"Aqua…" calls a distant voice.
Five more minutes…
"Aqua!" it repeats, its source drawing closer and closer. The tap, tap of footsteps was now audible, with each distinct step sounding louder than the last. What a racket.
And it's so warm and comfortable here…
"AQUA HOLLAND!" My bedroom door flings open. The gush of wind from the force, as well as the unwelcome light that has now flooded the space, have destroyed my perfect sanctuary. Quickly, I cover my head with my blanket to try and teleport myself back, but at this point, who am I kidding? It's futile when Momma Holland is in the building. "Aqua, get up."
I let out a pathetic moan and shift around slightly under my fortress of sheets. Maybe if I pretend to be asleep, she'll leave me alone—
No! I can't even stop myself from opening my eyes while I scuttle to scrunch myself into the tightest fetal position possible. It's all I can do—my fort has been breached! I'm exposed to the elements! It's so cold! So bright!
"Aqua, it's noon," my mother says disapprovingly, glaring at me as she tightly grips the beloved blankets she has so cruelly ripped away from me. "I know it's your summer break, but you can't spend the whole day sleeping."
"That's kind of the point," I grumble, groggily and begrudgingly sitting myself up.
"You're such a lazy bum," she sighs. "Just look at your room. What a mess."
"Am not!" I lazily retort through a yawn. She raises an eyebrow up at me. "Chill, mom, it's Sunday, and only the first week of break. I've got four whole months to go before I go back. I'm recovering from pulling three all-nighters for finals last week. Cut me some slack!" I yawn once more to emphasize how absolutely exhausted I actually really am right now. For real.
"Well, sleep at a decent time tonight and you'll catch up on your sleep in no time, and you won't end up snoozing through half the day."
"It's not like I even have any plans for the day." With that, I flop back down onto the bed; my head hits the pillow with a soft 'plop' as I spread my arms wide and shut my eyes once more.
"Up," she says firmly. "If I don't hear you leave this bed in five minutes, I'm dumping a glass of cold water on you." And with that, I hear the wood floors creak as she turns around to leave. I don't hear the door close.
I better actually get up though, because that threat was no joke. She really will be back in here. With the freezing water, as cold as her (in times like these) angry soul. It's happened before.
I don't like to talk about it.
Besides, after having my sheets torn away from me, getting a prolonged exposure to light and the chill from the air conditioning, and having a semi-conversation, I don't think I'll be able to fall back asleep. What a shame.
So, after one more lion-like yawn, I begin my quest of getting out of bed. And trust me, I am not exaggerating. Slowly, I swing my legs over the side of my bed, and lift my torso to rise so that I'm actually sitting. I give my eyes a quick rub to waken myself further – because, seriously, I'm going to need to be as alert as I can to best the maze of suitcases and boxes currently on my floor. Gonna have to start taking care of that today, no doubt.
At least it'll keep me occupied, even if for a day. I got so sidetracked back at school with tons of things, so I didn't remember to look for a job. I guess that's one thing I'll be spending my summer doing – trying to find one. Probably won't be easy at this point, considering most people apply, like, months in advance.
Well, guess I won't know 'til I try, right? As long as it keeps me busy; that's the thing I need the most, going into this behemoth of a break.
"Oh, you're up." I turn to see my mother, once again in my doorway, with the same disappointed look in her eyes. Though this time, she has something in her right hand. Yep, you guessed it. Freezing, ice cold glass of water. I narrow my eyes at her as I finally get up on to my feet, and begin to make my way towards her.
It's not before long that – surprise! – I trip over my biggest suitcase and land straight on my face.
"See, this is why we need to clean this room up right away!" Mom interjects, exasperated, without a care in the world as to whether I'm actually okay or not. I pick myself and grumble some peeved words incoherent to even myself as I stagger out of the room past her and head towards the bathroom. I hear her sighing in even more disapproval as she heads into my room to start unpacking herself, because that's just how this woman rolls. Her world revolves not around me, her daughter, what most normal people would consider the most precious gift a parent could have. Oh, no, with this woman, it's all about how neat and tidy every nook and cranny of this house is.
I'm fine, by the way. Probably. I can see clearly and walk in a straight line, but then again, sometimes concussion symptoms take days to surface.
What a great start to this summer break!
