Three Loves in One Summer

We meet three teens forced together by circumstance on a beach in California. The complicated beginnings of a childhood love triangle that ventures into the points of view from each individual. Sita, Levi, and Jade are each struggling in their own ways through the ups and downs of love this summer.

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Photo Credits:

diana_ramosmartere - Pinterest Girl Photo

marlenehahnmail - Pinterest Bedroom Photo

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Jade's solemn summer

I wake up to my eyes swollen shut just as they have every morning since I’ve arrived at Levi and Tilly’s house. It’s only been four days but I’ve been an emotional wreck since my parents told me about their divorce a month ago. Being 15 seems old enough to deal with that type of emotional change but I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it. They figured that spending a few weeks away from home would be less of a reminder that everything is happening. But it’s still the only thing on my mind, even while I’m sleeping under the same roof as Levi. He’s a year older than me but we’ve been family friends since I was born and I used to have a massive crush on him. Everyone in our family circle must’ve known but I never outright admitted anything. It could just be me but we really don’t get along this time around, it could be because he knows my history of feelings for him, but I wish he’d suck it up and be a friend while my family’s falling apart. 

Tilly has become especially close with one of the neighbours, Angie. From what Tilly has told me she has a daughter named Sita who visits during summer break and is the same age as me. With no mention of Sita’s father I assume her family is as separated as mine is soon going to be. Levi met them both yesterday while I was pretending to be asleep, greeting new faces with red blotchy eyes isn’t the first impression I was keen on making. But judging from the stupid grin Levi wore as we walked back into the house he seemed to like Sita just fine. Maybe I’ll get along with her that much too. 

It’s been a couple of weeks since the two families have become familiar with one another. I leave in three days and I hate to say it but I’m excited to go back to my broken family, this summer was horrendous. We’ve had four family bakeouts and each one left me feeling more and more lonely. During our conversations Levi would pretend to pay attention to what I was saying but I could tell he never really listened. Sita didn’t do any pretending whatsoever and spent the entire two hours on the beach boring holes into the back of Levi’s head. The lust there was painfully obvious but both were too nervous to make a move. Not to mention I hated every second of burying my toes in the sand. It’s not that I hate the beach, I just hate all of the family memories tied to it. Every year me and my parents would visit Tilly and Levi and I was convinced my parents loved each other more than the sun loved shining but it all came apart. I can’t look at the glare on the surf the same way anymore. I thought that meeting Sita would allow me to meet someone who understands my struggle, but the second I met her I could tell she had already started some unspoken rivalry with me over a dumb boy. After being through this divorce disaster I’ve come to realise there are much bigger problems than summer crushes. Hopefully she makes that discovery soon too. 

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Photo Credit: camigiraldob - Pinterest

Photo Credit: victoriaryttvad - Pinterest

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Levi's New Obsession

“Levi they’re waiting, chop chop!” My mother saunters across the room and out the front door down to the beach. I drop my spoon in my cereal and sigh, heaving myself up and off the rusted table chair. My mother and I moved to this beach house 8 months ago so although I’ve never met my neighbour Angie I’ve seen her on the beach and my mother has taken quite a liking to her. Apparently her daughter is here visiting for the summer…yay. I’m not a bad guy and I don’t mean to be rude to people but my ex-girlfriend Laney broke up with me when I moved and I’ve yet to shake whatever funk that put in. Also having my 40 year old mother try to play matchmaker with every girl she sees has gotten pretty annoying. When I was told our family friend Jade was staying with us for a few weeks I was as far from thrilled as humanly possible. She’s a sweet person but I can’t have an hour away from her much less a day. Plus I know she’s had a small crush on me for years but I just can’t see it, she’s like a little sister to me. 

Feeling the warm sand hit my toes makes me forget that there is a two person family awaiting my arrival only 20 feet away. I can’t wait to get this over with and go for a swim, the water is the only alone time I have because Jade hates the beach. Why would you come to a beach house if you hate the beach?  It makes me like her even less. 

