Chapter 32
~ZACK~
A few days after we've made it home to Half Moon Bay, Josh and I go to the tattoo parlor and both get the words "See You Again" tattooed on our arms to commemorate our friendship and all-time favorite song.
After we've crossed that off our bucket list we head down to Poplar beach where Josh has thrown me a going-away party, inviting all of our old friends and acquaintances. Much like last time, we kick off the party by just hanging around with cups of beer in our hands while dancing to funky pop music. I chat it up with a few people I knew from high school, most of them asking me how my summer went, to which I tell them that it was "pretty damn good" as I look over to Josh.
Once dancing around to ugly music grows tedious, we all sit around a small fire and chat amongst ourselves, despite the fact that fires are technically prohibited at Poplar beach, but fuck it.
"So I never asked you how you and Josh managed to find your way back to the campsite back at Yosemite," Erica says to me, seemingly itching to know more about my time with Josh at Yosemite.
"Some hikers found us and helped lead us back to the trails," I tell her.
"Really? They just found you guys in the middle of the woods?"
"Well, they found us by this little swimming hole..." I stop there, not wanting to give too much away.
"Swimming hole, huh?" She smirks.
"Yeah," I reply coldly to deflect from whatever ideas she might be getting at.
"So... how exactly did you and Josh end up making up?" Shit, I thought she was gonna say "making out" as if she somehow found out. Almost gave me a heart attack!
"Ya know, you ask a lot of questions!" I say, trying my best to avoid talking about this with her.
"Well, I'm just curious to know how you two went from being mortal enemies to best friends again all in two days?"
I just shrug my shoulders, slightly exposing a lopsided smile. "We just talked... and some stuff... happened."
"Some stuff?"
"There was a mountain lion... and a thunderstorm..." I answer so cautiously, doing what I can to avoid mentioning what happened at the swimming hole.
"Yeah, and?"
"And that's all you need to know," I say with a wink as she just scoffs. "But thanks for helping me, though. I really appreciate it."
"Aw, you're welcome, Zack. I'm glad I could help!" She smiles and I pull her into a hug. She's been such a great friend to me this past summer and I'm really glad I got the chance to know her. Hell, if it weren't for her I probably would've never been able to patch things up with Josh so I couldn't be more grateful for her company. Other than Josh, I really think I'm gonna miss her the most.
She kisses me on the cheek and says, "Take care of yourself, Zack. I hope everything works out for you." I don't know why but just hearing her say that makes me so sad on the inside, knowing that I'm not just saying goodbye to Josh but to everyone I once knew. I'm saying goodbye to my old life and entering a new one. One that I don't exactly feel prepared for. Fuck, I'm so not ready to let go.
A little while after, I go to sit by Josh who's been looking really glum ever since we got back from Yosemite. Obviously, I know why seeing as it's my last day before I return to New Jersey tomorrow but I just can't stand seeing him so sad already when I haven't even left yet. "Cheer up, man! I'm not dead yet," I tell him as I rest my arm on his shoulder.
He just nods his head but doesn't say shit.
"It's your party you can cry if you want to," I say, despite the fact that I know that it's technically my party.
"It's your party, dummy," he snickers.
"It's our party, man," I say to him, as I like to think of this party as rather a celebration of our twelve-year friendship than simply a going-away party for me.
He grins at me, eventually changing the subject. "You talked to Erica?"
"Yeah, we just said our goodbyes a few minutes ago."
"Did she ask you about how we became friends again?"
"Yeah."
"I thought she might. Did you tell her anything about... ya know?"
"Nah... let's just keep that between us, alright?"
"Sounds good to me," he agrees as we fistbump to keep that story at the swimming hole strictly between us and only us. It's no one else's fucking business.
By the end of the night, everyone insists that I give a "going-away speech" to conclude the party, which I obviously didn't prepare for and so I just wing it by saying whatever pops into my head.
"Well, it's been fun getting to know all of you guys over the past twelve years of school and church and whatever. We've all had good times and I will probably miss most of you..." Nah, I'm actually just gonna miss Josh, Erica, Dakota, and maybe even Anna. The rest of these people, well, I barely even remember half of their names. "... And well, if there's anything I've learned over the years it's that nothing lasts forever and you have to accept change and move on, despite how hard it may be. You have to let go of the people you love because we all have our own lives to live. We can't stay buried in the past, we just gotta... keep moving forward."
"Oh my god, Zack, you're gonna make me cry!" Erica exclaims, already wiping away a few tears from her cheeks.
Everyone else just cheers me on and I ultimately conclude my speech by raising my cup and declaring, "A toast to the best twelve years of my life! I will never forget them. And I'll never forget my friends." Obviously, that last line was directed specifically at Josh, Erica, Dakota, and Anna. And right as I wrap up my toast the fire fades to darkness, signifying the end of the party and ultimately the end of an era.
All of the other people bid me their farewells and head on home but Erica, Anna, Dakota, and Josh all decide to stick around for a little while longer as Erica insists that we take a group picture to commemorate our friendship from the summer of 2018. Once we've crossed that off our to-do list, we all go our separate ways at last. Except for me and Josh who obviously go home together for one last night. I knew this day would come but I didn't think it would get here so fast.
This is it. I guess I'm ready.
Bye, Josh.
YOU ARE READING
Summer Milestone
Teen Fiction[boyxboy] Eighteen-year-old Josh Crimson has been best friends with Zack Clifton ever since childhood but when Zack is forced to move away the summer before their senior year of high school, Josh feels as if he has lost something in his life. A year...