Six hours later and this room is looking spick and span, all thanks to my dear drill sergeant mother's impossibly high standards. After inspecting every square inch meticulously, she finally deemed that I had passed, and then proceeded to head out on her own to run some errands. Don't know what's open in Radiant Garden after six on a Sunday, but at this point I'm not gonna question it.
With nothing left to do up here, I guess I'm gonna head downstairs and chill with my dad. He conveniently avoided the warzone that was the upstairs while I was cleaning and unpacking by…well, I actually don't know what that man has been up to. Guess I'll find out soon enough.
I grab my phone, which I haven't taken a look at all day, and head down the stairs. I hear the television on, so I proceed to make my way into the living room, and sure enough, there he is, watching the blitzball game. How could I have forgotten? He's a diehard fan of the Radiant Garden Rebels; anyone who doesn't know him could tell just by looking at the way he watches the game—lack of acknowledgement of my presence, arms of the sofa chair tightly gripped, jaw clenched, eyes unblinking, jersey of some old-time player proudly in display up above him on the wall behind him—all classical signs. It can get pretty comical when things don't go well; he starts jumping around on the couch like a chimpanzee, screeching all the things the team's doing wrong, as if they can hear him. Mom and I get a pretty good laugh out of it, and that only makes him all the more riled up.
Don't get me wrong, I love watching a good blitzball game every now and then, too, but this man's an absolute maniac. And judging his posture, looks like this is a pretty intense game.
Kinda makes me miss the volleyball season…
"Dang, 17-15?" I observe, as I plop down on the sofa adjacent to his. He just grunts in response, eyes glued to the television screen. The game abruptly cuts to a commercial break for a timeout.
"Want somethin' to eat or drink?" Dad asks, as he finally breaks his locked gaze and briskly gets out of the chair to go into the kitchen. "Make it snappy, though, I got a game to watch!"
"I'm good, Dad." I wave him off.
To be honest, I'm not really feeling the game right now. I usually really only get into it when there's a big tournament or during the playoffs, but the season's only just started. Not super exciting, if you ask me.
Right now, I'm a bit more interested in what I might have missed all day on my phone. I wonder if anyone's hit me up? A bunch of some of my friends just recently moved back in from school, too, so it would be cool to make plans to see them or something, if not today, then at least over the next few days or even weeks. After all, as we've established, it's not like I have much else going on.
Let's see…Oh, wow, ten text messages, two missed calls, and a voice mail?!
And they're all from the same person. I'm actually not surprised by this in the slightest. Guess I'll call back and see what all the fuss is about.
The ringing barely begins when Kairi picks up her end of the line.
"OMG Aqua! You're alive!"
"Nah I died last night, just calling to give you the update," I deadpan.
"Oh, come on, girl, I was seriously worried! I know you're bad at answering your phone, but I don't think you've ever not replied that long," she says, genuine apprehension in her voice.
"Sorry," I reply. "I usually have my phone on silent at school, and I forgot to change it when I got home. I was so busy unpacking today – you know my mom – that it didn't even cross my mind to check it. Also, me responding to your messages an average of five minutes after you've sent me one does not make me a bad replier!"
"Alright, alright, alright, I get it, I get it! But, okay, did you read any of the texts I sent ya?"
"No, just called you right away when I saw your name all over my phone." I hear her huff, probably frustrated that she has to tell me whatever the situation is for what is probably the twelfth time or so at this point.
"To cut to the chase, Sora and I are going to chill at Ven and Roxas's place. Naminé's gonna be there too. We're like five minutes away from your place. You're coming with us, whether you want to or not!"
"Pretty sure it's illegal to force me to do that. Or anything I hypothetically may not want to do."
"Screw the police!"
"You mean—"
"I know what the actual phrase is!" she interjects. "I'm trying to cut back on the swearing, all right? I've been told I've started become a potty mouth, and I'd just rather not have that reputation. Anyway, see ya soon!" And before I can say anything else, she hangs up. Typical. I look up to see that my dad has resumed his position on the couch, soda clutched tightly in hand as he leans forward to watch the last play of the game.
"Hey, Dad, I'm gonna go hang out with some friends. Is that okay?" I ask. I'm pretty sure he'll be fine with it. That's what I assume when he just grunts once again in response, eyes and soul glued to the television. I quickly head on out of the living room and back up the stairs to find something suitable to wear; I've been in my PJs all day, which, to be honest, would probably be an acceptable get-up with my group of friends, but come on, it's summer! With a fresh new season comes a somewhat fresher Aqua is how I look at it, anyway.
