Summer of 2003 was a wild one.
First, some backstory for you though.
I had first met my friend, Liz, back in the 8th grade. Right away, her and I just connected. She had told me as we got older, that when we met, she instantly had a crush on me. I had the same feelings for her, but with us both being young and pretty wise for our age, we both decided it was just a "puppy love" and that we wouldn't act on it. We decided this as individuals and never told the other until years later.
As time went on, we both realized that there never was or would be any kind of romance between us. We were never meant to be a couple. We had grown to be best friends though, constantly talking or hanging out together throughout high school. We'd tell each other our dumbest jokes, talk shit about those who deserved it, celebrated each other's highs, and were there to cheer the other on during their lows. We saw numerous new dating relationships start and finish, and when her parents divorced, I'd take her around town for a drive to just blast music and clear her thoughts. Many nights, following those long drives, we'd have talks about the future and what it held.
One night, we went driving and ended up parking my car at one of the local reservoirs and we walked a lap or two around it. It was the beginning of August 2002, about 4 weeks before our senior year. Liz would be turning 18 in a few days. We had always had these rather unique talks regarding sex and the likes of it as we grew up and went through the process together. She always talked about things she wanted to try to do, or have done to her, and I would joke around saying that I'd be down for it if she didn't have any volunteers.
The thought of her not having volunteers was absolutely absurd though. Liz wasn't an athlete, but she didn't have any issues with keeping herself in good shape all through high school. Curvy in the right places. Always had nice looking tits (well, what I had assumed they were) and a nice round ass that always filled out her jeans nicely. Red hair, blue eyes, pretty face and a killer smile. Quite honestly, this girl could get it at any point.
Upon hearing me say my line about volunteering, she couldn't help but to laugh and then she got really quiet. I stopped her and asked what was wrong.
"That's our problem. I turn 18 in a few days. You don't turn 18 until a couple of weeks before graduation."
Suddenly, I understood. She wanted things to keep going as they were, but didn't want to get in any kind of trouble over how we talked and semi-flirted.
"Well, I swear to you...we can keep these talks to ourselves and cool it around others. That way, you don't get in any kind of trouble, and we still keep our trends going. Deal?" I hold my hand out for a handshake.
"Deal, I guess." Liz said, accepting my handshake. "I mean, it's not like I'll have a chance to see your dick anytime before my birthday anyway."
"Do you want to?" I asked, just trying to get a laugh out of her.
"What?!" Liz laughed...mission accomplished. "Do I want to? Of course I do!" she continued to laugh, then realized what she said, coming to a complete silence. She just stood there, shocked at what she had just said, and looked me in the eye.
"For real?" I asked. "You want to?
"Well...yeah. I mean, you're a nice looking guy, I'm a girl who hasn't seen one in person...of course I do. No pressure though! I can Google them!" Liz laughs again with a nervous laughter.
I stop and look around. Nobody else is near. No other cars. I start to unzip, but then she stops me.
"Lets just see what happens when you're 18. We'll see where we're at and if things work out...well I'll see it then. Deal?" Now Liz holds out her hand.
"Deal." I accept the handshake. "Besides, it's a little chilly out...I want you to have a good first look!" I say, causing Liz to laugh as we walked back to my car.
A few weeks later, it was her 18th birthday. I picked her up and took her out for another one of our drives, and eventually took her out to dinner at a local restaurant. I mentioned that it was her birthday to the waitress and within a few minutes, they brought several others from the waiting staff and sang some cheesy birthday song that was a "tradition" of the restaurant chain for years. As they left, Liz's face had turned a bright shade of red, almost matching her hair.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to embarrass you Liz!" I say with a laugh. Her bright smile lights up and she has a little bit of a sparkle in her eyes.
"No, don't be sorry Chris. That was sweet...even if they couldn't sing very well." she says before we both laugh again. "I appreciate you spending this time with me today. It's been a pretty shitty time listening to mom and dad fight all day."
"So, they're going through with it huh?" I ask in regards to her parents' upcoming divorce. "I hate to see that happen. Sorry dear."
"Yeah, they're going through with the divorce. I think they'll be better off, if I'm being honest. But, now that I'm 18 and looking at graduation, that is giving mom more of a reason to do this when it's all done."
"Do what? Go through the divorce?"
"No, she's not waiting for that. They've both already got a lawyer lined up. Mom is moving to Chicago."
"Oh damn? Really?" I ask, a little concerned about where this could be heading. "Did she get a job out there?"
"She's got one lined up, yeah. But, it's not starting until after she moves at the end of next summer. She's going to be there for my 19th birthday."
"Well, I hope she has a smooth transition. That's gotta be kinda rough though, your mom living 6 hours away."
