Summer Vacation – Day 1 [mf / f / voy / mast]

The last day of school!

After finally extracting myself from tearful friends, endless group hugs, and countless photo poses, I burst out of the doors of my middle school for the final time. I can't believe it, I'm gonna be in high school in the fall! And before then, a summer of complete freedom to spend with my friends to have fun and relax, and recuperate after another gruelling school year.

Well, not total freedom. My swimming practices would continue, and my parents had signed me up for a couple classes throughout the summer … but for the most part, freedom! At 13, nothing was more exciting than the thought of doing whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, if only for a few months.

My journey home was only a short walk, and soon I was making my way up the driveway of our fairly typical two-storey suburban home – 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a painstakingly manicured front yard and a backyard dominated by my dad's grill and our in-ground swimming pool. I grinned to myself at the thought of the swimming pool – I was gonna spend a LOT of time in its refreshing water this summer! The weather was already perfect for swimming, and I was nearly dressed for the occasion – in shorts and a tanktop, in any event, with floral-patterned sandals on my feet.