One Last Summer

By Nick Van Loy

Four friends, one journal, one trip, one last summer.

Eric Palmer is all set to start fresh. As he gets ready for college, he spends one last summer with his friends.
On one of the last days of summer, he receives a package from his father, which he hasn't opened yet. Later that day, he gets a phone call from his mom, telling him that his father has passed away.

He then embarks on a cross-country road trip to attend the funeral. This trip gets complicated when he opens the package from his father and discovers a journal, with a written confession of the horrible secret they covered up. Eric will soon find out what happens when the past comes back to haunt you.

A story about friendship, the meaning of life, and a search for identity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nick Van Loy
• Release date: Dec 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005117474

Nick Van Loy

Nick Van Loy is a young writer from Belgium. In 2021, he first published his debut novel Insomnia with the help of Cranthorpe Millner Publishers. In between writing novels, Nick Van Loy also writes short stories. He does some occasional travel writing while drinking cheap beer and expensive whiskey in foreign countries whenever possible. He is occasionally seen wearing pants in his hometown Stabroek, Belgium.And did we mention he has run less than one marathon and that he is also tall for no apparent reason whatsoever?Intrigued?Read his books to find the autobiographical elements to get to know the real Nick Van Loy.But whatever you do, don’t send him an e-mail!Just kidding, feel free to do so, he loves the attention.

Book preview

California

Nevada

Arizona

1.

"Sign here please."

The UPS driver handed me the paper, along with the pen he pulled out from his breast pocket. I was already running late. My friends were waiting outside, ready to drive us all to the beach. But once I opened the front door, I saw the UPS truck pull up on the driveway. He already saw me coming outside, so there was no point in ignoring him. I quickly signed the paper with my name, Eric Palmer, and accepted the package. It was about the size of a book, covered in brown paper and wrapped around with a thin cord. I couldn’t remember ordering anything, and that’s when I saw my dad’s name on the package. I haven’t heard from him in two years, so I wondered why he sent me something now. I shook it a few times to guess what it could be, but it didn’t make a sound.

C’mon Eric, hurry up! Greg shouted.

Assuming it wasn’t fragile, I threw the package in the hallway. It landed near the coffee table my mom had sent me when I moved to Los Angeles. It was the only piece of furniture in here that had any sentimental value to me. There would be plenty of time to open that package when I get back from the beach. For now, I just wanted to go out and have some fun with my friends. Summer vacation was running to its end, and we wanted to make the most of it before we all went to college. This could be our last summer together. After that, we would all go to a different state to pursue our dreams of making something of our lives.

A yellow Jeep Wrangler was parked right outside, with Greg behind the wheel. It was his turn to drive us all to the beach. We didn’t want to take advantage of the one with the best looking car, so we all decided to take turns driving. Next to Greg was Naomi, waving for me to hurry up. In the backseat, was Jake, my best friend. By the looks of it, his nose was in a book again. He probably didn’t even notice they were already outside my house, waiting for me to get in.

I closed the door behind me, made sure it was locked, and ran towards my friends. With one swift movement, I jumped in the backseat, next to Jake. It made him jump up and drop his book, right underneath the driver’s seat.

I’m sorry man, I laughed.

Just leave the book, Greg said, you got plenty of time for that nonsense back home. Let’s go!

He was eager to get there. His plan was to show off his muscles to everyone who was there. I wasn’t an athlete like him. So I had no idea what it felt like to have every girl look at you as soon as you take off your shirt. While Greg was busy with football training, I was at home. Either watching movies or making my own documentaries. For that occasion, I had brought my GoPro with me. I wanted to document our last summer together. In a few weeks, we would all go our different ways. I had moved to Los Angeles a few weeks prior. With the intention of getting to know the city before I made it my home for the next couple of years. It had always been my dream to get into one of the top documentary filmmaking programs out there. And I was lucky enough to get into the Los Angeles Film School with my grades. But it was my documentary about climate change that made the difference. I wasn’t as smart as Jake, who got into every Ivy League he applied to. Yet, he still decided to take a gap year and travel around Europe first. Something about expanding your boundaries and get in touch with your inner self. If I had the money, I might have joined him. But I was eager to get started with my education. The sooner I got that out of the way, the sooner I could start making award-winning documentaries. At least that was the goal I set out for myself.

I gave Greg directions to a secret beach close to Santa Barbara. It was a longer drive than our usual spot in Long Beach, but I guaranteed them it would be worth it. Few people knew about that place, so it wouldn’t be as crowded as all the other beaches around. Naomi had connected her Spotify to the car stereo and was looking for a proper playlist for out little trip.

On the tunes of Surfin USA, we arrived at our destination, an hour and a half later. I was the only one who knew where it was, and as soon as I saw we were getting closer, I stood up. My shirt blew open in the wind and I yelled:

We’re here!

Everyone was excited to see what kind of beach it was, and why it remained a secret to most people. Normally, I would have taken this opportunity to bring my surfboard with me. But this was all about us being together for one last time. Not all of us surfed, so it would be selfish of me to go out in the ocean by myself. But a barbecue and swimming didn’t sound so bad either, and I for one, couldn’t wait to get into the water.

Where’s the beach, Eric? Naomi asked.

Just wait, we’re almost there.

There wasn’t a beach in sight, only sand dunes as golden as the sun that shone brightly above us. The grass brought them to life, moving in the wind as tiny little green flags. We walked towards what seemed the end of a cliff. There, a small pathway down revealed itself, leading to a beach hidden from sight. If you didn’t know about the pathway, you would never believe there was a beach down there.

