Welcome, Summer

"You live here?"

Ronnie tried his hardest to keep his voice from turning incredulous. The place he was looking was absolutely deplorable. A few feet in front of the two, a small tin shack was half leaning on to a larger culmination of wooden and metal housing. It didn't just mar the perfect beach behind it, it destroyed the way the entire view looked from where Ronnie stood.

Half turning, the girl in front of him cocked an eyebrow. Ronnie recognized the look in her eyes as one he'd often worn back before he'd made it big.

Problem with it? Get shoved.

"I do." He was sure he hadn't imagined the curtness in her voice.

"It's cute," he stuttered, then shook his head.

A charmer you certainly are, Ronald.

"Wait here." 'Ailana placed a hand on his chest and held him in place. For a five foot five surfie, she had a surprising strength about her. "My mother has no idea you exist. She'll flip if you came traipsing in."

Ronnie shrugged and stopped walking. Pick up a change of clothes and they'd be on their way, she had said. Glancing at his watch, he hoped that she wasn't the type of girl to take an hour to decide what to wear. Patience, obviously, had never been his strong suit.

Choosing a spot on the sand to sit down - this place had sand everywhere - Ronnie stretched his jean clad legs out in front of him and picked at his sleeve. Before long, his mind started to wander; and he didn't like where it was wandering to.

C'mon Ronnie, you know you need the hit.

An itch began along his left arm.

No, I don't. I can do without it.

The voice laughed.

No you can't and you know it.

Running a hand through his black mess of hair, Ronnie ground his teeth together.

No, he didn't. He didn't need a line, or a hit, or anything. He'd already promised his Dad that was he was going to stay clean this summer. He'd already done so for the past three weeks. What was two more?

You're only going to make it worse for yourself.

Ronnie thought about the skinny, white line of powder on a glass table top. He thought about taking the straw, about putting it to his nose and...

"Day dreaming again, I see?"

'Ailana's voice couldn't have sounded as sweet as it did that very moment. Turning abruptly, Ronnie grinned when he saw the girl walking towards him. She was dressed in a pair of knee length khaki shorts and a white t-shirt. Her black hair was tied up in a ponytail.

"You're done so quick."

She shrugged and held out a hand. Her fingers were wriggling. "Get up, we have a luau to get to."

Ronnie studied her for a second before taking her hand. Letting her lead the way, he followed a few steps behind and thought about how the two of them had become an unlikely set. 'Ailana was the complete opposite of what he was. She was clean, vivacious and the basic native Hawaiian surfer chick and Ronnie, well, Ronnie was Ronnie.

But, and Ronnie knew, 'Ailana was also soon becoming the only way he could stop thinking about using again. She challenged his mind, and was stubborn as hell but even without her knowing, she was fixing him.

And Ronnie was pretty sure that he was beginning to like that.