THAT'S RIGHT, THERE'S OUR JACK.

(HIS NAME IS BRENTON THWAITES AND IF YOU'RE TRYING TO REMEMBER WHERE YOU SAW HIM I'LL HELP YOU OUT)

HE WAS IN THE GIVER, BLUE LAGOON, OCULUS (das some scurry shit), MALEFICENT, AND SOME OTHER STUFF SO THIS GUY GETS AROUND.
CHECK HIM OUT. HE'S QUITE A TREAT FOR THE EYES.

BTW, I KNOW I SAID JACK WAS BRUNETTE BUT THIS WAS JUST A REALLY GOOD PICTURE OF HIM SO I MIGHT CHANGE HIM TO BLONDE BECAUSE HE WAS JUST AS HOT BLONDE AS HE IS NOW WITH BRUNETTE HAIR.

•••

Dad,
Do you remember the one time Sammy O'Neil and Marty came over way back in the day and we all watched Halloween? And how you scared us with your Michael Myers mask, and Mom made you throw it out and apologize?

Anyways, I went over to Sammy's house today, which felt weird, because we haven't hung out since the beginning of last year.
I missed him, though, and I bet you miss him now too.

He's an idiot, really. We went down to the beach and saw Beth and Ellen, the two girls we met a couple days ago. Their grandma's house is right across the street.

Anyways, we talked to them for a little bit, and Sammy tried to get them to come in the water with us, but only Ellen would. Beth can't swim.

I find that hard to believe. How can someone not learn how to swim? That's crazy! I learned how to swim when I was three!

Anyways, it was a fun day.

Come home soon,
Jack

•
•
•

When my mom got home from work, I dropped all of the letters I've written in front of her on the table.

"I'm really glad you're doing this, Jack," she said, looking up at me with a soft smile that didn't seem to reach her eyes. Ever since Dad disappeared, they haven't.

I took a long, hard look at her. It was only five o'clock in the afternoon, and the bags under her eyes drooped like an old butt. I felt bad. She looked terrible. Her hair seemed to gray at the roots, and that was unusual, because we have the same, full chestnut brown hair.

I guess sadness can do that to you.

"Where's Amy?" I asked.

"In the pool," she said distractedly as she began to read the letters.

"Hey," I stopped her. "Don't. Please."

She looked up at me, a bit taken aback.

"Okay, I won't." She put the first and only four I had written in an envelope.

I walked through the back door to greet my sister. "Hey."

She looked up from one of my old Spanish textbooks from grade school.

"Hola, mi hermano."

"Ah, taking my textbook, I see," I smiled at her. "Nerd."

"I want to practice for when I start high school in the fall," she said. "I want to take Spanish so I can go to Spain on the class trip."

"Pas le français?" I asked her.

She stared blankly at me.

"Not French?" I translated my own words. Despite how bad I was in specific classes - mainly just Trig - I always aced French.

"Nah," she shook her head, leaning against the lounge chair. "Too hard."

"I see," I said, sighing of boredom.
"Wanna go to the beach?"

She gestured to the book in her hand. "Uh, duh. Reading."

"Bring it with you!" I groaned. "I'm so bored and I need something to do!"

She thought about it for a second before she got up and walked inside. I followed behind her as she grabbed her flip flops and tossed them in front of her, sliding her feet in.

"Mom, Jack and I are going to the beach," she told our mom. "See you soon."

"Wait," Mom stopped us before we were out the door. "Grab an umbrella! It's gonna rain!"

When Amy and I were on our way to the beach, I noticed she had switched out my textbook for her copy of The Beautiful and the Damned. She must've switched it when I was grabbing the umbrella.

"I don't get why you're so obsessed with that guy," I said to her, glancing down at the hardback novel in her hands.

She looked back at me in disbelief. "F. Scott Fitzgerald? Jack, he's one of the most revolutionary novelists of all time! He completely reformed the writing style that most authors use now."

"Yeah, well so was Mark Twain but no one really cares about him," I shrugged.

"Do you even hear what you're saying?" she almost screeched. "He's just as famous! Of course people care about him! God, no wonder you barely passed English."

"Okay, it's not my fault we had to explain the every last thought of Atticus Lynch in grave detail."

"Finch. It's Atticus Finch," she said, sighing in disappointment. "And why did you read To Kill a Mockingbird in your junior year? We read it this year."

"It's not my fault you're too smart for even that stupid Prep school you go to."

