"It looks haunted." Max blurted out as she stood in front of the old and rundown looking house, finally breaking the silence that fell over her and her parents when they got out of the car.
When they first pulled into the cracked driveway her mother turned to her dad and mumbled something about a wrong address. But deep-down Max knew this was it, this was her Aunt Charlotte's house. The thought had made the knot that had been forming in her stomach ever since they left Seattle pull even tighter.
"It does not." Her mother scolded and started to walk to the front door.
Max glanced at her dad who shrugged and followed his wife up the steps of the front porch that looked like it had seen better days.
Had it been in better condition it would have been a cute place to spend the summer in a beach town. It had a small porch with a couple wicker chairs that held cushions that had faded beyond recovery due to exposure. Max tried to tell herself that it was probably better on the inside as she caught up with her parents, but the ripped screen door and the chipping paint on the shudders of the windows mad it very hard.
The panic she had convinced herself to not think about all day had started to bubble up again. She'd never spent much time with her 'crazy' Aunt Charlotte growing up. Max had actually only met her once, when she was eight years old at a distant cousin's wedding. She remembered her being larger than life with chunky jewelry and colorful clothes. The only interaction she ever had with the woman was an awkward hug and a brief conversation about how school was going. Max had been intimidated, the way most children are with they're confronted with someone unfamiliar. But as she grew up and the more she learned about her aunt, Max grew curious.
Charlotte was at eight years older than Max's mother and growing up they weren't close. All Max ever knew about her was that she was once a fairly well-known artist in New York. That was until she had some kind of breakdown and left it all behind. She ended up traveling the world for a few years before coming back to the town she grew up in, Arcadia Bay.
When she was younger Max always thought that story sounded so exciting. But now that she was technically an adult, she thought it was a bit sad. How do you give up life in New York only to end up in Arcadia Bay?
But it was too late to turn back now, Max had already sealed her fate. She braced herself as her mother knocked on the door. There was a tense moment of silence before the door flung open with a surprising amount of force.
Max jumped back a bit and she heard her mother let out a small gasp in surprise.
In the door way stood a women with long slightly wavy brown hair that was streaked with grey. She looked just like her mother only with slightly different noses and a few more wrinkles around her eyes, not to mention the bright yellow dress she was wearing that had pineapples on it.
"You made it!" She exclaimed and reached out to hug her sister, who stiffly returned the gesture. "How was the drive?"
"Good, we-" Max said, but that was all she was able to mumble before she was the next to be enveloped into a large hug.
"I am so thrilled you guys could finally make a trip down here!" she said enthusiastically before anyone could even answer her first question. "Come on in!"
When Charlotte got to her dad she just put a hand on his shoulder to push him inside and he looked visibly relieved. Max bite her lip to keep from laughing.
If the outside of the house looked haunted, the inside looked like the worlds weirdest antique store. Everything from the art on the wall to the magenta throw blanket on the lime green couch seemed to be in contrast with each other and Max wasn't sure where to look first. Max spared a glance at her parents who seemed just as confused as they walked inside and took a look around.
Max tried to stifle the giggle that bubbled up as she watched her parents' eyes go wide. Max could definitely agree that this place was bizarre but she kind of loved it too. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, at least it would be great to photograph.
The thought of photography instantly reminded her of exactly why she was here in the first place. If felt like a knife in her chest twisting and suddenly the rest of the summer seemed to stretch out again and two months seemed like an impossibly long time. She wouldn't be here if she wasn't such a fuck up and had any real talent. Maybe then she might have managed to get into any of the colleges she applied to. Out of the eight schools she applied to, the closest she had gotten was waitlisted at an art school in the middle of nowhere New Mexico pending a review of a whole new portfolio that was due by the end of summer.
Even if she got in, what the hell was she going to do in New Mexico? She would burn to a crisp walking to her first class after spending her life in the perpetually wet Pacific Northwest. But so far it was her only shot.
Max remembered how depressed she was after graduation with all of her classmates talking about how cool college was going to be and which schools they'd be going to in the fall. Max could barely take it and started staying in her room more and more. It was the opposite of working on a new portfolio and it didn't take long for Max's mother to get worried. Max still wasn't sure when her mother first called her aunt but it had been less then two weeks since graduation and now she was standing in this bizarre living room with two months looming ahead of her.
She had started to zone out, lost in her own self-pity as her parents and aunt started in with the small talk.
"Max, why don't you get you things from the car?" her mom asked, breaking her out of her self-made pity party.
"Yeah, I'll be right back." Max said, thankful to escape for the time being.
