A Summer to Remember

things go this summer and if you still feel the same way…maybe you should go to Florida.”
    “You’re crazy! I can’t do that.” I was shocked she would even suggest such a thing.
    “Why not? I mean, I’m your best friend and I would hate to see you leave, but I think this guy is really good for you and I want you to be happy. Besides, Florida is definitely not the worst place in the world to be.”
    “I’m already enrolled to take classes at Brant in the fall and my family is here. I can’t imagine leaving them or you behind.” Just the thought of leaving them got me upset.
    “I’m not saying you have to make a decision now, but it’s an option. It wouldn’t be so bad for you to get out of this town and they have great schools down there. Schools that are ten times better than Brant.”
    “It’s an option, but it’s a crazy option.” I couldn’t even imagine leaving my family and friends behind. It literally scared me half to death. The reason I think Lily and I got along so well is because even though we’re so much alike, she is way more outgoing than me and she always knows how to give me that little push to get me outside of my comfort zone.
    “Just think about it.” She got up and went back over to her chair.
    We spent the next couple hours talking about things not related to Adrian. Like Steven’s most recent habits that annoyed Lily. They seemed to be arguing a lot more since Jason and I broke up. Lily tended to be a little over dramatic at times and I think Steven didn’t really know how to deal with it. He’d always been really quiet and laid back and he was incredible smart. For as long as I’d known him I don’t think he’d ever gotten less than a 3.8 GPA. I’d always thought of Steven as a super sweet guy with a great heart. The type of guy that would loan you a hundred dollars if you needed it and would never ask you to pay him back. He wanted to go to Brant to play football and get a degree in business, which was completely opposite of Lily.
    Lily’s always wanted to go to film school and travel the world, but her parents wouldn’t allow it. They wanted her to go to Brant and get a degree so she could get a “real” job. Of course her parents loved Steven because he was exactly the type of guy they wanted her to marry. I knew Lily loved him, but sometimes I wondered if her free spirit was going to get the best of them one of these days.
    When late afternoon rolled around, we decided to gather our things and head home. As we walked through the parking lot to Lily’s car, my phone rang. I dug through my bag until I finally found it stuffed in the bottom. I pulled it out and saw Adrian’s name on the screen.
    “Hello?” I tried not to sound too excited.
    “Hey, beautiful! How are you today?” I smiled.
    “I’m doing pretty good. How about you?”
    “I’d be better if I was with you.” I could feel my cheeks turn red. “I’m just on break so I thought I’d call and see what you were up to. I was going to call you this morning when I was on my way to work but I figured you wouldn’t be up yet.”
    “Yeah, I’m not much of a morning person. I’m just leaving the pool with Lily. She came over and picked me up this morning and we’ve been hanging out here for a while. We’re heading back to my house now.”
    “That sounds fun.”
    “Will we be able to hang out tonight?” I had a feeling I knew what his answer was gonna to be, but I thought I’d ask anyways.
    “Probably not.” He sounded disappointed. “I’m sorry but I won’t get off until late and I’ll be really exhausted. Working in this heat really takes a toll on me.”
    “Okay, I understand.” I tried not to sound too disappointed.
    “Don’t forget about Friday,” he reminded me, trying to give me something to look forward to. “Have you thought about what you want to do yet?”
    “No, not yet.”
    “Well, don’t forget, it’s your call. I have to get back to work. I’ll give you a call tonight.”
    “Okay. I’ll talk to you then. Bye.”
     

 
     
    CHAPTER 15

    L ily spent the rest of the afternoon at my house and didn’t leave until my parents came home. She always used to stay at our house for dinner or I would go to hers, but since she started dating Steven, they usually go out to eat or he goes to her house.
    I’ve always liked to help my mom cook dinner, even when I was a little girl I always wanted to help. That’s why I decided to go to school to get my Culinary