The Unforgettable Summer

S - Summer in hell

Soft golden light poured in through my window. It was the first day of summer. I opened my curtains and leant on the windowsill. One of my favourite things about summer was how it looked.

Beautiful pink and orange sunrises gracing the sky with a soft glow. Flowers all over my front garden, dotting a spectrum of colour across the lawn. A beautiful sapphire sky, little kids playing in the street and having fun. It was perfect.

The view from my window was ruined however, by an approaching Range Rover. I recognised it as the one that always parked at school to pick up the most arrogant rich-bitch I had ever met. Cara Lake.

I saw her get out of the car, her blonde curls in a loose ponytail, dragging a huge pink suitcase behind her. Her mother got out behind her, hand in hand with her most recent husband. They seemed pre-occupied with each other, ignoring their daughter.

She knocked on the door and I heard a shout from downstairs. "Sam! Cara's here! Come down!" My mum called. I was supposed to be up and dressed by no, but no way was I going to try to impress Cara Lake. She already saw me as a loser, dressing nice wouldn't change a thing.

I threw a jumper on over my vest top I wore to bed, not bothering to change the leggings I slept in. I was used to spending summer days with friends, or idly wasting a day practicing guitar or drawing, not hosting a girl who already looked down on my family. This was going to be the summer in hell.

I walked downstairs to see Cara standing in our hallway, her parents already driving away. She didn't bother to wave to them. She was talking to my mum about something.

"Sam! Finally! Cara, you'll be staying in Sam's room, on the pull out bed. Is that okay?" Mum said. It took everything in me not to protest. Nobody had told me she was staying in my room!

"Yes, thank you Mrs Baker. Hi Samiya" she smiled weakly at me.

"Hey" I said, trying not to let on that I didn't want her here. As much as I didn't like her, I wasn't mean.

We walked up to my room. She stood awkwardly in the corner whilst I pulled out the bed. "This is yours" I said. "If you've got bedding you can set it up, I've got some spare in the cupboard if you need some."

"I have some, but it's for a double bed" she explained. I almost rolled my eyes. Almost. Of course she didn't have bedding for a single bed. I walked to the cupboard and got out some plain grey bedding, silently preparing for her to make a comment. I set it up and neither of us spoke.

I sat on my bed and picked up my phone. She still stood anxiously in the corner of the room like a rabbit in headlights. "Make yourself at home, this is your room now for 6 weeks" I said, attempting some kind of kindness towards her. She nodded and sat awkwardly on the bed.

"So, where are your parents going?" I attempted conversation.

"The Maldives. They didn't shut up about it the whole drive" she sighed.

"Geez, they could have had some decency to shut up about it, since they're leaving you here" I said.

She laughed slightly. "Steve's an asshole, he wanted to rub it in that I wasn't coming" she explained.

"Steve?" I questioned.

"My stepdad. He's a prick, but he's all mum seems to care about. Oh god, I should do pathetic don't I? You don't need my life story" She said, quickly reprimanding herself.

"No it's cool, we might as well get to know each other since you're staying here all summer" I tried to reassure her. I didn't know a girl who seemed so cold and uncaring at school would seem so nervous around someone like me.