Malina Beach: A Paradise Island Series

by K. A. Burgdorf

  Malina Beach

  A Paradise Island Series

  By: K. A. Burgdorf

  Copyright © 2015 by Kelsey A. Burgdorf

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Chapter One:

  I’m a military brat. For the first seven years of my life, my parent’s moved my older sister, McKenna, and I around the United States. We hardly stayed in one place for more than a year or two. My mom is in the air force, my dad a Marine. They met at spokesman dinner years and years ago, and were inseparable ever since.

  It wasn’t until my dad died in Iraq that my mom finally settled down near Arnold Air Force base in Tennessee. We’ve been here for nine long, amazing years, and I’ve met some of the greatest people I know here. But soon, it will all be over.

  It’s the end of May and the beginning of summer break. School’s finally out after another long year of early mornings and end-of-the-week exams. For a little while, I don’t have to worry about catching the bus at the end of my curb or cramming for tests on South East Asia and the Industrial Revolution.

  I can have a little time for myself, and some time with Addie and Jacob in my tiny, Tennessee town.

  Jacob and I can finally have some ‘us’ time.

  I made myself a promise that this will be the best summer of my life. It has to be, because it's my last summer here.

  The first day after school’s out I sleep until noon, loving every moment I’m nestled under the blankets. I’m wearing fuzzy socks that keep my feet warm and comfy, sweats that hug my hips and ankles, and a t-shirt I’ve had since the sixth grade that still fits my thin frame.

  My house is quiet, so I’m sure my mother’s out. McKenna’s most likely asleep as well; she finished her first year of college last week so she was a little ahead on the summer fun. It’s Saturday, so I know my mom’s either at the local coffee house with Jillian, her friend from work, or at the mall looking for the new shoes she said she’d buy me. My old wedge heels are lying by my bed, resting on my bedroom carpet. The white fabric that wraps around my foot is stained with dirt and torn in various places. She bought them at the beginning of the school year, nine months ago.

  I turn over in my bed and the picture frame on my dresser is staring me in the face. It was from years ago, right after I started kindergarten. My parents, McKenna and I were on the beach; it was like a family portrait gone wrong. We were all laughing and throwing sand at each other. I smile at the memory. My father died when I was six. He was thirty-two, tall, with light hair and pale blue eyes. He had so much living left to do. But he’s gone now.

  I sigh as I think about him. I don’t remember much about him so the little I can recall is precious. I remember simple things, like the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches he would make and cut into squares. I remember he was there for my first day of school. He bought me my first bike and then patiently taught me to ride. Everything else is either fuzzy or like an empty shelf in my mind.

  I finally roll out of bed a little after noon. I rub my eyes on the way to the bathroom, snatching my phone off of my dresser as I shuffle past. I check my messages and do my morning routine, brushing my teeth, and raking a brush through my knotted, brown hair.

  I have a message from Addie, my best friend. I send Jacob a ‘Good Morning’ message before I answer Addie. This is routine, even though school is out. I decide to skip a shower this morning and pad down to the kitchen for something to quiet my grumbling stomach.

  I’m very dedicated to maintaining good health. I eat clean and train mean. I run track at school and do yoga whenever I have the chance. Running is a big part of my life. When I’m running I’m untouchable. I’m free. I’m a bird with stable wings.

  I love running for the feel, the fitness, and most of all the time to myself. Jacob likes my running because it aids in keeping my body in shape, which he jokes about often.

  I serve myself a bowl of fruit, skim milk and a gluten free, organic, dark chocolate chip muffin. My love of animals has motivated my on going decision not to eat meat. I try to stay completely vegetarian. I struggled at first, but it got easier as time went on.

  I sit at the table, kicking my feet up on the neighboring chair, and munch on a slice of mango while I answer Addie. When Jacob texts me back a smile creeps across my face; he tells me good morning and asks how I slept.

