*Every summer of my life has led me back to Cousins Beach. No matter how much school or the real world changed me, the moment we pulled into that familiar driveway, it felt like stepping into another version of myself—the version that belonged here.

I grew up with Belly, Conrad, Jeremiah, and Steven. Summers at Cousins were our rhythm. Popsicles dripping down our wrists, sand stuck between our toes, late-night card games that went on until someone fell asleep mid-turn—we’d done it all together. They weren’t just friends; they were family, bound to me in ways I couldn’t imagine breaking.

But even before I stepped out of the car this year, I could feel it. Something was different.

“Jinnie!” Belly’s voice rang out as soon as I opened the door. She sprinted across the grass, her hair flying behind her, and before I could breathe, she crashed into me with a hug.

“It’s been forever,” she said, squeezing me tight.

I laughed, hugging her back. “It’s only been a year, Bells.”

“Exactly. Forever.”

When I looked up, the rest of them were already there—Steven juggling too many bags at once, Jeremiah grinning like he had no plans to help, and Conrad, standing off to the side with that unreadable expression he always seemed to wear.

Susannah came out then, radiant as always, her sundress fluttering in the breeze. She looked at us with that soft smile of hers, the kind that made me feel like we were all safe, all home.

And in that moment, I couldn’t help but think: this summer might be like every other… or it might be the one that changed everything.*