Disclaimer: I own nothing, not even the plot really.
All Summer Long
Draco was nineteen years old when he and his mother vacationed in Cladwell, Michigan. The truth of the matter was that his parents were getting a divorce and his mother had family in the area, but Draco did not know that; he assumed that they were just visiting.
His hair was blonde, almost white; it reached his shoulders in the back and the front framed his face in edgy layers. It was his childish attempt to be rebellious, but quite frankly, his parents didn't care. His crystalline blue eyes were like windows, clear and untarnished. He had a smile that could melt the heart of any girl in his hometown, Painswick, but thus far it had not turned a single head in the US. His customary style of dress was jeans and an old t-shirt, perhaps a grungy jacket if he had time to think to bring it.
He stepped out of his aunt Bella's front door on the day of his arrival with a towel and a folding lawn chair. He followed the gravel path that led from her yard to the lake; he hadn't been swimming in the lake since he was a child. The view was almost as he remembered it, grey, overcast, and muggy. The water was clear and clean, but there was no sparkle or promise of magic and wonder that had been there years ago. Draco unfolded the chair a few feet away from the waterline and tossed the towel haphazardly over the back.
The water was cold, a relief. He stood ankle deep for what felt like an hour, for once just being rather than going and doing and performing inane task after inane task. With a slow, deep inhalation of breath he allowed his knees to give way and collapsed into the water. Bystanders would have been alarmed had there been any, but as it were, the shore was vacant, only ghostly footprints in the sand to indicate that there had ever been life there before Draco. He twisted onto his back, relishing in the feel of water soaking through his shirt and as his arms propelled him backwards toward the deeper center of the lake he heard a twig crack nearby. He stood, still in shallow enough water for his torso to protrude from the water.
On the edge of the water stood a girl. A cute girl. Not a beautiful girl, just cute. She was watching him stare at her as she dipped her toes in the chilly water. She had strategically choppy, less-than-shoulder-length brown hair and large, sad looking eyes even though she was smiling. Her teeth were her crowning glory. They were perfect. So perfect, in fact, that Draco couldn't help but smile back at her.
"Hello," she said simply, her voice more melodic than any he had ever heard, or in the least noticed.
"Hey," Draco responded, no longer upset that his solace had been disrupted. "I'm Draco."
"My name is Clementine," she said, holding her hand out for a shake. Draco closed the gap between them and shook her hand. Her grip was surprisingly firm, he noticed.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Well —" Draco began.
"Because no one just comes to Cladwell," she continued.
"My mother –" he began again.
"It's just not one of those towns people usually go to just because, you know?" she finished.
"I'm visiting my –"
"It's more of…" she paused for a moment. "Sorry, go on."
"It's fine, I –"
"I'm just not very good at letting anyone else get a word in," she spoke up again. "My mother always said that I get so many ideas in my head at once that if I don't get them out fast I'll fill up all the way and that'll be the end of Clementine Galveston. Oh, sorry."
Draco laughed. "It's okay. I'm here because my aunt lives here and my mother decided that we ought to pay her a visit."
"See, I told you," she said seriously. "No one ever just comes to Cladwell. There's always a reason."
A bell tolled in the distance indicating that it was three o'clock.
"Crap," Clementine exclaimed suddenly. She began to walk toward one of the many gravel paths that branched off of the beach. "I have to run, but it was nice meeting you."
"You too," Draco called after her as he watched her disappear behind a towering sycamore.
It had been over three days before Draco saw Clementine again. He was walking into town, dying to be anywhere but Cladwell. He had been told moments earlier that his parents were getting a divorce and that he would not be returning to Painswick as expected, but staying with Bella until his parents sorted out their legal crap. The divorce, of course, was not a surprise. His parents had fought for years, and honestly he was astounded that they had made it as long as they did. He was, however, shocked by the fact that he was being exiled to Cladwell where the leading cause of death was boredom.
The night was cold, and despite the fact that his arms were covered in goose bumps, Draco refused to return to his aunt's, and now his, house. He was about to reach the gas station when he noticed a shadow in the middle of the road. He approached with caution, but upon further inspection, the shadow turned out to be Clementine. She was lying in the road staring up at the sky.
"Clementine," he said softly.
She jumped, then turned with a start toward him.
"Holy crap on a cracker, Draco, you scared the bejesus out of me," she said with a grin.
Draco cracked a smile. He had not intended to scare her, but in doing so he had proved that the enigmatic girl he'd met on the beach was, in fact, human and not an angel. He had unintentionally thought of her almost every second since the instant she disappeared behind the sycamore. He was also a bit surprised to hear the phrase "holy crap on a cracker" escape her small, but full lips.
"Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you, but I saw you there and thought I'd say "hi"... so, hi."
Clementine rubbed her lips together then said, "It's fine. Want to sit with me?"
"What are you doing?" he asked, sitting down on the pavement next to her, his goose bumps forgotten.
"I'm watching," she replied simply.