the beginning and the end

November 14, 2086. Ryanne Phoenix and Sam Harris are 15.

previously: the bus stop // Ryanne is angry // girl talk // Ryanne hates Piper // the mistakes


"I'm bored," Ryanne said. "Wanna ride the ferry to Copper Island?"

"I'm not allowed," Sam said.


"Do you wanna climb the hill behind the botanical gardens?"

"I have to finish my homework first," he said. "And by the time our homework is done, it'll be too dark."


"Sammy, you're so good, you make me want to do naughty things to you."

He grinned. "You wanna go to your house and make out? Or is your stepmom there?"

Ryanne bristled with contempt any time someone called Piper her stepmom, even if that’s what she technically and legally was now. Ryanne's one and only mom of any kind was dead, and nobody would ever take her place in any shape or form. Piper was just Piper, some lady her dad married and the mother of her baby brother... and soon, sister. She liked her baby brother well enough. Jury was still out on the little sister, though.

"Yeah, she’s there. But, anyway, I wanna see your dad’s new governor’s mansion. They’re probably not home yet."

"Probably. But we have to finish our homework, too."

"Deal."


He wondered out loud whether things would be different now that his dad was Governor and his mom was Education Minister. First thing that was different, they were never home. Summer always used to talk about how strict his parents were when Summer and Lucy were growing up. Maybe they didn't worry about Sam as much.

"What do you want to see first?"

"Your bedroom."

"Can we eat some ice cream first? I'm kind of hungry."


They went to the kitchen first. The house was still mostly empty because their furniture was in transit. It looked bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside. There were lots of empty rooms, bare walls that gave no impression of what purpose those rooms might serve. She wondered what would eventually fill them all. They had so many empty rooms and so much privacy here that it was exciting and slightly alarming all at once.

"Do you ever want to do it?" she asked him.

"Do what?"

"You know—it!"

"Oh, I guess some day we will. Right? I mean, most people do it eventually."


It wasn't as much of a certainty as they always expected. Any number of things could go wrong before they got around to it. But it wasn't something to rush, Summer told her. Take your time, wait until you're ready, be prepared. But what happens when the time is up before you're ready?

"Not enough salt, I think," Sam mused out loud. "I'll do it better next time. You wouldn't expect that salt makes such a difference, but it's true." He glanced over and saw her sour face. "You don't like it, either?"

"It's fine," she said. "I'm not that hungry."


She was disappointed, but not with his ice cream. She was disappointed that it had to end this way. She never thought she would have a friend, let alone a steady boyfriend. But now she had one, and just as fast, it would be over.


She started to cry.

He wondered if Google might know: What to say when your girlfriend is crying?


"I’m moving to California," she told him.

"What? Why?"

"My dad and his friend want to start some techie thing. His friend got some awesome deal on a property out west and he invited my dad along to do the coding stuff. Most sensible people would probably say, 'No, don’t move your whole family across the country to put all your bets on some random techie startup,' but Piper is such a bubblegum flake, she’s like, 'Yeah, that's gonna be so much fun, let’s do it!' So they’re doing it. And that means I have to go, too. My grandma doesn't think it'll be good for me. She says I've been better than ever the past couple years. She said you're a good influence on me."

"She thinks that?"

"Yeah. But she also said she's not going to make my dad's decisions for him anymore. So he gets the final say. And he says we're going."


"But when am I ever going to see you again?"

"I don’t know. Never, I guess," she said.

"How can you just say that?"

"Or maybe spring break? Or, I don’t know, summer?"


"Are you mad now?"

"I'm not mad! I'm sad. Geez, Ryanne!"

"Oh." She felt dumb for not expecting that he would be this sad. She was sad, too, but that was pretty normal. Ryanne was often sad. But Sam was never sad, and it was heartbreaking to see. "Well, maybe it won't be that bad. I bet we could see each other sometimes. We can take the train."


"What? A train from California to Michigan? We don't even get the train here! How will you get here from the station? How will you get the money? Where will you stay when you come back? I don't think my mom will let you sleep over here."

She shrugged. "My dad would probably let you sleep over if you came out to California. I mean, not in my bed or anything, but you could bring a sleeping bag."

"But my mom wouldn't let me go out to California and sleep at your house! Why aren't you mad?"


They had a little argument about why she wasn't angrier. She wasn't angrier because California sounded kind of cool, and because Summer was out there. Because Summer had a band and promised Ryanne could roadie for her if she keep up with her school work. Because it didn't snow in California and there was so much to do there. Because she liked Sam a lot, more than anybody who wasn't Summer, but it terrified her sometimes that he felt like the beginning and the end of everything. She wasn't ready for the end of everything yet.

She didn't tell him that last part.


"So, are we breaking up?"

"I don’t want to break up," she said. "We don't have to call it that. Maybe we can get back together in college? Maybe we can pick a college to go to. We'll promise. We'll find some college somewhere and in three more years, we'll both be there. And then everything will be back to normal again."

"Do you think that will work?"

"Maybe."


"I always thought we would do it eventually," he said. "I mean, I always thought my first time would be with you."

"Really?"

"Maybe not today, though," he said. "We need to get some... you know?"

"Don't worry," she said. "Summer taught me how to get those."

"Oh, good."

"But can we still mess around a little? If you're not too mad. Or sad."

"Okay," he said.

—

They were perfectly dressed again, downstairs, homework done, playing a board game, when his dad got home from his first day of being the new Governor of the Lakes District.

"Hi, Mr. Harris. I like your new house. Did you do some good governing today?"

—

footnotes: Chad & Hayden's new gaming business in Catalina

outtakes: post make-out selfie // playing house