Out of the backseat she grabbed her backpack carefully considering her camera was in it. Then she moved to the trunk where she less carefully pulled out her suitcase, letting it slam on to the concrete of the driveway. She lugged it back to the house and as she pulled it up the stairs of the porch, she took a moment to take in the rest of the houses on the street. It was a pretty standard suburban street but they were pretty close to the water. Max bet that she could probably see the water from the second floor. But as she scanned the surrounding houses, the one directly across the street really caught her attention. First there was the beat-up truck in the drive way that looked like it was held together with merely duct tape, bubble gum, and sheer willpower.
Just the sight of it made her nervous. To be fair most cars made her nervous, that was why at 18 years old she still didn't have her driver's license. It wasn't that she couldn't drive, it was just that every time she got behind the wheel of a car she was suddenly very aware of the fact that she was in control of a two-ton hunk of metal traveling at deadly speeds. Not to mention the nervous sweats and heavy breathing that came along with the near panic attack, and all of that was a lot to go through just to get to the store. Thankfully living in a city made it not so bad since walking and the bus made it easy to get places.
But it wasn't just the truck that caught her eye, the house itself was also interesting, it was only half painted a bright blue color. It was as if someone started the job and then simply gave up halfway. She was starting to wonder what kind of people just doesn't finish painting their house, when she heard her dad call out and ask if she needed any help.
"No, I got it!" she shouted back.
"Oh let me show you your room!" her aunt said just as she walked through the door. She grabbed Max's hand to take her upstairs. "The guest bedroom has the best view in the house."
Her dad grabbed her suitcase and Max allowed herself to be dragged up the stairs and into the bedroom to the right of the stairs, the one that faced the street. It was modestly decorated compared to the rest of the house and Max wondered if she had toned it down knowing Max was coming. Max found the that thought to be kind of sweet.
"It's got a good size closet and the bathroom…" her aunt continued to ramble as she left the room. Max nodded along to that her aunt was saying but she wasn't really listening. Instead she found herself looking out the window to catch a glimpse of the pile of junk that could also be called a truck. But much to her surprise the truck was gone. The only proof that it was even there was the small pool of oil that remained.
When she finally looked away and actually took in the room more closely, Max realized it had a decent size bed, a small night stand, a writing desk along one wall and the closet on the other. It was a nice room, painted a really pretty pale yellow with only a few odd abstract paintings on the walls. The lamp on the desk looked new, like it was from some kind of big box store not an antique store compared to the one on the night stand which looked like something right out of some kind of period film. Again, it made Max wonder if her aunt had made theses changes just for her? And it made her feel a wide range of emotions she wasn't sure how to identify in the moment.
Max shook her head and set her suitcase on the bed just as her aunt came back in the room.
"How do you like it?" she asked.
"It's great." Max said with a slightly forced smile. She was tried and she was starting to feel a little overwhelmed by all of it: the drive, the reunion, and realization that she had no one to blame about her situation but herself.
Charlotte must have been able to see the conflict somewhere on Max's face because her smile faded just a bit before she said, "Well when you're ready come on down so your mom and I can show you around town."
With a quick wink, she closed the door and Max could hear her steady footsteps make their way down the stairs.
Max sat next to her suitcase on the bed and sighed. She took a few deep breaths to steady herself, she had to appear calm or her mother would never leave her alone. That was her mother's favorite thing to do, worry.
When Max opened the door to her room to find the bathroom she instantly regretting not listening to her aunt earlier.
"Max are you almost ready?" her mother yelled up from the bottom of the stairs.
"Yeah I was just going to wash my face really quick and then I'll be ready." She shouted back as she took a lucky guess and opened the door to the bathroom.
She washed her face and attempted to get rid of the long day of travel and willed herself to relax and try enjoy this time with family that wasn't just with her parents. But as she piled into the car with her mind wandered as they drove through the sleepy beach town.
She had hardly realized the car had stopped until she heard her mother exclaim, "Oh my god! This place hasn't changed a bit!"
Max looked out the window and saw that they had just arrived at what looked like a boardwalk.
"Most of the businesses are different now." Charlotte explained. "They got ran out after Prescott bought the place and upped the rent, but a few of the old timers have hung on. Thankfully the town declared it a historic landmark so it at least all looks the same and the town is able to keep some of its charm no matter how badly Sean Prescott wants to turn it into some soulless development."
Her mother scowled as she got out of the car. "Sean Prescott? I think I went to school with him. That family has always tried to run things around here."
"Well at least we know that'll never change." Charlotte said with a grin. "Well come on let me show you around."
