Last Summer

“Is that everything?”

Kaylee poked her head out of the open window as she drummed her fingers against the steering wheel. Her best friend, Madison, stood in her driveway with her hands on her hips. She was chewing loudly on her gum.

“For the last time, we didn’t forget anything. Now stop worrying and get in the van so we can get out of here!” Kaylee said.

“Come on, Maddie, we’ve been ready for like, ten minutes!” Chelsea called out from the back of the van, tapping furiously on her phone.

“You can never be too sure, you know,” Madison climbed inside, slamming the door behind her. “Remember what happened last time?”

“You’re never gonna let me live that down, are you?” Ryan slung an arm around her as she settled in beside him, a cheeky grin on his face. “Sharing a charger wasn’t so bad.”

“But then you lost it!” James called over his shoulder. He was setting up the GPS in the passenger’s seat.

“Bite me, Jimbo.” Ryan flipped him off, but the other boy simply winked at him.

“Jaaaames,” Chelsea whined. “Play some music so I don’t have to listen to Ryan.”

“You got it, Chels.” James turned back to the phone hooked up to the auxiliary cord. It was both their GPS and their radio. As he scrolled through the playlists, he glanced over at Kaylee with a warm smile. “Any requests?”

She tapped her chin with one finger thoughtfully. “Can’t go wrong with Teenage Dream, right?”

“Ah, a classic summer song by Miss Perry,” he said, nodding his head. “You’re the driver, after all.”

“A position I don’t take lightly, thank you very much,” Kaylee said, and they both laughed.

Once James selected the song, he went back to setting up the GPS. His brows were furrowed, and his tongue stuck out slightly in concentration. Kaylee couldn’t help but stare at him, the butterflies in her stomach fluttering. His sandy hair looked almost blond in the sunlight, and he was wearing a shirt that showed off his nice arms. Not to mention how cute his expression was.

“Hellooo, earth to Kaylee!” Chelsea exclaimed. “Are we going to leave today or what?”

“Sorry, sorry!” she said, checking over her shoulder as she carefully reversed out of the driveway. “I was just waiting for James to have everything set up.”

It was a beautiful day, with the perfect weather for a long drive. Even the humidity wasn’t too bad, which Kaylee’s hair was more than thankful for. She hated when her hair became all frizzy in the heat, especially when she was around people she was trying to impress.

“So, excited for Music Week?” James asked.

“Of course,” Kaylee said. “I look forward to it every year. It’s a nice tradition we have.”

“Yeah…” James trailed off. He looked out the window, taking in the scenery of the neighbourhood. “Kinda sucks how this might be our last year, though.”

Kaylee pondered his words. It was their last summer before graduation, and everyone was going to be moving on with their lives and entering the real world. Madison and Ryan were going to Japan to teach, and Chelsea was going to be moving across the country to do her Master’s. She had known Madison since the first grade, and everyone else since at least high school, so it was definitely going to be weird not seeing them every day.

“Are you staying in Ottawa?” she asked.

He nodded his head and nudged her arm. “We gotta stick together, right?”

Kaylee smiled at him, the butterflies returning. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“That’s good, because I like having you around.”

The other three were arguing in the back of the van, but it was just background noise to Kaylee. She and James had settled into a comfortable silence, and all Kaylee could do was think about his words. It was hard to tell if he liked her as more than a friend. He was always nice to her, and he would even give her compliments sometimes, but that was also just his nature. James was nice to everyone and an overall sociable person.

Then her mind drifted to the past. As they drove through the neighbourhood—the one she had grown up in since before meeting Madison—Kaylee couldn’t help but notice how much things had changed. It wasn’t just her, either. Her childhood neighbourhood had seen a lot of changes too. The trees were so big that they covered the entire street in shade, like a dome protecting people from the outside world. Sometimes, when she was younger, Kaylee liked to imagine that her neighbourhood was part of a different world.

As for the people and the houses, many families had come and gone since Kaylee and her own family moved in all those years ago. When she was a kid, there were a bunch of other kids around her age. Now, she was one of the only people left in her age group. It was as if everyone around her was moving on, while she was stuck in her domed neighbourhood, uncertain about the future.

Kaylee’s thoughts were soon interrupted when she felt an insistent poke on her arm. She glanced briefly over her shoulder to see Madison staring at her with a serious expression.

“We need to decided where we’re stopping for lunch.”

“It’s only ten, Maddie. We’re not stopping for another two hours,” Kaylee teased.

“I know, but if we can make a decision now, then it’ll be easier for me to look up a place on my phone later.”

“What if what we pick isn’t even nearby?” Chelsea asked. “Can’t we, like, just pick something when we get there?”

“Trust me, if we pick a food chain restaurant, we won’t have that problem,” Madison said. “And I don’t want to have to argue about it in two hours when we’re all hungry.”

“Relax, babe, we’ll figure it out.” Ryan rubbed her arm affectionately. “I vote for Taco Bell, though.”

