Summer 18

They went back to the house carrying the tents with them while the other hands were holding each other. When they got back, Hadey and Christine were there, washing the dishes. Nicole noticed them as she put the tents in the table and dragged Matt to them.

"What are you doing", Nicole asked Christine and Hadey.

"We've decided to help you, Emma and Vanessa in the chores so we wash the dishes", Hadey happily to see Matt in front of her.

"No it's okay. Matt and I can handle it", Nicole said as she pointed herself and Matt. Hadey surveyed them and saw Nicole and Matt's holding hands and the smile planted on her lips faded away.

"Is it okay", Christine asked.

"Yes, right Matt", Nicole asked Matt.

"Sure", Matt said.

"Come on", Christine said to Hadey who can't believe what she had seen.

"Come on. What's wrong with you", Christine said as she snapped Hadey.
"Oh. Thanks", Hadey said and she was now the one who was dragging Christine to go upstairs.

*

At night, the group prepared the tents. Emma, Vanessa and Nicole were preparing their tents difficultly so the boys helped them. Daniel helped Emma in her work; Rico helped Vanessa in hers while Matt helped Nicole in her work. Sabrina can't keep her eyes off Emma and Daniel who was so sweet while Hadey can't keep her eyes off Nicole and Matt. Christine was shocked by her two cousins. He nudged Sabrina and Hadey to keep their thoughts in their work so they can finish preparing the tent. While the boys where starting fire, the girls were preparing their snacks. Sabrina and Hadey were very silent in doing their work. Emma, Vanessa and Nicole kept glancing at the boys and kept talking at them. They finished eating their snacks and went off to bed.

(Thursday)

Daniel was not with Emma at that time and he was alone in the boy's room. Daniel was putting his dirty clothes into the laundry basket when Sabrina came in.

"Hi, Dan. Can I ask you something", Sabrina asked.

"What's that", Daniel asked. It seems that Sabrina had stopped flirting.

"Are you and Emma together", Sabrina asked as she sat in Matt's bed beside Daniel bed while Daniel sat in his bed.

"Yes. It's not obvious?" Daniel said.

"It's obvious. That's why I asked you", Sabrina said.

"I'll be honest to you, I had liked you and I wanting to be your girlfriend. I wanted to do anything to make you mine but I knew that I couldn't do anything to make that happen because I knew that you liked Emma a lot", Sabrina said.

"I knew that. It's obvious", Daniel said laughingly.

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry for the lot of flirting that was out of place. I hope that you understand and I hope Emma understands it too", Sabrina said.

"It's okay, I understand. I was like that when I felt the same way to Emma. I always stay with her and start some conversations and wanting it to last", Daniel said. Daniel and Sabrina laughed at what Daniel had said.

"It's hard for me to let you go", Sabrina said.

"But like everybody said, if you love someone, just let him or her go. There's nothing more than to make him or her happy", Daniel said. The two laughed.

"So are we okay", Sabrina asked.

"What do you think", Daniel said. The two stood up and hugged each other. It was a great feeling for Sabrina to hug her long time crush. They didn't know that Emma was in the door listening and watching them. She felt no jealousy because she knew that Sabrina was not there to flirt to Daniel but to talk her behavior in front of him. Daniel and Sabrina let go and Daniel had noticed Emma so he gave Emma a facial expression that says to come in. And Emma went in. he tapped Sabrina's shoulder and Sabrina turned to face her.

"I heard what you said to Daniel and I totally appreciate it too because of your jealousy to me, it made me realize that I love Daniel", Emma said.

"I'm really sorry for that", Sabrina asked.

"It's okay", Emma said.

"So, friends", Sabrina asked.

"Friends", Emma said and they hugged too.

Emma and Sabrina left Daniel and went out of the boy's room and went to the fruit shake shop. They sat at the vacant chair in the vacant table. Emma ordered her favorite, the strawberry shake, and Nicole ordered her favorite too, the mangos shake. They started to know each other well so they can be better friends.

"So Sabrina, how old are you again? I mean, how much is your age", Emma asked.