"It's true," she boasted. "I did get a full ride into high school."

"Yeah," I grimaced, but then a teasing smile came across my lips. "At least I won't have to see you during the day now until after school. God bless your brains."

She shoved me as we finally reached the beach. "Shut up."

We walked side by side in silence as the heat radiated from the sun down onto our faces. Luckily it was beginning to get cloudy, so it'll be a cool night tonight.

Amy began to look back down at her book and tried to read while keeping a steady walking pace.

It was interesting and pretty intriguing to watch her learn. She and I are so different. I guess that's what I like about us.

I walked backwards in front of her. "Hey, wake up, geek. Enjoy the nature."

"Silencio, Jack," she hushed me.

"Did you just tell me to shut up in Spanish?" I asked her, and immediately a chuckle escaped my mouth before it was a full on cackle.

I was laughing so hard that my knees gave out and I fell on the ground, and when I did, I landed on someone's legs. When I looked up, I almost gasped in horror when I saw I had basically flattened Beth.

Even worse, she was asleep when I fell on her. She jolted upright and held out her hands in defense, letting out a noise and sounded like an unnerving battle cry.

"Wha-" she took out her headphones and put her sunglasses beside her on the beach. "Jack? What are you, um, hey?"

"Oh, God, Beth I'm so sorry," I said hurriedly as I stood up, jumpy and slightly nervous.

This had been enough to finally take my sister's nose out of her book. I wish she hadn't.

"Oh, sorry about my brother, he's a bit of a clutz."

I looked away awkwardly, mentally punching my sister.

"Brother, huh?" Beth faced me. "You have a sister?"

"Amy Gordon," my sister handed me her book and I now involuntarily was stuck holding it. "Are you new here? I haven't seen you around."

"Yeah, I live right there," Beth pointed to her grandma's house across the street. "For the summer, at least. I'm Beth."

"Well, hi, welcome to Virginia Beach," Amy smiled at her before shaking her hand. She grabbed her book from me and walked to our spot we usually sit in.

It's this little section of sand that kinda resembles a hill, and for some reason, no matter what kind of weather, it doesn't fall down. We set up all of our fires there and go there to just hang out like we are today.

Beth faced me when Amy had sat down. "Jesus Christ," she laughed. "It's like looking in a mirror with you two."

"You think? I think she's uglier," I joked, causing a laugh to escape Beth's mouth. I smiled, pleased I could make her laugh. "Hey, you're welcome to hang out with us, if you want."

I don't know why I'd said that, because in all honesty, I barely know Beth, but I guess when you're trying to make friends you make an effort to hang out with a person. Besides, Beth's cool enough to hang out with the Gordon kids.

"Are you sure?" she bit her lip.

"Yeah, c'mon," I nodded, bending down to grab her bag. I slung it over my shoulder.

"Wow, thanks," she smiled, looking a little surprised.

To be honest I had hoped it was a pleasant surprise, because for some reason, pleasing Beth seemed pretty important.

•
•
•

"I can't believe you've never listened to Oasis," Amy looked at Beth, shocked. I laughed along with them, but on the inside I was shocked, too.

I guess Oasis is kind of a Gordon tradition. It was, still is, my dad's favorite band, and having listened to them all our lives, they've become our favorite, too.

"I've definitely heard of them, but I've never actually listened to them," Beth tried to reason with my sister, but it wasn't going to work. Amy wouldn't give in like that.

"Well," I added in to my sister's argument. "You should. In fact, do it now."

I pulled my iPhone out of the pocket in my shorts and unlocked it. Switching to my music, I began to scroll intensely for Wonderwall. Wonderwall is like the Beginner's song for Oasis.

Maybe if she likes them enough she can get on a Don't Look Back in Anger level.

The song had passed, and I could tell Beth liked it, because she bobbed her head along with the beat and kept sharing looks with Amy and I as we awaited her reaction.

"Yeah, they're pretty good, I guess," she shrugged and looked back down at her book. She did this to bother us, that I could tell, her suppressed laugh gave that all away.

"Whatever," Amy rolled her eyes. "I bet you listen to Taylor Swift or something."

"What's not to love about Taylor Swift?" Beth laughed.

Amy stared at Beth with her eyes wide and her mouth just about touching the sand. I would've laughed, but the way Amy's eyes looked all glazed over was starting to creep me out. And Beth.

