Summertime in the countryside was many things. It was humid, especially when it rained. The clouds were gloomy and the skies turned gray but walking outside would only bring sweat down your neck. Summertime was the big mansions sitting on lakefronts that held grass greener than Mother Nature herself. In the mornings, they shined with the mist of the sprinklers. Patios filled the air with sweet scents of barbeque. Summer held gatherings, fireworks, secrets, truths, everything happened in summertime. 

Isa sat on the small dock in her backyard. It was worn out from many rainfalls and years of use. She liked the rough feeling of the wood on her fingers. The boards weren’t nearly sharp enough to give her splinters but had crevices and bumps that she would run her hands on. When the sun was still high enough to shine down on the calm waters but the day had already begun to turn golden, that was her time. There wasn’t a day she missed it. The grassy areas between houses were so big and unrestricting that one could walk from their backyard into another without anything blocking their path. Everybody felt safe here, everybody knew each other. 

“Isa!” A voice called from behind her. Knowing the voice already, the girl didn’t bother to turn around. Instead, she continued to smile at the sun’s reflection on the lake. “Isa! Hello?” The dock shook a bit as the weight of another person ran onto it. The voice sat down next to Isa and flicked her arm. 

“Hi Wren.” The quiet girl offered a small smile.

Wren frowned, “If you can always hear me, why don’t you respond? I don’t understand why you make me yell your name.”

 I like hearing you say it, she thought but she bit back her sentence. There were many things Isa didn’t dare to utter, such as the fact that she was in love with her best friend and that she couldn’t do anything about it. She settled on saying nothing at all. 

“And she’s gone again.” Her friend sighed, propping herself up on her stomach, perhaps completely unaware of the situation. 

This summer was a bittersweet summer. It was the last one before they would be off to college. They would leave each other and their youth behind. There would be no more daily talks during sunset. Albeit they would only be two hours away from each other at university, something was still changing. 

“Are you excited to leave this town behind?”

Isa took a deep breath, “I guess.” In reality, she didn’t know at all. She and Wren had spent their lives here. While many only came for the holidays, this was their home along with each other. Adding that Isa had been in love with the girl since they were in middle school, there was a lot that she’d probably have to let go of. 

“I’m not.” Wren blurted out. She had always been the more emotional one out of the two. Holding onto things as long as possible, not wanting to ever let go. She sat up suddenly, pulling on Isa’s finger. “How about we have one last hurrah?” 

“Hm?” Her friend was confused, not understanding what the girl was talking about. Wren never answered though and instead interlocked hands, beginning to run towards her house. They weaved through the furniture, dodging chairs and countertops. In one swoop, Wren grabbed her keys, not losing any of the momentum previously created. Isa could only follow along, still dazed. 

The doors to the car slammed as they got in and rumbled as it started rolling down the driveway. 

“First stop! Isa, where did we meet?” 

“Like for the first time?”

“That is the correct definition!” 

“Bellwood Middle School, right?” 

“Right!” Isa had moved to the countryside a few weeks into her first year of middle school. There on the  crowded playground she had watched as a young girl with a short ponytail approached her with a chocolate bar. Her toothy smile and sparkling shoes had shone out throughout the crowds of kids. That slowly, melting chocolate bar was the beginning of this long friendship. These days the playground was a bit more cracked, weeds overgrown through the asphalt. They sat on the ground, cross-legged, facing each other. 

“Why did you come up to me that day?”

Wren picked at the ground, “You were staring at me the whole time. I felt very threatened by your face.” 

Isa couldn’t help but grin at her childness, “Facing your fears head on?” 

“Of course, you know me.” 

“What a brave child.” They sat there in silence for a bit longer before it was time to move on. As they drove, the sun moved farther and farther down past the horizon. The streetlights began to turn on one by one, and soft music was heard from the radio. 

Wren asked another question, “Next, where did we hang out for the first time?” 

“Lightning Ice Cream, the stand one by the tennis courts.” 

“Look at your memory.” Lightning Ice Cream was a local creamery that had opened up a stand years back that everyone used to go to. It had been a warm day during spring, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. After all these years, Isa could still remember everything so clearly as if it  was yesterday. Wren had dropped her ice cream cone on the ground and cried by the melting treat while Isa tried to comfort her as well as a middle schooler could.  

