___&& oh sunshine [ lb ]

[bobby]

Welcome to Thomasville, Florida!

Thomasville, Florida... What? What do you mean you never heard of Thomasville, Florida? It's the best place to be if you are looking for sun and surf. It's a nice quiet community without all the hustle and bustle of so many people living in one area, like in Miami and other famous beaches like that... you hardly step one foot and there is already someone next to you on the beach. Not at Thomasville. Nope. Quiet community with a smaller than average size. Okay, it isn't that small, but it is small compared to the other cities and towns of Florida. Overall, it is a great place to visit if you are vacationing here and the locals are all nice and friendly as can be...

Okay, maybe some of them aren't and maybe the place isn't seen as Paradise by them either. The community consists of people of all money status from poor to rich, and you would think there would be more than one high school right? Wrong. Everyone goes to one high school and it's private, like the elementary school. The middle school costs nothing to get into, but in order to make it into high school you either need either: a.] money, b.] connections, or c.] a scholarship. If you have none of these you are probably going to wind up attending high school to the nearest town. Either way, you have to spend money. For anyone who has a high paying job, Thomasville seems like the coziest place in the world, especially when you have no problem paying for your child’s education, but when it comes down to it, to the rest of the townies, it's not the best place to live because of everything being so pricey.

Another thing about Thomasville you should know: the temperature never goes anything under 50 degrees. Yes, it is the perfect town to visit in the summer months, and yes, everyone wears their favorite shorts or halter top all year long. Though... none of what I just told you excludes the town from something that almost every town has... Cliques. Yes, cliques are seen inside the high school and cliques in the neighborhood depend on how much money you own. Not a very nice sounding town if you live there, now is it? Now, throw in some exchange students from another part of Florida and beyond and your bound to have chaos. Whether the families moving there are rich or poor or whatever, they are going to be in subdue of the cliques and so are their children. Sure, the people there are going to be nice, but when it comes to new faces and new personalities... well, let's just say the residents get protective of what they have.

Now, as you can see Thomasville still doesn't seem all that bad still right? Oh, how mistaken is that. Let me continue then. Have you ever heard the saying of "What's beautiful on the outside is ugly on the inside?"... Wait... that might be twisted, but this version suits our story a lot better. Shall we continue? This town is like any town. It has it's bad quirks and it's good ones. The good ones overshadow the bad ones, but it doesn't mean the bad ones aren't there... Kind of like sweeping dust under a rug instead of into a dustpan and throwing it out like a normal person would. Yes, everything beautiful has it's warts. This place is no exception. Drugs, wannabes, has beens, anything you can think of can probably be found here underneath it all. The parents are just as immature as the teenagers, gossiping, talking about other people, staying at the top. Anything normal that happens in high school that a teenager would go through it can go through the adults too. Everything is about hook-ups, parties, juicy gossip, and sitting on the beach; Drama is a major factor in this town and when I say major, I mean MAJOR.

Basically everyone knows everyone and they like to keep it this way. If someone doesn't know someone, then it's more than likely that their parents are going to know the other's parents. Simple as that. They're all intertwined in some way or the other. Hence, another reason why a lot of people got annoyed when new people began to move to the town. New meat? Yeah, only reason it was a good thing. Exploitation, ruining images, making them do what you want... so lets just say that new kids aren’t very welcomed. The sad part is... this goes for the adults as well. But don't fret new peeps, news spreads fast and gossip is even faster, so soon, your business will be everyone's, and as quickly as that you'll get sucked into the Thomasville lifestyle.

Now, people over here don’t worry about the usual things. Laid back, carefree, fun-loving, those are words to describe the locals of this small town. Homework isn't hell as it normally is, school work isn't either. The only thing hell-born is the people in these places and the rumors that are spread. Thomasville isn't a big town, nor very connected to any other city for a good 50 miles or more. What's so important about that? Well, it means anything that goes on or happens is everyone's business. Hardly anything is able to be kept secret unless you are a skilled liar. Keeping a secret for more than a week is a blessed gift here at Thomasville... That's not so wonderful, now is it?

Now, people are going to ask what is the major pastime here at Thomasville. One word: surfing and if it isn't surfing it's gossip. Mainly, however, it is mostly done by the teenagers who are into this sort of thing. Many of the adults do it as well, but not as much as the males among the teenagers. If you surfed and had a great body... Hell, you were on the top 'Hot List' of the school. Anything dealing with the ocean is what this town is centered around seeing as they have a beach and a cove to boot. Beyond surfing, it's not a really big deal really. Just a pastime and a reason to see guys shirtless and wet. Ahem, anyway as I was saying... Thomasville is a quiet paradise with some good surfing tides, gorgeous people, and the majority of the time, tons of money. However, the dark part of this town still exists and the most lucrative neighborhood... OH! Don't get me started on the bad side of the neighborhood. You have your gangs, drive bys (rarities, but they're there), and a lot of stuff that would NOT be mentioned on a traveling brochure. Where would the money come from if they did?

Okay, so surfing, drama, gossip, teenage lust, your occasional illicit substances and themes, and a whole lot of questionable behavior is what Thomaville sis all about. Now, when people say don't judge a book by it's cover, listen. Sunshine and paradise can turn into a darkness and hell pretty quickly. Though, you won't judge Thomasville. I know you won't. Because if you came here you would easily succumb to Thomasville's ways as well.

Everything said, let me now welcome you to Thomasville, Florida once again. Where the sunshine is always there, gorgeous people roam the streets and school, and there is always time for your favorite pastime.

Oh, Sunshine... here I come!