"I'm 19, the same age as you. Why", Sabrina said.

"Maybe I can set you up with my brother", Emma suggested.

"What", Sabrina said, shocked.

"Yeah, he's a year older than me and he's coming at Nicole's summer party", Emma said.

"What, Emma! You're kidding. I mean, you're crazy! I don't even know him at all and he didn't know me too", Sabrina said frightened.

"Trust me. You'll like him. I know he's not that handsome but he's good enough. I know he'll make a perfect boyfriend", Emma said continuously.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're taking it too seriously. I'll see if he would be good to me when he will already know me", Sabrina said. She didn't expect Emma to be like this. She expected Emma to be silent and rarely speak but she's wrong. The true Emma is talkative but knows how to manage her being talkative.

"Okay, okay. But please, just try. Maybe you'll like him", Emma pleaded.

"Okay, okay, I'll try", Sabrina gave up.

Suddenly, Vanessa, Nicole, Christine and Hadey were heading toward them and were amazed when they saw Emma with Sabrina for the first time.

"Oh no, what is she now up to again", Nicole said worrying for her friend, Emma.

"Who knows", Vanessa said.

"I know she knows. Look", Nicole said as she saw Emma laughing with Sabrina.

Vanessa, Nicole, Christine and Hadey arrived at the place where Emma and Sabrina were seated. Vanessa and Nicole dragged a chair beside Emma while Christine and Hadey dragged chairs beside Sabrina.

"Sabrina, can you join us in ordering our shakes", Christine asked.

"Sure", Sabrina said and she with Christine and Hadey went to the counter.

"Emma, what happened", Nicole asked when Christine, Hadey and Sabrina were out of reach. Emma told them what happened.

"Just make sure that she means it because if she doesn't well, I don't know", Nicole said.

"Nicole, stop it. If Daniel understands her, I have to understand her too. Besides, she's already sorry for what she had done", Emma said.

"Okay", Nicole said. Then Christine, Hadey and Sabrina went back to the table.

"Nicole, Vanessa, I'm so sorry for the insults that I told you. I'm really sorry about that", Sabrina said.

"I understand", Nicole said.

"Me, too", Vanessa said.

"Sometimes, girls can be that way. But it's better if we girls act that we are hard to get", Nicole joked. The girls laughed.

After a long time of conversations, it rained hardly.

"Oh my God. It's raining, how can we ever get back", Hadey said.

"There's only one way to get back in the house", Sabrina said as they stood up and watched the rain poured heavily.

"Run", Emma, Vanessa, Nicole, Christine, Hadey and Sabrina shouted together and they ran and headed to the house where the boy's were watching TV. The girls arrived all wet and headed upstairs. Daniel, Rico and Matt saw them and all of them jumped to the sound of the thunder.

"Whoa, that thunder gives me a little creep", Vanessa said as she went near to Rico. Emma went near to Daniel while Nicole went near to Matt. When Emma went near to Daniel and Daniel held her hand, Sabrina felt jealousy. It's still hurts when I saw them together. I still love Daniel, Sabrina thought but forcedly smiles when she saw Daniel smiling. Hadey felt the same way Sabrina felt but she forcedly smiles so it wouldn't be obvious. Before somebody could say something, the lights turn off.

"Brown out", Matt said compatibly. Suddenly, the door downstairs banged and they heard footsteps on the stairs. Exactly the man in a black raincoat reached upstairs and had faced them (Emma, Vanessa, Nicole, Daniel, Rico, Matt, Christine, Hadey and Sabrina who were all frightened to that man), a thunder and a lightning struck outside.

"Aaaaaah", the girls together with the boys shouted.

"Hey", the man said as he turned the flashlight on and pointed it to them. They stopped shouting.

"Wait, dad is it you", Nicole asked.

"Who do you expect", Mr. Jacobe asked.

"Whoa Mr. Jacobe, you gave us a scare", Christine said while she put her hand on her chest.

"Well, sorry for that. Can someone come with me into the basement to operate the generator in this house? What about you Matt", Mr. Jacobe said.