“Two vanilla dip cones, please!” 

“You girls are all grown up and ready to go off to college!” The owner chuckled at the two girls. 

“And you haven’t aged a day.” Wren laughed. She had a way of charming people like that. 

“Oh how sweet of you, this one’s on the house.” Finding an empty bench, they both watched the sun as it fell further. 

“You know, I never used to like ice cream before I met you.” Wren admitted. 

“For the first couple of times, I could see your inner disgust. And then, at some point, you stopped and started enjoying it.” Isa shrugged.

“It used to be like that but I guess with time and you here, it just kind of mellowed out.” It felt like they were children again, just sitting and eating ice cream, not worrying about what was coming next. There was no future in mind, living only in the present. You could drop something, cry like there was no tomorrow, and wake up the next day, happier than ever. 

The last location was Isa’s least favorite of them all.

“First time we told each other who we liked.” It was bound to come up sooner or later. This was a huge moment, specifically for Wren. It was where they had come out to each other and Wren had told Isa about the girl she liked. First time I had my heart broken, the first time it felt like the world was really coming to an end. 

“Markus Cove.” Markus Cove was an unknown cove that nobody ever really went to. One day in their 2nd year of middle school, they had discovered a little inlet. The girls had named it Markus Cove after they’d seen a fish die and named it Markus. This was its little tribute. The sky was getting increasingly darker, both from the night and the gray clouds beginning to form. 

Should I tell her the truth or do I hide it forever? There were so many questions this place brought forth. Unlike the two previous destinations that were very lighthearted, the cove held a heavier, deeper sentiment. 

Trying to break the silence, Isa asked, “What was that girl’s name again? The one that you liked.”

“Hanna.” Isa couldn’t really remember any characteristics of that girl. All she remembered was the heartache and pain that name had brought. 

“You know-,” 

“I was-,” They both stopped, waiting for the other to start. Isa motioned for the other girl to continue. 

“I was lying. That day. I wasn’t being truthful.” Wren was looking at the water, away from her friend. 

“About you being into girls? I think it’s a little too late to say you lied. You played that part for a long-,” 

“No, not that.” 

Bewildered, Isa scratched her neck, “What was it then?” 

“I lied about who I liked. It wasn’t that girl, I honestly made her up.” Well, I”m glad I’m not the only one. 

“That’s why I could never think of who it was.” 

“It was you.” Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Isa had never heard anything so loud in her life. Her heart had jumped out of her chest and swam right into the ocean. Her hands were sweaty even though nothing was happening. Something was caught in her throat and she couldn’t respond. 

“You know for a long time I wondered if you liked me too. I mean you barely made friends with anyone else. But you’re also just antisocial and degenerate at home every day. So I guess I just gave up on that thought. But since we’re going to be some kind of apart from each other, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to say it. I am most definitely head over heels for you except my head is so small there is no way I could actually fall over.” I did, I did. Isa just couldn’t say it. Her mouth was dried up completely. I like you too, I like you more than you could know. 

Wren turned around, staring straight into Isa’s eyes, “You know, I wasn’t expecting a yes but at least a reply.” 

“I-,” Isa was cut off by the sudden pouring of rain. Wren ran back in next to Isa who was frozen still. 

“Not again.” She groaned then pulled Isa down with her onto the soft sand. With a plop, they landed safely. 

“Hey Wren.” 

“Hm?” 

“Yes.” Isa had pondered and stressed long enough for this moment. She would take what she had while she could. 

“Yes to what?” 

“I liked you too. I also still do.” 

Wren’s mouth turned into a sweet smile, “Really surpassing my expectations today.” The rain didn’t show any signs of stopping soon so they laid there on the sand. They talked about everything, why they liked each other, why they didn’t say it. When the end of summer would come, they would start fresh, together. 

Summertime in the countryside was many things. Everybody had different reasons for loving the humid days that brought travelers in from all across the country. The mosquitos that attached themselves to humans and the warm, clear waters. On porches sat old ladies fanning themselves with their hands and sipping on hand-crafted cocktails. The families held parties late into the night with fairy lights brightening the atmosphere. Summertime was the time to explore, learn, reveal, and build new relationships. It brought forth the hidden secrets that would have disappeared otherwise. That was summer.