She's Too Naive

Chapter 13

“So you are dating?” Ara asked, confusion still written across her features. she wasn’t alone, everyone at the table looked lost. I sighed, rubbing my thumb over my name that was written on the side of the table with a purple sharpie. The summer of freshman year we all decided to write our names on our spots of the Dairy Queen table. We never switched or moved, everyone sat in the same spot as always.

“No, well yes but….not really?” I crossed my feet under the table, trying to work out how to explain it. “We both kind of decided to just take it as it comes. So for now, we are just friends. But, that isn’t limiting us to going further than friends if we both decide too,” I said. Josh licked his ice cream cone indifferently, caring just about as much as the rest of the guys did. The girls, however, were all focused on me intently.

“I guess that’s better than nothing,” Lynn said. “I mean you guys really talked it over and you both want to be more than friends, just don’t know how yet.” I nodded at her attempt at understanding. To be completely honest, even I wasn’t sure where it would go from there.

The conversation switched over to Josh telling us an elaborate story about how his younger brother had a crush on his locker neighbor, and everyday spun her lock so she stayed there long enough for them to hold a conversation. Josh’s family was not the best at relationships. We all laughed, and in turn started telling stories about our own siblings. Well, apart from Lynn, who happened to be an only child.

I had designated myself to being the driver for the girls tonight, so we all squeezed into my old beat up jeep I had bought last summer with some saved up money from odd jobs. My parents didn’t like my jeep, since it had a pretty unstable record for rolling during accidents but I was a pretty safe driver. My sister Mia told my parents that since it was my money, I should be allowed to spend it how I wanted to.

I had the top off and all the girls threw their hands up in the air with a whoop as I punched the gas, sending us down mainstreet with a squeal. Josh’s truck and Lee’s and Tristan’s cars followed closely behind. Josh was directly behind me, but switched over into the right lane as we came upon a red light. This side of town was completely empty at this time of night, and I looked across to Josh as we waited at the light. He smirked at me, revving his engine and I laughed turning back to watching the light.

As soon as it switched to green we were off. I so went over the thirty-five mile per hour speed limit as I tried to outrun Josh’s truck before the next light. My hair swirled around in the wind as my jeep took the lead, beating Josh as I crossed over the line at the green light. The girls cheered, all of us laughing.

Everyone had their windows rolled down, all of us blasting the same radio station simultaneously. We slowed to a more reasonable speed and I glanced at my group of friends, all of us alive with happiness. And in that moment, I knew that these would be the memories we would carry with us for the rest of our lives. Nobody would care about what reputation you had or how you acted. I threw my right hand up in the air, and that was the moment I let go.

 

When I got home the first thing I did was throw away the list we had made. In my mind, my summer goal had already been accomplished.

 

☾         

I yawned, flipping on the blender as I hustled to fulfill the latest order. Rosen was sitting in a booth off in the corner, doing something on the laptop he brought with him. He had came in earlier, wanting to wait for me to finish my shift and then go to the beach with me and Ara to meet up with my other friends. I told him I didn’t get off for a few more hours yet, but he claimed he had work to do anyways so I wasn’t boring him by forcing him to wait a while longer.