The Summer That Changed Everything

Chapter One - Part Two

The idea of spending one last summer together before they went to university apart felt impossible to her.

“I’ll miss you too!” Layla gushed. “We only get our phones at certain times, and of course, I’ll be in a different time zone, but I’ll text you whenever I can. You’ll be fine, though, because you’ve got James! I bet he’s got loads of plans for both of you to keep you distracted!”

Well, that turned out to be a load of rubbish, didn’t it?

The day before James asked for a break, Layla flew to America. Felicity’s luck seemed to get worse by the minute. She decided not to share her feelings of despair with Layla, not wanting to ruin her friend’s mood while she was enjoying her time in the States. Felicity knew that Layla would worry and spend all her energy trying to cheer her up, but she wanted Layla to focus on that amazing experience. As a result, Felicity found herself with no one to confide in about her situation.

So now, she only had herself to spend time with… And it wasn’t going well.

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” Felicity’s mother asked one morning during breakfast, a steaming cup of coffee safe in her hands. “You’ve been quiet for a couple of days.”

“Oh, nothing,” Felicity replied, finding her cereal fascinating. She swirled the spoon around in the milk, watching the mini whirlpools she had created. “I’m just tired, I guess.”

“Tired? What from?” Tanya Park’s chuckle wasn’t harsh, but bemused. “You’ve finished school for good. You don’t have to wake up in the morning because you don’t have a job. And from what I’ve seen, you have no plans, either. I can tell you’re missing Layla a bunch, but are you and James not making the most of your time together before university?”

Felicity’s cheeks turned pink. If she could help it, her plan was to spend this entire summer not letting her family know about the unfortunate situation she and James had found themselves in. But only now did she realise her plan was not the best, considering her mum knew her so well, and, of course, it was so obvious.

“Oh no, he’s busy. He’s working at the hotel, the last I heard.” She explained, hoping her mother wouldn’t pry too much.

“Oh, yes, I’m sure your father mentioned seeing him more around the building. Ah, that’s a shame, though,” Tanya sighed, taking a sip from her coffee. Felicity sighed, thankful that her mother had left the conversation as it was. She didn’t go for her usual tactic of delving deeper, and for that, Felicity breathed a little lighter. Felicity’s mother knew that there was something she wasn’t telling her and was waiting patiently for her to spill her guts when the time was right. Her mother knew her well. Felicity knew both facts. “Well, why don’t you head into town and do a little retail therapy? Take your father’s credit card and buy yourself something nice. Shopping by yourself can be rather therapeutic.”

Felicity thought about what her mother said. At last, she nodded. “That might be a good idea. Thank you, Mum! I’ll get dressed now.”

The idea of spending the day alone didn’t exactly thrill her, but it appeared she had no other option. At least she had her dad’s money to spend on whatever she wanted. Though expensive clothes and designer labels never bothered her, perhaps she could make an exception just this once and splurge.

Felicity hurried upstairs to dress herself. She threw on a burgundy dungaree dress over a plain, white t-shirt, the dress’s straps crisscrossing over her back. After sliding her feet into a pair of well-worn Converse, she fixed her hair into a messy bun and put on a dash of makeup, accentuating her hazel eyes.

She hopped on the bus at the bottom of her street, the engine’s hum and the chatter of other passengers filling the air. She knew it would take her to the bustling centre of Manchester. The Arndale shopping centre loomed into view, its glass facade reflecting the morning sun. She could’ve taken her car, but she decided against it. She wasn’t a massive fan of the traffic-laden drive, and parking around the centre of Manchester was a nightmare, so she would rather make the journey easier by hopping on the bus and also doing her bit for the planet.

Despite her initial worries, Felicity enjoyed the time to herself, with her AirPods in, listening to her favourite music. She even purchased some new outfits for future date nights with James for when they had finished this silly break, a break they had decided to take to focus on their individual goals. Adding to her basket, she bought a few more items to personalise her university room. She was minding her own business as she walked through the Arndale shopping centre, idly wondering where she should head next, or perhaps she should head home. That was, until someone called her name.

“Felicity?” The voice was familiar, but it was more of a question than a statement.

Felicity stopped short once she heard her name for the third time at an increasing volume. She whipped her head around and pulled the AirPods from her ears to see Jared Connor standing there.

“Jared!” Felicity gasped, her surprise evident in her voice and on her face.

Jared was Layla’s twin brother, and although circumstances would imply otherwise, he and Felicity hadn’t seen each other in a while. It wasn’t enough to have a proper conversation and catch up at least. Once upon a time, Jared, Layla, and Felicity were inseparable. Layla and Felicity remained that way, while Jared drifted away from them. Felicity started dating James, and they became young adults; therefore, it wasn’t ‘cool’ to hang around with your twin sister and her best friend. The females Jared now hung around with were arguably better looking and less lame than Layla and Felicity. At least, that was what Felicity believed.

“Thanks for stopping,” Jared sighed with relief, a nervous smile on his lips. “I worried I’d got the wrong person.”

“We haven’t seen each other for a little while, but I have changed little since then,” Felicity replied with a wry smile, finding it easy to joke with him.

“True enough,” Jared laughed. “How have you been?”