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THE START OF SUMMER

MARY-ANNE GREENE ALWAYS SMELT LIKE FRESH LAVENDER, AND EVEN MONTHS AFTER SHE'D LAST SEEN HER, NELLY THOUGHT SHE SMELT THE VERY SAME.

Nelly and Tate had gotten dropped off precisely ten minutes ago, their father all but dropping their bags off before making his way out of La Push as quickly as he came. No reason to linger, he'd said stiffly. Yeah, what a crock of shit.

She'd barely let go of her mother, squeezing the woman tightly as though she would disappear, only relinquishing her hold when Tate began murmuring about when his turn to hug mom was.

Lummi was fine, but Nelly quickly got sick of the mundane-ness of her home nation. She craved to be back in La Push with her best friends, was eager to savour as much time as she could before she and her brother would eventually be corralled back to Michael's.

"A straight-A student living under my roof," Mary-Anne cheered, weaving her arm behind her daughter's back as she took a bag full of clothing in the other. She pressed a kiss to the girl's temple. "I'm so proud— I'm always proud."

When they crossed the threshold of the evergreen bungalow, her grandmother was waiting inside with her normal, wise smile.

"Welcome home."

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It took Nelly all of two hours to fully unpack, sorting her clothing into the drawers of her small bedroom with a sort of newfound practice. She swapped out some of her old posters with new ones, her music taste having shifted ever since she left, and she decluttered her desk significantly.

When she stepped back, observing the room, she smiled at her decent work. Her eyes, though, flickered to her bedroom window that was situated right above her desk, which looked out onto the backyard. Her eyes squinted on their own at a flash of movement near the treeline, but shrugged when she figured it was just an animal that was passing by in the dense forest.

Having the house back onto the forest was both a blessing and a curse; it was a blessing because Nelly was always a sucker for nature and its serenity, but was also a curse in that Nelly was scared of all forest animals.

She'd never admit it out loud, but she was scared of anything that maneuvered around on all fours ever since she got bit by a neighbourhood stray when she was seven. The poor girl had to get a tetnus shot and everything, and she still shivers if she thinks on the memory for too long. So yeah, it was safe to say that Nelly let the forest animals do their thing... as long as they weren't doing so near her.

Despite this, Nelly found herself traversing towards the backyard, slipping through the glass sliding door with ease. It was essentially a large field of greenery which led to the treeline, the looking lines above her swayed gently with the afternoon breeze. The tire swing was right where it always was, just near the side of the house, and it was stagnant despite the flow of air.

Before she could even think about it, she heard her name being called from the street. Craning her head to fully look at the side of the home, she saw a flurry of limbs descend from their bike, ditching it on the ground in favour of sprinting in her direction.

Nelly and the figure collided, dropping to the ground in a heap of giggles. "Kimmy!" she exclaimed, practically holding her dear friend's face in her hands. "You are such a sight for sore eyes."

"Nelly Belly, as I live and breath," she huffed out with a matching smile, jumping back up to her feet with a bounce before extending her arm out to her friend, "I know I'm pretty, but it never gets old hearing you say it."

Nelly rolled her eyes, taking her friend's hand and rising upward. Nelly Sequoia and Kim Connweller had been great friends since the second grade, when Nelly had been put into a split class with third graders. Somehow Kim thought the younger girl was fun to be around, and they'd hit it off ever since.

Of all the residents of La Push, Nelly missed Kim the most. "You been keeping yourself busy while I've been M.I.A?"

"It's like I was waiting for my husband to return from war," Kim groaned dramatically, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead as though she was about to faint. "It's been hellish. Kira's gonna be so pissed I got to you first."

Akira Fuller was the third member of their little trio. Her younger brother was best friends with Tate, which is how Nelly came to know the eldest Fuller sibling. She was also Nelly's age, making Kim the natural mama bear of the group— a title she willingly bestowed upon herself.

Though she was excited to get the trio back together, Nelly was suddenly acutely aware of who else Kim hung out with. "Can we uh— keep my homecoming between us three, though?" she asked, and it sounded more like a plead than anything else.

Kim looked confused for a split second before her eyes widened, the message clicking into her brain. "Oh! Yeah, of course," she reassured the girl softly, watching as a little bit of tension oozed out of the younger girl's shoulders at that. "I'm actually dating Jared now... it's still new–ish, but I wouldn't tell him. Promise."

Nelly wished she said she didn't see that coming, but unfortunately she had from a mile away. I mean, Jared seemed outright devoted to Kim during the winter break, and you would've never been able to guess that they hadn't actually spoken to each other at all before the break.

"I'm happy for you, Kim," she breathed out, and though she wasn't the Cameron boy's biggest fan, even she could see how well he was treating her best friend. She couldn't help but feel happy for the girl. "It's not that I wanna keep it a secret, but I just don't— y'know—"

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Nell," she shushed the girl. "He who shall not be named was a right asshole, so I get why you wouldn't wanna see him."

Nelly subtly winced at the reminder, the event and the asshole associated with it was she attempted to bury a few months ago. She had her time to wallow, stew in the self loathing, before she realized that if he didn't want to deal with her anymore, she'd find others who would.

"Maybe us three can go for some ice cream tomorrow, have a proper catch up," Nelly proposed, trying to segue away from the topic of her literal arch nemesis. "We're already super behind on our summer plans."

Kim smiled, hitting her shoulder against her own. "Deal," she agreed easily, the two girls now walking up to where the Connweller girl had so carelessly dropped her bike. "Also, now that you're back, are you looking for a summer job?"

"Are you offering me a spot at the bakery?" Nelly questioned with a smirk, and in turn it made Kim's own lips curl upward teasingly.

"If I said we have an opening because Janice Foxfire quit with only two damn days of notice, would you come in for an interview?"

"Oh, hell yeah. Do we get any leftovers at the end of our shifts?"

"...I wouldn't push your luck."

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[ wyn's note ]

kim, nelly, and akira: aka the baddies of la push. i already know im gonna be obsessed with them it's unreal.

but our girl is back on the rez!! and since this is post eclipse, it's the summer right after the newborn army gets defeated and right before breaking dawn part 2!!

summer fun has now begun tho LOL. till the next one xx