"Okay", Matt said.

Mr. Jacobe and Matt went downstairs and headed to the basement.

Later on, the lights turned on again and the entire house was bright again. Two minutes had passed when Mr. Jacobe and Matt arrived.

"I'd better leave this flashlight here so if the lights turned off again, it's not difficult for you to find light. And why are you girls all wet", Mr. Jacobe asked the girls curiously.

"We were at the fruit shake shop when it rained. We have to run to get here", Nicole explained to Mr. Jacobe.

"Change into dry clothes so nobody could get sick. And Nicole, I think your summer party could wait, the rain might get heavier and cost to flood. There's a possibility that it would flood the resort and maybe the swimming pool will overflow", Mr. Jacobe said.

"I understand. We'll help clean when it happens", Nicole said. Again, the thunder sounded loudly making Mr. Jacobe jumped. Daniel, Rico and Matt laughed silently. Emma nudged Daniel, Vanessa nudged Rico and Nicole nudged Matt at the same time to stop them from laughing.

"Okay, I'll leave you all here and make sure all of you stay together. Maybe you all can sleep here so you could stay together. There're extra sleeping bags in the boy's bedroom where you can share", Mr. Jacobe directed and went away. Matt and Nicole were the one who will get the sleeping bags in the boy's bedroom so they went there to get it.

"I hope this rain stops", Nicole said as she sat at Matt bed while Matt opened the cabinet. When Matt heard it and saw Nicole so sad, he went near her and sat beside her.

"Don't worry, this rain will stop", Matt said as he held Nicole's hand.

"You'll still have your summer party even if there's a possibility that it would flood the resort but it will be okay because we promised to help clean this place", Matt said this words to comfort and it did. Nicole hugged him tightly then suddenly, Hadey opened the door so Nicole let go of Matt.

"Oh, sorry to disturb you but Nicole you have a phone call from your mum", Hadey said.

"Thanks, Hadey", Nicole said as she stood up kissed Matt in the cheeks.

"Thanks for you too", Nicole told Matt then she went out of the boy's bedroom. Matt stood up and continued getting the sleeping bags.

"Do you want some help", Hadey offered.

"Maybe", Matt said. Hadey went near him and helped him bringing out sleeping bags.

"Did Nicole tell you", Hadey asked.

"Told me what", Matt asked curiously.

"Told you that I like you", Hadey said.

"What", Matt said shockingly that he dropped a sleeping bag in his foot.

"Guess she never told you. I felt the very same way Nicole felt for you since, well, we became friends. Since we all knew that you like Nicole, I tried to unvalued you but I can't. And now, you and Nicole are together. I guess there's no more chance", Hadey said as she took the last sleeping bag out of the cabinet and fell silent after that.

"I should be truthful to you because you've been truthful to me", Matt said, Hadey smiled.

"Everyone knows that you are beautiful, sweet, smart and everything but - but you're not the type of girl that I'm happy to be with, hope you understand", Matt said.

"I understand", Hadey said.

"We could still be friends right", Matt asked.

"Friends", Hadey said. The two shake hands and together they and the sleeping bags with them went out to give each of them a sleeping bags.

They all prepared their sleeping bags in the floor, then Emma and the rest of the girls brought out three bedroom lamps so it won't be that dark when they turned all the lights off.

Each of them went inside their sleeping bags and sat upright. They had a very good conversation and last until 2:00 a.m. in the morning. They slept soundly even the storm is getting heavier than ever. Rain poured heavily in the rooftop and still they were still asleep.

At 4:00 a.m. in the morning, Nicole was having a hard time sleeping as she heard his father's voice saying what he said a moment ago together with Matt's voice comforting her in unison. Sometimes, his father's voice will grow stronger than Matt's voice will do the same.

The waves kept crashing angrily into the mountain rocks. The sea water reached the poolside and all of tables and chairs were fallen down. The pool's water were taken out and been replaced by the sea water. Many types of seaweed entered the pool and the hall was all wet. The fences around each house were knocked out until the sea water reached the doorsteps.