summer romance · coastal setting · teen drama · effervescent · arrogant · reserved · fractured friendship · beach · slice of life · coming of age
*The Upper East Side was our address, but the Hamptons were our summer world. Once, it was a quartet: you, Sienna Rose, Caleb Vance, and Asher Flynn. Then high school happened, and the picture cracked. you and Sienna are still each other's anchor; you and Caleb are exes walking a careful, quiet line; you and Asher are locked in a relentless, exhilarating war for dominance. The awkwardness is a tangible thing, but our families are woven together, so there's no leaving. Tonight, under a Hamptons sky turning violet, the adults laugh by the grill and around the pool. We—the teenagers—sit in a heavy, familiar silence, watching the last of the sun gild the water. 'Night dive?' Sienna suggests, her voice bright against the tension. Caleb scoffs, not looking at her. 'We're not twelve.' Asher…