Interstellar

The Summer Solstice

Sum•mer Sol•stice [suh-mer sohl-stahs]

(n.) This astronomical phenomenon, also known as midsummer, marks the onset of summer. This occurs when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun, making the longest day of the year, happening only twice yearly, and only once in each hemisphere.

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This summer, it was supposed to be different.

We told ourselves it'd be just us pals; no more rules or parents or curfews. Though, as soon as school ended this year, my junior year and Steve's sophomore year, my and his parents made it very clear that our dreams for this summer would never become a reality.

Just like every year, we were both told to be home upon the arrival of nightfall, though, there was no way I was gonna let that one slide without putting up a fight.

I mean, come on, this is our only chance to be free! This is our one solace from the doldrums of school and now, what, it's being taken away too? Sure, Steve may not be 16 for another week and a half, but I'm 17 now... I can watch after the both of us just fine.

Our parents are out of their damn minds when they tell us we aren't mature enough yet. All that statement did was bum us out even more than we already were. We just want to have fun while we can, is that too much to ask for?

The worst of it all is that it's already been two weeks since school's let out and, sure, we followed their damn rules... but we sure as hell didn't enjoy any of it. Spending all day like it's timed, like our minutes are limited and our every move is being tracked by the clock, ain't no way to have fun.

Today? Today, we make a change. Today's our only chance.

My mom told me today was June 21... it's the day of the solstice, she said. Hell, that means it's the so called 'longest day of the year', aka, Steve and I have more time together today than any other given day in the whole year. This is a perfect opportunity because, to be frank, the days are only going to get shorter from here as we approach the winter solstice.

• • •

I sat outside my family's apartment in the hallway, waiting for Steve to walk down the hall from his family's place a few doors down as he did every morning.

The moment I catch his eyes, a smile falls upon his face greater than the one I'd seen the day before.

At this point, we'd known one another for nearly our whole lives; since his mom moved into the place down the hall, I mean. The first I'd heard of him was from my mom. Hell, not only was she still alive but, she was still pregnant with Rebecca. I was probably 6 at the time. She'd told me that there was another little boy moving in with his mother across the way for me to play with.

Look where that's brought us.

"Hey, Buck," he greeted me, extending a hand for me to grab so that he might help me up.

"Hi," I chuckled, standing. "Ready?"

"Sure thing."

We made our way out of the building, down a few flights of stairs, and onto the streets of Brooklyn, New York City. It truly was a beautiful, sunny day today... not a cloud in the sky.

Walking side by side, we made our way through the masses of people, simply trying to get to the park we'd gone to every day since it had gotten to be warm out.

Upon arriving, we played ball for a while in between the trees and, eventually, sat under our favorite tree, as the sun had gotten to be too much.

"You know, Steve, you're sun burnt."

"You know, Buck, you're a jerk," he replied, playfully.

I laughed. "Yea, yea. I know."

Then, we proceeded to relax out there all day, simply talking or playing or whatever. It seemed, however, that no matter how much time we were given to hang out, it was never enough. I never wanted to leave, and neither did he.

I don't know what it was about each other's company that made us both so inexplicably happy and whatnot, but it was incomparable to anything I'd ever experienced.

As the day began drawing to a close, the fireflies started to light up about us, signaling the cool air to rush in and the crickets to begin singing their solemn songs. I looked over at him as he seemed to look around at it all unfolding before his very eyes as if it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

I debated even starting this conversation now, as looking at him like this, with that sort of wonderment sparkling across his eyes, made me never want to break the moment. Though, I saw that the sun was starting to tuck itself away behind the high-rises and skyscrapers, so it really was now or not at all.

"Steve...?"

He turned his head to look at me, a slight smile poking up at his reddened cheeks, and hummed in acknowledgment of me.

I smiled at him, nearly forgetting what I was even saying. "-I had a question for you."

He raised his eyebrows at me. "Yea- what's up?" he replied quietly, as if a whisper might disturb this park less than a voice at normal levels, despite the fact that we were in the world's most bustling city to begin with.

"What do you say about ditching curfew in a way that neither of our parents will ever find out about?" I proposed, breaking what felt like a spell that had formed somehow between us.

He waited a moment, seemingly processing what I'd just said. "How would- how do you mean?"

"Well, we'd hang out as usual during the day, just like this, so that we might keep their suspicions at bay... but then, at night, after your mom and my dad and sister have all gone to sleep, we sneak out and well, figure it out."

"Where would we go?" he asked, almost concerned.

I thought about where on Earth we could possibly go. Somewhere that no one who knows our parents would have potential to see and rat on us... somewhere close enough that we could get home quickly in case we lost track of time, seeing as the sun wouldn't be up. "What about the roof?"

"What about it?"

"Well, it's flat and there's cement guard railings all around it," I told him. "We could meet in the stairwell that leads up there."

He looked unsure. "I mean, when would we do this?"

"Tomorrow? Er, I- well, if you want, anyway."

"If I want?" he asked. "Bucky, of course I want. This sounds like a hell of a lot of fun... and the fact that we're deliberately disobeying your dad and my mom makes it that much more-"

"Thrilling," I cut in. "Exactly."

And, it was settled. Tomorrow, we'd be making our first step on our way to whatever this summer might bring us.