Hello anyone who's reading this! Thanks for giving this story a chance as it's my very first fanfiction. I'd appreciate any feedback given to me so that way I can fix any mistakes I may have made and improve the quality of this story. Chapters in the future should be longer. Please be patient with me as I am trying my best. Thanks again!

I don't own OHSHC or any of its characters. the only person I own in this fic is Summer.

Chapter 1: Road Kill

I, like many teenagers, love anything to do with summer. The summer is a magical time for everyone attending school as it is synonymous for vacation. Half-finished essays and projects will no longer litter our desks, and our sleeping schedules become more nocturnal than anything else. It's basically hibernation for all those who have lost sleep due to procrastinating on schoolwork.

Most of my time is spent sleeping during this time of year, so, I don't usually have any interesting stories to tell my non-existent friends about after it ends. This summer I decided that I would become a proper member of society, and with that decision came the need to wake up at a decent time and somehow find a job. Which is why I'm currently up and somewhat about despite the sun being nowhere in sight. I needed to get up an hour ago but I couldn't make myself move from the comfortable warmth that is my blanket.

"Guess that job interview isn't happening anymore…" I groaned, rolling on to my back and staring at my poster decorated ceiling. "Maybe it's better that I didn't show up. I wouldn't have gotten the job anyway." I grumbled under my breath. It's not fair that everyone in my class managed to land themselves some awesome job and I'm stuck in the unemployment zone. Then again, maybe it's not that unusual that I haven't been hired.

My appearance can only be described as sloppy at best. Hair and makeup is not something I can find enough time nor motivation to do. The curly hair that sits on my head has a mind of its own and, more often than not, decides that mops would make an amazing fashion statement. Fashion itself is not something I'm really familiar with either and I can usually be found wearing a pair of overalls, and not cute ones either. The overalls that grace my figure are definitely too big for my 5'2" size, and it doesn't help that I was built like a twig. Most people avoid eye contact with me on the streets and I've been turned down by business owners before I even had the interview multiple times. Mom's convinced that I'm just going through a phase. I don't have the heart to correct her.

Encouraged by my growling stomach, I finally pulled myself out of my bed and into the real world. My ever faithful bunny slippers were easily slipped onto my feet and, a few minutes later, I'm in my kitchen eating Captain Crunch.

"Summer, I know I told you to do the dishes last night. Can you please explain to me why my sink is practically overflowing?" Mom turned around, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

That's right, my name is Summer and I've always found it kind of ironic. Summer is supposed to be a period of rest and relaxation, but it's pretty clear that my terrible twos never quite ended. To make things worse, my last name is Winter. Summer Winter. Thanks Mom.

I shrugged before spinning my chair around. "I don't know. Ask Derek what he thinks."

Mom huffed and moved around the island so that she stood in front of me. "Derek wasn't the one who was supposed to do the dishes, you were."

What mom didn't know was that it actually was Derek that was supposed to do the dishes. We made a deal last night after I caught him sneaking out. If I didn't rat him out then I wouldn't have to do dishes for the next month, the amount of time he would have been grounded for had he been caught. I can't necessarily tell Mom that though.

"They'll be done by the time you come home from work." I kept my response short and to the point. It's not a lie, not really. The dishes will be cleaned by Derek the moment she steps out of the house. I didn't say I would do it.

"They better be." Mom made her way to the door and walked out without saying anything.

I stood up and deposited my cereal bowl into the sink before making my way to the back of the house. The end of the hallway is my brother's domain and I learned a long time ago to knock before even thinking about entering. Screamo can be heard clearly through the door along with the sounds of whatever videogame he was playing. I pounded on the door.

"Mom just left! The dishes need to be done before she comes back!" The only response came in the form of a grunt.

That's the most articulate my older brother gets, and I guess I'm going to have to be okay with his grunt because there's no way in hell I was going into his room. "I'll see you later, I guess. I'm going out in a bit. Don't worry, I'll be back before it gets dark. I'll take the mail in before I head out." I didn't bother making it so that he could hear me. He doesn't really care all that much, and the reassurance was more of a joke than anything. I know he'll notice when he leaves his room, so it's not a big deal.

I groaned, why am I always so bitter? Being pessimistic is one thing, but recognizing that you are in fact pessimistic is another. I think it's a little worse when you're aware of it because it means you know you're jaded, and yet, you continue becoming more and more aware of the world's darker side.

I threw open our front door and walked out, bunny slippers and all. The neighbors have seen me in worse, so I'm not very worried about my current attire. My sweatpants and t-shirt can pass as regular clothing and my bunny slippers aren't that noticeable from a distance. I shuffled my way to the mailbox, avoiding our cracked pathway altogether and just walking on the grass.

Across the street from me was my neighbor's daughter, Julia. Julia is only six years old and still talks with a slight lisp, as some children do. Her mother, Martha, is a close friend of my mothers and on days when she's short on a babysitter I step in, as a last resort of course.

I can tell Martha doesn't really trust me to watch Julia all that well by her distrustful looks towards my person. That and the video camera she hid in her plant, but I'm not supposed to know about that. She's a bit of a hypocrite considering she allows Julia to play in their front lawn without supervision.

I waved to the little girl, shifting through my mail while doing so. Julia gave me a huge smile, showing off her missing front tooth. "Hi Summer! Mama said she wants you to come over Saturday!"
Surprisingly, I'm pretty good with children. Most are blunt and honest with anything they have to say, and I find it refreshing that they're so open about their opinions, unlike most adults. I gave her my best smile in return. "Alright! I'll come at two and we can play together, okay?"

Julia nodded her head violently before lifting the ball she was playing with over her head. "Catch!"

The ball bounced off the pavement in front of her and rolled onto the asphalt of the road. It was obvious that she couldn't get it and, unless I retrieved it, she would no longer have her ball. "I'll get it!"

I jogged into the street and grabbed onto the ball, smiling at her. Instead of the appreciation I was expecting, Julia's face was scrunched up in what I can only describe as devastation. Tears made their way down her face. I tilted my head to the side. Did I do something?

Seconds later, I felt something hard hit my side. My hearing failed me, instead replaced with the sound of ringing and the faint sound of someone screaming. If I didn't know any better I would have thought that it was winter. I felt as if I was slowly freezing over, starting at my toes and making its way up my body. The world around me bled into one color, red, and, in those final moments, it clicked. I was either dead or dying, and somehow, I didn't really care.

Hey everyone! I'm actually super surprised this got any attention whatsoever I'm so happy right now! Okay so I just realized that I'm kinda a terrible person because it's been forever and I haven't even touched this story. Please don't kill me! I promise that I'll update more this summer, and hopefully it all turns out decent. Please review! I really want to know what I can do to make it better. Please don't be afraid to yell at me because I forgot a comma or because I use them excessively! I went back and made some minor edits to fix where the story flowed awkwardly! Thanks so much!