Time Traveling in July

“I like puzzles,” Nick said pensively. “But only on Tuesdays…” His voice trailed off and he stared off into the distance. Strolling down the street beside him, Chris, Stephanie and I were unfazed. These random spurts of thought were characteristic of Nick, so we just smiled. It was impossible not to love him.

A tall, freckly, white kid in Falls Church, Nick dressed himself in the baggiest clothing possible. It was an obvious attempt to fit in with the rest of the neighborhood. My house was close to what one would call the “hood”, where Nick and Chris lived. I liked it better than my neighborhood.

His hair completed the image perfectly. I only ever saw it in one style: a gargantuan afro of spiked up hair. I can’t even express how ridiculous it looked. Yet, it fit him in a way.

Stephanie and I turned to each other and exchanged smiles, both on the brink of laughter. Nick was currently giving Chris an in depth explanation of his plan to successfully breed unicorns. The July heat radiated off the asphalt road beneath our feet as we kept walking. Stephanie and I were satisfied with life that July. None of our friends knew that this was our summer. We had fled Fairfax and found perfection in Falls Church. I fled the present for Chris and Nick, friends of my childhood, and brought Stephanie along for the ride. I’d never shown any of my new friends in Fairfax the entire world hidden in Falls Church. This summer, I decided to take Stephanie back in time with me.

For a minute as we walked we fell into silence; the only noise came from our footsteps. Chris, a tall black kid, moved quickly with long strides. Nick was almost as tall, but he moved so easily that he always lagged a little bit behind. Stephanie and I fell somewhere in the middle. We must have been a strange sight, the four of us scattered throughout patches of shade on the suburban road. Anyone passing by would have seen Chris, speedy and towering, followed by two girls who looked a little more than slightly out of place. Nick took up the rear.

Before what we were even aware of what was going on, an ear-splitting cracking noise broke the silence. In one swift motion, with no warning, Chris had pulled a fire cracker from his pocket, lit it with then end of his cigarette, and nonchalantly threw it over his shoulder. Nick ducked in order to protect his sculpture of hair. The following explosion echoed throughout the streets and sent the four of us running.

It was summer. All we could do was run and hope for someone to chase us in hot pursuit. The four of us were only ever aware of life’s thrills and our endless pursuit of them. It was summer and we built ourselves a time machine so it would never end.

This was our summer the July after our junior year. It was our summer until August came and time caught up with us. We released the bonds tying us to the past, knowing we’d be back someday. Maybe when I go home for winter break, Stephanie and I can go back to time traveling. I want to feel the jolt of energy that can only be created by an unexpected firecracker explosion. I want to remember what it feels like to run for my life, with three others running by my side. It was summer, so we ran for our lives. We did everything possible that summer just because we could. We were carefree.