The Summer I Fell In Love {Discontinued}

~1~

Dear Diary,

Today is the day I see Jeremiah. Summer is just beginning and my favorite people we're on their way. Every Summer me, my mom, my sister Belly, and my brother Steven head to Cousins Beach where we will stay for the summer with Susannah and her boys. Conrad and Jeremiah. Jeremiah is my best friend. I can't wait to see him. Every summer Jeremiah plans the best birthday for me. I can't wait to see what he has up his sleeve this year.

"Ariana! Let's go we're gonna be late!" I closed my diary and put it in my suitcase. "Coming!" I yelled. I closed my suitcase and ran down the stairs. "Someone's excited!" Belly said. "I am! I can't wait to see Jere." I really couldn't wait. "And Conrad." My eye's widened. "Right! Conrad to!" I chuckled nervously. "Alright, guys let's go!" Steven lifted me off the ground and threw me over his shoulder. "Hey! Let me down!" I yelled. "We need to leave and you are too busy chatting about Jeremiah that we're gonna be late to actually see him!" I sigh. "I can walk Steven." He puts me down in front of the car. "In the car. Now. Belly let's go!" I roll my eyes getting in the passenger seat of the car. "Now, Ariana you've changed since last summer." Here we go again. "Really mom?" 

I know my mom means well but it gets annoying sometimes. Last summer and every summer before that I had braces and glasses and I never cared about the clothes I wore. Which isn't a bad thing but things have changed. I just grew out of it. My point is... Jeremiah hasn't seen me in person without glasses and braces. Only on facetime. 

Finally... I'm back in Cousins. It's like coming home for the first time in months. I missed the smell of sand and fish... Well, not fish but you get what I mean.

"I feel the tension in the air!"
"No, I can't let you leave!"
"So I kill my insecurities!"

Me and Belly were screaming lyrics at the top of our lungs. "You can't do better!!" We yelled. "Can you guys turn it down a little, please?" My mom said ruining the vibe. "Yes please." Steven turned the radio down. "I can't wait to see everyone." I looked out the window and realized how close we were. "Well... Good because we're here!" When the car stopped everyone got out quickly but I stayed. I pulled the sun visor down and opened the mirror. "You got this. It's your best friend! You see him every summer. Nothing is different!"

I took a deep breathe and got out the car to see Jeremiah hugging Belly. "Just wait till you see Ari." Belly's a horrible whisperer. "Jere?" He turned around and wow... He got buffer. And his hair was curly now. "Ari? Is.. Is that my best friend?!" I laughed. "Hey Jere!" He wrapped his arms around me and lifted me off my feet. "Oh my god I've miss you!" He smelled like Asian Pears. It was a expensive shampoo Susannah used. "I can't wait for you to see what I have planned for this summer!" He said putting me down. "I can't wait to see it!" Something seemed different about him. A good different though. "Well let's go. First thing first, it's tradition." He smirked. "Race you to the water?" I acted tired. "I don't know Jere. I'm pretty tired." His smiled faded until I ran past him. "Cheater!"

~2 hours later~

I laid my towel out on the sand. "This is going to be the best summer ever." I laughed as I sat down on the towel with Jere. "Totally. I have our whole summer planned out." I missed this. The beach. Cousins. My bestfriend. His eyes. What? NO. I miss my best friend. What is going on with me? "Ari? Ariana?" Jere clapped in my face making me jump. "Sorry!" He laughed. "What's going on in that head of yours?" I shrugged. "I'm just excited about this summer. Something tells me this summer will better than that one summer you planned a Tangled birthday party!" He acted offended. "You swore that would always be your favorite summer!" It's true... I did do that. "I know! But I just have this feeling. It's my 16th birthday.! You gotta top my 9th birthday some how." My phone vibrates.
"I don't get a hey?"
"Who's that?" Jere asked. "It's Conrad. I never said hey to anyone we just came straight to the water." He takes my phone and puts it with his. "And? We do this every year. You vowed 8 years ago that every year I get a hug before everyone and we go straight to the water." We made a lot of rules. "Maybe we could change things up this year?" He rolled his eyes. "Fine fine! Let's go." He stood up and offered his hand. I took it and he pulled me up. "Thanks!" I look up only to realize our faces were really close. "Yeah..." Then my phone goes off completely ruining the moment! "I should get that. " I grabbed my phone. "My mom says we gotta go back." He threw his head back. "Always ruining tradition!"

This is definitely going to be the best summer ever.