It’s Just A Summer Thing

Brooklyn Reagan
Aug 28, 2017 · 5 min read

I’m back, beaches! Summer is over and my third (!!) year of college is officially underway. So if you have been following the never ending rollercoaster that is my life, you know that I went home for the summer to work and I left my entire college life behind for a few months. I was dreading it at first but I had a FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC summer and I finally feel like I am out of the woods that was my sophomore year.

However, there is always a story and oh, have I got one for you. You ready? Grab the popcorn and turn up the volume because this is a good one.

I went back home this summer still heartbroken from everything that happened with Mason. He was still with his girlfriend, our friendship was basically nonexistent, and I was worried I was never going to be able to recover from everything that happened. Not only did was a screwed over by a guy, I was ROYALLY screwed over by my best friend. The person I entrusted my whole life with was gone.

My goal at the beginning of the summer was to just pray a lot. Pray for recovery and pray that he would bring me back because I had not felt like myself in months.

I started lifeguarding and coaching at the pool I had worked at for the last 4 summers. The pool was never really a place I looked forward to going to. Sure, I worked with people I grew up with but we never hung out or did anything together outside of work…until this year.

I became great friends with this guy named Matt. Matt was a sophomore in college and had a girlfriend at the start of the summer. He was relatively tall, brown hair, scruffy face, with piercing blue eyes. Needless to say, Matt was not only the best looking lifeguard, he was one of the best looking guys in my hometown.

All the girls loved him and one day at work he called me his wife; said I was wife material.

Oh?

But, Matt, don’t you have a girlfriend?

Quickly everyone at work deemed us a ‘pool couple.’ Matt and I had hung out in groups and we were always talking at work but he still had his girlfriend and I didn’t think he would break up with her.

BUT. HE. DID.

By mid July, Matt was single and we started hanging out more and even on our own.

All us guards were a family. We all went to Applebees for half price apps, had bonfires, got ice cream, worked extra pool events to spend more time together, and at the end of the summer we had a Margarita Monday party.

Brookyn!? You drank?! May the power of Christ compel you, you sinner!

Hold up. Yes, I should not have done it but I just wanted to be a normal 20 year old college student for one night, okay? (I actually drank 2 nights that summer but that is besides the point.)

Anyway, we had the party at Matt’s house and I was planning to sleepover and just leave in the morning. There were about 6 people there and it was a blast. I still remember everything except for a few pictures I took on my one friends phone.

The night was ending and all my friends started leaving when I thought we were all going to sleepover. So it ended up being me, Matt, and our friend Lilly.

Now Lilly flirted with Matt all the time and was lowkey salty over the fact that Matt was holding my hand on the couch. I also had my head on his shoulder… I was drunk and wanted to make out with him, what can I say? I didn’t care if she saw.

Lilly texted me from across Matt and told me to go to the bathroom with her. I told her I would but when she got up to leave I ignored her and stayed put.

I had a plan.

If I went up stairs with Lilly, I would never had made out with Matt!

It was my time. Matt and I were alone and he starts poking at my face and around my nose. I laughed and told him to stop picking my nose and while counting out the rules with his fingers he said,

“You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friends nose.”

I grabbed his hand and put it down. I looked up at him and he kissed me.

We kiss until we hear the basement door open again. Panicked and not wanted Lilly to get suspicious, I nervously start singing “Kokomo” by The Beach Boys. Matt joined in shortly after.

Lilly was laying down on the couch and when she eventually fell asleep, Matt and I quietly kissed with Lilly asleep right next to us. Risky move, I know.

Matt then stood up and at first all I could think was,

You’re going to bed already!? NO!

He waved me toward him and we went to another part of the basement and explained that he didn’t want Lilly to hear us.

Smart boy.

We made out a lot and some little things happened here and there but nothing noteworthy.

He eventually mentioned that that was the last time we were going to see each other until Thanksgiving break or whenever we would cross paths next. Got to love timing, right? It got to be about 3am and we were both dead tired and I had to be up at 6:20. We walk toward the stairs and he grabbed my face and kissed me one last time.

That was quite the goodbye kiss, mmm mm.

And that was it. I haven't seen him since. He left for school a week before I did. We’ve FaceTimed and still talk all day everyday but I don’t think anything will come of it. We get along well but we’re very different at the same time.

He curses like a sailor, I say frickin gosh darnit. He’s a state school, I’m at a private Christian school. He occasionally drinks at school, I’m too afraid to be caught being in the same room as alcohol.

Matt was a good distraction from Mason. I wasn’t constantly upset about him or worried about our friendship.

I FORGOT TO MENTION.

MASON AND HIS GIRLFRIEND BROKE UP BACK IN JUNE BUT APPARENTLY ONE OF HER TEAMMATES IS TRYING TO SWOOP IN.

I wrote about it a little in When The Door Cracked Open. Go check it out.

I have more to say but I’ll end it here for now. My phrase for this year is ‘without expectations.’ Anything could happen this year, which is exciting but scary.

This is going to be a great year, I’m looking forward to what’s in store.

— BR

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Written by

Casually telling you all about my list of L’s in hopes of reaching my W. Sharing my story and it starts with the post entitled October 29 2011

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