When her aunt had said the boardwalk had been declared a historic monument for the city, Max had expecting something a little more 'classic' then the rundown storefronts that greeted her. Max hung back and strolled behind her parents as she stared out at the water. The water was a beautiful blue green and the sun was just starting to dip towards the horizon. It made her wish she had brought her camera. At least she had been smart enough to bring her hoodie, this close to the ocean even during the summer the breeze off the water can keep it pretty cool.
"Hey I'm going to check in here!" Max shouted to her parents before ducking into a bookstore.
As she walked in a bell above the door rang, alerting her presence to the absolutely silent store. Max can feel her cheeks heat up in embarrassment as she moved farther into the store.
From the back of the store she heard someone shout a greeting but she ignored it went straight to browsing the titles on the shelf.
A few seconds later a boy with messy brown hair and an Atari t-shirt popped his head into the isle she was browsing, making her jump. He tried to look casual as he leaned against the bookshelf. He fumbled with the book in his hand as if he wasn't sure what to do with it before finally putting the book onto one of the emptier shelves.
"Hi, hey, hello." He stuttered and crossed his arms.
"Um, hi." Max said timidly, not sure what was going on with this kid.
"Can I help you find anything? Anything in particular? Sci-fi? Historical fiction?" He rambled.
"I was just looking, but I guess I was wondering if you guys have a photography section?"
His face lit up as he finally had a reason to talk to her now and Max slowly started to regret answering his question honestly.
"Yes! We do. We do have a photography section. It's not a very big section since it's really just part of the art section and you know the store isn't very big. But if you need a book we can try and order it for you. Not a problem. Just like ordering it online but you support a local business. You know, you gotta support local businesses." He rambled, thankfully by the end he realized how dumb was sounding and Max could see his face starting to turn red.
But Max was mostly curious as to how he was able to say all of that without breathing. She waited a moment before asking, "Yeah, um can you show me where those books would be?"
"Oh yes of course." He said and snapped into action showing her to the two bookshelves that made up the art section of the store.
"Thanks." Max said with a small smile, hoping he would get the hint and leave her alone to browse in peace.
It took a minute but he finally got the hint. The selection wasn't bad but she had most of these already and this was nothing like the giant bookstores back home. After looking for a few minutes she made a bee line out the door, before the overly friendly employee could 'help' her any more then he already had.
She caught up to her family quickly and much to her delight they were finally heading to dinner. After the drive she was starving. They walked a couple blocks from the boardwalk to a dinner. She had seen the sign from the beach and had been curious about it, for some reason the neon whales seemed so familiar to her.
When they walked in Max was hit with the biggest sense of deja vu she had ever experienced, except maybe it wasn't déjà vu. Whatever it was, she was sure she had seen this place before. She remembered it the jukebox on the wall, the glass case of cakes, even some of the photos on the wall that were covered in dust seemed so familiar.
But it wasn't too surprising, actually. She was born in Arcadia Bay, just like her mom. They had lived here till she was 3. They only moved away to be closer to her grandparents on her father's side, who lived in Seattle, when they started to get old to take care of themselves.
And considering how much her mother constantly talked about Two Whales diner even to this, it wasn't surprising that she would have taking Max here as a child. According to her, the burgers were to die for but the breakfast was even better, which she liked to remind everyone about every time they went to a diner in Seattle.
Max blinked a couple times and sat down in the booth, next to her dad and continued to scan the restaurant. She let her mind wander as she started at all the things hanging on the walls. Flyers, photographs, and posters. She was so lost in thought she hardly noticed when the waitress came over to take their orders.
"Good evening Joyce." Charlotte said casually to her as she walked up to the table. She was middle aged and blonde with a kind face.
"How ya' doing Charlotte? I see you got some company with you tonight." Joyce said back in an equally friendly and familiar way.
Charlotte grinned, "I sure do. This is my sister Vanessa and her husband Ryan, and Max over there is actually going to be staying with me for the summer."
"Oh that's wonderful. Is she going to be helping you in the store?"
"That's the plan." Charlotte said and looked at Max, as if she had figured Max would have forgotten about that part of the deal.
Max wanted to groan. She was annoyed but it was true, she had forgotten about it. Since her mother didn't want Max to be a burden on her sister together they came up with the deal that in exchange for staying in her house for free Max would help her aunt run the small arts and craft store she opened not long after moving back to Arcadia Bay.
Joyce turned to Max and smiled. "Well you're going to love it here. It's a great town and it gets so busy during the summer there's always something to do. I'm sure you'll have a great time."
"Oh yeah, it's going to be great." Max said with a smile and tried her best to make it sound authentic.
Max glanced past Joyce and over to the window that looked into the kitchen. The first thing that caught her eye was a flash of blue and a second later she could make out the short blue hair trapped inside a hair net of the girl working in the kitchen. She was pretty, in an unconventional but intimidating sort of way. Max watched her as she grabbed some of the plastic ketchup bottles from the counter and start to juggle them. She was really putting on a show trying to make the other line cook laugh.
