The Summer I Ran Into My Childhood Best Friend

Nine Years Later

"FREEDOM!!!!" my best friend Mariza yelled, throwing her graduation cap in the air.

"Shut up!" I said between laughs, "I'm pretty sure everyone gets the idea you're happy." 

"Woops," she said smiling.

Not ten minutes ago I had graduated from my home town high school of Salem, MA with my class of 613 people. The ceremony had me crying the entire way through it, this high school had almost become a second home to me over the years and now I was leaving it behind. Me and my four best-friends were bound to go to College down in Florida at the end of the summer on a full scholar-ship through Track.

Before the school year had ended we bought a decent sized house outside the beach side campus of the University of Central Florida. The house itself was right on the beach and only 5 minutes away from the campus; it was almost like my life would be becoming one of those college-summer 80's movies. I was beyond excited to go down and start setting everything up.

"Look at my baby girl!" my mother exclaimed, walking towards me with Ann trailing not far behind her.

"You're so old," Ann perstered jokingly.

"Hey, you're the one who looks about 26," I said smiling. It was true too, two years ago when Ann was in the 8th grade she had hit a huge growth spurt and grew to be 5'9"... I had only reached the height of 5'7".

"Oh shut-up," I heard her mutter under her breath.

"Oh, you and Mariza look all grown up in your graduation outfits and caps!" my mother exclaimed once again, "Were's Jill and Ashley?"

Jill and Ashley were the other half to my group of friends, currently they were off talking to their own mothers about the same stuff mine would be about to bring up. All the mushy-gushy stuff about how much shes going to miss me when im away over the summer.

"Right here," they both said suddenly from behind me and Mariza, my group of four friends was now completed.

"Oh I remember when you all were tiny little things running XC together in the 8th grade!" my mom continued as she took in all four of us. Mariza was wearing her signuture khaki shorts and dressy t-shirt (she hated wearing dresses), Jill was wearing a blue summer dress with flip flops, Ashley was wearing her favorite strapless purple dress with heels, and I was wearing my strapless white summer dress with heeled gladiator sandals. 

"Ya, five years later and we're still not sick of each other," Jill replied in a sarcastic tone, causing a smile to break out on my mothers face.

"Just tomorrow you'll all be leaving for Florida too, I won't be able to see you all until August when you come back before college," my mom said with tears in her eyes. Over the years she had begun to consider Jill, Ashley and Mariza and extended part of the family. They practically lived at my house on the weekends and over summer break, we all were inseperable. 

"Good ridence," my sister said in a relieved tone, "I can finally have your room turned into something of my choosing."

"Stop it," my mother whispered as she gave a slight punch to my sisters arm.

"Our new rooms are going to be 10x better then what your planning on doing," I heard Ashley say from behind me, " because ours is right ne-"

But before she could finish my mother interupted by giving me a hug and saying, "Well sweety, I'm going to head out. I will see you all tonight."

With that, her and my sister headed towards the parents parking lot by the side of the school. Confused, I didnt know why she left until I heard my fathers joking call from behind Ashley and Jill.