  After a brief conversation with Jacob, I make plans with Addie to meet at the mall. I’m determined to run into my mom and Jacob elects to meet us there. I finish my fruit and change into comfortable black yoga pants and my favorite teal running shoes. Since my mom is gone with our only car, I decide to jog to Addie’s house, which is only nine blocks away, on Cherry Street.

  I remember the conversation my mother and I had last night. It’s the reason I slept in so late this morning. My mom is getting relocated and we’re moving to Hawaii at the end of the summer.

  No more Addie, no more Jacob. I’m going to miss my beloved hometown and the routes I have gotten used to following on my evening runs.

  My brow furrows; I don’t understand how my mom expects me to just leave my entire life behind after all this time. When I was little, McKenna and I were used to it. We didn’t make many friends; it was always just the two of us until mom and dad said it was time to move again. But we’ve been here since I was seven. My whole life is in Tennessee; it just wasn’t fair.

  At first I was nervous to start school here. It’s a small town and everyone already knew each other. I didn’t want to be left out, but then I met Addie and I knew everything would be all right. We clicked instantly. We sat together in class and shared our lunches. At recess she asked me to come over after school to play, and from then on out we spent every day together. We met Jacob a few months later and the three of us were attached at the hip. As we grew up nothing changed. No matter what was going on, we have always been there for each other.

  Addie is popular with the boys and always wears the classiest, and cutest clothes. Being her very best friend, I get to dip in her closet anytime I like, though I rarely have since we began going to High School.

  When we were in middle school, we wanted to be fashionistas. We wanted to wear clothes for a living and get paid to shop and seek out the hottest trends. We also wanted to live in New York and send our friends and family checks like rich bad-asses. Addie still wants that. I’ve outgrown it; though I don’t hate the occasional shopping extravaganza.

  The most glamorous thing I’ve done yet was a single commercial that made my face known in and around my town. That’s as far as my dream as an actress/model has gone. But I plan on giving it a more calculated shot in the future. Addie and I have always dreamed of being famous actresses. We are alike in a lot of ways and I think that’s why we’ve stayed friends since we were kids.

  My run is peaceful; a catchy pop-song blares in my headphones as I make my way down the sidewalk to Addie’s place. I take the same route so often I hardly pay attention to what I’m doing. My body just falls into the rhythm while my mind wanders. When I approach the driveway to Addie’s house, I walk up and knock three times on her large red door before turning the knob myself.

  “Addie!” I call, knowing she’s upstairs. I hear her footsteps above my head. I play with the idea of going up to hurry her along.

  “I’m coming!” she hollers, making her way down the stairs to me. She’s wearing tight jeans and a thin white top with dark brown hair pulled back into a straight ponytail. She’s shorter than I am, but stylish and sleek, as usual.

 
“Hi!” she says and wraps me in a tight embrace. I return the hug. The smell of her perfume swirls around us.

  “Hey, you ready?”

  “Yes! I’ve got my checkbook. And we can take my car,” she tells me, leading me out of her house and into her brand new Jeep Wrangler. “I see you’ve already been running today.”

  “Yep,” I answer her, sending Jacob a text to tell him we are on our way and to meet us in front of the mall. “I always run.”

  “I know,” she teases.

  The parking lot is packed, but that can be expected. There’s not much else to do in our small town; I’m sure half of our High School is here to blow off steam after a long school year. I spot Jacob and smile at him when he notices us. I hop from Addie’s car and start off across the parking lot, leaving Addie to jog to catch up.

  “Hey, Instead of going in here,” he says, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the large mall. “Why don’t we go have some real fun?” he suggests with a mischievous smirk. He has something planned.

  Addie and I shrug and the three of us hop in Jacob’s car and head to his house.

  It’s quite warm in his car. It smells just like him, probably because his bottle of cologne never leaves this car and he always sprays it in here before walking into school every morning. When we arrive at his house, I find myself standing in front of two four-wheelers. My face lights up and Jacob notices, giving me a wink. I quickly dial McKenna’s number. It rings three times before she picks up.

