MOVING HOUSES WAS ALREADY stressful enough. But unpacking? That was out of this world for Summer Edwards. It's been a couple of weeks since she's moved back to Haven Hills, so you would think that she'd be one and done with unpacking. But being the unmotivated seventeen-year-old she was, she still had a couple of boxes she didn't even bother to open.

Those boxes were bulky, standing in the corner of her room beside her full-body mirror. Being that it was three in the afternoon on a Monday morning, the sun was high, flowing into her room. The air conditioning wasn't doing any justice, neither was the ceiling fan at the center of her room. Being that it was hot, she could use that as one of her many excuses to not finish unpacking. Her plan for the day was to watch Netflix on her Macbook while eating an ice pop.

Sounded ideal, right? Definitely. Just as she hugged her oversized Hello Kitty pillow, she got ready to choose what show to watch with her free hand right before her mother walked in. She cocked her head up, grumbling under her breath. It was already annoying enough that her mother had to come in, but the sound the door made in the process was even more irritating. It creaked so loudly to the point where Summer was completely sure the entire world could hear it.

Definitely not ideal if you want to get a snack at three AM, Summer, she pondered. It was always something to put into consideration. 

But that was far from the point. Her mother stood in the door frame with a small laundry basket. Folded clothes could be seen through the tiny holes of the basket, indicating that they were recently washed. Idris adjusted the basket on her hip as she looked into the bedroom, frowning with disappointment.

"Summer," she moaned. "It's about time that you unpack those boxes instead of lying in bed."

"I'll do it later, Mom, I'm tired," the teenage girl nagged as she gently patted her Hello Kitty pillow.

"If you do it now, you can get it over with sooner. I'm tired of seeing those boxes every time I walk in this room," Idris insisted as she set down her laundry basket to the floor, swiping what seemed like a small box into her fingers afterwards. "I bought you some new fairy lights to help decorate your room but if you're just going to keep it messy, I can just use it for our Christmas tree when the time comes . . ."

Summer intervened as she slammed her laptop shut. "Okay, okay, I'll unpack the boxes right now."

"That's what I thought," Idris beamed as she placed the lights onto the vanity at the front of the room. Soon enough, she disappeared out of the room with her laundry basket. If anything, Summer knew that her mother had a great skill of bribing her to get her to do basic things she didn't want to do. She'd rather be curled in her bed with her highly aesthetic Hello Kitty pillow watching something on Netflix, but those decorating her room sounded way too tempting, especially since it was basically a "take it or leave it" kind of offer.

Those were always so tempting, especially since her bedroom was practically empty with nothing unique to it. The walls were white, the floor was carpeted brown, an empty white bookcase, and that was pretty much it.

Summer leaped off of her full-sized bed before she walked to the corner of her bedroom. Her mom came back into the room with a kitchen knife, handing them to her daughter so she could cut open the tightly sealed boxes. Slicing the first box open with the knife, dust particles slapping her face as her mother cracked opened the blinds. The teenage girl shielded her eyes at the bright light as she tilted her face towards the box to discover the items inside.

It was mainly photo frames, school yearbooks, and photo albums — old yet valuable things. Glancing back at her bookcase located at the opposite side of her bedroom, it would probably be reasonable to put all of those things on the bookcase. All except for the photo album. Maybe she could've done something else for it — something that would make her room a little less dull.

Her mother, as always, was to the rescue. Idris showed her a bunch of Pinterest photos of image collages with fairy lights and such. "Maybe you can do something like this? It'll be a nice way to see your memories without having to flip through a dusty photo album."

Summer pondered as she planted a finger on her chin. Her eyes lightened. "Oh, that's a great idea. Pinterest is really a lifesaver."

"You can say that again," Idris chuckled as she crouched down, putting one leg on top of the other. She placed her phone on the floor in between them as she gently took ahold of the photo album. "It's been a while since I've seen this thing."

She flipped to the first few pages, removing pictures of Summer from the book throughout her younger years and family photos from reunions, birthdays, events — you name it. The mother and daughter laughed at a variety of the photos, reliving their favorite cherishable memories, especially the ones they spent at Haven Hills before they moved.

"Look at this," Idris smiled as she pointed at a photo of Summer and her old grade school classmates at Zoo Atlanta. "Do you remember when you went on this field trip to the zoo and your father and I chaperoned?"

"Oh yeah, that was fun," Summer giggled as she took a closer inspection at the photo. Her entire first grade class was in front of an exhibit of posing flamingos, smiling with glee behind the birds, their teacher, and parent chaperones. The then little girl was at the front, wearing blue denim shorts, a pink Hello Kitty shirt, pink Converses to match, and sunglasses to shield the front of her passion twists, multi-colored barrettes dangling from the tip of each accordingly.

Instead of standing alone in the photo, a little boy could be seen beside her, wrapping his arm around her with a cheeky grin. The little boy was white with wavy brunette hair, about the same height as Summer at the time. All she could do was smile at the memory.

"I remember him," she gushed as she could feel her heart melt. "Him and I were such great friends."

