Ethan Yetman

Summer Paradise, Part 1

It was nearing the end of my last semester of high school, and it felt like the end of that chapter of my life couldn't come sooner. After all of the emotional highs, lows, and everything in between that those four years provided, I was ready to pull the curtains and see what this new stage of life had to offer, accompanied by a few close friends and an uncertain path for the future. The last few months seemed to drone on as I had just gotten out of my longest relationship yet, had to refund my prom tickets to avoid a rather awkward night, and was otherwise just set on coasting through the summer enjoying life more casually after being committed for so long. I wasn't looking to fall in love anytime soon, and I while I've never truly been fond of the single life, I had come to accept the notion of building my own story for a while without the help of another. However, no matter how much you try to avoid it, love has a habit of starting a fire in your heart when you least expect it.