A/N: This is my very first fanfic, it's also the first thing I've ever written that isn't an essay for English class. Please review, good or bad! I hope you like it.

"Look at the ocean from here!" my mother exclaimed. "You don't get a view like that at home."

"Awesome, Mom." I grumbled. "Oh wait, no it isn't. I want to stay at home. I don't see why I have to spend my entire summer at aunt Lucy's."

"Clare, you need to get to know her better, honey. Her and the kids. You haven't seen Ben and Haleigh since you were six years old!" She replied. I was being sent out of Toronto to Cape Cod in Massachusetts for the summer. The idea sickened me. My parents were really just trying to get rid of me for the summer while they went through couple's counseling. I guess it's supposed to stop me from partying, or something else I wouldn't do anyway.

We pulled up in front of Aunt Lucy's cottage a few minutes later. I quickly took in the peeling yellow paint, and the white shutters; some starting to fall off at the hinge. The lawn was poorly kept, with dandelions sprouting in patches, and the grass looking as if it hadn't been mowed in a few weeks. I noticed a volleyball net in the side yard, next to a few worn, plastic lawn chairs.

I grabbed my duffel bag of clothes out of the trunk of the car, and walked across the front lawn to the door. I actually found myself holding my breath as I rang the doorbell; I didn't really know what to expect from this part of my family.

The door was opened by a boy wearing khaki shorts and a black t-shirt. He had long, messy blonde hair, and blue eyes, like most of my family.

"Can I help you?" he asked, clearly having no idea who I was.

"I'm Clare, your cousin." He looked confused. "I'm staying here for the summer."

"Oh really?" He asked. "That's news to me. My mom's in the kitchen." He didn't point us to the kitchen.

I found my way to the kitchen, where Aunt Lucy was sitting and drinking a cup of coffee while she read the paper. She looked up when I walked into the room, and stood up to give me a hug.

"Hi Clare-bear. It's been a while" She said, not freeing me from her embrace.

"It's good to see you too, aunt Lucy." I forced a smile.

"Oh honey, just call me Lucy." She paused. "Why don't you go settle yourself in while I catch up with your mom. You'll be staying in the guest room. Go up the stairs and its the first door on your right." I smiled appreciatively and left the room. I made my way up to the guest room, my room for the next eight weeks. It had pale blue walls and a hardwood floor. The only furniture in the room was a single white dresser, and a full size bed. All that was on the bed was a set of white sheets.

I dropped my bag on the floor next to the dresser and laid back on the bed. I couldn't believe I was really here. Out of Toronto for the summer. It felt weird. There was a very, very large part of me that wanted nothing to do with this trip. I wanted to spend my summer at home with my best friend Alli. We would have taken trips to the lake, gotten lunch at the Dot every day, and I would have spent a lot of time watching Alli shop. But it sounded better than this.

On the other hand, it was probably good for me to get away. I had just gotten out of a terrible relationship with my first boyfriend, KC. It would definitely be good to get away for the summer, and not have to worry about running into him every time I turned a corner.

I rolled off of the bed and looked out the window. There was a great view of the ocean; the house was only two away from the beach. I decided it would be a great time to walk down to the beach. I went into my bag and got out a floral skirt and white v-neck t-shirt to change into. It was too hot down here for the sweats I had driven down in. I quickly changed and then headed downstairs to say goodbye to my mother.

"Don't get into too much trouble this summer Clare." She said, knowing I wouldn't get into any trouble. "Make sure you call me to catch up once in a while. I'm going to miss you!" She wrapped me in a tight hug.

"Just have fun, and be nice to the family." She whispered into my ear. I smiled.

"I love you mom, I'll try to forgive you for getting rid of me." I told her. She hugged me one last time before getting back into the car and setting off on the long ride home.

"Hey, um, Lucy?" I began, "Is it okay if I head down for a walk on the beach?"

"Of course, honey." She said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You can do whatever you want. There'll always be something in the fridge for meals, I know your mom gave you a lot of spending money, so you can always eat out too. There are a lot of places just down the road. You can feel free to come and go as you want. Just be quiet if you get home too late. The door is pretty much always unlocked, but I'll get you a key in the next few days."

"Thanks Lucy." I replied, forcing a smile. Her complete lack of caring about what I did kind of shocked me. I was surprised my mother was okay with her being in charge of me for the summer. If her rules were what you call being in charge of a person.

I left the house and headed down to the beach. It was the first time in my life that I'd actually been to the ocean. It was kind of crazy looking and seeing how absolutely huge it was. I took my shoes of as I reached the sand and started walking. Every so often there would be a group of teenagers laying out on towels or playing football down by the water. There were also many families, with mothers sitting under umbrellas, and small children building sandcastles.

The beach got progressively less crowded as I neared the jetty, so I was surprised to see someone sitting at the end of it. I started walking on the jetty, struggling to get past a few gaps in rocks. I stopped a few yards away from the figure, sitting down on the rocks, careful not to interrupt them. It was a boy, who looked to be around my age, maybe a little older. He had a mop of a dark hair and was very pale. I immediately noticed that he was wearing black skinny jeans and combat boots with a gray t-shirt, as this was not typical beach attire.

It was a few minutes before he noticed me, but I think he caught me staring at him. He got up and walked over to me.

"What brings you out to this end of the beach?" He asked, his voice deep. He had incredible emerald green eyes.

"Just walking." I replied. He smirked.

"By yourself? Don't you know it's dangerous to wander off alone?"

"Don't you?" I retorted, blushing slightly.

"Touché" He said, shaking his head. "I'm Eli." He stuck out his hand.

"Clare." I told him, shaking his hand.

A/N: I'm not too happy with the end, but I promise it will get better!