Looking back on it, the summer of 1996 proved to be in the top three of most memorable summers. It was a summer of change. It was a summer of self actualization. It was a summer of friendship.
Luke and I saw each other off and on during the rest of that summer until the band went to Cedar Point to play a show. It was there he met Kim, a percussionist in the marching band, and immediately became attracted to her. It was that day our puppy love turned into a brother-sisterly friendship. Even though we admired eachother in that sort of way, I would always be attracted to him. Those two years I looked up to him, hoping he would dump Kim and come back to me, but it never happened. Then the moment came which I dreaded, the day he graduated and I continued on with my Senior year. I still remember saying goodbye and exchanging hugs in the hallway. He gave me his senior pictures and said he'd miss me. I cried for about a week straight, and then moved on. The day before I moved to Long Island, I ran across those pictures and shed a tear. He will always hold a special place in my memories.
Later that August, Katie's family packed up and moved. I can clearly remember the night before she left. We skated up and down my driveway in rollerblades with hard hats and toilet paper wrapped around our heads. Looking back at those pictures immediately brings me back to our wild conversations, going to the mall, and of course, long ass walks.
How I miss the days of silly summers, hard hats, and rollerblades.