Seasons of Love

Her smile was as bright as the sun, Shining its light on everyone; As the summer breeze ran through the trees, He watched her as she happily ran, Wishing to God that time would freeze. ☼  ☼  ☼ They said that the best things in the world cannot be bought by money. I beg to disagree. I am a firm believer of that quote I found somewhere on the internet which goes like this, "While money cannot buy your happiness, it can buy you your ice cream, which are just the same things." And right now, the only thing that can make me ecstatic under the scorching sun is that tub of ice cream at Tim's. Now, Tim's is the only mart that could be found here in Lakeview. It is the Walmart of Lakeview. I never knew why there was no Walmart here, but I know for a fact that Tim's has been here even before I was born. I heard that it has been passed on from generation to generation as a family business. I left my bike just in front of the building, and walked directly to the dairy section. I started to hum along and dance minimally to Katrina & The Wave's 'Walking on Sunshine' which was playing inside the mart. The moment I got to the ice cream refrigerator, I immediately looked for my favorite flavor: Chocolate Fudge Brownie. I know that this flavor is the cliché favorite of almost every teenager I know but, then, who cares? As I was about to get the last tub, another hand reached to get it. I looked up and saw a very familiar guy - a pimply, curly brown-haired guy with black glasses and braces. "Josh," I said as I gave him the stink eye. He is also an incoming junior and a member of the Math club which I was also a part of. "Hi, Avery," he replied. "What are you doing?" I asked slowly, still giving him the eye. "I was just about to get this tub of ice...oh," he replied apologetically. "Well, it's yours. All yours. I'll get this one instead. Bye." "Thanks, Josh," I replied as he went away. I was glad he gave me this tub of ice cream without any fight. I think it's because he knew hell will rise if he insisted on getting this freaking last tub. Not that I am a bully or anything at school, but people just tried not to cross me because my older brother is the quarterback. Well, was. He is gone. He is not gone, gone, like dead gone. He just graduated and is off to college this coming academic year. I was practically bouncing as I headed to the cashier, excited for my ice cream, when my phone rang. "This is Avery speaking." "Aves, you have to go home right now," my brother said. "Yeah, Tanner, I'm heading home. I'm just going to pay for my ice cream," I replied. I heard a sigh from the other line. "Why, is there a problem?" I asked, worried. "Well, um...no. There's just...uh...I'm sorry. Please, just hurry home."  "Okay. Love you," I replied yet still unconvinced about the dreadful tone in his deep voice. "Love you too. Take care," he said, and then he hung up. ☼ "I'm home!" I announced, "Tanner, where are you?" I headed to the kitchen to put my ice cream in the refrigerator. "In here," he shouted from the second floor of the house. As I took the last few steps of the stairs, I was shocked to see somebody I never thought I would see again. She stood there, looking at me expectantly with her wide emerald eyes. It was different though. Everything about her was different. The last time I saw her, her eyes  looked lifeless. I can still vividly remember how hollow her face looked with dark circles under her eyes, as if the entire world was on her shoulders.  Her once long blonde hair was now a dark shade of red which reminded me of wine, and it was not long like before. It was cut up to her shoulders, and had some curls at the end. She was even more beautiful. I do not know what changed, but she looked happier. She looked youthful, even. It was only then that I noticed that my dad's arm was wrapped around her waist, bearing the same happy look in his eyes. I looked at Tanner, but he only gave me the 'do-not-ask-me' look. I looked back and forth between my parents, waiting for an explanation, seeing as they acted as if nothing was wrong. As if nothing happened three years ago. Three years ago, I came from school to a very messy house. There were broken pieces of glass all over the place and the sofas were disarranged. The coffee table was upside down, and the glass vase my mother treasured so much was also broken. Heck, even the picture frames were scattered on the floor. I was nervous, thinking that a burglar came and stole everything. It was until I heard shouting from upstairs. I followed the sound to my parents' room, and opened the door. I saw my parents, shouting at each other's faces, fighting about God knows what. "Mom? Dad? What's wrong?" When I spoke, both of them froze and looked at me, tired. They looked at each other with hatred and sighed, then told me that they would explain everything when Tanner gets home. Being the naïve thirteen year old that I was, I asked them whether it was because of me. Did I do something wrong? Was I a bad kid? Was it because I told them I didn't want to have another sibling anymore? That day was the very first day I never wanted Tanner to get home. Even though I asked them what was wrong, I knew deep in my heart that I never wanted to hear it. Apparently, they have been fighting for months now because both of them were unhappy with their marriage. I was in denial. I begged, promising them that I would do the right thing just to make them happy...for them to stay together, no matter what. They told me that it was not my fault, nor Tanner's. That we were great children, and that they were the problem. So, I asked them whether one of them cheated on each other because Tiffany Albert's parents always fought because her dad cheated on her mom, but they said no. They just did not have time for each other, which is why they fell apart and fought with each other. Tanner told me to shut up and let the adults finish what they were saying. They were having a divorce because they said that their marriage won't work anymore, and that we were going to stay with our dad because they said that he will provide for us, to which my mother got angry again, shouting that she could provide for us as well. Then my dad spurted out the real reason why they were having a divorce - he said, "Why? Can that poor gardener boy of yours provide for our children?"  