Summer's Never Looked The Same

I ended up getting grounded for two months with no phone for a month, no t.v. or computer for the rest of my grounding. No friends are allowed over, nor am I allowed to go over to anyone's house. I'm only allowed out of the house for two hours, unless I'm with Dad. He's still deciding about the school thing. But he said I'm not going back until he makes a decision.

The first two weeks of my grounding were fine. I finished three books, one of Steve-O's book, Professional Idiot: A Memoir. He was ecstatic when I asked him if I could have a copy. But now it's week three. I'm slowly running out of things to keep me busy. I'm halfway through this six hundred page book called Hate List and I've bought over thirty colors of nail polish and eyeshadow to come out with different designs.

I slowly awake to the sound of a car pulling out of the driveway. I manage to see my dad's car at the halfway point of the road. I try to go back to sleep, not wanting to come to that dreadful point of my day where I can't find anything to do. My eyes shoot open when I hear someone try to open the front door. I check out my window again to see if my dad is back. The driveway is still empty. I try to see who's at the door, but the roof above it is blocking the entire porch from my view.

Gathering up my courage, I get out of bed, and silently make my way downstairs. I sneak a peek out the window by the door to see one of my best friends, Erin. Sighing in relief, I throw the door open and pull my friend into a desperate, grateful hug.

"Dude, you have NO idea how happy I am to see you." I gush, pulling her into the house and slamming the door shut, a gesture that meant she wasn't leaving until my dad got home or if we left to hang out. I told her about my skipping school routine and how I got grounded. She sat on my bedroom floor, eating popcorn she brought with her as I walk back and forth across my room explaining everything to her.

"I'm starting to lose it, man. You're going to text me one day asking, "What's up?" and I will literally reply with, "FLUFFY BUNNY!" the next day and that will be the last of me. No joke."

"Okay, Ava, I think you're just freaking out because your dad has never been this strict, nor have you ever been grounded this long. You need to relax. It's not like you're being held in your house all day. You get two hours outside of the house."

"Yeah, but he texts me or calls me every thirty minutes that I'm out. It's driving me off the edge. Don't get me wrong, I love him. But God, I can't be around him every hour of the day."

"Probably because he wants to make sure you're not fucking around and not taking advantage of his kindness to this whole thing."

"His kindness?"

"Yeah. Your punishment could be WAY worse than what he's given you." As much as I want to object, she kind of has a point. But I still disagree.

"Look, let's just go do something. Has anything fun been going on?" I ask, starting to get dressed out of my pajamas.

"Yeah, actually. I met a girl a couple weeks ago named Brooke. She's SO cool. She knows how to have fun. I want you to meet her." She answers, pulling her phone out and writing a text to someone. Probably Brooke. I nod, although she probably doesn't see it.

I finish getting ready within twenty minutes and we leave to meet Brooke at the local coffee shop. We walk into the coffee shop, the bell above the door ringing loudly as the door hits it. Erin points to a girl who is ordering something. She puts her hand on the girl's shoulder and the girl turns around.

She has straight black hair that goes to the center of her back, greenish blue eyes that could make her stand out from a crowd, and a small face that makes her look like a little kid. She's so skinny, anybody could mistake her for having anorexia, but it's obvious that she doesn't. She's also incredibly short. About 5', if not shorter.

"Brooke, this is Ava. Ava, this is Brooke." Erin introduces, standing off to the side to watch us.

Brooke grins and pulls me into a tight hug. "Hi! It's nice to meet you! Erin told me all about you." She says as she pulls away.

I smile back at her. "It's nice to meet you too."

After Brooke orders a coffee, we all go to the nearby park and sit on the swings, talking about stuff that has been going on lately. I stay kind of quiet, only joining in to add something onto the subject they are on. But other than that, I don't make a sound. Then Erin walks back to the coffee shop to order something. Brooke smiles at me.

"So how long have you lived in Los Angeles?" She asks, pulling back the cuticles of her fingernails.

"My entire life." I respond, looking off over to the river nearby.

Then Brooke asks me something I won't forget.

"Are you happy?" I turn to look at her. She's looking at me with an expression that tells me she's going to find out anyway, whether I answer or not.

"Um..."

"Because you don't seem as happy as you act." She adds, going back to pulling back her cuticles.

"I..." In all honesty, I have no idea how to answer. My mouth hangs open, trying to make out an answer for this girl I met only an hour ago. I close my mouth and look down at the grass.

"If you can't admit it to me, then you can't admit to yourself. That's what will continue to hold you back." Brooke says. I can see her look at me in the corner of my eye. "You can't bottle your emotions or what you think. Eventually, it'll make you snap.

I can't speak. My throat is closing up, the last space left of it filled with a lump. I can't stop myself from tearing up.

"I can't..." I try to say, but I can't finish.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk right now. But you have to soon. You're a sweet girl, and the last thing I want to see is you ending up in the psych ward or something."

I can tell she's sincere. She's talking with a tone I can't understand. It keeps throwing me off from the subject.

"Whenever you need to talk," She writes something down on the back of her receipt from the coffee shop and hands it to me. The ten digits stare up at me, screaming at me not to throw it away like my intentions with anyone else who might hand me their number would be. I stuff it into my pocket as we see Erin walk up with a large mug in her hand.

"Whatcha guys been talking about? You both have a serious look on your faces." She says, sitting in the swing that hangs between me and Brooke.

"I have to go." I get up and walk away. I don't look back, I don't wait for them to answer. I just leave.