I'd Always Do Anything (Sequel to Touchdown Boy)

26. Playing with Balls and Kissing Fireworks

The fourth of July had never been one of Addison's favorite holidays. For one, almost her entire wardrobe consisted of black, so it was challenging to wear the traditional red, white, and blue. This summer she was wearing a red tank top, blue jean shorts, and her white and black checkered Vans. Of course Tom was also wearing his pair of the same Vans, so everyone else in their friend group – or rather Mark and Billie Joe – had given them shit for it. There was no mention of Travis also wearing the same shoes, but whatever. At the boys' teasing, Tom had just slung his arm over Addison's shoulders and replied with, "That's how me and my girl do it."

Based on that interaction, Addison assumed it was safe to say that Tom was still interested in her. But it had reminded her that they needed to have a serious talk about where they stood. The park with crowds of people and booths lining the sidewalks didn't seem like the right place. That and the eight friends they were celebrating the holiday with, or rather seven. Noelle had opted out to spend the day with David, who couldn't have come along without Pierre, who didn't want to come for obvious reasons. Even without one of her friends, it still beat spending the fourth in Isobel's backyard with all of Mr. Webb's friends.

The guys and Adrienne were playing catch on a free patch of grass they had managed to find, throwing a football between the group. They had decided against touch football since there were a bunch of little kids running around, which was probably for the best. Skye and Addison sat on the grass, close to the edge of the sidewalk and a bit away from the rest of their friends.

"So, are you excited to go back to school?"

Addison shrugged. It's not like she hated school, but who didn't enjoy summer vacation and not having to do any homework or studying? "It'll be good to get away from Dad and Isobel, and to see my friends there again," she answered, "but I've got more than enough here." Addison bumped her arm against Skye's, making the girl smile.

"Yeah, I'll miss you guys," Skye replied sadly.

"At least we still have almost another two months together." Well, she and Skye would. School didn't start until the end of August, but the Blink boys would be heading back in only a few weeks. Originally they had been planning on going back to California at the end of June, but had pushed the date back for reasons unknown to Addison.

"That's true," Skye nodded. "But it'll probably be our last summer where we're all together. My advisor keeps recommending that I try to have an internship lined up before junior year."

It sounded like everyone around Addison had a plan for their future. Everyone except her. But in high school Addison hadn't really had a plan for college either, and it had turned out alright.

"And who knows where the guys will be," Skye added. She had a point. Blink could take off by then, maybe Green Day too. Summers were definitely going to be lonely for Addison if no one bothered to come home but her.

"Do you ever worry about what will happen between you and Mark?" The question blurted from Addison's lips. A blush rose to her cheeks when Skye raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Sometimes." Thankfully, Skye turned her attention to the game of catch in front of them, saving Addison from her embarrassment. "But I also think it's kind of stupid to worry about something you can't control, you know? Why worry about something that might never happen when I could just live in the moment? The only thing we can do is try to work things out when issues arise."

Addison thought about Skye's comment from earlier in the summer about how she and Tom hadn't really tried to work through their problems. She wondered if Skye had been right.