Which is why I am so confused why my mother was here and why my father's arms were sweetly wrapped around her waist. "I do not understand anything," I started. "Please enlighten me on this situation, Tanner." "Actually, I do not really know either," he said, scratching his neck which he always does whenever he gets into a very awkward situation. "Dad?" I raised an eyebrow at him, and he just grinned like the Cheshire cat, "Mom?" My eyes darted back and forth between them in confusion. "Well, darling," she started, "Your dad and I are getting married! Again!" She squealed like a hormonal teenage girl who just talked to her crush for the first time. I could swear to the god of the skies, the seas, and the earth that everything stopped at that moment. I felt my jaw drop and my eyes bulged out of their sockets in shock. I looked at Tanner and saw the same look on his face, confirming that he, indeed, had no idea with this insanity. "I'm sorry. I still do not understand. Why? Why are you doing this? After three years, why get back together?" I love my parents. I really do. I got depressed when they had a divorce, and always wished for them to get back together. Every. Single. Night. But now that it is happening...now that it's real? I could not fully grasp the idea of it. This is insane. This is like a dream. I think I pinched myself too hard enough to draw blood, but...no. I wish I was just asleep and today never happened, but it is real. It is really happening. I am not against it. I, however, just find it absurd and completely unbelievable that they'd still get back together after three years. Because most divorced couples never get back together. This. Is. Not. A. Movie. Exhibit A: Tiffany's parents. I heard that whenever they see other in town, her mom chases after her father and tries to strangle him to death. I never knew why none of them moved away though. "Because we realized that we could not really live without each other," my father answered. "But how? When did this start?" I asked. They looked at me sheepishly. "No way," Tanner butted in. "No what?" I asked. "Please don't tell me that this happened during Granny's funeral," he said, and they just gave us the same look. Grandma Franny, or Granny as we like to call her, was our father's mother. She lived in California before she died, saying that she wanted to live the life despite her age, and kept insisting that she was still as strong as a horse. Everybody loved her so much. Likewise, she loved every person she knew so much, that despite our parents' divorce, she still talked to our mother as she loved her like she's her own child because she's never had a daughter. And when she died last year, everyone she knew came, our mother included. "Oh gods," we both said, "It happened during Granny's funeral." ☼ One thing about ice cream is that it will never let you down. From watching chick flicks to your personal sob story, it will cheer you up like the good ice cream it is. The moment it touches your taste buds, it's like you've tasted the rainbows in the sky. It's. Freaking. Magic. But, then, there is something more magical than ice cream - cotton candies. If eating ice cream is like tasting the rainbows in the sky, cotton candies are the clouds. I never understood how cotton candies work, which is why I think they're more magical than ice cream. When you put it in your mouth, it magically disappears. "Aves! I've been calling you for the nth time!" "Huh?" "I was asking about your parents," Pat, my best friend of ten years, said. We met when her family moved here ten years ago across the street. Tanner was teaching me how to ride a bike, then she told us she wanted to learn too. "Well, I told you everything," I replied as I took another bite from my cotton candy. "No. I am not satisfied with what you told me. How did they get back together? I need to know the deets!" "I told you, it happened during Granny's funeral. They did not go into details. And, I would not want to know about that. Why would you even want to know that? It's gross," I said annoyed. I know Patricia is my best friend but she can be so annoying. At times, I want to strangle her and throw her body in a river. Especially when she nags me for things, but hey, aren't all best friends like that? "You're right. That's too much information. Come on, let's go to the Whack-A-Mole, the boys are probably there," she said, dropping the topic. We were at the Summer Fair, which starts during the third week of summer and lasts for seven days. Today is the second day. I don't really enjoy going here since every year's the same - same booths, same people. The only different thing were the designs they put up to make it seem as if every year had different themes. I was still eating my cotton candy when I suddenly felt something wet touch my back. I looked around to see who the culprit was and whack whoever that person was in the head with my shoe until their brain comes out of their head. "Oh my gosh, A-Av-Avery, I am so s-so-sorry," a deep voice said. I looked at him, and recognized him as our class president, William Adams. His blue eyes were wide in shock, while he was still holding the water gun as his hands were up in surrender. I narrowed my eyes at him which seemed to wake him up from shock, and he gave me his handkerchief. "Oh gods, are you serious?" "I'm sorry. W-w-wait here," he said. He came back with one of those ugly orange Summer Fair shirts they were selling. He buys this stuff? Nobody buys this thing. I snatched the shirt out of his hands anyway. I mean, I did not want to walk around with a wet shirt. I know that it will dry off, but the water was squirted all over my back. Nobody wants to walk around uncomfortably. I took it and noticed that it was too large for me. "I swear, Avery, I didn't mean to do it. I-I...Uh..." He stuttered. "Shut it. I'm fine. Just shut it. Okay? I know you did not mean to, just don't do it again. To anyone," I said as I turned my back at him. I went to the Whack-A-Mole booth where Pat, Tanner and all of our other friends were hanging out. They were cheering loudly for Hugh, clearly caught up in the game. "Where have you been? You missed when Tanner hit Brody with the hammer because Brody was making fun of him whenever he fails to hit a mole. It was really funny," she started and I just nodded as a response. "Hey, can you go with me to change?" "Yeah, okay," and she started her extremely long story fest.