As I reach the top step, I hear Dad scream "GODDAMMIT WAKKA!" in utter anguish.
The golden rule to KST, or Kairi Standard Time: multiply whatever time she gives you by three, or two if it's over an hour. Sure enough, Sora's blue, slightly rickety car rolls up my driveway exactly fifteen minutes later. I wave good-bye to Dad (who's still moderately pissed off about the loss, which he'll get over in another hour or two) as I put on a pair of sandals and slip out the front door, making sure to pull it shut and lock it with my keys behind me.
"Hey, Aqua!" Kairi yells enthusiastically through Sora's rolled-down window. She's practically climbed over him so that I can see her. It doesn't look like he minds very much; that boy is one chill boyfriend. Serious relationship goals right there. I smile at the two of them as I jog over to the back door and let myself in.
"Hey, guys. Thanks a ton for picking me up!" I grin, and throw my purse on the seat next to me.
"Don't sweat it. Kairi was willing to drug you and stuff you in a duffel bag if we had to!" Sora explains, flashing that big, goofy grin that's practically engraved on his face through the rearview mirror.
"So sue me!" she pouts.
"Actually, my parents probably would have…" I contemplate aloud.
"I just wanted to see my best friend for the first time since spring break, which was, what, two whole months ago? It's been far too long! You'd totally do the same if it was Riku, babe." The last remark is directed as Sora, who's begun pulling out of my driveway.
"Yeah, but he's not back for another 6 weeks," he sighs.
"Oh, right, he's still back at school for summer classes, isn't he?"
"He'll be back soon enough, though!" Sora reassures, sensing my disappointment at the fact. "Pretty soon, our circle will be will be complete again!" I nod in agreement.
Everyone in our friend group always pokes fun at their bromance, but my friendship with Riku is nearly on par with his and Sora's. The two of us practically grew up together since our moms are such close friends. He and I both are also the only ones in our circle to leave Radiant Garden for school; the two of us attend Twilight Town University, which was awesome since I had him around to show me the ropes. Being a year older than me, he's like the older brother I never had. It was a relationship that was vital to keeping me in check during those last couple of weeks of school, when the going really got tough…
"So, Aqua, speaking of school, how was the rest of your semester?" Sora asks.
"It went alright. Finals were tough, but I think I squeaked by."
"Ah, yeah, I feel you. Kairi and I just got done with that ourselves. Of course, that's pretty self-explanatory." He chuckles.
"Your exams were probably way harder, though," Kairi muses. "I mean, TTU is a way tougher school than RGU is!"
"I wouldn't really know, since I never took a class at RGU. I guess it really all depends on the classes you take. At either school."
"True, true," she agrees. "So, you got any special plans for the summer yet, Aqua? I don't remember you mentioning anything."
"Nope, not yet. I might go to a couple of blitzball games with my dad or something, but for the most part, we're staying put."
"Did you get a job or something?" Sora asks.
"Didn't get a chance to apply, but I'll look and see if there's anything available! It's probably gonna be tough at this point, though."
"You never know," Sora replies cheerily, ever the optimist. "A lot of retail stores and restaurants hire last minute. My boss back at the diner was talking about possible hiring. I could put in a good word for you, if you want!"
"That would be awesome! Thank you so much!"
"I could also ask Daddy if he has any entry-level positions at the Town Hall," Kairi adds. "That's where I'll be this summer. We could hang out, like, all the time! Could you imagine?!"
"Oh, yes, please! I need all the opportunities I could get! You guys are awesome."
"Anything for my B.F.F.!" Kairi cheers. I smile, leaning back into my seat. "I know how important it is to keep you busy this summer."
"Definitely," I reply, eyes darting around quickly, hoping Kairi gets the message that I don't really want to bring any of that stuff up right now. Luckily, she changes the subject quickly, before Sora gets any ideas.
It's not long before we finally reach Roxas and Ven's place. A sudden warmth washes over me as we approach the house. I can't help but think back to the annual end-of-summer barbeques held in the backyard, about the times we all lay in the front lawn and watched the clouds together, or about the time Riku tripped going up those front steps on the porch, and we all laughed, because Riku never trips. And I can't forget about Sora and Kairi's first kiss on the hammock, and how we all secretly watched them do it, jumping out and screaming "We knew it!" afterwards just to embarrass them, and because, seriously, it was about damn time.
