Three Words, Eight Letters [Watty Awards 2013]

Chapter Four- Inspiration

**UNEDITED**

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It was two weeks into summer and still I haven't thought of anything huge to do with Jake before he leaves. Sure, I'm planning to throw him a surprise party and everything but I really want to do something with him really special that he'll always remember. Lots of things could happen between us and I want him to have at least one last unique memory of who we were.

New York City is big and filled with different types of new people. Anything could happen; he may even find a new friend to replace me. The thought of being replaced made me sick to my stomach.

All I've been able to think about lately is Jake, which constantly made me overreact to the simplest of things. My mom would ask me what I wanted for dinner and it would set me off on a rant about how she doesn't even care that Jake was moving away; she was acting way too calm for the situation. Who could think about food when in two short months their best friend would be moving away?

The only times where I was truly myself was with Jake. He always knew exactly how he could calm me down and get my mind off the topic. I guess that's what happens when you've been close to a person for sixteen years. He knows everything there is to know. Well, that's not completely true. He doesn't know that I'm in love with him and if all goes well he never will. He can never know. If I ever told him it would just make things distant and awkward between us. I just want to make the most of this summer. A familiar song broke through the silence of the car ride.

We were both young when I first saw you I close my eyes and the flashback starts I'm standing there on the balcony in summer air

This song perfectly described me right now. I'm constantly in a state of beautiful flashbacks of times before things between us got complicated; before I realized that I was in love with my best friend.

I see you make your way through the crowd and say hello, little did I know that you were Romeo

"What the name of this song? I recognize it but I just can't seem to remember the name of it." Jake broke the flow of the music by his voice. Usually, if any other person had interrupted my thoughts during a Taylor Swift song they wouldn't at all enjoy those consequences, but with Jake it was different. I could listen to his voice all day if he'd let me.

"Love story," I whispered under my breath. I repeated myself realizing it must've been next to impossible that he had heard me. "The name of the song is Love Story. It's by Taylor Swift."

"Cool, cool. Mind if I switch the station I'm not exactly what you might call a T Swift fanatic," he teased.

"Fine! I guess if you must!" I sighed, giving in. One song of his choosing couldn't hurt right?

Climb a mountain swim the seven seas get your body to look like Hercules jump out of an airplane with a parachute fly up and away out of a hot air balloon

"Oh my god! Bucket list! Jake!"

"What? Hold up, back the train up."

"The name of the song! It's titled bucket list!" I shrieked in delight.

"Congratulations, but what does that have to do with anything?" he laughed.

"That's what we're going to do this summer!" I shouted excitedly. "We're going to complete everything on each of our bucket list!" I screeched, practically hopping in my seat.

"So what are you saying? Like we each write down say ten things from our bucket lists that we want to complete this summer?"

"Exactly!" I squealed, practically skipping up the driveway to Peyton's house. "Are you coming?" I shouted from the front porch.