Ever Since That Day In California

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"We came to California. Why did we come to Cali?" my best friend, Summer, runs a hand through her beautiful rich ginger locks as she asks herself. She's sitting on the marble kitchen counter of our small but somewhat beautiful rented beach side cottage, I sit directly across from her at the dining table eating frosted flakes. I open my mouth, not to answer her but to take a spoonful of deliciousness. Best not to interrupt her when she's about to dive into a speech.

"You shouldn't have come to Cali with me," I raise my eyebrow at her. She knows full well that I didn't want to come with her but she would never survive without me, her words not mine, "what have you done the 15 days we've been here?" she jumps off the counter, making her way towards me. I don't answer her as my mouth is filled with the glorious mixture of flakes, milk and sugar. She grabs my bowl and lifts it up.

"You've eaten fuckin' cereal!" she laugh-shouts at me as she slides my bowl to the other side of the table, far away from reach.

"You got something against cereal, Sum?" I speak up finally as I try to stretch to reach my deliciousness.

"No, I don't," she pulls out a chair and sits, grabbing my hands, "But I do have something against you and I not spending this last year together. We arrived here 15 days ago and you haven't gone out with me once," not true. I went to buy groceries with her 3 times and that counts, "We're leaving tomorrow, back to cold Vista high, away from the sunny shores of California. and then we go back to school and before you know it, we're shipped off to college. Live a little. More importantly, live a little with me,"

I squint my eyes at her as she smiles sweetly at me.

"We're always together, Summer. You don't spend half the time you do with me with anyone else," She rolls her eyes at me and dramatically slumps over in her seat.

"Parties, Chevy! Parties, picnics, hangouts. Meet new people with me!" She shouts. She makes me flinch but not because of her high pitched shriek, that you unfortunately have to get used to if you want to be friends with Summer Daniels, but because of my name. I'm named after the car, Chevrolet. It's a long and horrible story for another day. My name just resulted in an endless spiral of side glances and furrowed eyebrows from those who cared enough to ask about my name.

"We have to enjoy our summer before our senior year hits us and before college comes around and splits us up," she cries out, sighing heavily.

"Firstly, I enjoy a Summer. Most of the time, I enjoy you so that's like good enough in my books," She lets out a defeated sigh, "and secondly, we're both going to community college, Summer. We're going to community college to-g-e-t-h-e-r," I spell out to her. I look over longingly at my frosted flakes, my mind switching between what i've just said and the easy distraction which would be eating.

"Chevy, baby, things happen in college. What if one day," I try to jump for my cereal but I miss as Summer grabs it away from me, "what if one day, you wake up and decide that you don't like my company and don't want me to be your friend?"

I blow a puff of air out of my mouth to move the brown strands of hair that had been mistakenly pulled out of my bun during my rescue attempt.

"I'm contemplating that right now, maybe we don't have to wait until college," I mumble through a clenched jaw.

Suddenly there are three knocks at the front door and Summer sprints towards the blue doorway, opening it so fast and violently that I am so scared that she might pull it off its hinges. I can't see who she's talking to but I don't really have the time to as she squeals, turns around and slams the door shut, making the windows shake vigorously.

She throws one of the two envelopes in her hand and surprisingly it makes it's way over to me, the weight of letter making it as aerodynamic as it hits me in my face. To my dismay, my wonderful best friend doesn't even bother to check if I'm alright.