ꕤblue waterꕤ

Chapter 1 - Beginnings

The sun beamed down on the rocky coastal town of Orchard Falls, the clear blue skies radiating an energizing aura all around. Nestled in the suburbs was a small, uniquely decorated house, where Lauren Heil resided. He was a nervous one, quite dorky, maybe a little pathetic? But he always had good intentions. It was early in the morning when his alarm clock started blaring, an obnoxiously loud beep emitted from the clock until Lauren smacked the thing quiet. “Ugh...” He groaned a little, before shooting up from his bed after remembering the date. “Last day of school!!!” He excitedly proclaimed, stumbling out of bed. “I have to plan out what I'll do for the summer!” Lauren spoke to himself, rummaging through his wardrobe. “Maybe I should get a summer job and save up money for college, oh! Or or or I can work on my journalism skills, so the school news will be even BETTER once I get back!”

Lauren pulled out a pair of bleak clothes, getting dressed before checking himself in the mirror. “Looks good! Enough!” He said, brushing himself off before running downstairs. His father was sat at a small table in the kitchen, reading the daily news; and his mother was at the stove, finishing up the rest of breakfast. “Good morning, Lauren!” His mother cheerfully greeted, flipping a few pieces of bacon. “Hi, mom!” He said in return, sitting down across from his father. “Do you need any help?” He offered, to which she shook her head. “Oh no, everything's almost done, thank you! You should be heading out for school soon, anyway!” She said, beginning to plate the food. “Your mother's right, son! You've got a big day ahead of you,” his father chimed in, setting the newspaper aside.

“I know, I know! I've got so much to do, and I don't even know half of what I want to do today!” Lauren said, fiddling with a bowl of fruit. “You'll so much more free time during the summer, too! Have you put any more thought into that one Christian camp I showed you?” His mother asked, setting down the plates before sitting down herself. “Oh! Well...” Lauren paused for a few seconds, staying quiet for a few seconds before perking back up. “I don't think I could do a long distance relationship, personally! Jessica and I are... uh, SUPER clingy! So! I don't think either of us could be apart for that long!” Lauren said, not quite the best liar. Luckily for him, however, his parents buy it. They chuckled and laughed, smiling warmly.

“Oh, your father and I were the same way when we were young! You couldn't pull us apart!” She said fondly. “You know, one time we even stayed up past 10pm just to continue talking to each other!” His father laughed, getting a gasp from Lauren, while also getting lightly swatted by Lauren's Mom with a towel. “Don't give him ideas now!” Lauren chuckled, sighing as he prodded at his food. “Well, we don't want to keep you any longer! So let's pray and eat, and then you can go run off!”

Lauren was out the door not long after, with a belly full of various breakfast items. Smiling at the lovely weather. “It's so nice out! Thank goodness for half days,” Lauren slid his backpack on, grabbing his red bike before exiting his yard. “I wonder if Jessica is going to be free today, I can never tell when she's free or not! Even during the summer,” After walking for a few minutes on the sidewalk of his suburban neighborhood, he hopped onto his bike and started heading towards the nearby high school.

“Let's see, I could always work at the bakery with Jess! But then that might get a little awkward... and I don't think she'd want to be with me THAT much!” Lauren thought, getting lost in thought as he rid through town. It was brimming with life, even more so thanks to the nicer weather. “So happy that winter's finally over, it got freezing last year! And then there was that day I saw that patch of Red Snow... Ugh, I hate seeing hurt animals... Hope bunnies are allowed in heaven, too!” Lauren wasn't exactly paying attention to where he was going, resulting in him biking directly into one of the trees outside the high school. “... Huh,” He didn't fall or anything, though it did hurt a little due to the impact.