The countless sleepovers, bonfires, and even the most mundane activities…Just the nostalgia of us spending lazy summer afternoons in the cool basement, idling as we came up with games and stories to pass the time…
To say I missed this is an understatement.
As Sora parks the car in the driveway, the garage door begins to rumble, signaling its opening. The three of us gather our things and get out the car, and proceed into the garage. I see one of the twins standing there to greet us at the door leading into the house. Upon closer inspection, I realize it's Ven.
"Hey, guys!" He waves enthusiastically; the three of us return the gesture just as energetically.
"It's been way too long!" I exclaim, going in for a quick hug.
"Seriously! You gotta do a better job of staying in touch, man. Believe it or not, as much as Kairi talks, she's pretty bad at updating us about you."
"Hey! I heard that!" she pouts. She and Sora crouch to undo their shoes before entering the interior of the house.
"Sorry, I just got so busy!" I explain, as I, too, begin to loosen the buckles on my sandals.
"No worries, bro, I'm just joking with you. I'm sure you were swamped! We all were." The four of us enter and head over towards the kitchen, where the stairs that lead to the basement are. "I do hope, however, that you made some progress with that request I had for you."
"Ven, you are thirsty AF," Sora chuckles. He leads the way downstairs.
"Isn't that a fact!" says an overly dramatic voice, identical to Ven's. I can only conclude that it's Roxas. The soft giggle that follows definitely belongs to Naminé.
"Hey, it's not fun being the only bae-less one in the group!" Ven whines. "Everyone's either taken, gone, or plain annoying in RG. Gotta outsource, man."
Conveniently ignoring the fact that he currently is not the only "bae-less" person in the group for a variety of reasons, I respond. "Still looking, but I might have a girl in mind for you. Gotta do more research to approve, though." Though I do have a pretty good feeling about her.
"No way, show me!" he pleads. I shake my head in the negative.
"Can't let you get too attached before I can green-light this, now, can I?" I take a seat in the fluorescent purple beanie bag next to the coffee table in the center of the room.
"Alright, fine," Ven scoffs. "I'm giving you two weeks, Holland. After that, I take over." He plops down on the edge of the huge sectional sofa, right next to his twin brother. If it weren't for their clothing – Ven has a preppier style, while Roxas tends to skim a little on the edgier side – I don't know if I could tell them apart, even now.
"How exactly are you going to find out without knowing her name?" Roxas cocks an eyebrow at him. Naminé chuckles silently, leaning her head into his shoulder.
"I have my methods." He leans back in his seat with a mischievous smile.
This girl better work out…
"How was it at TTU, Aqua?" Naminé asks in that sweet, quiet voice, that's been known to quell many agitating moments, both within the group and out of it. "I remember you saying you were having a good time there when you were here for spring break."
"Pfft, not as good as a time as she's had with us," Kairi, who is sprawled across the rest of the sectional and browsing her phone, answers for me. Sora sits on the carpeted ground, leaning his head back on the sofa where his girlfriend's feet are. He doesn't seem to mind much.
"Well, I am a little sad it's over," I respond, honestly. "It was really nice to be independent and all that, you know? And I met some really cool people. Saw a lot of places I probably never would have been to if I was still here. You guys seriously need to visit sometime next year. But I definitely am happy to be back with all of you guys!"
"How's it going with that guy…" Ven begins; my heart begins to beat more rapidly. "What was his name…Zack?" Kairi shoots up and glares in Ven's direction, sending the message across to everyone. A panicked expression clouds his features, as he begins to stutter to find the words to apologize. At this point, though, there's not really much turning back—the proverbial door's been, inevitably, opened.
"It's fine, Ven," I assure him, though I keep my gaze on the ground. "It just didn't work out. It happens." I look back up to see all of them staring back at me, concern evident in their eyes.
"So sorry, Aqua, we had no idea!" Naminé says with grief in her tone. The rest of them nod in agreement, not exactly sure what else to say.
None of them have gone through a break-up before.
"Come on, guys, you don't have to look at me like that," I reassure, as I try to cut through the tension and awkward silence. "It's not like someone died. It's alright. But, before you guys ask, I don't think I'm ready to talk about what happened quite yet." It happened pretty suddenly, after all. Or maybe I'm just a novice when it comes to this romantic stuff. Either way, I guess I'm still processing it all.
