Summer in Lake Haven

Lance Macallen goes up to the ice cream stand and places his order after Jessa gets hers. The ice cream is all free. She does a double take when she sees him, believing him to be Seth. “Oh, it’s you again,” she says with a smile. “And you managed to change your trunks so fast.”

Lance is wearing red swimming trunks, while Seth’s are blue. That’s the only major difference between the Macallen twins.

“I’m sorry,” Lance chuckles as he and Jessa sit under the umbrella. “I guess I should’ve told you, I have a twin brother who you were just talking to. That’s Seth; I’m Lance.”

“Jessa.” She introduces herself as they shake hands. “Nice to meet you, Lance.”

“You too, Jessa. That’s a beautiful name, by the way.”

“Yeah, isn’t it? It’s just like the name Jessica but with fewer letters and one less syllable.”

Lance smiles. “That’s unique.”

“It is.” Jessa smiles as the summer afternoon breeze gently blows through her long, golden hair. “By the way, your swimming trunks gave it away. I was a little silly to wonder how you could’ve changed into different color trunks so fast.”

Lance shrugs modestly. “I get that a lot. But it’s really easy to tell me and Seth apart. Blue’s his favorite color, and red is mine. We stopped dressing so much alike when we turned 11.”

“That’s very nice. Are you two close?”

“Oh, yeah, definitely.” Lance takes another bite of his ice cream. “We’re also close with Margot, our little sister. She’s only seven.”

“You’re lucky. I’m just an only child. I live with my cousin, Kaitlynn, who’s like a big sister to me, and my aunt and uncle. My parents were killed in a car accident when I was four.”

Lance gives her a sympathetic glance. “I’m so sorry to hear that, Jessa. I lost my dad just last year, back in New York, where my family and I are originally from. He was murdered.”

Jessa gasps. “Damn, that’s awful, Lance! I’m so sorry. What happened?” She shakes her head. “Never mind. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t feel comfortable.”

“No, it’s okay.” He gives her a small smile. “So, my father was a prosecutor who worked for the Manhattan D.A. He was murdered one weekend morning while he went to visit a family in a case that he was working on. He was shot twice in the back of the head in broad daylight.” Lance tries to fight back tears as he remembers the horrific moment when their mother Christina came home in tears, struggling to tell him and his siblings about how she’d witnessed their father lying down in a pool of his own blood on the streets of Manhattan.

“Were you close with him, Lance?” Jessa asks.

He shrugs. “Ah, not really, I hate to admit. We didn’t always get along. I was always a bit of a troublemaker, always running wild on the streets, doing bad stuff and somehow getting away with them. I hung out with the wrong crowd, the type of people that my father would prosecute. And by chance, one of them retaliated by killing him. That’s why I blamed myself at first, and that’s why my mom, Seth, Margot and I are here. To be in a safer place and to keep me out of trouble.”

Jessa gazes deeply into his blue eyes. “Lance, don’t blame yourself. The person at fault is the SOB who did this to your father. You’re here now, in a better place. I’m sure your father is proud of you, wherever he is. You seem to have evolved into a much better person than you were last year. I know this,” she adds as she moves closer to him, putting her arm around him. “Trust me.”

“Thank you,” he says softly as he smiles at her, enjoying her much-needed company. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Not that I expected it, but…” He shrugs again. “You know, Seth’s always the good one. He’s the one that’s book smart and everything. He always stays out of trouble while I invite it with me wherever I go. Back in New York, I hung out with the wrong crowd and even dropped out of school for three months. But Seth had my back the whole time by making our parents think that I’d been going to school with him while I was really running loose on the streets, doing stupid stuff and miraculously never getting into any trouble. I’d like to think that coming here to Lake Haven will be a nice change of pace for me so that I don’t get into any more trouble.”

“Hey, Lance, look at me.” Jessa smiles, her green eyes glowing underneath the sunlight.

“What?” He smiles back.

“It seems like you and your family have done the right thing by coming here. Nothing bad ever happens in Lake Haven, or at least that’s what our motto is. It’s terrible what happened to your dad, but I’m sure that he’d be proud of the changes you’re making in your life. You’re here now, and that’s one step to making a fresh new start in your life. Am I right?”

“Yeah, I guess there’s no arguing with you about that.” They sit in silence for a moment as they stare at the water, watching others go in and come out. “Also, my aunt, uncle and cousins live here. My mom’s sister, Aunt Wendy… We haven’t seen her in ages, so my mom thought it would be best to catch up with her and that’s where Seth, Margot and I are staying while we’re here.”

