The First Thing I Did Last Summer

She’s not a total stranger

I had a class with her

Two classes?
No, one class

So we were--aware of each other

Um, and I--

Well, the story is

I had just finished

My last final

And I was so excited

Because I felt like I did really well on it?

And it turned out
I did do well

But not really well?

But it didn’t really matter

Because it was well enough

It was a--

It doesn’t matter

What it was

But it’s just to say
I was in a really good mood

So I’m driving away from campus

And I see her walking

And, you know, I have no idea

What made me do it

But I pulled up alongside her

And was like--

Hey girl, you done with finals?

And she smiled

But it was, like, a sad smile

And I just had this feeling

That, like, she was in a weird place

Which, like, I totally get

Because even though I was sooo glad

To be done with the semester

It’s still a little weird

Especially going into summer break

Because there’s all this pressure

About like--

What are you doing for the summer?

Do you have a job?
Do you have an internship?

Are you going away?

And, like, we go to a state school

And nobody here is really rich or anything

So most of us are kind, like, we get embarrassed?

Like, we get embarrassed

About the fact

That summer just means

We’re working extra hours

Or doing another job

Or something

Until school starts again

So, like, I totally got it right away

I was like--

I see you

I get you

I feel you

I know where you are coming from, stranger girl

Even though she wasn’t really, like, a stranger

Clearly

Since I pulled up on her

And was all like ‘Hey’

But, so, she told me

That she was supposed to go home

For the summer

Which was, like, I guess

Ten miles away or something

Like, she lived kind of close

And had one of those roller suitcases

And I was like--

Wait, are you walking

Ten miles home?

And she didn’t say anything

And that’s how I knew she was

Probably because she didn’t have a car

And, like, I would learn stuff later

About her, um, like, the situation?

At home?

At her home?

So I was like--

Don’t be an idiot

Get in my car

I’ll drive you

But then once she was in my car

It just felt like--

Like I was driving her

To her doom

Or something

So on the spot

Off the top of my head
I was like--

Hey, this is probably, like,

Such a longshot

But, I really need help

Cleaning out my Dad’s house

Over the next few days

My Dad was going to be away all summer

Doing this, like, government contractor job

In the Middle East

And so I was going to stay at his house

And probably work at my uncle’s restaurant

A few nights a week

And I actually didn’t need any help

With, like, cleaning anything out

But I could tell from how excited she got

And then tried to pretend she wasn’t

That it was a great idea for her

And, like, honestly for me too

Because it was like--

You should always start your summer

Doing something nice for someone

And also, doing something you didn’t think you would do

And she and I had this awesome summer

It was so great

She never even asked

Why nothing at my Dad’s needed to be cleaned

And she stayed in the guest room

And I got her a job as a hostess working with me

At my Uncle Mike’s

And, um,

We became really good friends

And then she definitely wasn’t a stranger anymore

So that’s the story

It’s, like, not really all that exciting, I guess?

But, um, it’s like,

My favorite story