The summer we turned thirteen (Published)

Chapter sixty: A summer to remember

Harlee

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There were about a million reasons I'd never forget that summer.

Even if I tried to name them all, I likely wouldn't be able to.

Farrah and Rachel had become two of my closest friends, and they'd mended their friendship with one another.

Evan and Rachel were together, and she had learned to come out of her shell.

James told me he and Jasper had called a truce with one another.

Amy and I were learning to get along.

And best of all, although James' and my friendship had changed, it had also stayed the same in many ways.

It hadn't ended; it had evolved for the better.

Our bond was still there. Confessing feelings hadn't changed that.

I had even gone as far as to kiss James after he'd given me my birthday present. In the tenderness of the moment, it was just something I really wanted to do.

Although neither of us knew what the future held, we knew we'd face it together.

James and I decided as happy as Rachel and Evan seemed to be with dating at thirteen, it wasn't our lot in life. We didn't want to establish labels, start calling our hanging out "dates," or feel like we had to be mushy with each other just yet.

We just wanted to be kids a little while longer.

As much as we liked each other, we figured it'd be best to focus on mending our friendship and going from there.

"We're friends that care about each other as more than friends, and that's all we have to be for right now," James had said as he walked me home that night.

And I liked the sound of that.

We knew there would probably be times when one of us wanted to kiss the other or hold the other's hand, and we resolved that would be okay every now and then, just as long as we waited to be in a relationship until we were older.

The future didn't scare me anymore now.

Because we were bound by a promise that we made to stay friends no matter what happened.

And it was a promise I knew we'd keep.

The next morning, I didn't even need my alarm, because I woke up ten

minutes before it was scheduled to ring.

I went into my bathroom, showered, brushed my teeth, then decided to curl my hair since I had some extra time.

After my hair was finished, I took off my robe and changed into a pair of denim shorts, my graphic tee from Rachel, put in my manatee clip from Farrah, and last but not least, I slipped on the bracelet from James.

"There, now I'm wearing gifts from all of my favorite people," I said, smiling in my bedroom mirror.

"Well, except Mom and Dad, but their gift." I turned towards my bunny, who was nibbling the breakfast I'd put in his cage.

"Probably doesn't want to be part of my outfit," I laughed, lifting him from the cage. "I don't think either of us would like that very much, right, Amber?"

I saw James' blinds open, and he gave me a wave. Then he shot me a text letting me know he'd be outside in a few minutes.

I smiled and gave him a nod.

For the first time in months, James and I were walking to school together.

I'd texted Farrah and Rachel that I'd meet them there, and tell them more about everything that had happened the previous night.