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1. Carter Dawson

"Mom, have you seen my notecards?" I yell. I'm currently destroying my room looking for those stupid notecards that I need for my test today.

"No, where'd you leave them?" My mom stands in my doorway, sipping coffee from her favorite mug.

"If I knew, why would I be looking?" I snap, then instantly regret it. "I'm sorry, Mom. Finals are really stressing me out."

"I understand." She sits her coffee on my desk and begins to search with me. Finally, after a few moments she holds up a little stack of cards secured with a rubber band. "Are these them?"

I grab them in relief and stick them in my back. "You're a lifesaver."

"I know. Are you ready? You don't wanna be late for your test." My mother says, picking her coffee back up.

"Yeah, I'm ready." I rub my eyes and grab my backpack. I hadn't slept well the night before. I'd been up all night texting Alex, my best friend.

I've known Alex since I was four. Our mothers used to be close and he came over all the time with his mother. We became best friends almost instantly, and our mothers were sure we'd end up dating sooner or later. At the time, I paid no attention to the comment.

But during our freshman year, Alex got super attractive. I developed a crush on him, but never told him in fear of messing everything up. During sophomore year, I went to his house to tell him how I really felt, but his mother said he was out with a girl named Amber. He called me that night to tell me how amazing she was.

They broke up after a couple weeks, but I kept my feelings to myself. He's dated girl after girl since he and Amber broke up, so I stopped trying and decided to be happy with the fact that we were still best friends.

"Is Alex picking you up today?" My mother asks, following me into the kitchen.

"Yeah, he should be here any minute now." I say. I'm putting cereal into a cup so I can eat it on the way to school. I tend to get up late, so this is my on-the-go breakfast.

I grab a spoon at the same time I hear a horn honk.

"Good luck!" My mom yells as I head towards the door. "Love you!"

"Love you too!" I shut the door and walk towards Alex's car. His parents, who were both doctors, got him a red Mustang for his birthday recently.

"Hey." Alex grins. "Woke up late?" He gestures to my cereal in a cup.

"Couldn't find my note cards." I explain, taking a bite of the cereal. "Want some?"

"Duh." I feed him a spoonful of cereal. He starts the car, and then we're on our way.

"You ready for our last day, Carter?" He bites his bottom lip as he drives. I shrug. "Come on, think about it. We get to go to the beach as much as we want!"

"It's not that fun." I sigh. "Especially when you bring your current girlfriend every time."

"You said you were okay with that, though." He frowns. I roll my eyes.

"I just tend to get third-wheeled." I push a piece of hair behind my ear.

"You should've told me." Alex glances over at me, his voice gentle. "And, I've decided I'm not dating anyone this summer."

I look over, shocked. "Why?"

"It's my last summer of high school, and I want to spend it with my best friend. Not some boring girlfriend."

I smile. "That cheers me up."

"It better, you ungrateful baguette." He chuckles.

"Baguette?" I raise an eyebrow. He just laughs and pulls into the school parking lot.