Chapter 1

Calliope,

You stunned me and took my life by storm. In the two months that I have known you, you have taught me more about life and love, than in the twenty years before this summer. When I signed up for this trip I never expected you. Some people would say that we were too young to know love and experience passion. Maybe they were right. But I know that what we had was real.

I want you to know that despite our last conversation, despite all the things that I said, I still care. I still love. I still feel.

Know also that no matter what you will always have a place in my heart as my first true love.

From now, until always,

Arizona

"Hey Cal! Pepperoni or – Ow! Shit. Can you get your stuff out of the way?" Christina stood comically on one foot shaking the pain out of the other foot while glaring at the now upended box.

Callie nearly burst out laughing at her roommate's pose but refrained when she saw which box had been tipped.

"Do you think there could be more dust on that box? I mean have you even looked at it in the past century?" Christina had now forgotten about her stubbed toe and instead inched towards the box trying to discern the contents of the box.

Letters and pictures continued to slide from within the box. One picture showed a much younger Callie arms around a dimpled blonde standing with four other people in front of a mess of tents. Another was of Callie kissing the same dimpled blonde, yet another was of Callie's silhouette staring into the sunset.

"Calliope pose! It's beautiful. It's the sunset. We're in the mountains. It's all almost as pretty as you. So pose with the background!"

"No. Arizona, I'm not going to pose. I mean really? Me by myself in a picture? I don't think so."

"Come on. I'll make it worth your while!"

"How do you want me to pose?"

"Artsy-like. Stare into the distance. Yep, this is gonna be a freaking awesome picture."

"Are you done yet?"

"Can you stop whining?"

"I'm not whining."

"Uh, yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Let's not argue. Can't we do anything without arguing?. Come on just humor me."

"No. We can't do anything without arguing because you always want to do exactly what I do not need to be doing."

"Callie,"

"No, don't pull that freaking card on me. I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work. I'm tired of this okay. Tired of taking care of you, of watching you, of everything being about you. I just for once let me do what I want to do goddamit. I'm your girlfriend. Not your slave. I don't answer at your beck and call. So just stop. Okay? Stop with all the requests. I'm tired of this shit."

Callie turned away from her girlfriend and began the long trek back to the campsite.

"Calliope."

Callie who had been prepared to walk back to the tents alone stopped but did not turn at the blonde's voice.

"I know you're not my slave. I just, we only have two more weeks together, I want to take a picture of my girlfriend. Is that too much to ask?"

Callie was snapped from her memory by Christina's inquisitive voice.

"Pen pal?" Christina asked as she picked up a letter.

Callie snatched the letter back from Christina. "None of your damn business."

She began shoveling the pictures and letters back into the box before slapping the lid back on with a clatter, sending a huge cloud of dust into the air.

"Whatever. So Pepperoni or Sausage and Mushroom?"

"Half and Half."

"Fine."

Callie sighed and as she carried the box into her room. She glanced at the box that now sat at her feet. In bright bold blue permanent ink the word 'Arizona' was written across the top. Callie sighed again. Arizona. That was the one thing she tried to avoid thinking about.

"There may be times that I wish I wasn't here, but then I remember that you're making it better."

Callie opened the lid to the box and stared down, memories flooding her brain.

"I love you."

"I know."

The smell of pine percolated from the back of her mind into her senses reminding her of the passion and the love that had stemmed from that single relationship.

"You need help."

"No. I need you to leave."

She could almost feel the blonde in her arms again; the only one to ever make her feel…that way.

"Memories! That's all we have left!"

"Is that really all this is? You can honestly say that you feel nothing?"

And as with all relationships, then came the pain, the leaving, the barbed words that ripped their souls apart.

"Fine. Leave."

"Don't expect to hear from me."

Callie inhaled deeply, closing her eyes tightly to keep the tears at bay.

A summer romance. That's all it had been. A volatile relationship between two people who were too headstrong, too confident, and too passionate for each other. Two teenagers in love. That's all it had been.