Where did you even find this place? Greg asked.

When I just learned to surf, my teacher brought me here once. He said the best waves, are the ones no one knows about.

Since that day, I went there regularly. The sea air arrived with a nostalgic majesty, strong enough to disrupt the hairs on my arm. It brought me back to the first time I laid eyes on this beach. It was about the same way how Naomi and Greg were looking at it right now. I love this beach, and I love the driftwood that rides the waves as tiny little rafts before they end up on the sand. I took my GoPro out of my bag and put it on top of a rotten log, facing the ocean. This would be the best spot to make a timelapse.

I threw off my Hawaiian shirt and ran towards the water. It was cold at first, so I figured the best way was to dive right in. It didn’t take long before everyone was in the ocean. I loved to swim, because the water made me feel free. It was a way for me to defy the laws of gravity. With my eyes closed, I could picture myself as an astronaut floating in space. This was my way to experience the feeling of weightlessness without even going to space.

We stayed in the water for about an hour. Naomi was the first one to get out. She couldn’t go one hour without checking her Instagram feed. Even though we were alone, I felt safe we had someone to guard the rest of your stuff. I, for one, was happy we were all alone. But I could see that Greg was a bit disappointed in that. He’s an athlete, and not a moment goes by when he doesn’t want to impress some girls by showing off his trained body. Instead of impressing random girls, he decided to impress us with his football skills. Jake and I were anything but athletic. Okay, I surfed, but not enough to get a killer physique from it. And Jake, well, Jake liked to spend his time meditating and doing yoga. He was fit, but he couldn’t care less about sports. It was a miracle that Greg even befriended our little group. In school, we were all part of different social classes. Jake and I were considered part of the geek squad. My interest was in movies, while Jake’s head was always buried in some book. Either philosophy or history, not something most kids our age would read for fun. Naomi was a bit of a rebel. She always hung with the skaters at the back of the school. And Greg? Greg was a jock. Football was all that mattered to him, it was his life. We would have never met if he wasn’t failing math. Our math teacher suggested that Jake woud tutor him, and somehow they both seemed to hit it off. And here we are, the four of us, inseparable ever since.

Greg pulled a football out of his backpack and threw it in Jake’s direction. The only thing he did, was stare at it as it flew past his face.

C’mon Jake, at least make a little effort, will ya?

Jake sighted, and ran after the ball. This was Greg’s time to shine. He decided to teach Jake some basic football.

Look, just hold it like this, Greg ran towards Jake and showed how it was done, Just keep the laces up with your middle finger off the top, like this. Then place your ring finger between the second and third laces, and your pinky between the fourth and fifth. Then wrap your thumb around the ball.

Greg grabbed the ball with both hands, took two steps back, and raised the ball so it was at the same level as his neck.

Always keep a firm grip on the ball, just like this.

He bent his knees slightly, and brought the ball over his head.

Hey Eric! Think fast!

Before I knew what was happening, I saw a football flying in my direction. Luckily I was blessed with good reflexes and I was able to catch it. I couldn’t help but fall on the sand though, my balance wasn’t as great as my reflexes. When I fell to the ground, I held the ball tightly against my chest. From a distance, I could hear Greg say something to Jake:

And that’s how it’s done, easy peasy.

A little heads-up would have been nice, I mumbled, still in shock I was able to catch the ball.

Nice catch, Naomi said, before her attention went back to her smartphone.

Thank God she saw me catch the ball. I couldn’t imagine how she would react if I missed, or if it flew right in my face. We wanted to end the day with a bonfire. There was enough driftwood around that we could use to start a fire. It took Greg and Jake about twenty minutes to get it started. I offered them a lighter, but they insisted on doing it the old-fashioned way. I figured to just let them do all the hard work. If it wasn’t for Jake’s everlasting patience, I was sure Greg would have already accepted some kind of help.

Naomi, mind giving me hand? I asked.

I loved spending time with Naomi, especially if it was just the two of us. Let them deal with the fire, while I took the opportunity to be alone with her. We walked back up the steep dunes and got back to the car. We had packed enough beer to hold a frat party, but tonight, it was only the four of us.

The sun was reddening and soon it would be night. As dusk started to fall over us, we started roasting marshmallows over the raging fire. Right until the moment Jake got it in his head that we should all take off our clothes and go skinny-dipping. He has always felt the urge to feel free in nature. Whenever we went camping, he was the one that would sleep outside. While the rest of us enjoyed the comfort of a tent. After a few beers, just enough to get him tipsy, he wanted to experience full freedom. And that meant releasing the shackles of what we called clothes. A part of me wanted to do it. Only if Naomi joined me, and if the rest of the guys weren’t there. Even after a few beers, I still felt embarrassed to take off my clothes in front of her. Jake already head his hands on his shorts, ready to take them off.

Nuh-uh, Greg stopped him, Don’t even think about it, man. No one wants to see your skinny ass. Keep those pants on, ya hear me!

For a moment, I was sure Greg was going to join him. But then I realised he wouldn’t do anything like that without having a female crowd around that adored him.

With a flourish of romance, the sunset blossomed red and gold. I moved a little closer to Naomi, who was still preoccupied with her Instagram feed. I didn’t get why people were so obsessed with it, but on the other hand, I was the same with Youtube. But I always used it as a means to get an audience for my movies. After all, that was what got me into the Los Angeles Film School. While she hearted every picture she came across, I seized the moment to get closer to her, unnoticed. For as long