A Different Set of Events

Chapter One

It was hot. I don't mean shorts and sandals hot, I mean buck naked in the sprinklers hot. It was June 2016. School got out a week ago and I was able to burn all my superfluous paper work on the window sill.

Vee and I were laying in my backyard pool on deflated swim toys. She'd been my friend ever since I could remember and never left me like everyone else did. I'm surprised she's stuck with me for so long. I'm not fun, I'm not popular, and I'm not too special. It's not low self esteem, I swear. I'm just done lying to myself.

The cold water sopped over my legs as the Beatles blasted over my speakers. Sorry not sorry neighbors. Vee splashed the water in time to the beat and I floated laps around the small perimeter. Once in a while I'd stop in the maple tree shade to avoid above the shoulder sunburns.

"What are you gonna do the rest of the summer?" Vee asked when John finished singing. I glanced at the sky, not a cloud in sight.

"Probably sit in the pool again if I'm not already cooked to a crisp today." 100 SPF was just not enough. I slipped off my sea turtle floatie and returned to the deck for a second coat of sunscreen. And June was the rainy month in Oregon.

"Hey, put some AC/DC on while you're over there!" Vee yelled. AC/DC was our favorite band next to the Beatles. Good music and amazing people. I wiped my hands of sunscreen.

"You think the neighbors will like our change in volume?" I asked grinning.

"If they don't they will soon," she replied returning the look. I switched the station to Overdose and headed back to the pool. "I hope the band is doing okay. They're done with the tour right?"

"Almost. There's a couple more places but they'll be done soon," I answered steadying myself on my turtle. "I'm sick of all that crap they're getting. You think they wanted to let Brian go?"

Vee shook her head. "And Axl's not THAT bad. He's pretty good actually. Besides they never said he'd be permanent, just for the remaining shows." I pushed myself off the side of the pool and landed in the shade again. "You think you'd ever meet them Hannah?"

"Who?"

"The Dixie Chicks."

"I'm serious Vee." She laughed.

"Alright alright, AC/DC." My smile disappeared.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean if you went to the store or something and Cliff was buying groceries or something."

"Heh, yeah. They'd never stop and chat with me over tea."

"If they saw your hat they would." My hat was a red, makeshift AC/DC hat. The logo was drawn on the front and I put a picture of Angus as he drew himself on the bill. It may not be authentic but I wouldn't give it to anyone.

"Yeah. Yeah I'd bet they'd like that. But that's it. Hello, goodbye. See you never." Vee shook her head at me and smiled. The silence that followed let me think. It'd be amazing to meet them, but in truth I'd be so nervous I'd be the reason they never met anyone again. I sat cross legged and drummed on the turtle shell. Vee started singing next to me.

"I say yes, you say no, you say stop, and I say go go go."

"You say goodbye and I say hello," I finished.

"Probably shouldn't confuse the neighbors," Vee said.

"Or scare them away with our singing," I said. Our laughter erupted into a fit of snorts.

"They've already got the moving vans!" Vee shouted.

Later that night I changed into pajama pants and a tank top. My old pug wandered his way to the kitchen asking to be let outside. I took him out and a sharp breeze chilled me. "Yeesh. What happened? It was hot all this week," I asked myself. My dog pulled himself up the stairs all while bumping into the yard furniture. I put him to bed and eventually got in my own. My sheets were cold from the air blowing through the open window and I jumped back out. "Okay this is ridiculous," I said closing the window. I pulled a blanket from my bed and wrapped myself in a burrito. Much better. I climbed back in and fell asleep thinking about my next swim tomorrow.