It was finally Friday. Students flooded out of the school, hollering and looking for their friends. But it wasn’t just any Friday, it was Friday, June 14th. The day that county public schools were released for summer break. Lila and Sophie let out a synchronized sigh of relief, almost as if they had practiced it each day for the last month. (Oh, wait. They had!) The two walked slowly down the hallway; it seemed that they were stuck in slow motion because of all the excitement around them. They, however, were perfectly content with their leisurely stroll. It was a reminder that they didn’t have anywhere to be or anything to do until after Labor Day. It was like a dream, one of those weird dreams where people move their mouths but no words come out, and the silence was music to their ears.

The buses were in their staggered parking spots, but they were even more disorderly today with students buzzing about. When Sophie spotted Mia across the parking lot, she and Lila both stopped and waited for her. At last, the three of them were together, and they were free. They shared a smile, and knew that they were in for a great summer.

“Party at Sophie’s house! Except by party I mean only the three of us, because I’m really not in the mood for talking to other people,” were Mia’s first words. Then after, “Guys, I can’t even tell you how excited I am to sit around and do nothing.”

“Oh, I totally feel you,” said Sophie. “Social interaction is way too much effort. Let’s just go to my house and eat popsicles or something.”

On that note, the three of them began to walk to their bus. As if the bus knew that they were coming, it let out a screech and a puff of smoke. The wheels began to turn. The engine began to pop and sputter. The girls glanced at each other, but instead of sprinting, they slowed to a stop and watched the orange bus roll away. They could get home by themselves. After all, it was summer, and they had no place to be.

Once the girls had spent a couple hours listening to music and eating fattening food in the park, they rode the metro to the stop nearest to Sophie’s house. They walked about a mile, and entered the house through the back door.

“Hi, Mom!” Sophie called out.

“Hey, Sophie! Happy summer!” came a voice from somewhere upstairs.
“Mom, Lila and Mia are here. We’re going down to the basement, ok?”
“Sure, honey! I’ll come down soon.”

When the girls passed through the kitchen, Lila popped open the freezer and pulled out three raspberry popsicles.

“Hit me up!” said Sophie and Mia in unison. Lila tossed each of them a popsicle, and they headed downstairs. Ping-pong balls flew everywhere, legs cramped up in games of Twister, but they didn’t care. It was summer, and whatever they did was completely up to them. They finally had their freedom, after countless assignments and hours upon hours of lost sleep.
Sophie, Mia, and Lila thoroughly enjoyed their summer. There was the wakeboarding camp, the barbeques at each of their houses, the hiking adventure. But best of all was the beach trip. Lila’s beach house was about a mile inland, but anywhere near the beach is a place worth being. Each night, they lit sparklers and ran around the block, causing the neighbors to come outside and join the festivities.

On the night of July 4th, they walked to the beach along with Lila’s mom and sister. They watched the fireworks light up the sky, but they also watched the huge crowd of people gathered on the beach with them. Small children ran around burying their glow sticks in the sand, then trying to find them again. Teenagers joked and laughed loudly. Adults watched the sky explode into brilliant colors, and covered the children’s ears when they became fussy. As the red, white and blue sparks flew overhead, the girls lay on a ragged sheet, appreciating the serenity even with all the noise. Kids squealed, teenagers guffawed obnoxiously, parents “ooooed” and “ahhhhhed”. But the girls were at peace, laying on their ragged sheet. They didn’t want the teenagers to shut up, they didn’t want the parents to control their children. All that mattered were the sparks flying above and the freedom that they represented.

That night, the three girls, along with Lila’s mother and sister, stayed up watching “She’s the Man” and “Get Smart”. At around one in the morning, Sophie exclaimed, “Oh, man! We’re leaving soon and I really wanted to watch the sunrise on the beach.”’
Lila knew that her mother would never let them go. It was already one in the morning, and they would have to leave before six to get to the beach on time. But to Lila’s surprise, her mother said, “Well. I have found in my experience that you must either get more than six or less than three hours of sleep. Anywhere in between, and you’ll be exhausted. I suggest you wait until two, go to sleep, and wake up at five. Then you three can walk to the beach, because I’m sure not getting up then to drive you!”

And the girls did just that. They awoke at five, and set off by five thirty with a box of Pop Tarts, enough money to buy some real food, their raggedy sheet, and their bathing suits. They arrived at the beach just in time to watch the golden sun rise out of the vibrant blue ocean, it was dripping with bright oranges and reds. They sat silently, each one of them listening to their own music. After the sun had dried off and was no longer dripping, the three decided to take a nap.

“Uh oh. You guys, I can’t find my sunscreen.” said Mia.

“Mia, it’s seven in the morning. You don’t need sunscreen.”

“Yes, I do! You know my mom will flip if I come back home with a sunburn.”

“Mia, we know you love your mom. But you can’t let her control everything you do. Of course she wants the best for you, but you’ve got to mess up sometimes, or she’ll expect you to be perfect all the time. This summer is about us. We finally have our chance to relax.”

With that, the three girls went to sleep on their raggedy blanket. When they awoke, they put on their bathing suits and took a dip in the ocean. Then they bought some pancakes, ate them, bought some ice cream, ate that, and walked home. After playing about ten rounds of “Go Fish”, they lit their sparklers and watched them flicker as their last day at the beach came to an end.

They say time flies when you’re having fun. For Lila, Sophie, and Mia, it seemed that time had upgraded from a bird to a jet plane. Summer passed in the blink of an eye, but each day was well enjoyed. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. The school year rose out of the oceans, dripping with fond memories, and hopefully creating new ones with its light.