"So…" Roxas starts, a bit awkwardly, "what are you all doing for the summer, again? Ven and I are gonna be doing a bunch of odd jobs. Mail delivery, swatting bees for that old lady, hanging 'Struggle' posters, and all that jazz."
"That's a pretty great idea," I muse, remembering my joblessness.
"Yeah, we started doing it after spring break. It's a lot of fun," Ven adds. "It's a little unstable, but it keeps us busy. Lots of interesting stories come out of it."
"Like the time you got stung by four bees?" Sora smirks at Ven. Ven winces, as the painful memories come back. I remember getting countless text messages about the whole ordeal, most of them from Ven himself, complaining how worthless life would be if he died a virgin because of a few bug bites. But here he is today, alive and well (albeit still a virgin).
"You working at the diner this summer, Sora?" Roxas inquires.
"Yep! Can't believe it's been almost two years since I started there…And Kairi's got herself a part-time job at the Town Hall!" Kairi raises her fist in response, as an affirmation. "Maybe if we save up for a year or two, we can start living together."
"You gotta get those student loans out of the way first, though," I add.
"Ugh, don't even remind me." He slumps, taking a pitiful sip of what appears to be an orange soda.
"You got some good scholarships and grants though, babe," says Kairi, reaching over to pet her dejected boyfriend's head. "They'll get paid off in no time!"
"Sure hope so." Another sip.
"How 'bout you?" Roxas is addressing me this time.
"Nothing as of yet. Doing some job-hunting."
"You should join us some time!" Ven offers.
"Hm, if I don't find anything, maybe I will!" To be honest, I don't even care about pay; I'm just desperate to keep myself as occupied as I can this summer. "But I think I would definitely prefer something a little more…regular?"
"You should come to the rec center!" suggests Naminé. We all turn to look at her. "You know, the one we all went to when we were kids, after school and during summer sometimes?" Radiant Garden Recreational Center. I don't remember much of the specifics, since this was back in elementary school/early middle school, but I do know that we did enjoy ourselves there.
"Right, my older brother works there," says Sora. "He heads the middle school youth program."
"Yeah!" Naminé nods her head. "I'm working there, too, for the summer, and Terra's been asking me to find some volunteers. Apparently there's gonna be a lot of kids."
"No paid jobs, though?" I ask.
"No, unfortunately, they're all out of payroll to hire anyone else," she laments. "But they do need all the help they can get, so if you guys are free, it'd be awesome to have you all."
"Yeah, Terra's been begging me to come and help out, but I'm working pretty much full-time at the diner, so I don't think I'll be able to make it regularly," Sora explains. "I feel kind of bad, since I should be helping my brother out…Amaya's there under his wing, though, so she'll be there all the time." Amaya? Sora's pretty older sister, Amaya? Well, it definitely won't be hard to recruit Riku when he comes back, I'm sure.
"How often do people need to come?" I inquire. "Like I said, my schedule's totally open. I'd love to get involved."
"Count me in, too!" Kairi interjects. "My two best girl friends are not hanging out without me!"
"If the times aren't too bad, Ven and I don't mind helping out a couple times a week, either. We're pretty flexible," Roxas says. Ven nods in agreement.
"Oh, this is great!" Naminé claps her hands together gleefully. "I'll text Terra and ask what he needs! You guys are the best." Roxas gives her a kiss on the cheek as she pulls out her phone. I notice Kairi giving me a concerned look, which I'm assuming is in reaction to the PDA. I really don't mind.
I'm floored to have something to fill the void that is my summer vacation.
A/N: Well, hello, hello! It's been a while, hasn't it? How've you all been? So sorry I've been gone for so long - I just realized, my last update was in March! There was just a lot going on, between college, social life, and then lately working and volunteering, so I just haven't had the time/energy to write. But I'm here now!
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It's been a while since I've written anything, so please let me know what you guys think! I finally have a direction for this story, and I really hope you all enjoy where I take it. I will say that it is semi-autobiographical; a lot of this stuff is based off of personal experience, but in the story, things are definitely going to be exaggerated or more subdued to keep it interesting for you all.
That all being said, please, please, please leave me a review letting me know what you all think! Those always keep me motivated, and if you'd like to read more, I'd definitely love to know it!