EPILOGUE

IN YOUR HEAD, IN YOUR MOUTH, IN YOUR SOUL

Eve and I spent all summer together. We made lots of memories. We went to the movies, hung out at the mall, snuck into clubs we were too young for. We had all-night anime binges and Tekken competitions and sung karaoke at Odette's birthday party. I took her to the prom; she looked lovely in that blue plaid dress. We took a walk in the park one day, and ran into the Frisbee club. I introduced Eve, and we threw the disc around for awhile. They were glad to see me doing well. I felt a little guilty for not reconnecting with them sooner. Eve came to dinner at my place, and met the family. We went to the town's independence day festival, where we introduced our families to each other. And we spent evenings- not all of them, but many- tangled in each others bodies in animalistic jubilation.

Many memories. Most of them happy, some of them sad, a few of them angry. But these are treasured memories. Private ones. I will keep them to myself. Except for one: the day we went to the beach.

I borrowed the car and drove us out there. It was good beach weather, and the place was crowded with revelers, but we managed to stake out a plot in a reasonably open area. I had the old, orange swim trunks that I kind of hated, but Eve had picked out a new swimsuit for the occasion: a bikini with a green and blue pattern. It matched her hair, which was a brighter blue than usual- she had recently refreshed the color. It was her first time ever wearing a woman's swimsuit, and she looked fantastic in it. Anybody who looked would note an unusual bulge in the bottoms. But either nobody was looking, or those who were didn't care.

It was a beautiful day. Blue skies, golden sand, bright sun. We slathered each other in sunscreen and then sat on beach towels under an umbrella, watching the clouds and listening to the waves and the seagulls' calls. Eve got inspired and decided to sketch the ocean. I left her to it and went to fetch us some water. When I got back I saw Eve talking with a blond girl in a purple bikini, who crouched next to her in the sand. It was a moment before I recognized Roxy. My first thought was that this meant trouble, but they seemed to be cordial to each other, so I hung back out of earshot and let them talk. Eventually, Roxy got up and walked away. She passed me on the way and nodded politely, but would not meet my eyes.

I walked over to Eve and handed her a bottle of water. "So how's it going?" I asked.

"Ugh," she said. "Landscapes are not my thing." She stowed her sketchpad in the beach bag, opened the bottle and took a drink. "I dunno, I've got to practice to improve as an artist, but it always looks so dead. I can't make the waves look real." Eve passed the bottle to me, and I took a drink. She looked at me quizzically. "Umm, don't you have one of your own?"

I did, actually. Sitting right there in my other hand. We were used to sharing drinks, and I'd acted on reflex. "It tastes sweeter after your lips have touched it," I said.

Eve rolled her eyes. "Sure thing, lover," she said sarcastically. I smiled.

After a pause, I asked "So what did Roxy want?"

"She wanted to apologize for being such a cunt to me over the school year," Eve answered. "And particularly for… you know."

"And what did you tell her?", I asked.

"The truth," she said. "That we should put it behind us. It was high school drama, and we're not in high school anymore."

"Ah," I said. We sat and watched the clouds for a second.

"She flunked senior year, you know," Eve said.

"Yeah, I'd heard," I replied. "Really wrecked her plans. She had planned for college, but now she's living at home, looking for work while taking night classes. Might be for the best, though. As she is now, I doubt Roxy would get much out of college but a lot of debt." I shrugged. "Maybe she'll turn her life around. We'll see."

Eve said nothing. Apparently, the mention of college had gotten her thinking. "So, have you decided what you're going to study?"

"Mmm…," I said. "I've got a few ideas. We'll see how it goes."

Actually, I had more than an idea. But I didn't tell her because I wasn't sure if I was going to stick with it. I'd been thinking lately, about high school. About all the drama. Not just me and Eve, but everyone. Tyrone, stuck between two worlds. Roxy, lost in people's expectations of her. And so many others I didn't even know. The class had graduated now, but a new crop of freshmen was ready to take their place, walking the same hallways, facing the same problems, living the same never-ending drama, and always thinking that nobody else had it as bad as them. High school would always be high school. And high schoolers need, more than anything, to know they're not alone. The state university had a course of study on guidance counseling, and that was what I planned to do. Because these kids needed somebody to talk to, and like Eve had said, all I ever did was talk.

Or maybe I wouldn't. Maybe I'd get two years into it, realize it wasn't what I expected, switch majors and do something else. Nobody knows the future. It's bound to surprise you. One day, your Dad comes home from the doctor and blows your whole life out of the water. Another day, you say hello to a girl you don't know and it starts the best thing to ever happen to you. Nothing will ever go exactly as planned. The future is a vast collection of maybes. That's what makes it so exciting.

"So what happens to us?", Eve asked.

I knew what she meant. "We'll keep in touch," I said. "San Francisco is not the moon. We've got each other's Facebook accounts. Five, six years, when we're both done with college, we can get together again."

"But we'll be different people by then, Aaron," she said. "What if we don't feel the way we do now?"

I shrugged. "Then we'll find other people. People who we connect with better. You'll always be my first love, Eve. No matter what else happens, that will never change."

Eve met my gaze, blue eyes shimmering like the light on the ocean waves. "I don't want it to end."

"Neither do I," I said. "But everything has to, someday. We'll find joy again. If not with each other, well..." I smacked my forearm. "we'll have these, to remember."

As a graduation present, Grace had given us matching tattoos on our forearms. Same font and embellishments, but we picked the text for each other. Mine read "You're the best", and hers, "Beautiful woman". Eve ran her fingers across the words and smiled, ever so slightly.

"Yeah," she said. "I'll never forget you, Aaron. Never."

I smiled, leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.

"But hey," I said, "It's way too early for goodbyes. We're here at the beach, and it's a beautiful day. Let's enjoy it." I stood up and held a hand out to her. "Let's go for a swim."

"You know," Eve said, "that sounds like a good idea." She took my hand and got to her feet, then we kicked off our sandals and walked down to the ocean.

The water was cool and gentle on the skin. We waded in waist deep, to the point where you can take your feet off the ground and just float. The waves rolled like hills, lifting us up and down. When the big breakers came along, we bodysurfed them back to shore. We got sandy in the process, swallowing and inhaling seawater, and at one point Eve got seaweed in her hair. Sometimes it even felt like the ocean had caught us. Like we weren't in control, and about to get swept away. But always, we washed up in the muddy shallows and walked right back in, eager for more. We laughed, giddy with the excitement.

A big one came along, and Eve challenged me to get over it. She jumped, daring the ocean to toss her back to the shore if it could. Eve won that challenge, hitting the crest before it broke, and the wave crashed onward without her. But when she looked around, she didn't see me. She looked to the shore, and around, but I was nowhere to be seen.

She was just about to get worried when I jumped out of the water beside her, splashing her. I had dove under the wave to sneak up on her. She screamed in surprise and I swept her into my arms. Laughing, she shoved me away and threw seawater in my face mock-angrily. I threw some back at her, and we splashed each other like children.

In the middle of our splash-fight, I closed the distance and kissed her. Her lips were salty from the seawater, but they felt and tasted as lovely as they always did. She smiled dreamily at me, and we kissed again. And again. Ignorant of the other swimmers, we held each other and kissed, floating as if weightless in the cerulean waves. She laid her head on my shoulder and gave a contented sigh.

The past was unchangeable, the future unknown, and tomorrow would surely bring more drama to add to an ever-growing pile. But we always have the here and now. And here and now, everything was good.