It was summer. And the stifling heat of Chicago was enough to drive anybody mad. Everywhere there seemed to be the stench of rotting trash. It hung heavy in the air from dusk till dawn, reminding everybody what a pit the city actually was.

Over the course of the past few months, free from school and the stress of my studies, I had been treating my body like it's very own trashcan. The heat made my hair frizz, despite putting hours of effort into keeping it straight. Fashion was lost on me by the tail end of July and I had started wearing wife beaters and boys boxers around the apartment to keep cool. It was too warm to go anywhere and the air-conditioner that sat in my bedroom was the only thing keeping me grounded. Day in and day out, I could feel my mind slowly slipping away. I couldn't tell if it was the summer sun, lack of school, or the cigarettes I had picked up smoking (thanks to Cece), but something was terribly off.

Sitting there on the stoop, one leg crossed daintily over the other, cigarette held between my fingers, I didn't feel like myself. I felt older, but not as wise. Almost if the weeks off from school had been rotting my brain. The stress of the upcoming school year felt heavy on my shoulders. And if I were in school, I could probably write a stellar comparison essay on the similar ties between the Greek God, Atlas and myself.

Senior year. The year where I would inevitably be torn away from my best friend was approaching. Sure, we had plans on continuing onward together, but in the back of both of our minds, we knew that wasn't true. The knowledge that within a year I would be losing her made my heart itch and my stomach burn with unease. I felt restless and I knew she felt it too.

Our attachment to one another had taken a turn ever since we were released from the confines of high school at the end of Junior year. Every morning, I would wake up to her in my bed, sheets wrapped around her ankles (it was too hot for heavy blankets); on afternoons, we locked ourselves inside, content with each other's company and the hum of the air conditioner. And by night we were animals. Born to party and stay up late.

Cece had taught me a valuable life lesson, on one hot evening. It was the first time we drank. I had the drink pressed against my lips, the mouth of it resting softly against them in hesitation. It wasn't my kind of thing and Cece knew that. But she had went through the trouble of stealing the damn six-pack and wasn't about to let my moral values get in the way. "Life is too short to waste on academics, Rocky. You just have to live a little. You won't get very far if you don't take risks." She had whispered as she took a sip off of her own beer.

I remember licking my lips at the sound of her voice. It was sultry, dripping almost with a hint of desire.

xxxx

She gave me the blueberry flavored popsicle, taking the cherry one for herself. She told me that I was better suited for the blue colored one, merely because it matched my last name. And though I thought her reasoning preposterous, I accepted without a second thought and pulled the plastic wrapper off of the frozen treat. As I ran the flat of my tongue against the popsicle, I could feel Cece's eyes on me.

"What is it?" I asked, not bothering to glance her way and continued to suck and lick the popsicle. In the back of my mind, I knew that I was trying to seduce her. It was odd just how hard I had fallen for my best friend over the past few months. And though I didn't know it for a fact, I was positive that she had fallen into the same, lustful trap that I had. Perhaps it was hormones, but something told me it was deeper than that.

I heard her shift on the couch, the cushion moving under the weight of her small frame, and turned my head to look at her. A pretty, cherry lipped smile flashed at me, rendering me breathless. I wanted to avert my gaze, to do something, but I was caught. "It's nothing," she paused to click her tongue against the roof of her mouth, eyes rolling to the side as if she were pondering something. "Rocky, I want to try something, okay? You just have to promise that you won't freak out on me."

I could feel my brows knit together in confusion, my lips parted and head nodding up and down. Non verbally, I agreed to let her do whatever it was she felt like doing. A sly grin pulled at either corner of her mouth and I swore that I watched her eyes darken a shade. I stared, frozen, as she scooted closer to me, her eyes now dropped to my lips, which automatically parted under her stare. I didn't move, didn't flinch, only gasped as I felt the end of her popsicle glide against my neck, wetting it, making it sticky with corn syrup and sugar. "Cece, what-", but the words caught in the back of my throat as I felt the pressure of her mouth against my throat. Automatically, a suppressed gasp fell from my lips, my lashes fluttering as I tilted my head, egging her on. I knew that she got the hint when I felt the length of her sweet, slick tongue travel from my neck up towards my ear.

"Rocky, I want you to sleepover tonight," she husked out. The sound of her voice in that moment shook me to my very core and like a weakling, I could only manage to nod my head in agreement. As she spoke, her hot words dancing against the outer rim of my ear and I thought I'd pass out. My heart beat erratically against my breast and my mind reeled as if I had taken drugs. "My mom isn't going to be home tonight and Duece is taking care of Finn." I could feel her smile as she spoke and my groin throbbed at the thought of being alone with her, especially with the way her voice oozed with a sort of animal like craving. "I'll be waiting for you in my bedroom around nine. Don't come before and don't be late." I didn't have time to reply before she moved away from me, eyes locked, lust running rampant. Unsure of what to do next, I stood up from the couch, popsicle still held in my left hand.

"I guess I'll see you tonight," I managed to say, careful not to look back at her as I made my way towards the door and slipped out.