“Ew, we’re not going there. Some kid puked in the bathroom last time I went there,” Chelsea said, her face scrunching up in disgust.

“How about Wendy’s? I’ve never had a bad experience there,” James suggested, turning in his seat so he could face everyone else.

“Come on, man, you love Taco Bell!” Ryan said.

“I mean, it’s good. But you have to admit that Wendy’s is better.”

“You guys are both wrong!” Chelsea exclaimed. “We should go to Burger King.”

“You’re crazy, their food is shit,” Ryan argued.

“Coming from the guy who likes Taco Bell, that’s not saying much,” she said.

“Wendy’s is the superior one, and you all know it!”

As the three of them continued to argue, Kaylee looked up at the rearview mirror, where she met Madison’s gaze. They both shared a secret look of exasperation.

Only an hour and forty minutes left until their first stop…

***

The group had finally settled on Wendy’s. There was a little bit of protesting from Ryan and Chelsea, but they relented eventually. Once they had all finished with their lunch, everyone eagerly hopped back into the van with Madison behind the wheel and Ryan riding shotgun. Kaylee was glad to take a break from driving, but she was even happier now that she was sitting closer to James.

“Please don’t tell me we’re letting Ryan pick the music,” Chelsea said, once again typing on her phone.

“Why am I not allowed to pick the music? I have great taste!”

“Oh, babe, I’m sorry to tell you this, but you really don’t.” Madison patted him on the shoulder.

“Yeah, the music you listen to is way too obscure,” James said. “Even a hipster wouldn’t be able to recognize it.”

“You guys are exaggerating, but fine, I’ll let you pick the damn music,” Ryan said while gesturing to his girlfriend.

As Madison finally pulled out of the parking lot, Kaylee looked over at Chelsea curiously. She still had her nose buried in her phone, her eyes flitting across the screen as she typed away. She then took a quick glance at James, but he was clearly in his own world. He was staring out the window with a serious expression. Figuring he wanted to be left alone, Kaylee turned back to Chelsea.

“What are you doing, Chels?”

“Hmm?” she asked, clearly distracted. “What was that?”

“Are you talking to someone? You’ve been glued to your phone for a while.”

Chelsea spent several more seconds typing before looking up at Kaylee. “Sorry, Kay. I swear I’m not ignoring you. I’ve just been texting this girl that I’m supposed to meet at the festival.”

“Ooh, a girl? Are you guys seeing each other?” Kaylee grinned.

“This is the first time we’re meeting up, actually, but it’s pretty casual,” Chelsea explained. “She lives in Toronto, so it’s not like we can see each other regularly.”

“Is she cute? You need to show me a picture!”

“Ohmygod, yes, she’s super hot!” Chelsea said. She scrolled through her phone briefly before turning it over in Kaylee’s direction.

The picture showed a girl with short red hair wearing a crop top and a skirt. She was smiling widely with a drink in one hand and the other on her hip, clearly in some sort of club or bar.

“Aw, she’s so pretty,” Kaylee agreed.

Chelsea nodded, looking back at her phone screen with a smile. “Her name is Robin. We’ve been talking for, hmm… maybe a couple of weeks now.”

“I can’t wait to meet her.” Kaylee snuck a quick look at James, who didn’t appear to be listening in on their conversation. “I’m always super impressed with how easily you can meet new people and stuff.”

“I mean, I find everyone on dating apps.” Chelsea’s eyes lit up suddenly. “You should totally make a profile. I keep telling you, it’s super easy. I can even help you make one!”

“Oh, I don’t know…” Kaylee couldn’t help but keep an eye on James. “I don’t really have any good pictures of myself.”

Finally, James glanced over at them. “Are you guys talking about Tinder again?”

“What do you mean, ‘again’?” Chelsea asked. “When have we ever talked about that kind of stuff in front of you?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Chels, come on, you talk about your Tinder dates all the time. And then Kaylee is stuck listening to you.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “You’re boring, James. You don’t use Tinder, either.”

“I mean, there’s nothing wrong with dating apps, but they’re not really my thing.” James looked over at Kaylee, and their eyes met. “Right, Kay?”

“Agreed,” she said. He smiled at her in response.

“Boo! You guys suuuck!” Chelsea poked Kaylee playfully before returning to her phone.

Kaylee leaned away from her with a laugh, but she accidentally bumped into James.

“Oh, sorry!”

He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. But you’re wrong.”

“Wrong about what?” she asked.

“About not having any good pictures of yourself. You look great in all of our group photos,” he explained.

The butterflies were back in full force. “You think so?”

“When have I ever lied to you?” he asked with a grin.

“Uh, is that a trick question?”

They both chuckled, but eventually the smile on James’s face disappeared. He stared at her, the look in his eyes intense. Kaylee wondered how her heart hadn’t burst out of her chest yet. It was so easy for him to make her heart pound.