"Isn't that the friend you were crying about when we moved to Crews City? The one you didn't want to leave?" Idris reflected as she positioned her index finger on the tip of her chin. "I forgot his name. Was it Haley or Charley? I think it was Harold or something like that."

"I forgot too," Summer sighed as she tapped her forehead to try to remember. She was having a long brain fart at the moment. "But either way, he was really nice. I wonder where he is now."

"He could be anywhere in this world," Idris shrugged. "But maybe you two will meet again. It isn't likely, but nothing is ever impossible."

Thinking nothing of it, Summer went back to taking old photos out of the album so they could later go on the wall with a smile. Finding her old friend would be the highlight of coming back to Haven Hills.

***

"You spend way too much time inside of this bedroom," Harley's mother exclaimed as she stood in the way of the doorway, her arms intersected.

"Do I, though?" The teenage boy retorted as he sighed leisurely. "There's nothing else to do in this boring house, Mom. We could be in so many interesting places, like Singapore, Rio de Janeiro, or Houston but instead, we're stuck at home. Might as well just stay inside my room for the time being. There's nothing to look forward to here."

Ivy shook her head in disbelief before she took a deep breath to calm herself. "You can't stay inside your room all day. You can't keep isolating yourself from the world like that. You're on summer break — you need to enjoy your time outside of the house."

Harley frowned. He knew damn well his mom had a point, but there was nothing to do outside. Maybe except for running away from blood-thirsty mosquitoes and angry wasps. That was just a reason to stay inside. Mosquito bites and wasp stings were not the best thing considering the outcome.

"Go take Rex out for a walk," Ivy insisted. "You need a breath of fresh air."

Not fighting back, Harley just exhaled deliberately. "Okay, Mom."

She smiled with satisfaction as she watched her son slip on some socks, later sliding them into his black Nike slides. His mother disappeared into her bedroom as Harley unwillingly abandoned his bedroom. He treaded down the wooden staircase, only to discover that his dog was already at the door waiting for him. His leash dangled out of mouth as he walked up to his owner with glee.

He surely wanted to go out for a walk.

"Okay, Rexy, I'll take you out for a walk," the teenage boy gave in as he retrieved the slobber-drenched leash, attaching the loop to the Golden Retriever. "Don't go chasing squirrels this time, okay?"

Rex just looked up at him as he opened the front door, leading his dog out before he closed the door behind him. Harley's nose felt free as he abandoned his driveway. The breath of the fresh air made a smile spread across his face, probably because he's been stuck in his room for the entire day.

The breeze of the wind smacked his cheeks as he held onto Rex's leash for dear life. The teenage boy cocked his head up to look towards the late afternoon sky. The sun radiating away from him, the teenage boy trampled from one house to another by the thin sidewalk. As per usual, Rex got sidetracked at time to sniff the grass, but luckily, there weren't any squirrels in sight for him to chase after.

Well, that was said too soon.

Even if there were no squirrels, Rex began to bark as he strolled across the driveway on somebody's house. A teenage girl hauling a couple of folded boxes walked across her driveway, jumping up from the sudden movement. A few of the soon-to-be recycled boxes tumbled out of her hands, plopping down onto the concrete. The Golden Retriever began to bark at the girl vigorously.

Great.

And it wasn't just any girl, either. It was Summer, his new neighbor and co-worker. They weren't next-door neighbors, but they got to see each other during their shifts at Shane's Subs. She just so happened to live nearby.

And the chance he'd get to talk to her was already ruined. Spoiled rotten to the core, all because of his out-of-control dog.

"Bad Rex! You can't bark at Summer like that, buddy," Harley urged sternly, causing the Golden Retriever to hang his head. Sighing, he turned over to the teenage girl. "I'm so sorry about that. Let me pick up those boxes for you."

"It's fine, Harley. I was just caught off-guard," she laughed as she watched the boy pick up the folded boxes that fell. "First, your dog decides to chase a squirrel on my yard and now this? I wonder what's next."

"Who knows?" Harley chuckled as he handed the boxes to the girl, who placed them on the side of the road in front of the mailbox so the recycling service could pick it up.

"What's his name?" Summer questioned as she looked straight into the boy's hazel eyes.

"Rex. His name is Rex," he mused. "He won't keep barking at you. He's just alarmed, seeing all the boxes and all."

"Figured," the teenage girl hummed as she crouched down to the ground to match the Golden Retriever's height. "Hi, Rex. Are you excited to meet me? I'm Summer."

Her voice was as smooth as a rushing waterfall as she generously spoke to the dog. Holding out her hand, she let Rex sniff it before he placed a paw over it. Then, he wagged his tail, his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"He's so happy. Such a good boy," Summer smiled as she looked up at Harley, holding her hand up as a que for him to help her up. She probably felt stiff from squatting. Willingly, Harley pulled the girl up from the ground, feeling her moisturized hands brush against his. "Thank you, Rhodes."

"You're welcome, Ms. Edwards," the teenage boy grinned. "I'll see you around?"

"Yeah," the girl mused. "See you around, Rhodes." 

Maybe Summer would be the only thing Harley would look forward to from this point on in Haven Hills.