AUGUST
Summers in Chicago were amazing. Endless days of sunshine, cool breezes from the lake, and hot bodies on the beaches. It was only August, but it already felt like fall was creeping in on us. We needed to enjoy our last few days in the city.
That’s why all of us had agreed to meet for dinner and drinks. This was our last chance to gather as a group before we would be scattering across the globe.
“How many French guys do you plan to hook up with while you’re there?” Payton asked over our first glass of sangria.
“The hot ones,” I replied without need to think. If you couldn’t live a little on the wild side, what was the point of studying abroad in France?
“Be careful,” Olivia scolded. “Try not to get into too much trouble over there.”
“Yeah, you don’t want to deliver a French baby in nine months.” Payton nodded. “You’ll have to give him some French name, like Marco.”
“Marco? Really?” I gave her a sympathetic look. “It’s a good thing you are pretty.”
“Thank you,” Payton said, smiling broadly. “Speaking of insanely good looking people, where’s Taylor?”
It would’ve sounded like a compliment to most people, but since we had been friends with both of them for many years, we knew that Payton was really complimenting herself. She and Taylor were identical twins. They looked so similar that I still sometimes got them mixed up after a few drinks.
As if she heard us talking about her, Taylor entered the bar in a hurry. We all started clapping and cheering as she approached the table.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m here.” She faked a curtsey.
“You need to work on that. I’m pretty sure the Queen will have you run out of town with a sloppy curtsey like that.” I said, tossing my dark hair over my shoulder.
“I’m not worried about meeting the Queen,” Taylor said, pulling out the only empty chair at the table. “Where’s my drink?”
“Sangria.” Payton passed a drink to her with a smile. “To prepare us for our reunion in Spain.”
“We haven’t even left yet,” Taylor reminded her twin. She held up her glass, toasting all of us.
In addition to Taylor and Payton, we were joined by Scottie and Olivia. The five of us had been friends since we were in Miss Cleary’s first grade class. We had scattered a bit for college, but we still saw each other as frequently as possible. For the last three months, we had been inseparable.
Payton and Taylor attended college in the city with Olivia. Scottie had taken an internship for the summer and was staying with Olivia.
Meanwhile, I had been couch surfing with various friends all summer. Staying in one place for too long bored me and I was always looking for my next adventure. Hence, France.
But our time together was about to end.
“I can’t believe we will all be gone in less than a week.” Scottie was our quiet friend. She preferred to listen to our troubles rather than share her own. “You have to promise to email every day.”
“No way!” I slammed down my empty glass. “I will be too busy hitting on French guys and eating crepes.”
“And going to class? And immersing yourself into French culture? And practicing the language?” Payton asked, laughing when I stared at her blankly.
“This isn’t about education, Pay,” I said. “This is about finding a hot French guy to be the father of my babies.”
Everyone knew I was mostly just talk. I talked a big game, but I knew that once I got to Paris my confidence would fade. I hated being alone, not knowing anyone. My first months of college had been torture for me. I had taken a tennis scholarship at a school five hours from home where I hadn’t known a single person. In a few weeks, I had made a ton of friends, but those first few days had shaken my confidence.
Olivia had been abnormally quiet, but now she moaned. “I cannot believe that all of you are leaving me. This is so unfair.”
“We didn’t plan it, Livs. This just kind of happened,”
Summers in Chicago were amazing. Endless days of sunshine, cool breezes from the lake, and hot bodies on the beaches. It was only August, but it already felt like fall was creeping in on us. We needed to enjoy our last few days in the city.
That’s why all of us had agreed to meet for dinner and drinks. This was our last chance to gather as a group before we would be scattering across the globe.
“How many French guys do you plan to hook up with while you’re there?” Payton asked over our first glass of sangria.
“The hot ones,” I replied without need to think. If you couldn’t live a little on the wild side, what was the point of studying abroad in France?
“Be careful,” Olivia scolded. “Try not to get into too much trouble over there.”
“Yeah, you don’t want to deliver a French baby in nine months.” Payton nodded. “You’ll have to give him some French name, like Marco.”
“Marco? Really?” I gave her a sympathetic look. “It’s a good thing you are pretty.”
“Thank you,” Payton said, smiling broadly. “Speaking of insanely good looking people, where’s Taylor?”
It would’ve sounded like a compliment to most people, but since we had been friends with both of them for many years, we knew that Payton was really complimenting herself. She and Taylor were identical twins. They looked so similar that I still sometimes got them mixed up after a few drinks.
As if she heard us talking about her, Taylor entered the bar in a hurry. We all started clapping and cheering as she approached the table.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m here.” She faked a curtsey.
“You need to work on that. I’m pretty sure the Queen will have you run out of town with a sloppy curtsey like that.” I said, tossing my dark hair over my shoulder.
“I’m not worried about meeting the Queen,” Taylor said, pulling out the only empty chair at the table. “Where’s my drink?”
“Sangria.” Payton passed a drink to her with a smile. “To prepare us for our reunion in Spain.”
“We haven’t even left yet,” Taylor reminded her twin. She held up her glass, toasting all of us.
In addition to Taylor and Payton, we were joined by Scottie and Olivia. The five of us had been friends since we were in Miss Cleary’s first grade class. We had scattered a bit for college, but we still saw each other as frequently as possible. For the last three months, we had been inseparable.
Payton and Taylor attended college in the city with Olivia. Scottie had taken an internship for the summer and was staying with Olivia.
Meanwhile, I had been couch surfing with various friends all summer. Staying in one place for too long bored me and I was always looking for my next adventure. Hence, France.
But our time together was about to end.
“I can’t believe we will all be gone in less than a week.” Scottie was our quiet friend. She preferred to listen to our troubles rather than share her own. “You have to promise to email every day.”
“No way!” I slammed down my empty glass. “I will be too busy hitting on French guys and eating crepes.”
“And going to class? And immersing yourself into French culture? And practicing the language?” Payton asked, laughing when I stared at her blankly.
“This isn’t about education, Pay,” I said. “This is about finding a hot French guy to be the father of my babies.”
Everyone knew I was mostly just talk. I talked a big game, but I knew that once I got to Paris my confidence would fade. I hated being alone, not knowing anyone. My first months of college had been torture for me. I had taken a tennis scholarship at a school five hours from home where I hadn’t known a single person. In a few weeks, I had made a ton of friends, but those first few days had shaken my confidence.
Olivia had been abnormally quiet, but now she moaned. “I cannot believe that all of you are leaving me. This is so unfair.”
“We didn’t plan it, Livs. This just kind of happened,”
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