"I think I'm going to go with her."
Damn it. That's what I was worried about. Call it selfish, but I didn't want to lose my best friend.
"Oh yeah?" is all I can think of to say.
"Yeah. I mean, it'll be nice to have a fresh start. Plus, dad is staying out here for a while yet. He's a few years away from retirement yet and he doesn't want to start over. So, I'll have a place to stay when I visit. Maybe during summer months when you are home from college?" Liz says, with what sounds like a little bit of hope struggling to break through her voice.
"Yeah, absolutely. Just promise you won't forget little ol me back here in Ohio." I say with a smile.
"How could I ever forget you? We've been best friends for years!" she takes a look around, then leans toward the center of the table to whisper. "Besides... I almost saw your dick. And that counts for something!" she whispers, almost with a sense of pride. We both break into a laugh.
"Fair enough! Hey. That reminds me..." I grab the birthday card I had brought for her and give it to her. "I mean, it's not much...but, go do some shopping!" As she opens the card, she sees the $50 inside along with a note from me.
"Happy 18th Liz!
First trip to the porn shop is on me!
Love ya! -Chris"
Her blue eyes grew wide as her face took on another shade of red as she smiled and laughed upon reading what I had written.
"I can't believe you!" Liz said through her laughter. "Seriously though? Is that what this is for?"
I laugh at her reaction. She's genuinely surprised at my note. I can't help but feel pure joy as I see her smiling at me. This girl is my best friend, and I know that she is in a tough spot with her parents' divorce and all. She needed the smile.
"It's for whatever makes you smile Liz. And, with you possibly moving after graduation...I hope it's for something that reminds you of me every time you see it." She stands up and walks to my side of the table, giving me a huge hug, inadvertently forcing her chest into my face...not that I was complaining about a face full of boobs.
"Thank you buddy. I know exactly what I'm going to use it on. I'll think of you every time!"
"Good. Let's finish up here and get you home then. Unlike the 'adult', some of us still have a bit of a curfew!" Liz and I both laugh at the thought that we were both now in two separate worlds. I was a 17 year old kid. She was now an 18 year old woman. We finished our meals and I took her home.
**************************************
Most of our senior year went by in a blur. Liz managed to take a few extra days off this year because honestly, what 18 year old wanted to actually be stuck in school all day? Her parents divorce had moved faster than anticipated, and everything was done by the beginning of May. Liz's mom had accepted her new job in Chicago and was spending weekends out there doing paperwork for the new job, along with getting her house that she had bought ready to move into. She planned to move herself in fully by the end of May, right after our graduation ceremony. Liz's dad ultimately decided that even though their marriage didn't work, he wanted to keep it civil between them, so he had offered to help move her there, which she accepted.
By the time May had rolled around, Liz was stressing out about her mom's upcoming move. The move that would lead to her move in the fall. Her and I both opted to go to our senior prom together, as we had both gone through pretty rough break ups over the last few months. Though our respective relationships were short, we had both come to care deeply for our now-exes. We both went through the heartache with each other and we had both ended up deciding to swear off relationships for a while, giving ourselves time to adjust to our new normals. Mine at college, hers in Chicago.
To make things a little nicer, our senior prom fell on the night of my 18th birthday. It was great to be able to go out with my best friend and make some memories with her as we looked the next chapter of our lives in the eye. We settled on keeping the "romance" out of being prom dates. She didn't want flowers, so instead we bought each other lottery tickets (She won $50 on hers and I made $10 on mine). And instead of some nicer restaurant, we settled on going out and getting chicken wings at a local place. So, with our plans laid out, I showed up to pick her up. She walked out in this light blue dress, hugging her hips and fitting well on her chest, showing a pretty nice amount of cleveage. I'm not going to lie, I was a little smitten with Liz. She looked amazing.
"Hey birthday boy! Err...birthday man! You ready?" Liz said as she walked to my car. Her smile was bright as ever, and it was seriously blowing my mind how well she cleaned up. I normally saw her in nice tight jeans and a tee-shirt, but damn was this a nice change.
"Hell yes! Chicken wings are calling my name!"
"Better make sure that she ain't calling your name tonight. I'm nowhere near ready for a grandkid." Right then, her dad stepped outside to take a picture of us. I laughed at not only how blunt he was, but also how red Liz's face went.
"Dad!!!" Liz reacted, trying to hide her embarrassment. Her dad and I just laughed.
"Don't worry. Nothing like that is going to happen. I'll be a perfect gentleman." I say to her dad, being as reassuring as possible.
"Good man." he replied, giving me a handshake. "Liz said it's your birthday too."
"Yes sir. 18 today."
