The last day of summer. Holy shit.

I've always been a firm believer that summer is more of a state of mind than it is a season. Nothing was more true in Hawaii— the weather was always perfect and the beaches were always pristine, so I spent most of my time pretending that it was summer, even in November. The carefree feeling of sand between my toes, salty waves pushing against me, and the cool breeze blowing across the waves were things I lived for. So yes, this season of summer in between school years was nice, but it wasn't the end of the world that it was ending. I would be back at the beach surfing all weekend, even if I had to go to school during the week.

To me, the season between school years was more about growth than it was beach days and wild parties. My mom had always instilled in me that I should take the worry-free time to rest and relax so that I would be ready to kick ass in the new school year. Her words, not mine.

"Earth to Olivia." My best friend giggled, her dark curls bouncing as she jumped onto the bed next to me. "What should I wear tonight?"

"Just wear what you have on." I told her. Mia was definitely the more stylish one of the two of us, though I tried my best.

"I can't wear this to a party."

"What about my yellow sundress, then? It's in the closet." Mia smiled gratefully and bounced across the room, pulling it off the hanger.

"Thank you!" She beamed, quickly changing into the flowy dress.

Following Mia's example, I dragged myself out of bed to start getting ready. I loved a good party as much as the next girl, but I just wasn't in the mood tonight. I would have preferred to spend my last night of summer at home with Mia or on a quiet date with my boyfriend, Thomas, but he had convinced me to come to some football player's house. I'm sure it would be fun, but my lazy side was taking over and calling me back to my bed.

A knock on my door sounded and Mia opened it for me. "I'm going to work, girls. Have fun at the party! Love you both." My mom called from the doorway. Her job at the local hospital meant frequent night-shifts and long hours. Despite her hard work, my mom always found time for me, and for Mia. Since Mia never met her mom, my mom stepped in as a maternal figure for her. It made us feel even more like sisters.

"Love you, mom." I smiled up at her in the mirror of my vanity. Mia waved goodbye before my mom shut the door and headed out.

"Can you curl my hair?" I asked Mia, whom immediately nodded and pranced over to me. Her bubbly personality was in full force for the party tonight, even though I knew she secretly didn't want to go, either.

"How's Thomas?" She asked me as she spun my dark hair around the curling wand. "He's coming tonight, right?"

After three years of dating, Mia had become close with my boyfriend, too. He went to another school on the other side of town, which made it hard for us to meet up sometimes. It had been more than three weeks since we last hung out. I couldn't wait to see him tonight.

"Yeah, and I wouldn't know. He's been so busy."

"That's weird." Mia mused, but I ignored it. It was almost senior year, so it made sense that he would be busy.

"Now, I need your help. Dress or skirt?" I asked, and the topic dropped immediately as Mia helped me choose the perfect outfit.

***

Thirty minutes and three outfit changes later, the two of us were ready to go.

"You drive!" Mia screamed, throwing my car keys at me. Mia didn't have a car anyway. She lived right next door, so I drove her everywhere in my beautiful aqua convertible. It was old, and had taken my dad and me three months to fix up, but I loved it with all my heart. Nothing compared to putting the top down and singing at the top of my lungs with Mia.

We did exactly that, and by the time we reached the party, my voice was already tired from singing with Mia in the car. She had a great voice, but I always sounded like a dead pig.

Pulling up to the party, I could tell it was pretty similar to all the others we went to this summer.
There were kids spilling out into the lawn, with a few couples making out already. The loud beat of the bass shook the house as rap music blared from the speakers inside, accentuated by the chorus of teenagers screaming the words. Someone had set up colorful disco lights that lit up the dark night sky, distracting from the array of stars above us. A few cheap party decorations lined the outer walls of the house, though most had been trampled on the grass.

"Let's fucking go!" Mia cried as we got out of the car, fashionably late as always. We went into the house and Mia dragged me to the kitchen to get a drink. Pouring her a shot, I begrudgingly grabbed a bottle of water. The swell of bodies around me were way too much to handle without being at least a little tipsy.

"You are definitely driving next time!" I screamed over the music.

"Whatever!" She called. "Go find Thomas!"

I waved goodbye and headed out of the kitchen. I had no idea where to find him among all the throng of people crowding the house. Pushing my way past a skinny boy who was puking in a house plant, I took a few steps up the stairs to get a better look at everyone. There were girls dancing on the table, guys doing keg stands across the room, and plenty of couples grinding on the dance floor, but no sign of my boyfriend. Some of his friends were swimming in the pool outside, so I decided to ask them.

"Hey, um, Mike?" I tapped on the shoulder of one of Thomas's friends. Since Thomas went to a different school, I didn't know his friends that well. "Have you seen Thomas?"

Mike, or at least I thought that was his name, turned to me, his eyes going up and down my body. I could smell the beer on his breath as he moved closer. "Yeah, uh, I think he went upstairs," He slurred. His friends had gathered around, laughing at something.

"Okay, thank you," I muttered and left, grossed out by the group of leering guys. I guessed Thomas was already waiting for me upstairs. Taking a deep breath, I went back inside and pushed past people until I reached the stairs again. Going upstairs, I gently pressed on the doors lining the hallway. All were locked, except one. Standing outside it, a pit of worry suddenly grew in my stomach. This whole party was not Thomas's scene. In fact, he had been acting weirdly this whole summer. I couldn't help but think that something was wrong.

I shook my worries off as I turned the doorknob. This was Thomas; I loved him and he loved me. Well, at least I thought he did. Even though we had dated for three years, he had never said it.

Adjusting my skirt, I opened the last door to check for him. "Thomas?" I asked, and flipped the light on.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. Yep, Thomas was in there.

But he wasn't alone.

His shirtless body hovered over someone in the tiny twin bed, her blond hair spilled out around the pillow. Their clothes were strewn across the room as he kissed her, not even noticing my presence. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes as a strangled sob left my mouth. The sound must have startled them, because Thomas turned to me and pushed the girl away. "Holy shit, Olivia. I- I'm so sorry, this isn't what it looks like." He jumped up and walked toward me but I turned away. "It isn't emotional, just physical."

"What?" I lashed out at him. "Do you think that makes this okay?"

"No, no, of course it doesn't. Olivia, I- I just needed it, you know? I mean, it's been weeks. A guy has needs."

I couldn't believe my ears. The girl smirked at me from across the room, her blond hair messy and unkempt. "This happened more than once?" I whispered.

"Babe, I'm so sorry. Please don't let us end like this. It was just a couple times. Please, Liv, let's just talk this out," He pleaded, grabbing my hand, which I immediately ripped away.

"Don't fucking call me that!" I screamed. "I can't believe you. I was ready to give you everything- everything! And this whole time you've been cheating on me. I'm done, I'm so done." I started to walk away when when he grabbed my wrist again.

"Please, Olivia. Layla was just temporary, it will never happen again. Please just talk to me" He was getting flustered, grabbing at his black hair like he always did when he was nervous. I looked into his dark eyes, and something snapped.

"Fuck you, Thomas. We are so over." I screamed, before I walked up to him and slapped him with all my might. I left him standing there, shocked, as I ran down the stairs and out of the house.

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hi! thank you so much for clicking on my story, feel free to let me know what you think :)

fyi- the first few chapters aren't great, i'll admit that. i promise my writing has gotten much better if you stick around!