--Nine years later--
I switched schools back in third grade and the bullying stopped, and I made one friend. Her name was Alicia.
Once I got to high school, I never saw Alicia again. I made one friend in high school, her name is Jane. And she's nice.
--
We pull up to the lake house and I jump out of the still moving car and run across the lawns to the house Conner's family rented.
"Conner!" I shout through the house.
I hear a thumping of steps and then arms around me from behind. I spin around and hug him as tight as I know how.
"How are you?" I ask him.
"Great; glad it's summer."
"Hell yah!" We laugh. I love how light hearted our conversations are.
"How's school going?"
"It's okay." I answer. "Whatever."
Conner found out about the bullying when I was in second grade, but he never treated me any different.
"So what's new? Anything exciting happened in the past year?"
"Well... I have a girlfriend now. Her name is Terri."
"Aww, that's great!" I smile, genuinely happy for him. "How long have you guys been going out?"
"Almost four months. We're pretty serious."
I raise my eyebrows, "yeah?"
"Oh, you know. Whatever."
"Have you..." I hint.
"Well, not that serious, yet." He blushes.
He really is a great kid. I respect him so much for waiting until the right time. "Oh." I answer.
"Yah." He scratch the back of his neck.
Of course I had to go and make this conversation awkward.
"So, want to see my new truck?" He asks, changing the subject.
"Yah, sure!"
We walk out the back door and he points at a old blue Chevy truck.
"New?" I laugh.
"Hey, to me! I'm a college student, you expect me to be able to buy a brand new car?"
"I love it." I turn and look at him and he is smiling. "Can we take it for a spin?" I ask excitedly.
"Sure" we race across the lawn and obviously I win. He jumps in the front seat and I get in the passenger side. The second he turns the keys the radio blares some Tim McGraw, and we both start singing at the top of our lungs as he pulls onto a dirt road.
--
When I finally get back to my house, the lights are all off. I sneak in quietly but notice my parents aren't even in their beds. I look out the window and see Conner's and my parents out on their front porch laughing.
Summer is magical. It bonds relationships. Mom and dad have been fighting more than usual recently, but looking at them out there, holding hands and laughing at each other's jokes, it actually brings tears to my eyes. It is just like old times.
I go to the room I always stayed in and see my suitcase on my bed. I begin to unpack but get too tired and fell asleep on the unmade bed, the sound of laughter fresh in my ears.