  “Hello?”

  “McKenna! Meet us at Jacob’s house. You won’t believe what he fixed!”

  Last summer, we rode these four-wheelers until we popped a tire on one and blew up the engine on another. He’s been working on them all year and they’re finally fixed.

  “What is it?” she asks. I hear voices in the background. She’s watching TV.

  “Just get here! You know where he lives.” I quickly hang up. “McKenna is on her way!”

  “Great,” Jacob says. Addie already jumped up on one of the four wheelers. She starts it and we hear it roar to life. I smile at them. Jacob is on his and tells me to hop on. I sit behind him and wrap my arms tightly around his waist, pressing my body against his. This summer is going to be memorable. It has to be. It just has to be.

  Jacob lives on the edge of town, not far from the gravel roads and old bridges. It’s the perfect place to have some fun. We wait for McKenna, who takes her time getting here in her heels and tank top. I roll my eyes at her.

  “How do you expect to ride these in that outfit?” I say. She rolls her eyes and goes to climb onto the back of Addie’s four-wheeler, taking her heels off and tossing them aside. Addie greets her.

  “You didn’t tell me where I’d be going or what I’d be doing.” McKenna latches onto Addie. “Let’s go!” McKenna says in excitement. I haven’t gotten to see my sister as much as I’d like since she graduated high school last year. She stays out all night and sleeps all day; she has a new group of friends that live upstate that I’ve never met. She’s always up at their dorms, and always seems to have a boyfriend. But it’s good for her, I guess. It’s her way of saying goodbye to Tennessee.

  Addie takes off with McKenna, no doubt heading for the large bridge over the lake on the edge of town. I hold onto Jacob and he goes slowly at first, so as not to jolt me, then picks up speed after Addie and McKenna. I can feel, rather than hear, him laughing. He’s having the time of his life. It puts a smile on my face.

  This goes on for quite some time. We race along dirt roads after Addie and McKenna. For a long time, we feel like the only people in the world. All we can hear is the rumble of our tires on the dirt. The sun is shining through the trees over our heads. Dirt is swirling around us, but I don’t care. It’s summer break. It’s sunny and warm and delightful. And I’m leaving at the end of it. I’m leaving my home, my friends and my love. Jacob. I’m leaving Jacob.

  I hold onto him a little bit tighter.

  We meet up in the middle of a field and Addie and McKenna switch places. Now that McKenna is driving, the rides are more dangerous. McKenna isn’t very experienced on four-wheelers, but she manages as she races ahead of us and back down the road.

  Jacob is less cautious, swerving and hitting more bumps. I hold on tighter.

  Suddenly, something changes. My stomach tenses and Jacob hits the brakes hard and suddenly, slamming me into his body. I stare past him, at McKenna and Addie as they head straight for the trees. My voice is caught in my throat, though I want to scream. We come to a stop. McKenna and Addie smack a tree and halt to a stop as well as Addie falls off the back.

  “McKenna!” I yell. “Addie!” My heart is racing, but I’m confused when I realize they are laughing. They laugh hard and loud, holding onto each other. Maybe they’re in shock.

  “McKenna!” Addie laughs. “You’re a worse driver than I was my first ride out.”

  Jacob laughs. “Addie, no one was as bad as you,” he chuckles.

  I remember Addie’s first ride. She started the engine, gave it a little gas, turned and went straight into a ditch. She dented the front and got a cut on her knee, other than that, everything was fine. We all got a good laugh at Addie’s expense that day.

  “I’m okay!” they call together. McKenna trades places with Addie as she teases her about her driving and how she doesn’t want to die at the beginning of summer break.

  “Let’s go back to my place,” Jacob says. “We can have a bonfire, cook some hot dogs.” McKenna’s face animates.

