Revival [The Lake House Sequel]

Chapter 1.

Time moved slowly when you were waiting. Waiting for Christmas, your birthday or for a school year to end. Your mind tricked you so that every day dragged on longer and longer until you were out of your head and the waiting consumed you.

Time moved especially slowly when you were waiting for something that didn't exist. When you were waiting for something good but had no idea what it was or when it would come. When you were waiting while there was nothing to wait for.

Ana graduated in June, turned eighteen four days later. She was eighteen but felt years older. She was smart. She'd had a lot thrown her way in her lifetime but it wasn't enough to get into anywhere else besides community college. She hardly even noticed her grades slipping. Her priorities had been so screwed up senior year that they dragged her future down with them.

This was where Ana found herself after high school; living with her parents while attending a couple of classes three nights a week with no idea as to what she would do with her life, babysitting her baby brother Monday through Friday, having no contact with people her age and working the cash register at a dingy drug store part time.

She was unhappy with the way things in her life were but the one thing that did make it better was Oliver. She spent the whole summer with him at the lake, discovering new parts of it with him when she strapped him into the seat of the old car that her dad bought as a graduation gift.

It was refreshing to see a human who only ever cried when he was hungry or tired. Who was otherwise smiling and giggling and was at innocent as innocence could get.

Justin was a sore subject that Paul and Lisa managed to avoid, as if he never even existed. Even Gavin forbade himself from ever using the J-word around Ana when they hung around his newly acquired apartment on Ana's nights off. They weren't old enough to drink and had no other friends their age so their time consisted of sitting around, eating Cheetos and playing Donkey Kong on Gavin's N-64 until 3 in the morning.

"Have a nice night." Ana said with a sickly sweet smile.

"I will now." The guy across the register said who had just spent five minutes chatting her up. How many idiots does it take to realize when a girl just isn't interested? He slipped a few bills into the tip jar and walked away with a sly grin.

"Your job sucks." Gavin commented smugly, sitting on the floor next to Ana's stool and typing annoyingly on his laptop.

Ana narrowed her eyes, "Not all of us have a shit ton of money shoved in our bank accounts weekly and move out at the age of eighteen." She kicked him across the side of his head.

"That was assault. Do I have to report you to your supervisor, Ana?"

"I'm going to kill you. And hide your body."

Gavin rolled his eyes. "You'd miss me too much. So what are we doing tonight?"

"I've been here since 4:30. I'm going home to sleep."

"Ugh you're so boring. What about all of the wild college parties with the cheap beer and shitty decisions?"

Ana stared at her best friend. "Go rent some 80s movies."

Gavin rolled his eyes. "You are so boring, why do I even hang out with you?"

"Because you have no one else."

He sighed in defeat. "Can we at least pick up froyo?"

"If you pay."

"Fine," Gavin rolled his eyes. "But I don't put out for cheap dates."

"Damn, and here I was hoping."

"Did Creepy Nate ask you out for 'after work drinks' again?"

Ana groaned. "Yes, even though he knows I can't drink. Then he asked me if I wanted to get coffee. I say no every single night."