The Last Summer of Everything
Maya stood at the edge of the pool, clutching her solo cup like it was a lifeline. The graduation party was in full swing — seniors cannonballing, playlists thumping, someone's uncle doing the Electric Slide embarrassingly well. But Maya felt like a zombie, going through the motions of celebrating when all she could think about was how everything was about to change.
"You okay, friend?" Jaime appeared beside her, hair dripping wet, grinning like they hadn't just spent three years having each other's backs through AP exams, college applications, and that time Maya accidentally dyed her hair green.
"Just... processing," Maya admitted. "Everyone's leaving in two months. You're going to Berkeley, I'm staying here for community college. What if we drift apart like..." She nodded toward the patio, where her family's ancient orange tabby cat, Pickles, was intensely stalking the decorative goldfish pond with laser focus.
"Pickles, no!" Jaime's little brother, Leo, bolted past them, scooping up the cat mid-pounce. "Not the goldfish again!"
Everyone laughed. Even Maya cracked a smile. Some things didn't change — Pickles would always be obsessed with those goldfish, Leo would always be dramatic about saving them, and Jaime would always know exactly when Maya needed saving.
"We won't drift," Jaime said softly, away from the group. "We've got group chats, Facetime, visits. Plus..." They gesture dramatically toward the pool, where someone had started a splash fight that was rapidly becoming an all-out water war. "We're not done being stupid teenagers together yet."
Maya looked at her friend, really looked at them — same Jamie from freshman bio, same terrible dance moves, same person who'd held her when she failed her driver's test the first time. Some things were anchors.
"Race you to the deep end?" Maya said, dropping her cup.
"You're on, loser," Jaime grinned, and then they were both sprinting toward the water, zombies no more, just two kids who weren't ready to let go of everything just yet.