  “Sounds like a plan!” Addie calls, starting her four-wheeler back up. We make our way back to Jacob’s. He loads wood into a large pile in his backyard while Addie, McKenna and I talk. It’s early evening now and the air feels cool on our skin. The sun is still shining brightly though, washing over us. Jacob starts a small fire and coaxes it into a blaze. He runs into his house for things to roast.

  “This is fun,” Addie says. We all stare at the fire, mesmerized by the dancing flames.

  “It is,” McKenna agrees, squinting away from the smoke that blew towards her.

  “I’m going to be really sad when it ends.” I say, turning to look at them.

  “I can’t believe we have to leave,” McKenna sighs. Jacob emerges from the house with hot dogs, marshmallows, and roasting sticks in his hands.

  “Here you go,” he says, passing them to us. He comes to sit beside me on the grass, feet away from the fire. Smoke rises into the air and disappears down into the field. By the time each of them have a couple hot dogs, the fire is in full- blaze, roaring and keeping us warm as the sun goes down.

  I sit between Jacob’s legs on the ground, leaning against his warm chest. He’s eating his third hot dog. McKenna groans.

  “There goes my diet,” she sighs, patting her flat stomach. I roll my eyes.

  “Yeah, McKenna. You better take it easy. I think I saw one of your ribs.”

  She rolls her eyes. “You're more of a health nut than me, Malina. When was the last time you had a carb that wasn’t carefully calculated?”

  “I eat healthy, so what? It’s better than slaughtering innocent animals.” I point to the pack of opened hot dogs.

  “Are you sure you don’t want one? There’s two left,” Addie offers me, I think as a joke. I shake my head.

  “No, thanks,” I say. Jacob presses his lips to the top of my head.

  “Well, you do have a great body,” Addie says. “From all that damn running.”

  “Amen to that,” Jacob says and leans down to kiss me. I kiss back, loving the feel of his lips on mine. Everything seems to be moving so quickly. One minute I’m on a four-wheeler on a sunny day, the next it’s late and we are putting out the fire.

  Everything is going too fast. I want my summer to be slow and relaxing with my friends. The end of the summer is too close and it’s only the first day.

  “Are you alright?” Jacob asks. Addie and McKenna are cleaning up our plates and wrappers while Addie finishes off the marshmallows. Jac
ob stands up in front of me, tall and handsome, towering over me. His eyes are gentle, concerned. I must look worried. I smooth my expression and smile, standing up to meet him.

  “I’m fine. Just tired.”

  “You don’t look tired,” he says and leans down to peck my lips. He plants kisses along my cheek and down to my throat, making me giggle.

  “I have to get home,” I tell him. “I’ll catch a ride with McKenna.”

  “I don’t mind driving you.”

  “I’ll be okay. Thank you, though.”

  “Can I see you tomorrow?” he asks, wrapping his arms around my waist. He pulls me in close for another kiss. I nod.

  “Of course.”

  “I’ll pick you up. We can have lunch or dinner?”

  “Actually, I have something else in mind.”

  “What?” He asks.

  “Your friend Timmy still does tattoos, right?”

  “Yeah,” Jacob raises his eyebrows.

  “I want a tattoo. Will you go with me?”

  “You want a tattoo? Since when?”

  I pull away from him. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. I want something to remember Tennessee by; I’ve always loved hiking through the mountains. Something about the peacefulness of it all, the beauty, it soothed me. I want to get a small mountain tattoo on my arm to remind me of home. “Will you go with me or not?” I cross my arms.

  “I… I guess,” Jacob stutters. “Did you tell your mom?”

  “No. But it will be fine.”

  “Well, okay then, I’ll pick you up around noon.”

  Jacob and I have been on and off for a long time now. We’ve lived in the same town since we were kids, starting out as playground friends. We blossomed into something more and nothing has really changed. We are still Jacob and Malina. We’ve always been Jacob and Malina. But even with all of our history and closeness, there’s something off about our relationship.