Summer and May

Chapter Fifty-Five: May

"Are you ready?" Jeremy asks, calling to me as I slide little hoop earrings through my ears.

I back away from the mirror, smoothing over my cotton dress. I hear a noise erupt from downstairs, with lots of sentimental his and how have you beens. Jeremy grabs my hand to lead me down the stairs, and a nervous flutter fills my stomach. I'd met so many people in the last twenty-four hours, it made me miss the familiarity of my town. Of Summer.

But I guess little trips like this bring perspective, reminding me of something Summer had just said to me a few days ago. Don't let this little town keep you little, she said. At eighteen, I should be ready to take on the world. To explore, to go wild. But in the weirdest way, I only wanted to do those things with Jeremy. That statement would make Summer pass away if she ever heard it, so I kept it in my back pocket; close enough, but not holding on too tight.

When we swiveled around the end of the staircase, Kayce stood tall next to Louise. With dusty blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes, I wondered immediately just how much trouble Jeremy and Kayce got into in their high school days. Once he smiled widely to greet me, I couldn't help but smile, too. 

"You're just as beautiful as Jeremy described," he said, pulling me in for a hug.

"Watch it," Jeremy warned, smirking at his best friend. I instantly recognized why they were best friends. They had the exact same dynamic as me and Summer.

I was unsurprised to find that Kayce drove a Ford. The engines were reliable, as it seemed Kayce was. As Summer was for me. Kayce wasted no time asking questions, but it wasn't like with everyone else. With each bit of information I shared, he returned the favor. I felt like I knew most of his life story by the time we reached the bowling alley, right across the street from the high school.

Although I was never all that great at bowling, I could remember the few times my parents took me. As a young girl, it was never about winning. My sole focus was having fun, so I chose to have that same perspective tonight. With my hand in Jeremy's, I sauntered into the building at a languid pace, not expecting to see half of the baseball team already there.

They erupted in hoops and hollers once they recognized their two teammates walking through the door, hugging like bros and patting each other firmly on the back. I forced myself to not feel a twinge of anxiety as I stood there, waiting for Jeremy to introduce me. I allowed myself a quick once-over of the group, seeing only one other female with me. A girlfriend of a teammate, I guessed.

"Guys, this is my girlfriend, May." Jeremy gushed, placing a hand on my lower back. I realized then that I'd never heard him call me that out loud; girlfriend. I hadn't realized how much I wanted to hear it until it actually happened. It took any sense of anxiety away, filling my bones with a confidence I hadn't felt until now.

The guys were all very nice, give or take a few typical jocks, which was to be expected. As excited as Jeremy was to see all his friends, he didn't leave my side once. After an hour of guttered bowling balls, laughs, and too many mozzarella sticks to count, I would have been fine if he had left me on my own. But he didn't.

Jace was in the middle of retelling an old story of the time Jeremy had to play mascot when he was injured, when his girlfriend joined us. Her and I hit it off so well, that Jace joined Jeremy and the rest at the arcade games. Meghan detailed that her and Jace had grown up together, dated all throughout high school, yet they were going to separate colleges.

"That must be difficult. Are you nervous?"

Her bangs shifted around her brows as she shook her head, a residual smile on her lips. "No. He wouldn't look in another woman's direction if his life depended on it."