Maybe that summer was supposed to be just a fleeting memory, good time spent away from home without worries. Maybe it was meant to be nothing more than a moment of happiness, a moment where nothing seemed to be more important than the present and th...
Alice and her cousin Jessica traveled to the other side of the States to take part in the art summer camp before their senior year started.
Both girls were from families of Korean emigrants so it was somewhat understandable when Alice found it easier to bond with the two Korean guys in her group.
Being split up from her cousin the introverted girl found comrades in Peter and Andy as the guys introduced themselves with their english names as well.
Spending days working together and talking about everything and anything Alice quickly got attached to the extroverted tan boy, finding many interests in common with him.
The two were always together, Peter being naturally touchy and soft with people he's close to quickly forgot what personal space was and the girl didn't mind.
Of course his behavior together with that golden heart of his made the girl develop feelings at a rapid rate and fell harder than ever, experiencing her first love.
She hoped that even after these two weeks they could stay in touch and remain friends at least, ready to try something if the guy wanted too.
It was their last night when everyone was driven to a large private ranch out in the middle of nowhere to have a bonfire and enjoy their last moments together.
Dressing up in nice clothes they were taking the cars in small groups, singing to songs under the orange and pink sky as they were taken to their destination.
A large barn had beds set up for them along with tents around it, a huge bonfire lit in the middle of the front yard with bean bags and blankets spread out for sitting.
Alice felt like in a dream when she and Peter arrived singing loudly and stayed close to each other even as they grilled sausages over the fire.
He was leaning close to her and their bodies were huddled together yet neither felt uncomfortable, so it was giving the girl hope for SOMETHING.
But then the boy turned around to talk and joke with his two friends sitting on his other side breaking their little bubble.
When he was asked to grab drinks from the table on the other side of the yard he stood up without hesitation and left, a happy smile on his face as he chatted with the girls already crowding the table.
Alice felt a little pang in her heart but she didn't want to give up, finishing the food quickly and getting up to join her crush.
But he was nowhere to be seen at the tables and she started looking around the area only to spot him dance in the crowd with an arm around a girl, awfully close to one another.
She decided to just brush it off and returned to her previous spot sipping on the glass of water she retrieved, humming along with the music that blasted around them.
Probably an hour had passed when she picked up the first hushed giggles and conversations about a certain darker skinned boy, heart slowly tearing apart.
Peter and the girl were making out.
Peter and the girl went for a walk to get away from the peering eyes.
Peter and the girl were seen going into one of the tents for privacy.
And another few hours later the said boy reappeared with the girl flush against his side, hair slightly messy and lazy smiles on their faces.
His friends cheered and the group continued drinking and dancing, Peter and the girl too close to each other to dismiss that anything did happen earlier.
Alice didn't realize when the first tear escaped from her eye or when her cousin suddenly appeared beside her with a worried look.
"Ah, sorry, I must have spaced out long enough that I didn't notice the smoke come this way!" She smiled and brushed her tear away, hiding her heartbreak easily and glad her cousin believed her.
The rest of the night was spent with Jessica's girl friends, listening to them talk while staring at the beautiful starry sky to avoid seeing her crush make out with his girl or something more painful.
People slowly started retreating to the beds or passed out after drinking too much, couples occupying the tents making hushed voices and muffled sounds be heard once someone walked past.
The group of girls was actually not such a bad company and stayed up talking trough the night so when the sun came up and the first car arrived to take them back to the campsite all of them left.
Alice packed her stuff quickly and decided to go on a last walk around the camp, running into Andy who just returned as well and said goodbye to the kind boy she wished she spent more time with.
Taking a last photo to keep as a memory the two cousins entered their long forgotten SUV on the parking lot and said goodbye to the memorable past two weeks.
Instead of focusing on the heartbreak Alice decided to treasure her time here, the experience of her two firsts always remaining a memory that she could learn from in the future.
