that i fell in love with the voice at the drive through window
at the burger king up the road
from my house

that my complicated best friend lost her virginity
to a manager
to her manager
the one with the tattoos
and the children
and the long back story that she was just
oh so addicted to

that my shy best friend got her very first boyfriend
one who was
just
like
her
who was overweight
and sweet
and huggable
just like a teddy bear
one who was going to love her
just as much as we do

that my pretty best friend
pierced her entire body
every last inch of skin
she could possibly put a ring through

this will go down as the summer
we all fell in love
with one thing
or another
some of us with boys
others with ourselves

this will be remembered
as the hot rainy months where we stayed out
every single night
where we never wanted to sleep
because time was precious
and we didnt want to waste a second of it

where we got close
to each other
to everyone

where we were at burger king
more times than we were at home
because literally everyone we knew worked there

where we sat on lawn chairs late at night
in the parking lot
talking to each other
and kissing those boys
who gave us all of the butterflies

this will be known
as the summer where i stuck up for myself
and fought for every girl out there
because that guy
wouldnt stop being such a perv
and i decided that enough was enough

where the cops came to that store
so many times
for me
and for the others
where i made a difference

where we all made a difference

this will be known as the summer of change
because we all did
in one way or another

the summer where we gave away our hearts,
whether we were ready or not

and it will always, always be remembered.