“That’s nice.” Jessa grins. “It’s nice to stay with your relatives. I imagine that being in a new town is pretty scary for you, especially the idea of starting school.”

“Yeah… I’ve heard a little bit about Lake Haven High. Which I assume you go to?”

They chuckle as Jessa nods in response. “Yes, it’s the most affordable public school in the area. It’s not so bad at first. The classrooms are kind of large, but other than that, the school has everything that you can possibly get involved in. I don’t know, like basketball, for one.”

Lance knows that basketball is Seth’s passion, so Lake Haven High sounds like an ideal school for them to attend in the fall. “Sounds like something Seth would be interested in. Back at our school in New York, he was involved with basketball, even when I cut school for three months. When I decided to go back to school last fall, I was on probation for ditching school for three months, so I couldn’t join any activities. I hope to get that chance when school starts.”

“Oh, trust me, Lance. There’s plenty of activities for everyone to join, so don’t ever feel like the odd one out. I’m a cheerleader, so that should say something. Watch this.” She gets up as she demonstrates a cartwheel, which is impressive. Jessa Westergart is an agile young woman.

“Whoa…” Lance is speechless as he gives her a round of applause, impressed by her agility. “I…”

“Cat got your tongue?” she laughs as she sits back down on the sand, a little closer to him this time.

“I’m sorry… That was pretty remarkable, really. How long have you been involved with cheerleading?”

“Since my freshman year,” Jessa replies. “I always like to keep in shape, so I go for walks at the park on most weekend mornings when I get the chance.”

That explains her slim figure. “I’d like to come with you sometime,” Lance says. “My family and I just moved here not too long ago after my dad’s killer was executed with the needle, so my siblings and I are pretty much like fish out of water. I’m gonna need someone to show me around town, such as the best places to go for a nice morning walk like you do.” He clears his throat. “And I guess that sounded weird to say out loud, right? That my dad’s killer was finally put to death?”

“No, it’s okay, Lance. I get it. That means you and your family finally have closure, and you shouldn’t feel guilty about what happened to your father. You know that he loved you deep down and only wanted what’s best for you. At least you had a relationship with him while you had the chance. My dad was killed in a car accident with my mom, so I hate that they got deprived of the opportunity to see me as I am now.” She quickly wipes a tear from her eye. “Wow, I didn’t think I’d get so emotional.”

“It’s okay, Jessa.” Lance puts his arm around her to comfort her. “And yeah, it was pretty hard for me to stop blaming myself for my dad’s death. I’d put him and my mom through so much hell all these years. When I dropped out of school and even when I’d been wandering around the streets, hanging out with sketchy people and doing dumb things in other people’s houses for drugs or whatever… You know, before my dad died, he and my mom told me that they were actually planning to ship me off to military school if I didn’t clean up my act. So that scared me straight, if that’s the right way to put it.”

Jessa gives him a look of amazement. “I had no idea it was that serious. How did that make you feel?”

“Angry, if I’m being honest,” Lance says dryly. “I thought they were trying to keep me and Seth apart. I know, ironic, right? Because I’ve had my moments where I’d take off from home for days at a time and no one knew where I was, not even Seth. I’d just hang around random people’s houses looking to get high or wasted, anything, really. So, when my dad scared me with the thought of being shipped off to military school, I made a vow right then and there that I was going to change my ways for good. No more hanging around bad people, stuff like that. So, my mom registered me for a support group that really helped me get my life back on track. And that’s when I went back to school with Seth in the fall.”

“And you were still on probation, right?”

“Yeah, I was.” Lance sighs. “The thing is, my mom said that she and my dad were going to discuss with each other about my plan to go to a support group to better myself instead of military school. This was the day before he was killed. My mom said that they were both going to tell me about their decision to not enroll me in military school after all, but on that Saturday morning…” He can’t bring himself to finish the sentence, but Jessa has a feeling what he’s about to say.

“That’s when you got the bad news?” She gives him a sympathetic smile.

Lance nods. “Yeah. My mom went out to run a few errands that morning, which included going to the hair salon. She said that as she was making her way back from the salon, she passed by the area of the family where my dad visited, and she noticed crime scene tape all over the place. The detectives on-scene told her that my father was shot twice in the back of the head. She didn’t actually witness the shooting, but she was just informed of what happened. This apparently happened in broad daylight, and other people saw that SOB dressed in all black–as far as I’ve heard–using a gun to shoot him twice. No one actually saw the gun until they heard shots being fired, so my dad never saw it coming, unfortunately. He was just totally ambushed from behind, so he had no chance to save himself and the paramedics couldn’t save him, either.” He quickly wipes away a tear.