Max couldn't help the snort that escaped her or the smile that crept over her lips just as the girl's showmanship skills got the better of her and she dropped everything. Everyone at her table glanced at her and then to the kitchen where the loud crash came from.
When Joyce looked toward the kitchen her shoulders drooped. "Chloe what do you think you're doing?!" she scolded.
For a split-second Max and the blue haired girl made eye contact for just a second and it felt like the other girl could see through her. She grinned at Joyce and shouted a 'sorry'.
"Please forgive my daughter." Joyce said with a sigh and in a tone, that was both joking and serious.
"Oh, Joyce she's just having fun. She deserves some fun." Charlotte chuckled.
"I just wish she wouldn't do it on the clock. Now that I think about it, Chloe's about your age Max. She can show you around if you'd like. You might be a good influence on her, lord know she needs it."
Max laughed uncomfortably, not sure how to respond to that offer. She glanced back at the window but the girl, Chloe, was gone.
"I think that's a great idea." Charlotte added.
Thankfully that conversation finally ended and they placed their orders. Max had been so distracted the entire time she had been sitting she hadn't ever really looked at the menu. On instinct she ordered a burger and was not disappointed. Her mom hadn't been exaggerating, the food was amazing. Max halfheartedly tried to keep any eye out for Chloe again but it was like she had disappeared. Once they were it was time to head back to her aunt's house.
It was getting late and her parents had to get on the road soon if they wanted to get back to Seattle before it got too late.
Max stood in the drive way and hugged her dad. He wrapped his big arms around her and lifted her off the ground, making her giggle.
"Love you Max. Don't forget to call if you need anything or if it becomes too much. We're only a few hours away." He said quietly so her mother wouldn't here.
Max suddenly felt like crying. Her dad had been so much more understanding about the whole college thing. She could see he felt bad about leaving her here but this wasn't a punishment. Not really. She needed to figure things out for herself and this was the best way.
She kissed his cheek. "I know dad. I'll be fine. Love you."
He kissed her on the top of her head and moved over so her mother could squeeze her next.
"You promise you'll call once a week, at least! And really try and focus on that portfolio. Don't hesitate to ask your aunt about those kinds of things. She's always been the artistic one. And-"
"Mom," Max groaned and tried to pull herself away from her mother's grasp. "I'm going to be fine."
Max hoped those words were more convincing then they felt but her mother seemed to buy it and gave her one last hug before getting in the car. Max stood in the driveway and waved as her parents drove off. The sun had fully set now and the cool breeze coming off the ocean made her shiver before she headed inside.
With her parents gone it was like a switch flipped and she could feel dread starting to creep up inside as she entered the empty living room and realized that she had no idea where her aunt was.
It only took a few seconds of snooping for Max to stumble upon the sun room leading to the back yard that had been turned into a little studio. Apparently even in this small house, things could be hidden. But as Max looked around, she was blown away. It was absolutely covered in paintings and not just on the walls. There were also others stacked all along the walls, with paints and brushes scattered about on a work table in one corner next to an easel with a half blank canvas Charlotte was currently working on.
"Wow." Max breathed.
Charlotte turned around.
"Didn't see you there. I see you found my little slice of heaven."
"These are beautiful." Max said as she crouched down and started going through some that were stacked up against a wall. "I had no idea you still painted."
"Oh I'm sure there's a lot you don't know about me." She said not looking up from her painting.
Max stood behind her for a moment just watching. She was painting a landscape, it took Max a moment to recognize the light house in the painting as the same one she had seen when they had driven into town. Max had always figured her aunt had stopped painting when she had moved back to Arcadia Bay, why else would she be satisfied living here? Why did Max ever think she could learn something from her crazy shut in aunt. Suddenly Max could almost see a version of herself, trapped in Arcadia Bay with walls full of photos. The image made her stomach turn and she felt very very tired.
"I think I'm going to go get some rest." Max said quietly.
"Sounds good. You had a pretty long day." She said, not looking back as Max walked out of the room.
Max legs felt heavy as she climbed the stairs to her room and she nearly groaned when she saw her suitcase on her bed. She managed to slide the heavy thing off the bed and place it on the ground in front of the closet without too much of a struggle.
She flopped onto the bed, and her mind was spinning as she laid there looking at the ceiling.
What have I done?
So this fic is basically my love letter to all the Sarah Dessen summer romance chick-lit I have ever read, and I've read quite a bit. Pretty self-indulgent but hope you enjoy it anyways! Kudos and comments always appreciated!