Trampoline Dreams and The Sound Of Children Laughing

Middle School.

In middle school a lot of things changed for Camila.
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She remembers the first day she noticed something was different.

It was forth of July weekend, the summer between seventh and eighth grade for Camila, and Lauren's grandparents had offered to let Lauren and her friends come to their beach house to watch the fireworks over the ocean, and visit their country club.

The week had been filled with golf expeditions, and swimming in the members only pool, but for Lauren and Camila it had been filled with sneaking out after dark to watch the stars.

Lauren had been wearing a navy blue, Blink-182 tshirt and red shorts, which as always complimented her converse shoes, which happened to be white for the occasion.

Camila had been wearing blue capri pants with a red shirt and white flip flops.

It was just getting dark and the fireworks were about to start, so Lauren had marched Camila off to some random spot on the beach away from everyone else.

"Do you do this stuff all the time?" Camila asked softly.

"What do you mean?" Lauren laughed.

"Well, I don't know. Maybe I mean the country club parties.." She shrugged. "Or maybe I mean the sneaking away to secluded parts of the beach?"

Lauren giggled at the way Camila had wiggled her eyebrows.

"Or maybe I mean shutting people out.." She said quietly. "Because you've been doing a lot of that lately."

Lauren stayed silent, tucking her knees to her chest and staring ahead of her to the ocean.

"Are you scared?" Camila asked.

"What? No?" Lauren scoffed. "It's just ninth grade. Who cares? Ally said it's not even that bad."

"Well then what is it?" She pressed.

Lauren didn't say anything, she just dug the toes of her shoes into the sand.

"Lauren, you can tell me. I'm your best friend and I hate seeing you all weird like this. You say it's not a big deal but you won't tell me about it, why not?"

"Because!" She huffed. "Do you remember when I was going up to sixth grade but you were still in fifth and I was going to the middle school with Ally and Mani Hamilton, but you and Dinah were still in the elementary school, and you were scared that you were going to get picked on, but I said it was fine because I was just across the playground and you could come get me if anyone bothered you?"

"Yeah." Camila nodded.

"Well, this is different. I'm not going to be just across the playground anymore, Camz." She said sadly. "I'm going to a bigger school, with new kids, and new teachers, that's twenty minutes away from you."

"Lauren, you don't have to worry about me. I'm-"

"I'm not worried about you, Camz.." She mumbled. "I'm worried about me."

"Oh.." Camila said with a confused look.

Lauren sighed, hugging her knees.

"I'm just going to miss you." She admitted. "We always do the same thing on the first day, I bring a peanut butter sandwich with grape jelly and you bring one with strawberry jelly and we share.. How are we going to do that when we're across town from each other?"

"I don't know.." Camila mumbled.

Only she did know.

On the first day of school Lauren was already waiting for her new bus to pick her up at the middle school, when Camila arrived.

She was wearing jean shorts and a dark grey AC/DC shirt with dark blue converse shoes.

"Hey, Lauren!" Camila called, running over to her.

"Hey, Camz. My bus will be here s-"

"What did you pack for lunch today?" She asked happily.

"PBJ with grape-"

"Great! Get your lunch out!"

"Why?" Lauren asked, confused by the girl's hyper mood.

"Because! Just do it." Camila said, holding up her brown paper bag.

Lauren opened her back pack and reached for the sandwich, pulling out an individually wrapped half, her mom must have forgotten she wasn't sharing it today.

"Your mom remembered." Camila smiled.

"Actually, she forgot. I told her not to-"

"No.." Camila said, taking the half of the sandwich and replacing it with one from her bag. "She remembered. I had my mom call her last night."

Lauren smiled.

"Camz, what are you-"

"We can't share at lunch. It doesn't mean we have to completely throw out the tradition." She explained. "I mean, maybe it's not the same but it's the thought that- Oouf!"

She was cut off by Lauren, surprising her with one of the tightest hugs she's ever been a part of.

"Thanks, Camz.." She whispered in the smaller girl's ear.

"You're welcome, Lauren." She whispered back.

Lauren didn't let go, she just kept hugging her until she heard the bus pull up.

"Hey, don't forget me when you make your new, better friends." Camila teased.

"There are no better friends." Lauren smiled, giving Camila a kiss on the cheek before getting on her bus.

Camila just nodded as she heard Lauren laugh before the door closed.

She pressed her fingers to her cheek, still feeling Lauren's lips against her skin.

"You got a funny laugh.." She mumbled.