"If it helps, she's not my favorite," Beth told Amy cautiously. "I just like some of her old stuff!"

"Yeah, yeah," Amy looked away from Beth. "Whatever you say, Swiftie."

"Swiftie?"

"That's what her fans are called," Amy answered without looking up. Suddenly, her head shot to my direction and she tried to cover up her words. "I mean, that's what I've heard, but I wouldn't know."

"Oh, my God," I laughed. "You're totally a Swiftie."

"Shut up! No. I'm not. Beth is." Amy's cheeks were about as red as the sunburn on her shoulders.

"Whatever you say," Beth smiled. "Swiftie."

•
•
•

It had began to rain, so Amy took her book and the umbrella and walked home, leaving Beth and I alone in the rain. Luckily Beth had brought an umbrella, so she and I were huddled next to each other.

It was comforting in a way, to feel her body heat radiate off onto mine. I enjoyed the momentary warmth and silence as we watched the small raindrops bounce off of the water.

I turned my head slightly to look at her, and I began to analyze her face. I noticed she had little freckles around her nose and her nose turned up just a little bit at the tip.

It was almost intimidating, the way her face was shaped. Her cheekbones were high and prominent on her face, giving her a natural smolder. It was frightening in a way, buy interesting.

She was interesting. And, admittedly, I enjoyed looking at her.

Beth began to notice I was staring at her. In an instant, her cheeks inflamed like my sister's. "Stop staring at me."

I finally noticed I had been for a little bit longer than I should've, so I turned away from her as I felt my own cheeks get hot.

I stepped away from the umbrella to compose myself, letting the rain drops refresh me. It shouldn't have comforted me, but it did, and I wasn't sure why.

I looked back to Beth with an eyebrow raised with mischief. She frowned, confused, and I realized I had to spell it out for her.

Taking the umbrella from her hands, I tossed it into the Hill and stopped in front of Beth. She gasped as the cold rain hit her skin. This made me laugh.

After a while of me just staring and laughing as she fussed, she began to calm down. With a sigh of relief, I say back down on the Hill.

"What was the point of that?" she asked me, amused, but also a bit irritated.

"Everything's more fun in the rain," I shrugged. "Umbrella's are so superficial."

"I could get pneumonia."

"In June?"

She took a long pause before she faced me again.

"You're kinda weird," she stated out loud. I'm not sure if she intended to. She faced me with a smirk.

She stood up, now almost beckoning me with her eyes. It was weird, yet seemed completely normal at the same time, and as I stood up, I tried to figure how that could be.

Beth began to take off towards the water. When she realized I wasn't following her, she turned her head and gave me a mischievous smile and a wave of her hand. "Well? Aren't you coming?"

It wasn't until I saw her unbuttoning her flannel did I follow her. She was wearing a tank top under, and jean shorts. With a smirk, I pulled off my teeshirt and ran after her.

She hopped into the water, gasping at its temperature. I couldn't help but do the same, as it was a lot colder than I thought it would be.

I dunked my head under the water to get completely used to it before I arose back to the surface. "Jesus."

"I know," she agreed, and I could hear her teeth chatter. "I regret this decision."

"I don't," I admitted.

She smiled, and just that little gesture was enough to warm me up.

•
•
•

We had stayed in the water for a little bit before we'd decided it was just too cold for us to continue.

But, now, our shorts - and her tank top - was wet, so that just added to our below-normal body temperature.

I decided to walk her back to her grandma's, as it was the gentlemanly thing to do.

"You really don't have to," she had said.

"It's literally right there."

"Don't worry about it," I waved it off. "Maybe the walk will reheat me."

If I was being honest, I sort of wanted to walk with Beth just because I'd be getting to walk with Beth. At my own words I was momentarily frightened, so when we reached her door, I decided to bolt.

"Wait," she had stopped me. My heart began to speed up. "You'll freeze out there. Come inside."

"No, I can't," I said. "My mom wants me home for dinner."

"Well at least take my umbrella," she said as she handed it to me.

I handed it back. "Don't you remember? Everything's more fun in the rain."

"No," she handed it back. "Take it."

"Beth, really-"

"Take it," she said firmly as a smirk began to bud on her lips. "Then you'll have a reason to come back."

It took me a second to realize what she had meant, and when I finally did, the door was already shut and locked.

So, I turned towards the street, opened the umbrella, and began my walk home with a grin on my lips.

That interesting, frightening, clever girl.