The Rules of Summer

"So," Lesley said tonelessly. "This is it."

"Yep," I replied dully, dipping my feet into the lake. "This is it."

"Pathetic," we muttered together.

"We should have done a bucket list for senior year. Like that crazy movie chick," Lesley moaned.

"Exactly," I moaned back, stretching backwards to lie on the wooden panel. Then it hit me.

"We could do something similar," I breathed, pushing myself onto my elbows.

Lesley gave me a weird look. "In case you haven't noticed, we just graduated."

"No, stupid, for summer."

Lesley stared at me for a moment. Then her eyes lit up in understanding.

"Oh my god," she exclaimed and pounced on me.

"Oof," I huffed, but grinned all the same. "I'm a genius."

"Shut up, whore."

"Ditto, bitch."

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"So, the odd numbers should be must-do's and the even numbers can be chickened out of with penalties."

We were sprawled on the worn couch in Lesley's basement with two jumbo slurpees each. Heaven.

"What?" Lesley gasped, looking scandalized. "It should be the other way around."

I sent her a haughty look. "One musn't conform to the common preferences of society."

"Well you're conforming to the popular belief of anti-mainstreamers which, incidentally, mainstreamers like to presume that themselves are. So who's conforming now?"

I blinked, lost. "Um... rock, paper, scissors?"

Lesley beamed. "Okay!"

Moments later...

"What kinda penalty should we set?" Lesley asked, scribbling into a vomit green notebook.

"I don't know," I sulked. "Ask your super scissor."

"Aw, is your loser paper licking it's wounds?" Lesley cooed mockingly.

"Yes, it got a paper cut," I deadpanned.

Lesley snorted. "Come off it, I'll let you decide the first rule."

"Yes."

"Must Do or Chicken Out?" Lesley asked.

"Must Do," I instantly replied. "Even though it's an even number..."

Lesley rolled her eyes. "Get on with it."

"Um, tee-pee Grumper's townhouse?" A.K.A., our enormous asshole of a history teacher.

"That's a great idea... Oh, and egg his mailbox? Please?"

I pretended to furrow my brows in consternation. "I suppose... but only if we get Jasmine in on it."

"Definitely."

And on it went.

Two hours later, Lesley and I collapsed back onto the worn couch, our half finished slurpees a forgotten puddle.

"We should start with skinny dipping," I gasped, still breathless from the bout of laughter that caught me when Lesley suggested we do public Hannah Montana covers in the middle of SJ park.

"Sure but you never agreed to my earlier suggestion," Lesley said.

"What," I grinned. "Start a bar fight? I'm all for that one."

"No - though we have to add that to the list," Lesley began writing furiously in the notebook, which was already a little worse for wear.

"Is it an even or an odd?" I asked.

"Bar fight? Odd. Summer fling? Definite even," Lesley said, not looking up.

I froze. "Summer fling?"

"Well, yeah," Lesley burst, suddenly looking up to stare at me imploringly. "Come on, Bee, please?"

"Why?" I hedged.

"We should go out with a bang, you know? It'll symbolize the ultimate act of freedom - a real summer ending."

"And that requires a summer fling? Really?"

"No," she said patiently. "But it might help you get over Jake."

I winced. Sensitive subject. Lesley sighed and I could tell she was about to back off.

I felt a bolt of recklessness shoot through me. Who was Jake to restrict my actions after he was gone?

"Let's do it," I decided.

Lesley flung her arms around me in one of her signature hugs, blubbering happily.

"Please, let go," I choked.

"Thank you, Bee! And don't worry, we'll do it together. It'll be a blast," Lesley assured me, finally releasing her arms. "Which reminds me; what'll the penalty be?"

I thought for a moment.

"How's this: we have three Chicken Out's - and the other can make up punishments from bad to disgustingly horrible as the strikes are used up."

Lesley's lips quirked wickedly. We both knew we wouldn't back down when it came to dares - which the penalties practically were.

She shut the green notebook and grabbed a Sharpie. Then she began to write.

THE SUMMER RULES

Here we go.

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Remember, the even ones are Must Do's and the odd ones are Chicken Out's - you get three Chicken Out's each with horrifying repercussions. Wee.

I've read a lot of stories involving high school bucket lists, but the only one I've ever liked (ahem, loved) was Living High School To The Fullest by SkyDancer. I strongly recommend it.

In fact, the 'crazy movie chick' reference is from her book.

But this book isn't about high school - it's about what comes after it. I'm a huge fan of Sarah Dessen (yes, go read her books too). Her books focus around the changes summer can bring.

So will this.

Without the constraints of high school, let us go wild with the Summer Rules!

-Rain

p.s. Any interesting rules to suggest? PM me. (;