bloom // jake kiszka

3.

I can't believe the summer is almost over.

I can't say I'm all that ready for junior year, yes I've got all my school supplies, and a pile of new clothes waiting for me at home, but my mind is taking a little while longer to adjust to the idea.

I never really loved school, so prying myself from the freedom of sleeping in and warm weather was always such an agony when late august eventually arrived and i had to go back.

I savor every moment of summer. And I'm lucky enough to have the coolest people ever along for the ride.

Like today, we spent the better part of it at a party someone threw at the quarry. Bad music playing too loud, annoying teenagers getting too drunk, and stupid boys one-uping each other with who could do the coolest stunt off the big rock into the water.

But i wouldn't have changed anything about it. Josh, Jake and I stuck together for the most part, although i decided i didn't wanna get drunk and, well, they did. So they sort of went off on their own venture.

But i didn't mind, the weather was nice and the sunset was beautiful. Watching it unfold, i was glad i would be able to remember it clearly in the morning.

At this point it's dark, and the stars have already begun to twinkle above my head. I've separated myself from the party, letting the chatter fade into background noise and the sound of the trees bristling with the wind fill in the rest.

I wonder what junior year will be like. How i will change, how i will grow. I wonder if it'll be any better than last year...if it'll be worse.

I shake my head, stuck in my own thoughts, deciding i can't afford to think like that. This year will be great. Amazing. Yeah...that's the spirit.

But truly, i want to have a better attitude about things going into the school year. I wanna carry all of the good things that happened this summer, and how they all made me feel, along with me.

My thoughts are disrupted by the sound of someone approaching. I instinctively get a little nervous, as I'm sitting alone in a dark-ish area at the edge of the woods.

I slowly look over and see a drunk Jake, partially stumbling towards me. My tensed shoulders soften and i breathe out a breath of relief.

"There you are...I've been looking all over." He half slurs. I get up and let him hold onto me for stability, as he looks a bit like he could fall over at any second.

"How much have you had to drink?" I chuckle, helping him over to where i was sitting before.

"Oh...you know...a little bit of this, a little bit of that" I amusingly roll my eyes at him, before he continues. "You know you disappeared like an hour ago. I couldn't find you anywhere. I missed you" he pouts at me, pausing before the last part.

"I'm sure you'll survive" I exhale a laugh. He goes silent after that, furrowing his brow and staring off into the distance, rocking back and forth periodically as if he's off balance.

After a while he looks over at me, just sort of staring for a moment. "What?" I question.

"Why haven't we ever done anything?" I stare at him for a long moment, confused, before clearing my throat and repeating myself from a minute ago. "What?"

"Why haven't we ever-" "no, i heard you." I cut him off in slight disbelief as to what he was trying to infer. "You're drunk." I say firmly, slightly bitter. I mean, of course i have feelings for him. I came to that realization a long time ago.