Summer Days, Oh, Our Wasted Ways

Catherine lay on her bed as she stared at the ceiling. It was her last week here. Next week she was going to go home. Her parents and brother were going to pick her up and she was going to go to London for college. She would have to leave the friends, plus boyfriend, she had made this summer. Part of her wished that she never met them so that leaving wouldn’t be so hard for her but the other part of her was glad she met them and had one of the best summers of her life.

She rolled over so that she was lying on her stomach. She buried her head in one of pillows and let out a scream that was muffled by the pillow. She didn’t want to leave but she couldn’t just throw her future away. It wasn’t like they were going to be here during the school year either, they’ll be in college, preparing themselves for their future.

She heard a light tap on her window and turned to see Taylor right outside which was odd because her room was on the second floor.

Catherine jumped off her bed and ran to the window. She opened it and saw Taylor’s left foot was resting on the ledge of her window and her right on a tree branch.

“Taylor! What the hell are you doing?” Catherine asked her friend.

“Picking you up!” she said with a smile on her face. “So, come on!”

“You know, I can use the front door.” Catherine told her, not exactly wanting to climb down a tree.

“Aww, but where is the fun in that?” Taylor asked with a smirk.

“Um, well I rather enjoy living.” Catherine said.

“Fine,” Taylor said with a sigh. “Elouise and I will meet you by your front door.”

“Ok,” Catherine said before Taylor disappeared.

Catherine changed her boy shorts for denim shorts and slid on her striped slippers. She ran down the stairs, sliding her hand on the banister as she did so. She skipped the last two steps and opened the door right before Elouise or Taylor could knock or ring the doorbell.

They smiled at each other before Elouise and Taylor grabbed Catherine’s wrists. They dragged her along with them, closing the door before sprinting to their location. Catherine struggled to keep up with them, her slippers not made for running. She looked at Taylor’s vans with the dinosaurs and Catherine’s purple converse and wished she wore something else.

They stopped running as soon as their shoes reached the sand. They slowed down to comfortable walk. They walked on the soft sand, talking in soft voices. They walked in the darkness until they eventually saw the light from a small bonfire.

They reached the bonfire and sat down. A silence wrapped around them, the sizzle of the fire the only noise. A breeze passed and caused Catherine to shiver. She glared at Taylor who was smart enough to wear a long-sleeved shirt and Elouise who didn’t get cold easily.

She felt a weight on her shoulders and checked to see what it was. She turned and saw a thick hoodie on her shoulders. She looked up at Matthew who was looking the opposite way but saw the smile he was wearing. She slid her small arms into the arms of the jacket and instantly felt the warmth of the previous owner.

“So…” Mitchel said, breaking the silence.

“Catherine is leaving in a week.” Taylor said.

Everyone stayed quiet for awhile. Catherine rested her head on Matthew’s shoulder as he intertwined their fingers. Taylor wrapped her arms around herself and moved closer to Nathan. Nathan moved closer to the heat and held his hands in front of the fire. Elouise played with her fingers as Mitchel just stared into the sky.

“So let’s make this the best fucking week ever!” Matthew yelled making everyone smile at him.

“I know how to start the best fucking week ever.” Nathan said before pulling out something from a bag. “SMORES!”

Everyone cheered and got a stick from the bag that was being passed around. They grabbed the marshmallows and chocolates. They held the marshmallows over the fire with help from the sticks and then wrapped the chocolate around the marshmallows and sandwhiching it in between two graham crackers.

They repeated the process over and over again until they could no longer eat. They talked, laughed, and smiled. They ate, got dirty, and attacked each other. They played in the sand, Mitchel tackling Elouise and tickling her as his revenge.

He sat back up with a proud smile on his face whereas Elouise sat back up with red cheeks and chocolate all over her face. She sat beside him and hit his shoulder as he laughed at her.

Eventually the sun began to rise. They separated and went their own ways. Mitchel and Taylor went south to their house. Nathan and Elouise went north to their street and Matthew and Catherine went west.

Matthew and Catherine walked back hand in hand. They talked as he occasionally twirled her around. They danced in the street and soon enough ended up on the White’s doorstep.

They stood there, their hands swinging back and forth.

“So…” Matthew said.

“Why does this feel like a first date moment?” Catherine asked him as they just stood there.

“I don’t know.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Catherine smiled and tip-toed. She kissed his lips for a second before running off inside the house. She smiled and waved at him from the window and watched him walk to his own house. She then climbed up the stairs and got comfortable in her bed.

Then she let the tears free.

They rolled down her face freely. They wet her pillow, her blanket, and her clothes. She sobbed and cried her heart out.

A knock echoed throughout her room and she tried to hold in all her tears. The door opened and light found its way inside the room. She bit her lip so that the sob wouldn’t escape her lips. Another tear rolled down her face and landed on her bed.

The door closed and she heard footsteps coming towards her. She felt the bed dip because of extra weight. The person lay down beside Catherine before wrapping her in a hug. Catherine let out everything and wet the person’s clothes too.

“Shh,” her grandmother said as she comforted her.

No other words were spoken. There were no words to say. Sometimes she thinks her grandmother is just an aging lady with a good heart but its times like this when you remember that she has gone through it too, that she helped her kids go through it too, and that she is there to help you too.