Always💜 (S.M)

2

I run out the door to greet Jess with a crumpled 10 dollar bill on my back pocket. I didn't forget to grad my phone and briefly tell my mom where we are going. We hop on our bikes and head down to Marlene's ice cream parlor.

The late June air smells of sea salt and flowers. You could sense the happy vibes coming from school kids as you ride down the street. Summer is a magical time in a childhood and I wish I didn't have to spend two weeks of it at a ratchet old camp.

When we arrive at the small shot, which has the best ice cream ever, we chain our bikes up and open the door. The bell clatters letting everyone know we just walked in.

"What can I getcha girls?" The young lady behind the counter asks cheerfully bearing a nice smile. Shes older than I am but still young.

"Hmm I'll take two scoops of cotton candy on a cone please." I respond.

Then Jess places her order. We thank the lady and give her my full 10 dollars. She had a drop of sweat making its way down her forehead and deserved a tip. We sat down at an empty table with plain white chairs and chat. I have to tell her about this awful camp eventually.

"Hey, Jess."

"What's up," she replied.

"My mom is being suppppppeerrr annoying and signed me up for a stupid 2 week sleep away camp upstate. I literally leave tomorrow night." I roll my eyes.

I watch Jess's expression go from happy, to shocked, to angry, to sad, and finally it stops at curious.

"Okay that's not so bad."
She was trying to hold back that she was upset for my sake.

"I know it sucks," I say reading her mind.

"Yeah. At least it's only two weeks."

"I guess so," I say shrugging my small shoulders.

We finish up and head backs outside after thanking the lady once more. We bike home with the breeze blowing our hair. I'm going to miss this place even if it's only for two weeks.

My mom agrees to let Jess stay the night and we grab her stuff from her house. Her house is smaller than mine but still quite large. I think I can here her parents yelling from outside. Her brother comes out with his earphones in and walks off with his friend. Both children want to escape that house.

We get back to my house and relax in my room. We chatter and scroll through Instagram. Jess attempts to cheer me up about the summer camp.

"You'll meet new friends!! I bet they'll be nice."

"You're the only good friend I need." I reply truthfully.

She smiles and seems relieved.

"Oooooooh maybe you'll meet some cute guys."
I think about this for a while.

I reply with a quick, "maybe,yeah."

But I think to myself that , "that doesn't matter because no boy would ever even take a second look at me."

We lye on my bed watching Netflix and YouTube until we both eventually drift off into the emptiness of sleep.