“I’m very sorry, Lance,” Jessa says softly. “I can only imagine how hard it must’ve been for your mom to tell you all this when she got back. Was it hard for her?”

“It was, Jessa. She came home in tears, and Seth and I thought that she got injured or something. We saw her struggling to get the words out, but she eventually did, and we all just about lost it right then and there. It’s so surreal, even a year later. Last month marked a full year since his death, but it feels like it happened just yesterday. I don’t think it’s something we can ever get over. Or my mom, even. She was the one who saw him lying right there on the ground in a pool of his own blood as she was coming back from the salon. I’m sure she’s traumatized, unable to get that disturbing image out of her mind. My dad was the love of her life. They’ve been together for a very long time and got married a year before Seth and I were born.”

“Yeah, I can imagine.” Jessa smiles poignantly, and Lance likes the way her hair looks with the breeze blowing through it. “Your mom sounds like a strong woman, though, handling everything as best as she can. I’m sure she did her best to remain strong for you and your siblings. Right?”

“Yeah, she did her best, and even now, I still give her credit. It was her idea for us to come here so that we could get away from all that, so I don’t blame her for thinking that this is the best way for us to stay safe from all that horrible stuff.”

“Well, you should be lucky to be here, Lance. Like I said before, nothing bad ever happens in Lake Haven, so as long as you’re here with your cousins and aunt and uncle, you won’t have any reason to feel unsafe.”

“I know,” Lance sighs, “but I kind of gave her a hard time at first about moving here. We agreed to come here after my father’s killer was brought to justice and given the death penalty, and look at us now. A fresh, brand new start. Totally well-deserved.”

“Well, if New York has been your home for the longest time, it’s totally understandable for you to feel a little mad about being forced to move after this horrible incident with your father,” Jessa says. “But I’m pretty sure he’d want you, your siblings and your mom to be safe and happy, so this was probably the right move after all.”

Lance smiles at Jessa, impressed by what a compassionate friend and listener she is. “That evening of his death, my mom actually told me that she and my dad eventually agreed not to enroll me in military school after all. She said that it would’ve been better if they both could tell me that great news together so that he could see the look of joy on my face, but since he’s gone… She was able to tell me herself, and I took that news very well.”

“That’s great, Lance.” Jessa gives him a hug to congratulate him.

“I know, right? I felt a little bad that my dad wasn’t around for me to say thank you to him for making that decision to not take me to military school, but I was glad that my mom told me, anyway. I promised her that I was going to straighten myself up by going to the support group that I went to, and it really worked. And when school started in the fall, I had to repeat my freshman year while Seth started his sophomore year. So now, when school starts at Lake Haven High, I’ll be a sophomore while my twin brother is a grade ahead of me.”

Jessa smiles. “Well, it’s better than nothing, Lance. At least you’re in school. It doesn’t matter so much when you graduate high school; it only matters that you actually finish because that’s when your life really starts. Whether you’re thinking about college or going to the military–for real this time–” she adds with a chuckle. “You know, it’s your life to create after you get that diploma, so it’s worth everything in the end. And I’m sure your father would be very proud of you, wherever he is. He’d tell you to stop blaming yourself for his death and convince you that you’re a much better person now than you were in New York. I sounded like him just now, didn’t I?”

“That’s fine,” Lance says. “That totally sounds like something he’d say. Something he’d tell me, Seth and Margot. You’re not completely wrong.”

“Well, I mean it, Lance. I’d like to be your friend so that I can get to know you better… Or at least hold you accountable for doing better for yourself and not letting trouble come your way or your family’s way. So, I’d like to take you up on your offer in joining me on my weekend morning exercises at the park. You and me… We can walk or jog, whatever. I’ll give you my number when I see you next time… With a pen and paper so that I can write it down.” She grins.

“I have a pretty strong photographic memory,” Lance grins. He doesn’t really have a strong memory, but he has a fairly good one.

“Still, I like to write things down. That’s how I roll, Lance. Anyway, besides being here at this beach, do you have any other plans for celebrating the Fourth of July?”

Lance shrugs; he isn’t really sure. He and the family are planning to attend the community fair that includes a barbecue. Jessa may have other plans of her own, given her recent break-up with her ex-boyfriend. “Do you have any plans?” he asks, grinning.