The (Almost) Perfect Summer

[July 1st, 2009]
-Peyton-

Two days into summer vacation, spending the entire summer with my two best friends and no parents. Hardly the setting for extreme boredom, right? Sigh. All three of us were bored out of our minds. We were lying on our lawn chairs in the backyard, attempting to get a tan. Amy was texting. Maya was sketching. I had my laptop out, checking my e-mail. Buzznet newsletter, LiveJournal announcements, Facebook app updates, love letters from crazed ex boyfriends (okay, not really). Nothing exciting. Delete, delete, delete.

Finally, I found something interesting: an email from one of my favorite indie bands, City Rain.

Hello, Ladies and Gentlemen!

It seems that our manager has made a mistake when booking us, and blah blah blah financial stuff blah blah blah. The point is, we have an unexpected and unbudgeted weekend in Truro, Nova Scotia. If anyone would be willing to give us a room (we only need one room for the five of us - we're used to touring in a van, after all) we'd be eternally grateful and give you free stuff. We'll pay for our food and everything, of course. All we need is a room, and preferably a working shower. Please? :)
Love you all!

-City Rain

"...Guys?" I managed to say. Maya and Amy both looked at me. "Look at this."


-Amy-

After reading the email, I let out a shriek and grabbed the laptop.

"Hey!" Peyton protested. I ignored her and did the only sensible thing to do when an awesome band (especially one made up of five really hot guys) needs a place to stay, right in your hometown: I hit "reply", and sent them our names, cell phone numbers, and address.

After the adrenaline rush wore off and my heart resumed its normal beating, I looked over at Maya and Peyton. I felt a little guilty as I realized that I hadn't asked either one of them for their opinion.

"Uh... is it okay that I told them they could stay here?"

There was silence for a second, then Peyton jumped up and hugged me. "Are you kidding me? Of course it's fucking okay!"

I turned to Maya, who just laughed and nodded.


-Maya-

Peyton:
Beautiful, blonde, and pale. Long, wavy, soft hair and dark blue eyes.
Shy, unless you know her well
Sweet
Straight (sometimes bi-curious?)
17

Amy:
Pretty, but not beautiful like Peyton. Tanned. Short, choppy, dirty-blond hair and green eyes.
Outgoing
Nice, but outspoken
Straight as can be
18 (still in high school - she repeated eighth grade)

Me:
Average-looking. Pasty. Long, straight, brown hair and brown eyes.
Painfully shy
I think I'm nice?
Bisexual
17

I guess you could say that the three of us are incredibly different. Sometimes I wonder why we're all best friends. Besides the fact that we love each other to death, I mean. There's only a few things we really have in common, the most important of which is our music taste. We've all loved City Rain since they released their first album. They really are an amazing band. I have no idea why they aren't signed to a major label yet. It's kind of nice, though, having a favorite band that almost no one's heard of. At least you don't have to deal with screaming fangirls. City Rain deserved more fame, and I knew they'd get it someday, but for now they were our secret.


-Amy-

It's funny, how quickly we forgot about the e-mail. I don't think any of us believed that it was going to happen. It was one of those things, like winning the lottery or falling in love with a guy after one date - fun to think about, but unlikely enough that you're not disappointed when it doesn't happen. So no one really expected to get an e-mail back, which made the next morning a huge surprise.

[July 2nd, 2009]

Peyton woke Maya and I with a loud shriek.

"What the frig?" Maya grumbled. She never swore.

Peyton looked even paler than usual as she gestured to the screen of her laptop. I crawled out of my sleeping bag and glanced at the e-mail on the screen.

Hey Girls,

Thanks for responding! You were the first (well, okay, only) in the area, so we'll be taking you up on your offer. We're very grateful, and of course you'll get free merch and tickets to the Truro show. We should be in the area by tomorrow night - Will you be ready by then? If not, don't worry. Another night or two in the van won't kill us. Thanks again for your help!

Love,
Alex, Noah, Blake, Devin, and Mark

"Oh my God," I said softly. No one said anything. Then Peyton yelled, "OH MY GOD!"

Suddenly, all three of us were talking, giggling, and shrieking at the same time. I grabbed the laptop and e-mailed back that tomorrow night would be fine and that we were really excited to have them staying with us.

Oh my God. They were really coming to stay with us. This was going to be the best summer ever.

[July 3rd, 2009]
-Peyton-

"What the hell do we wear?" Amy asked, pulling things out of her closet. I glanced at the pile of possible outfits on her bed. It included knee length, v-necked halter dresses. I sighed.

Maya must have noticed too. She rolled her eyes. "We don't need to dress up, Amy. They won't care. They're not Fall Out Boy."

"I just wanna look nice for them," Amy said, biting her lip. I crossed the room and looked through her closet.

"Try this, hon," I said, handing her a pink tank top and a black pleated skirt. She sighed, but changed into it anyway. I was already dressed in what I was going to wear - cutoff jean shorts and a blue and black checkered button-up shirt - so I grabbed a pair of skinny jeans and a plain orange t-shirt for Maya (it was too hot for jeans, but she'd never wear anything more revealing than that), handed her the clothes, and began putting Amy's clothes back in her closet.

As Maya changed, I let myself watch out of the corner of my eye. It was kind of creepy, I guess, since she was my best friend, but I'd had a little bit of a crush on her for a couple of years now. I'd never want to date her, or even kiss her, but she was gorgeous (even if she wouldn't let herself believe it), and I didn't mind looking.

I didn't even like girls, really. Occasionall I'd see one who I thought was really hot, but I wouldn't want to actually sleep with another girl. I was definitely into boys.

My phone made a chiming noise, signalling that I had a new text message.

hey, be there in 10. you guys ready? - noah (CR)

My first reaction: "Oh my God, someone who actually spells out full words when texting. I think I'm in love."

My second reaction: "Oh my God, TEN MINUTES!"

"Guys?" I said, excitement making my voice shake slightly.

"Yeah?" Amy answered.

"They're almost here."