clicked. The two bonded over their multiple common interests before Nova even had a chance to talk to the boys. When Nova got her thick red frame glasses, Belly got her light pink and clear ombré glasses. Almost every day during the long period Nova was in her mermaid phase she would convince Belly to play mermaids with her. They saw each other as the sister they both never had.
Since Nova's quick budding friendship with Belly was into effect the next of the group she became close with was Steven Conklin. They soon became the best of friends after partnering up and becoming the reigning champs for most of the pool games the group played. Steven and Nova's energies usually matched, especially when it came to their competitiveness levels.
Conrad Fisher and Nova had more of a distant friendship compared to the rest of them. They'd have a few conversations here and there and play video games together here and there, but usually, it was a group activity and not just them alone. It's not like the two didn't get along, it's just that Nova didn't know much about him other than he played football and Belly was in love with him. She promised herself that one summer she'll get closer to him.
Nova has always been friends with Jeremiah Fisher. They had inside jokes, shared favorite movies, and spent hours talking to each other with no end in sight. If you asked eight-year-old Nova about her feelings towards Jeremiah she would say he was her "very best friend" but if you asked nine-year-old Nova she would deflect.
During the summer of her tenth birthday, Nova began to have feelings for Jeremiah. It all started one night by the pool during one of their timeless conversations. Jeremiah asked her what was her favorite season and like it was common knowledge, she answered summer.
When Jeremiah questioned her on the reason why she explained it was because it was already her favorite time of the year due to the weather but also because she relatively had Christmas in June, which was her favorite combination. Nova returned the question, and got a similar response in the season but when she asked why she expected the answer to be something like because of the beach house or because of the barbecues for the fourth of July.
But she was met with surprise because when he opened his mouth to give a response his answer was, "Because you're here." Since that very night, she has liked Jeremiah and most of his actions during the rest of that summer and summers after that merely strengthened her feelings into love.
Summer with the Conklins and the Fishers we're like the feeling after a long balmy day and you finally go for a night swim. Summers in Cousins were months of continuous blissful elation.
But things changed once Nova's parents announced their decision to split at the end of the summer of Nova's thirteenth birthday to her. Nova saw that they were arguing more but didn't think it was anything serious enough for them to split. But when summer ended and her mother stayed at their summer house while Nova and her father went back up to Boston, she knew that her thoughts were refuted.
Since that summer Nova has been avoiding Cousins Beach, just reminiscing on the memories of the past. The girl successfully dodged summer trips to Cousins for two years but always felt guilty for leaving her best friends without a proper goodbye, even after telling them "see you next summer".
But this summer she didn't get so lucky. What if the girl that's been avoiding a specific place in North Carolina was given an ultimatum that would only send her back to the special place of Cousins Beach?
