Summer Is...

Summer is the stereotypical feeling of sand between my toes,
Summer is the songs we sing for the glory of God,
The fourteen passenger vans, filled with teenagers,
The early sunrises and late sunsets.

Summer is lightning bugs and music,
Filling the thick night air,
Summer is four square and bug spray,
Summer is tan lines.

Summer is memories captured in photographs,
Early morning practices and days spent at the pool,
Summer is hand games and laughter,
Lazy days and days packed with fun.

Summer is childhood,
Summer is the sweetness of lemonade,
The innocence of tiny hands and two wheeler bicycles,
Summer is believing in fairies and pixies,
As the sun goes down.

The Final Farewell

And it was with tears in her eyes that she turned to walk away, “I just can’t do this anymore. I have to say goodbye.” She said before gently kissing his cheek and leaving. When Justin could no longer see her face, Alexa finally began to cry. Alexa hadn’t wanted to make this decision, oh no, she never had, but it needed to be made. Justin just wasn’t a good person to be around.

The hallway seemed never ending, but as she finally turned the corner, memories came pouring over her. The first conversation Alexa and Justin had ever had, each of the moments that they had spent taking care of each other, they’re first and only true kiss, the minute that the tides had turned, the second that things had gone wrong. Oh it all rushed back into her mind, and it took over her. Alexa couldn’t hold herself up, and gave in to her shaking knees, sat against the wall, and let her head fall into her hands. What happened to the friendship that they shared? Why had so much gone wrong?

Justin used to be her best friend. The one person who she knew that she could always turn to. He was the one who was always there, in every memory, when she cried, always offering a dry shoulder and a listening ear. Their friendship was so strong, so pure. Then what? Things had taken a sharp turn for the worst. Suddenly there was a motive behind everything, and every word spoken was like walking on eggshells, waiting for them to crack. And Alexa fought it all. She pulled back, she held on desperately to the memories, as if living in the past could save her from the pain. But it had only hurt her more when she had to snap back into reality.

She had considered giving Justin an ultimatum, but that would have been much too hard for her to deal with. Anything that he did with her would be halfhearted, the friendship no longer true to color. No, Alexa had to say goodbye. Maybe she was being melodramatic, but it was this final farewell that gave her the strength to look into a future without her best friend.