“I’m Angie.” The mother holds her hand out to me and I introduce myself to her and her daughter. Angie introduces the girl as Sita and she looks as baffled as I feel but I hope nobody notices. She’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. Not because of how she looks necessarily, but because when she smiles at me one of her eyes squints slightly harder than the other, it’s the gentlest difference that makes her that much more special than everyone else. It sounds harsh but I’m so glad Jade slept in and didn’t come with me to meet Sita. Having this memory to myself and being able to lay eyes on her first seems like a privilege. 

Over the next few weeks I’ve seen her a hand full of times during my mothers “beach bakeouts” which is her nickname for family barbeques with the accompaniment of baked goods. Jade has come along to these so she’s met Sita but it’s hard for me to tell whether or not they like one another. I’ve only seen them have a few conversations but whenever we’re in a group setting I can’t even bring myself to look at Sita. She makes me too nervous, butterflies and whatever other symptoms are sweltered up from being love sick. Usually I keep my eyes on Jade whenever the three of us are together, she’s the safe option, it keeps me from stumbling on my words until I get up the courage to actually talk to Sita on my own. I go to the beach most days to read and swim but Sita’s nowhere to be seen. I wonder if she’s like Jade with her distaste for the sand. But once I force myself out of this cage of nerves I’ll ask her to join me, if she’s even interested. 

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Photo Credit:

Heart Shells - Seashell Crafts and Beach Blog http://www.shellcrafter.com/rustic-shell-and-dried-flower-wreath.html

Photo Credit:

Room Photo - roomtery on Pinterest

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Sita's True Love

Love is all around…apparently. But my parents seemed to miss that memo and now I spend summers away from “home” aka my dads small apartment and join my mother in California with her three cats. It sounds entirely depressing but she’s probably the happiest person I’ve met, she says men drag you down, but I’ve always been a hopeless romantic searching for my true love. Only being 15 makes that sound like an unrealistic goal but I know it will happen, and it will happen here, at my beloved summer home. 

“SITA!” My mother whales from behind the door followed by three knocks and accompanying scratches from Wendy, one of the three ragdolls. The door swings open and my mother enters with Linny, another ragdoll in hand.

“It’s our first beach day darling, I’m meeting you by the shore in 15 and there are some friendly new neighbours you have to meet!” With that she saunters out, Wendy in tow. 

I latch my tote bag on my shoulder and tiptoe down the creaky steps leading to the beach. Feeling the warm sun shine across every curve of my body eases the anxiety in my stomach from meeting someone new. I’m a nice girl but I hate strangers. I'm horrible at small talk and usually zone out into a small crevice of my brain to avoid the interaction. But he’s worth all the attention in the world. Stellar blue eyes and a fluffy mop of blonde hair, a scar lines the bottom of his chin and his teeth shine into my mother as he opens his mouth to introduce himself. 

“...Levi.” His mouth comes to a close as he finishes his first sentence to us. I missed the first part due to my hypnotic trance but I’ve got all I need. Levi. Blue eyed, blonde hair, beautiful Levi. It’s perfect, I didn’t know a name could match someone so perfectly until I laid my eyes and ears on him. This is the true summer love I’ve been looking for.

The days melt into each other and I find myself creepily peering onto the beach from my second floor bedroom. He lays there for three hours in the morning and two hours in the evening… but who’s keeping track. During his beach stay he takes a dip in the water or reads from novels I’m not close enough to decipher the names of. How badly I’d like to read alongside him or wade in the water while he treats the ocean as an olympic pool, swimming back and forth. 

We’ve now had four interactions since the summer has started. A few small family gatherings on the beach for picnics and a lovely introduction to his friend Jade. Jade has been staying with Levi and his single mother Tilly for a couple of weeks over the summer due to their familial ties while her parents are going through their divorce. They thought it would be good for her to experience a beach getaway as a distraction. But all she is to me is competition, and the girl that Levi looks at instead of me. Every bonfire night we’ve spent with them I can’t help but notice that she traps his gaze. While I stare at this darling boy that I’m determined to call mine, he’s staring at another.