“Would you… ever consider making a profile?”

Kaylee’s mind was racing with possibilities. “Why do you ask?”

“I’m just wondering,” he said simply.

“Right. Probably not.”

He nodded, the look on his face unreadable. “Okay. Good to know.”

There was more Kaylee wanted to say, but the van suddenly jostled before slowing down. A faint hissing sound could be heard from outside. Madison swore loudly before pulling over to the side of the road, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly in frustration.

“What was that?” Chelsea asked.

Ryan got out of the car, and Madison followed him soon after without saying a word. Their raised voices could barely be heard over the sound of cars driving by, and so Kaylee peered over James’s shoulder to try and see what was happening. She could barely make out Ryan’s head as he crouched next to the van. Madison was standing behind him with her arms crossed, looking more than a little annoyed.

“What’s happening, Ryan?” Chelsea asked again as soon as he opened the trunk of the van and started rifling through their things.

“Something blew out the back tire.” He continued to look through the stuff before letting out a loud sigh. “Kay, where do you keep the tools? And the spare tire?”

“Hold on, let me show you!” she said.

“Let me help, too.” James opened the door so they could get out.

“Dude, since when do you know anything about cars?” Ryan teased as the two of them approached the open trunk.

“I can be your assistant or something. You know how surgeons have people handing them their tools and stuff during surgery? I can do that,” James said.

“You think Ryan needs three people waiting on him to change a tire?” Madison asked.

“I’m totally filming this, guys!” Chelsea suddenly appeared beside Ryan, her phone pointed towards him. “I have to show this to Robin.”

“Who the hell is Robin?” Ryan asked, shooting an annoyed look over his shoulder. He was crouched in front of the flat tire, the spare one and the tools strewn around his feet.

“The girl she’s going to hook up with during Music Week,” James replied.

“Ew, James, don’t say it like that!”

“What? It’s true!”

“It’s just gross when you say it…”

He scoffed. “Are you seriously—”

“Will you two be quiet?” Madison said. “I’m going to need one or two people to go to the convenience store to stock up. Someone ate almost all of our snacks. Meanwhile, I’ll call a technician about the flat tire.”

“Come on, babe, you can’t blame me for being hungry. There were barely any snacks.”

“I’ll go,” Kaylee said. She turned to James hopefully. “Want to come with me? You always know what to pick.”

He gave her a thumbs up. “Let’s do it.”

***

The convenience store was empty except for a single cashier. He was sitting on a chair with his feet propped up on the counter, totally engrossed in the magazine he was reading. Some old-school rock was playing from a portable radio next to him.

James was walking through one of the aisles at the back of the store, humming along to the music as he browsed the selection of chips. Kaylee simply stood and watched him. He had one hand on his hip, and the other was scratching the back of his head. Finally, he reached over and grabbed a bag of Doritos.

“These are your favourite, right?” he asked.

Kaylee nodded. “I’m surprised you remembered.”

“I make it a point of remembering my friends’ favourite things.” He paused. “Well, except for Ryan.”

“That’s fair,” she said, and they both laughed.

James stared at her, the look in his eyes the same as when they were in the van. As the only people in this small aisle, Kaylee was suddenly aware of how close he was standing next to her. She tried to ignore her racing heart.

“Can I tell you something?” he asked.

“Yeah, of course.”

He cleared his throat. “I realize this isn’t the best place to say this, but this is probably the only time we’ll be alone, so… I just wanted to say that I like you, Kaylee. I like you more than a friend.”

“Oh, I… You do?” she asked, feeling her face heat up. At this point, her heart was pounding in her ears.

“Yeah, but it’s cool if you don’t like me back. I just wanted you to know how I felt.” He then frowned. “I just realized that I might have made this whole road trip awkward if you don’t feel the same way.”

“No no no, that’s not it. I do like you. A lot, actually.”

His eyes widened. “Really?”

“Yeah, I’ve had a crush on you for a while now. I’m surprised you haven’t noticed!”

“Kay, you know I’m super oblivious when it comes to this stuff. I didn’t even know about Madison and Ryan until you and Chelsea had to spell it out for me.”

“That’s true. I just thought I was being super obvious about it sometimes,” Kaylee admitted with a laugh.

James reached out and grabbed her hand, gently pulling her closer. “Like I said, I’m not the best at picking up on that stuff. I’m just glad we both know how we really feel.”

“Agreed.”

The chips aisle at the back of the convenience store was where Kaylee and James had their first kiss. It definitely wasn’t the most romantic place for a first kiss, but it was still the best part of their trip.

They kissed again and again, forgetting about the Doritos that James had dropped at their feet, and about their friends waiting for them outside. The world simply disappeared around them. It was like a moment frozen in time where Kaylee could forget about all of her worries for the future. If she had James, then she could do anything.

This would be her last summer with all of her friends, but it was only the beginning of a new adventure.