August 1st, there’s only 20 days left of summer. OUR summer. And than there’s the rest of your life together with Tony I thought, gazing out the window. Unfortunately, Tony and Sylvia were both sick today and LuLu got dragged to some family picnic for the weekend, so it was just me. I threw on a pair of shorts & a tee shirt and lovingly adjusted the necklace Tony had given me. I flopped down on my bed and opened City Of Bones, an amazing book about Shadowhunters, demons, etc. I was just at the part where Valentine comes in and-
The phone rings.
I reluctantly put down my book, and went to answer the ongoing chant of “LET’S GO RED SOX!”.
“Hello?” I sighed, trying not to sound irritated that whomever was calling had just interrupted a perfectly good book.
“Hey Summer, its Johnny.”
“Oh my God! JoJo! What’s up?” Johnny Varinadi was my 2nd best guy friend after Tony. We’d known for about a year in Texas, and he moved here a few months before me.
“Nothing much, Cherry, you?” he laughed. I smiled remembering when they’d come up with the cute little nicknames. I was Cherry because when they’d 1st met, it was after a cherry-pie eating contest and I hadn’t wiped my victory of my face and he was JoJo because he’d once tried to runaway to the “Jo & Jo Brothers Circus”.
“I’m fine, I haven’t hung out with you in forever!”
“Well, are you busy today?”
“Not at all.” I said glancing at Tony’s house.
“Great. I’ll be over in about 10 minutes.”






******
Johnny defiantly wasn’t the boy he used to be. He’d finally grown into his gangly arms & legs and his eyes were a huge, sweet chocolate brown. He’d always looked younger than me, but now that he was about Tony’s height and had some muscle to him, he could pass for 14 no problem. But still, mature-looking or not, he was most defiantly still Johnny. We spent the day chasing each other around my house, my yard, and Town Street. It was great. I felt like I was 5 years-old on my Texas ranch all over again. Finally, the sun was setting and we laid on the grass under the cover of my mom’s maple tree eating ice pops.
“That was great.” Johnny said flopping onto his stomach to face me. I laughed; his lips were covered in blue from the ice pop.
“Yeah, it was.” I said. I looked at my friend and realized something; Johnny was cute. I was shocked to realize this, but his smile was so sweet, and his skin was as light as honey, and-
STOP. NO. I’m NOT doing this again! I promised Tony. But Johnny was looking at me too now. Great. I can handle this, after all we’re friends. JUST friends.
“Well, I better get going.” Johnny said getting up.
“Oh,” I said waking from my trance. “Yeah, come over whenever, ok?”
He promised he would, and we hugged. I stared after him as he rode away, the warmth from his hug still clinging to me like static to a carpet.
Just friends? I wondered closing the door behind me.