She tosses golden hair and hop-skips her way to the rocks. He runs to catch up and laughs.

“The jetty?” He smiles, and leans against a large boulder. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Summergirl.”

The air smells of salt, and tourists wander down the sidewalks. Seagulls cry and the sand wiggles through her exposed toes.

“Tourists get stuck out there! Islanders are always rescuing them, and I’m not in the mood to save your butt,” Eli says, grabbing Summergirl’s hand as she turns.

“I’m not a tourist; I’ve been here my whole life,” she protests, wiggling free. “Or my summers at least.”

He lunges for her again. “I’m not going there, so you aren’t either.”

She giggles. The sun falls on her face and she squints. “I beg to differ.” Then Summergirl turns and makes a dash for the long stretch of rocks closing off a section of the ocean for the boats to harbor in. The pink granite is warm against her feet but she jumps from rock to rock with ease.

“Jeez.” Eli is following close behind, despite his initial disapproval. “You don’t know when to stop, do you?”

Summergirl halts and squats down. She reaches into a crack between rocks. The two have gotten past the dry mark and there is a damp feeling in the hole. Nevertheless, Summergirl reaches down and pulls out a teddy bear.

“Who do you think dropped this?” she asks, sitting on the rock.

“Another stupid tourist who shouldn’t be out here because she will get stuck!” Eli says, staring at Summergirl with disapproving eyes.

“Yeah.” She stuffs the bear into her back pocket and continues on. Eli hears his name being called and turns.

A man is standing at the edge of the jetty with his hands cupped around his mouth. “Eli, Mom needs you home!”

“Okay! One sec!” Eli turns to Summergirl. “Come on.” He grabs her wrist and she twists away again.

“Nope, I’ll keep going.” She waves goodbye and hops to the next rock.

“No way!” Eli looks fed up. “You are coming back with me!”

Summergirl jumps to the next rock, curls her toes around the edge. “Nah, go on Eli, I’ll make it home.”

“Eli!” the boy at the end of the jetty called again. Summergirl was already eight rocks away and the distance was widening.

Though he hated himself for doing it, Eli walked away.

************

It is sunset. The day tourists have gone home on the 7 o’clock ferry, and the tourists who will be staying the night are in the outdoor restaurants, laughing at jokes they don’t understand.

Eli wanders down the sidewalk, with hands shoved in pockets and baseball cap turned backwards. There is a dot at the end of the jetty. Eli gets closer and the dot is wearing a blue sundress. Eli sighs, knowing the dot is Summergirl, and he makes his way down to the jetty. Halfway across the cooling rocks he notices that Summergirl is standing facing the sun, her arms outstretched and the sundress swirling around her.

As he gets closer Eli sees that the teddy bear she picked up before is in her left hand, also facing the sun. He walks as quietly as he can, and he watches Summergirl. He’s only a rock away when she speaks.

“Look at me, I’m so far from where I was born, but I belong.” Eli opens his mouth as if to speak, but nothing comes out. Summergirl lowers her arms but doesn’t face him. “They call me Summergirl because I am here for the summers, and the summers only. I’d rather I was Angela here and Wintergirl there. This is my home.” She turns to face Eli. “I’m Angela here!” Tears stream down her face. “This is where I’m Angela! On this rock! On this island! And Mom says we’re not coming back! She’s selling our house!”

Summergirl looks at the teddy bear in her hand and throws it. For a moment it’s a black speck, attempting to smother the sun. Then it falls. It doesn’t make a splash, but the noise is deafening. “She’s selling our house.”

Eli stares, and suddenly becomes embarrassed; his eyes fall to the water crashing on the rocks. Summergirl faces the sun once more, and sits on the rock.

“She’s selling my life,” Angela whispers. “She’s taking me from the place I love. On the mainland I’m nearly friendless; here I’ve got you, and I’ve got everyone else. What is she thinking?”

Eli sits and wraps his arms around the sobbing girl’s body. “We’ll figure it out. Don’t worry, Angela, we’ll figure it out.” For the first time someone on the island calls Summergirl by her real name, and that’s when she realizes she doesn’t belong here anyways.