The Summer We Grew Up {#Shawrocketfundcontest}

The Summer We Grew Up

The leafless trees shone and glistened in the spots of sunlight as bracelets and necklaces of ice hung from their lofty branches. Josephine or Jo as she was called, simply stood under it, pondering and contemplating over her decision to come back to the place she grew up: Winterton. She received the invitation from Jake. Jake Gemini.

It had been five years. Five gruesome, tiring, yet all the more worthwhile years, the entirety of which Jo devoted to academics and self-development. She was a Brooklyn Kid as far as the town was concerned. She didn't know why she had accepted the invitation from Jake, considering he was the reason she abandoned everything she ever knew. But she could tell, that a part of her, no matter how curious she was for the real reason, knew it wanted to make amends. To start anew. To go back to how it was before the night that separated her from her friends five years ago. 

She felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see Bianca. Bianca Tomas. The friend whom she had trusted the most. But who ended up spilling the beans when they weren't supposed to spill at all. Bianca was terrified. Terrified at the thought of her meeting her old friends once again. She too got Jake's invitation. She too moved away from town and completed her studies in the UK and worked as an Interior Designer. She was afraid of what Jo had to say, considering all the bitterness that erupted between them as a result of alcoholism and mindlessness.

Jo however had forgiven her. Ages ago. She knew at some point, people were bound to know the truth, the only thing being that she wasn't ready for it to happen. It was her fault after all that she kept secrets. Way too many to count. Way too explicit to utter. Except for Bianca.

"Hey Bee, how are you?" Jo asked Bianca with a gentle smile. Bianca was inwardly startled yet grateful that things hadn't turned out the way she thought would turn out to be.

"Great, how about you?" Bianca asked. "Well, to say my life is hectic, would be an understatement so..." Jo replied, with a slight chuckle. "Well then, to say that you are occupied is better than a whack on the head with a log" Bianca replied. Both of them burst into fits of laughter, clutching onto the tree trunk beside their old school for support. Both of them couldn't deny one thing though: they missed this, no matter what bitter things unfolded in the past.

"Well, well looks like the chicks started the party without us, bro," said a smiling Jake. Jo lifted her head to see his handsome face once again. But what surprised her was that she didn't feel afraid or nervous, despite what happened between them. Her breath didn't even hitch when she saw him. And she felt happy.

She saw Jake's arm, closely and lovingly entwined with the hand that belonged to Ty. Ty Jaxon, another one of her best friends. She saw him give a small peck on Jake's cheek, which made Jake blush. She was incredibly confused. She thought that Jake scored girls as well as he scored goals in the football field as Captain. But seeing Ty and Jake together, it made sense to her.

Jake is gay.

It made complete sense now. Then she saw more of her friends coming over. June, Phillipe and May came over to them under the tree. Phillipe then spoke: "Guys, Greg says he is waiting at the Phil's Diner." Seeing Phillipe come over to them in his handsome tucked and body-hugging shirt, hitched Bianca's breath. She couldn't rip her eyes over his handsome stature, even if she wanted to. His appearance dug up feelings she had buried in the depths of her heart in the course of five years. To Phillipe, nothing could ever pull his heartstrings in pleasurable pain than just the mention of her name: Bianca. Both of them had never loved each other as they loved anyone else. And nobody ever could love them like that.

June couldn't be happier at seeing May. Back at high school, she never had the guts to say how much she admired her. Her long chocolate brown arms that shone as if polished with an arm-wax. Her gentle smile and the dimples they formed on her face made her restrain herself from kissing her. May wanted to drag June into the woods and let her know how much she had grown to love her and need her over five years. But both of them kept their carnal desires to themselves.

The group of them walked over to Philomena's Diner or Phil's Diner as they called. When they were teenagers overrun with no care for the world, this was the place where they met. To scheme and plan. To laugh and cry. To smile without any fear. Jo saw Greg standing by the door. She couldn't help but admire how much more handsome and how gentlemanly he looked from afar. Feelings that she had shut down came to knock against the door of her heart again.

He had become muscular, and wore a kind smile, along with the crinkles of his eyes, that made Jo go weak in her knees. For both of them, on the whole, a mere moment was enough to make them realise how much they missed each other's company. For how long they kept their feelings suppressed from each other.

They went inside and sat by their usual seat, surprised that they still remembered it.

 JAKE AND JO:

Jake kept throwing Jo pleading glances, indicating that he wanted to talk to her alone. She went outside and saw Jake standing under the summery night sky, the warm breeze embracing their presence. "What is it, Jake?" Jo asked, tentatively. "I never gave you a full explanation as to why things had to happen the way they were, so will you hear me out?". "OK" Jo hesitantly said. "I never meant to hurt you, it was just that I never accepted the fact that I was gay. That I liked Ty. I was too scared. I dated you because I felt that if I did, things would be alright. But it never was. In the process, I never respected your feelings and I didn't respect myself. I wouldn't blame you for hooking up with Greg, but at the moment I was scared that my cover might get blown. That was why I yelled at you. Not at the fact that you and Greg...Eventually, Ty came along and helped me out. He made me love myself and rectify my mistakes. All I am asking Jo is, can we go back to being as close as we were?". Jo knew this would happen. There was no other way around it. And so she said yes.

***

JO AND GREG

Greg saw Jo come back inside, smiling, with Jake behind her. He followed her into the washroom and saw her washing her hands. "Greg, what are you doing in here?" Jo asked. "I just wanted to talk to you alone" Greg replied. "Jo, I can't wait anymore. All this while we have both been punishing ourselves and each other by pushing each other far apart. I can never even look at a woman the way I look at you because they aren't right or perfect for me. I like you, a lot ok. Whatever happened between us, wasn't meaningless. I put a lot of meaning to it. Gosh, I love you." Jo heard what she needed to hear and to calm Greg down, she pressed her lips against his. To let him she felt the same way and more. The sparks and the flame they abandoned all those years ago, came hurtling down on them like a storm. Neither of them made an effort to stop it.

***

Jo and Greg came out of the washroom, looking dishevelled and very well satisfied with themselves. They sat next to each other and held hands, Greg rubbing soothing circles on the back of Jo's hand.

BIANCA AND PHILLIPE

Both, Bianca and Phillipe, kept talking casually, never breaking eye contact. Phillipe dragged Bianca outside the diner and opened his heart out to her, struggling to keep tears at bay. Bianca hugged him and comforted and let him know she felt the same way too. Ty came out and told them that the group was going to sing one of their old songs at the makeshift stage in the diner. 

***

They went in and sang their hearts out. Years of pain and regret vanished at that moment. At the end of their performance, June and May kissed each other, proving to their fears that together they are no match for them.

Sometimes, it takes just a night to let go, grow up and be merry.
Just one summer night to grow up.