Well, guys, after a whole year, we are finally uploading the last chapter of this story. I am terribly sorry for the delay, as it was mostly my fault. But yes, It's Summer in My Heart is now complete. All good things must come to an end, and this story is finally clocking out. I wish I could say it was something spectacular after nearly a year, but it's nothing spectacular. It's just the final chapter. Two summers ago, when we had first started this story, we'd planned to do sequels. We're not sure that will happen now, but you never know.

I'd just like to add that working with Cimmy has been one of the highlights of the last two years, and I love her lots. She's a good writer and a very good friend.

Feel free to review, but even if you don't, enjoy the last chapter. -Kristine and Cimmy

Chapter 37: Homeward Bound
By NYgoldfish54

Charlie's POV

Getting everyone out the door this morning was a bitch. I had packed the night before, as had Banksie, but apparently nobody else had planned as well as we did.

"Why are you yelling and banging on the door, Charlie?" Connie had whined at me, rubbing sleep fog from her eyes.

"Why am I yelling? Because we have to be out of here in an hour and a half and nobody's packed yet! Hell, nobody's AWAKE!" I hollered.

After banging on everyone's door, I walked downstairs to the front desk where Lex was looking over something. Reading over her shoulder, I nearly passed out when I saw how much our rooms and liquor and everything we broke cost.

"Lex," I said quietly into her ear, "That's a lot of money."

She jumped about a foot in the air. "Charlie!" she half shrieked in a very high voice that was hardly her own, "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry," I apologized.

"It is a lot of money. But a lot of it's covered by the people who run this thing. I just have to pay for the broken stuff and the liquor which we weren't supposed to have," she said, her voice returning to normal.

Doing the math, I realized that just the broken stuff and the liquor came to about twenty five hundred dollars.

"Do you have that much?" I asked her.

She grinned and flashed a blue Visa card with the name "Tom O'Leary" on the front in silver letters. "Damn straight I got it," she smiled.

"Nice," I said back to her.

"Isn't it? Nothing like getting back at your father for being a bastard by stealing his money," she grinned.

"You have that much, though? Are you sure?" I ask. I knew she could afford it, but wasn't sure it was really a good idea.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Dad doesn't even know it's gone. Plus, Mom does the bills," she nods and looks past me, and in a quiet, more distant voice, she says, "My mom's a good sport about this kind of thing."

That's when Banks appeared at the top of the stairs with everyone else behind him, packed and ready to go. This must have been when Lex slipped away, but I didn't notice. I was too busy staring in awe at my teammates. I couldn't believe it. I was sure nobody would be ready and we'd miss our flight.

"Well, everyone's ready and accounted for, Captain," Banks saluted me at the top of the stairs, and carrying his own duffel bag, led my team down after him.

"How'd you do this?" I asked Banks as our teammates wandered into the dining hall for their last breakfast in Florida.

"A little sensitivity goes a long way, Charlie," he grinned.

"What?" I asked him, completely confused.

"Offer aspirin to people with hangovers rather than banging on their doors and shouting," he grinned again.

"Oh screw off," I answered him.

"You have such a winning personality, Charlie, you really do," he smirked. I rolled my eyes at him, and he laughed. "I'm going for breakfast," he said finally. "Coming?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."

Miraculously, in spite of our messing around at breakfast, we made it to the airport on time. We didn't miss our flight, and nobody got wet this time around.

Lex, Jeff, Anna, Matt, Sammie, Chris, and Anthony had accompanied us to the airport and thanked us all for coming. Everyone said their goodbyes. Jeff kissed Julie, Averman kissed Anna, and Dwayne kissed Sammie. I couldn't help noticing that Matt looked slightly furious at this. But oh well. I'm just going to hope that Matt and Dwayne never see each other again. I don't think Dwayne would stand a chance.

I stepped closer to Lex. "Thanks for the great time," I smiled at her.

"You bet," she said, kissing my cheek.

"When are you all leaving?" I asked, indicating to the band.

"The day after tomorrow," she said.

"Are you going to New York or Minneapolis?" I asked her.

"New York. My brother Steve is getting married next month. I won't be back in Minnesota 'til September," she explained. I must have looked a little bummed, because she smiled brightly and said, "Don't mope, Charlie. It'll go faster than you think. Get wrapped up in hockey, and it'll be September before you know it."

I smiled at her. "See you in September," I smiled, kissed Lex one last time on the lips, and began to follow my friends onto the plane. I chuckled to myself as I walked away and heard her friends whistling at her and teasing her. When I looked back she was laughing with them, and she waved at me until after I had turned the corner and could no longer see her.

And now, after a very quiet flight considering it was us, everyone else has gone home, and I'm in a cab on my way back to my house.

As the cab drops me off in front of my home and as I carry my bags towards the front door, it opens. My mother is standing there with smile on her face. When I reach her, I put down my bag and she hugs me.

"You didn't call me for a week!" she says somewhat indignantly after she lets me out of her embrace.

"It was long distance," I explain to her.

"Charlie!"

"Sorry, Mom, I forgot," I grin a little and all seems forgiven.

"So did you have a good time?" she asks.

I think back on everything. A lot happened. It was definitely an interesting week. I had a lot of fun, in spite of everything that went on. It was a lot of stuff, really. It was lots of new experiences and I possibly have a new girlfriend. This new possible girlfriend and her friends won the chance of a lifetime for what they do. They were so happy that you couldn't help be happy for them. So the Bash Brothers are now openly gay. So Averman and Dwayne are now going to try their hand at long distance relationships. So I slept with Lex. So Lex's brother wants to kill me. So Cee and Lex nearly killed each other in a fight over Fred. So Fred and Cee are now lost somewhere in the Caribbean. It all turned out okay anyway.

Yeah, it wasn't a bad week, really. There was a lot of good, and the bad stuff could have been a lot worse. For example, somebody could be dead.

"Charlie?"

"Yeah Mom?"
"Did you have a good time?" she repeats the question. I was thinking and forgot to answer. Heh. Oops.

"Oh, yeah, sorry, I was thinking about it, and yes, I had a really good time."

"Did you stay out of trouble?"

"There was no trouble, exactly-" I start, but she cuts me off.

"Charlie!"

"No, I mean it! There were a few minor incidents but that was it," I say quickly before she assumed the worst.

"Like what?" she demands.

"Like Lex and Cee fell into a pastry cart," I say, grinning sheepishly.

"I see," my mother says seriously, but a smile is playing on her lips, threatening to give away her amusement. "How'd that happen?"

"Well-" I could tell her the whole story. I could. "I'm not really sure what they were doing at the time, but there was a loud crash and we looked up, they were covered in pastry cream."

But I won't.

She giggles a little and then says, "What about you, young man? No sex, alcohol, or drugs, right?"

I look at her, and for a moment, I think she's nailed me. But she hasn't. She's seriously asking me this question. Well, Ma, you're batting 1 for 3. I did absolutely no drugs.

"That's right Ma. No sex, alcohol, or drugs," I smile.

"That my boy," she smiles and kisses my cheek. She begins talking about dinner and what's been happening while I was away, and I feel a little guilty for lying to her as she rushes around making me a grilled cheese sandwich.

It's for her own good though, I think, as she starts telling me about a bar fight at the place where she has a job bartending three nights a week. Yes, definitely better she doesn't know, I decide, as she starts listing the negative effects of alcohol. It's really better that she doesn't know exactly what went on during this past week. She's happy thinking I was an angel.

What she doesn't know won't hurt her…and well, it won't hurt me, either.