Short Stories Collection

10. A Summer to Remember (Summer Short Story)

Emleigh is the school's nerd. She always loves reading and writing and just happens to have her head in the clouds or be working on one of her many novels.

Her lockermate was Grayson, a bad boy who breaks girls' hearts and is the captain of the football team, which is the best in the state.

Emleigh has always had a hopeless crush on Greyson, ever since they first met on the first day of their first year as first-year students. His locker was always next to hers, but they never shared more than a couple of words.

when there was a tragic fire that burned down one portion of the school due to an endless senior prank with some students who thought it would be fun to set off some fireworks on the roof of the school. The school decides to create a locker sharing program where two students are paid up for the next year and share one single locker.

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I had never imagined that a locker-sharing program could break my heart. All I could think of was why my lockermate must be my crush and all the things that could happen at this high school.

I was sitting near the shore of the beach, where I could hear the soothing sound of the waves crashing on the shore, with a book in my hands. I could feel the warmth of the sun on my freckled skin, which made me feel like I was being kissed by the sun. The sun was setting in a beautiful array of assorted reds, oranges, and yellows. One of my favorite things about sunsets is the ocean reflecting all the things in it. It is a beautiful, calming experience. At that moment, I knew I felt calm and peaceful, especially being at one of my favorite places in the world.

I heard a familiar voice that made my heart race. I looked up and saw Greyson standing with a smile on his face while blushing.

I had no idea how he found me on the beach, of all places, while wearing a bikini that showed off way too much skin and my curves in all the right places. The first time I saw him was on our first day of high school as first-year students. He was walking down the hallway with a football in his hands, tossing it back and forth from one hand to the other. He was with his friends, who were obviously football players too. When I first saw him, I dropped my novel and felt flustered as he approached me, and it was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. His locker was next to mine, and every time we met at our lockers, I fell more in love with him.

"G-Greyson?" I stuttered while adjusting my sunglasses and grabbing my towel to cover up, feeling self-conscious knowing he was checking me out. "Um, you can sit here if you want," I said, pointing to the empty spot on my long lounge chair. My feet were pulled up to my chest while the towel around my chest was slipping out of position and almost falling onto the chair.

"Sorry if I scared you, especially when you look so peaceful reading your novel, and I did not want to disturb you, especially if you are enjoying yourself on this nice warm day," he said while picking up another novel out of the book rack that I have next to my chair on a foldable table. I asked with a small, shy smile on my face.

"Well, it is fate or something, or it could be one of the many places that you told me about last year while we were talking at our lockers," he said, looking down and reading the back of the novel.

"Oh, yes, I remember, and did you hear something about a fire at school that happened a few weeks ago?" I told him while looking at the beautiful ocean that some of the seniors from last year accidentally burned down a part of the school, and now in our senior year of high school we will have to share a locker together while they rebuild the part of the school.

Yeah, I heard that the students must share a locker and that it will be in alphabetical order. The school is going to send out an email about who is sharing lockers, and I just hope I do not get you because, no offense, your football gear really smells, and have you ever headed off to a washer and dryer? I laughed and bumped my shoulder into his.

"Oh yes, well, I hope I don't have to share a locker with you because, well, have you seen this pile of books you have right here on the table?" He said this and then smiled.

"The email was sent out; I know the office likes to send out emails about the next school year, and I think we should check," I told him, and I grabbed my phone to check my email.

"Oh yes, and well, there are all the football emails I must be on the lookout for, especially for games and, well, practice times," he said and sighed while grabbing his phone out of his pocket and beginning to scroll on his phone.

While I was scrolling through my email, I saw the school email:

Hello, Ms. Emeligh,

As you heard, a rumor about a small fire that was caused by the spark of fireworks set off by a few seniors last year for their senior prank happened a month ago. The rumor is true, and the north wing of the school is almost burned to the ground. The firefighters have contained the fire, and the people who pulled this prank are being charged for damages. Since the north wing lockers will not be used this year due to the melted metal, they will have to be redone. We have decided to pair you up with another student in your class, and we have decided to go in alphabetical order. You will be sharing a locker with

Greyson Kingsley

I stopped reading the email and looked at Greyson, who was staring at me like my soul had been taken out of my body. He was mumbling something that I could not understand.

Wait, what did you just say? "Did you just say it might be a bad idea to be locker friends because it wasn't my fault that some stupid people melted the lockers in the north wing?" I asked, packing up my books.

"No, I just said this is unbelievable, and now that we are locker buddies, we should probably get to know each other," he said while shoving his phone in his pocket.

"Yeah, maybe we should, and are you hungry?" "I know a place that has good burgers and ice cream," he said.

"Yes, and let's go," I said in an excited tone of voice.

While we were at the local diner, where all the high schoolers hang out, a few people looked at us and whispered about us. As we walked to the table, Greyson took my hand and squeezed it gently because he knew how anxious I was and how I did not like to be the center of attention. After a while, we got done eating our burger while talking and laughing about bringing up old memories and the memories of us as children, especially being neighbors. In fact, our rooms are across from each other, so we can see into each room if we want to since our windows are always open. We used to have walkie-talkies and flashlights to get each other's attention at night when we wanted to talk to each other.

As the night came with the sun setting increasingly into the ocean, we found an empty table to eat our ice cream, and out of nowhere, I said

Okay, I have something to say. "I know you are my neighbor and, well, the bad boy of the school, but I have a huge crush on you, and I did not know how to say it or when to say it until now.

"I have a confession too: I have had a huge crush on you since the day you moved into the neighborhood and became my neighbor." "Ever since you came up to my door one summer night, I swear I could not take my eyes off you," he said, starting to blush.

"So why didn't you make a move or do something other than just speak a few words to me in the years since we started high school?" I asked him.

"Well, the truth is that I was too shy to ask to hang out with you or even talk to you because of the whole "golden boy" act, and if people find out, there could be some problems," he explained.

"Oh, right, that whole thing, in which I never actually fit into the popular crowd," I told him, and he looked away.

It's okay; I really don't like being in the popular crowd either. "It just comes with being the quarterback and, well, the golden boy," he said.

Suddenly, he pulled my chin closer to his face and kissed me. A spark of chemical shock went through my body. The butterflies in my stomach were no longer there, and my heart started to beat so fast that it was going to burst out of my chest. After kissing for a few minutes, our breathing was heavy to the point where I was having an asthma attack. He leaned towards my ear and whispered, "I love you, Em."

That night was one of the best days of my life. That summer was the best summer of my life. A summer that changed my life A summer to remember...