Lindsay

The moment she returned home from her life-changing summer trip, Lindsay knew it was all downhill from there. In fact, she wouldn't have been surprised if her dad could somehow manage to lock her up and ground her until she was in her 30s.

The van took off behind her, driving probably way too fast down the road of her suburban neighborhood, but she couldn't spare a thought on that. She was using all of her mental resources to stare back at her dad from across the yard and muster up every ounce of courage she could to actually approach the house. She wondered why she even had them drop her off here, when she knew good and well she could have put this confrontation off as long as possible.

She also knew there was really no use delaying it or letting herself even begin to sit in denial about whether or not they knew. She knew the organizers of the academic summit would be keeping strict track of every student there, and would no doubt have called both her parents and the school to inquire of her whereabouts as soon as they realized she wasn't present.

She gulped.

Well, she thought to herself, it's time.

She gulped and hitched her bag a little higher on her shoulder before beginning the long, agonizing walk to her front door. As she reached the front step, her dad simply stared down at her in silence, arms crossed and eyes cold. She felt a pang in her chest, a feeling of shame and dread so acute she could barely breathe.

"Hey, dad," she greeted him weakly.

"Lindsay," he said with a short sigh. "I have never been so disappointed in my life."

Lindsay's heart sank way down into her stomach. "Dad, I-"

"No," he said simply, cutting her off. "Just go inside and head to your room. We'll discuss this later."

Lindsay nodded and hung her head; she averted her gaze as he cheeks blazed from embarrassment and she traipsed inside. Her mother and little brother were nowhere to be seen, so she simply headed to her bedroom, threw down her bag, and collapsed onto her bed with a soft oof.

She stared at the ceiling, wondering when her life had gotten this way and if she would ever stop caring so much what her parents thought of her. No matter how much she pushed back and rebelled, she couldn't control the shame and turmoil that welled up each time she went against them. And her dad had just started trusting her again, becoming more lenient and understanding. She knew without a doubt that she had ruined any progress she had made with him the last year.

Her gut clenched with the mingling sensations of guilt and frustration. Even though she missed her family, being back there felt stifling. She longed for the free, summer air, carefree dancing, and the music she'd heard firsthand. The only thing she could think to do was get up and pop her Grateful Dead vinyl on the record player. So she did.

And then she lay on her bed again, closed her eyes, and took in several deep breaths. It felt a bit like a cheap counterfeit to the real thing now that she'd experienced it, but it was something. Now all she could do was wait until her trial and execution, and she knew there was an unforgiving jury waiting.

Sam

While it certainly wasn't as eventful as Lindsay's, Sam had been having an interesting summer so far for himself too. Over the course of the last two weeks, he'd already grown almost two inches in height. While the growing pains were uncomfortable, he couldn't be more thrilled. Neal was growing a bit too, but much slower. Sam tried not to brag about his own growth spurt, but it was easier said than done.

Him, Neal, and Bill were all hanging out at Neal's place, lounging around the living room. It was the peak of summer, and the teen boys were bored out of their minds. Sam was laying in an armchair sideways with his feet dangling over one arm, tossing a small rubber ball up in the air and catching it.

"I can't believe I'm almost as tall as Bill," he mused. "I wonder how tall I'm going to get by the time school starts."

"Yeah, right," Bill said with a laugh. Him and Neal were taking turns with the atari, passing the controller back and forth in between games. It was currently Neal's turn. "You're still like, four inches shorter than me. I doubt you're going to catch up."

Sam rolled his eyes and scowled. "What-ever," he drawled.

"Shut up!" Neal snapped, leaning forward towards the screen. "I really don't need this rubbed in my face right now, and I'm trying to focus on annihilating asteroids." He flipped into a random impersonation, earning a brief chuckle and some eye rolls from both of his friends.

"Do you guys wanna like, go do something?" Sam asked, letting out a long sigh. "I am so. bored. I feel like I'm losing my mind."

"Like what?" Bill asked, curiosity in his tone.

"I dunno, maybe go to the mall or something?" Sam suggested.

'You totally just wanna run into Cindy and rub your new height in her face," Neal jabbed.

Sam grinned and shrugged, continuing to toss his ball. "I dunno, maybe," he replied with a laugh Neal turned to look at him and all three of them burst. out laughing.

"Oh, what the hell," Neal added. He finished his current game and set down the remote. "Let's go to the mall, fellows."