The Band Member's Guide for Dealing with Dramatic Relationships

Summers Keep Going On (and On and On)

LUCAS  HAYNES COBURN

     Hey, you wanna get ice cream?

     I kept looking at my phone. At the message. Should I have made it clearer? But how could I have? I know she'll answer, but its just a matter of when. I know we're drifting apart, it's not a secret. I mean, she's going to the beach, to Point Roberts, near Canada, where it happened. Where the whole Asa thing took place. And she'll be there with Sage and Quinn, and from what Gavin tells me, Quinn has been talking to eleven guys in the past month.

     sure

     Great. She replied. She was probably too busy packing condoms to reply immediately. I really shouldn't test my luck though, it might true. I needed to get out of my thoughts. I grabbed my wallet and and closed the door behind me, crawling into my mustang in the garage. I took out my phone again.

     Be there in 15.

     I live on the edge of George, so its only fifteen minutes from here to Ebony's. I get there pretty soon and jog up her steps to ring the door bell. I try to smile, this might be our last date, who knows who she'll find at that beach. She answers the door, smiling and closing it behind her. She's so beautiful and sweet and... perfect. I give her a kiss.

     "Hey, Ebony. Ready to go?"  

     "Yeah, let me get my sun glasses from the car though," she says, just like everything's okay. Like everything is fine. We walk down the steps. I take her hand, squeeze it lightly, who knows if I'll do this again. And I get in and we drive off, listening to old rock. Then I put my hand on her leg, and she leans toward me. And that's how we ride. I wish this could last forever.

     We get there in thirty minutes. George has never had any good ice cream shops, so we go to Quincy. Sarah's Ice Cream Shoppe is a small, little ice cream place with great coffee. It's usually really busy, mostly with people from George, but today it was empty, save for two college students staring at their phones. I parked and opened the door for Ebony. She smiles and gets out, the light breeze ruffling her crop top. We walk towards the door.

     "So, how are you? We haven't talked much recently," I say.

     Ebony looks at me like I couldn't be stupider and with a smirk she says, "You know I've been at camp, I can't talk much there. I'm not even supposed to have my phone in the first place."

     "Oh, right." I look off to the walls of rock surrounding the shop, stepping inside. Right away the smell of hot coffee and strawberries makes me feel better. We both look at the menu even though we already know what we want. "Aren't you leaving for the beach tomorrow?"

     She nods.

     "Great," I say, eyeing my watch. "How long are you gone again? A week?"

     "Ten days," then she smiled mischievously. "I don't know what you're afraid of. Maybe it's the thought of me hooking up with some hot beach dude. Don't worry, I'll resist. I'll only kiss them if they're taller than six feet." She laughs.

     I don't. That's what I am afraid of.

     "What would you like today?" asks the overly cheery cash register lady. I think she's new.

     "One and a half scoops of mint chocolate chip in a cone and," Ebony says as she looks at me.

     "Three scoops of superman also in a cone," I say.

     "$7.21." I take out the money from my wallet and gave it to the ice cream woman. We watch as she scoops our ice cream and gives it to us. We walk outside and sit on a wall connected to the shop. We talk about our summers so far. She talks about her cousins from Virginia, and camp, and her older sister's track meets. I talk about fishing and going to the lake. So far, she's had a way more interesting summer.