"Well, using our very objective scoring system to analyze both the quality and the difficulty of your respective cannonballs," Gretchen said as the six teens sat on the dock. "Gus and I are pleased to award the title of best cannonball to…Spinelli!"

"Ha!" Spinelli cheered, turning to gloat at Vince, Mikey, and T.J. "In your faces, boys!"

"Objective system?" T.J. sputtered. "There's no way Spinelli beat us! Her cannonball was pathetic!"

"Yeah, I demand a re-judge!" Vince said.

"Sorry, all results are final," Gus smirked.

"Well at least I'm still the marshmallow eating champ," Mikey said.

"Yeah, I think that title's safely yours," Vince said.

"So what should we do now?" T.J. asked, drying himself off.

"Nothing," Spinelli said, flopping down on her towel, which was laid out on the deck. "That's the whole point of this trip. We're getting one last chance to use zero brain cells before we go off to college."

"She's right, we're on official relaxation mode," Vince said, sitting down on his own blanket and pulling Gretchen down with him.

"Maybe I can finally get a tan," Gus said. "Even though at this point I might as well accept it as a lost cause."

"Yeah, you're already turning bright red, buddy," T.J. chuckled, tossing Gus a bottle of sunscreen as he sat down next to Spinelli.

"Pass me a cola, will you, Teje?" Mikey said. "All those cannonballs worked up a thirst."

"So, you guys feel any different now that we're officially high school graduates?" Vince asked as T.J. tossed Mikey a drink.

"Why would we feel any different?" Spinelli scoffed. "Twelve years, and all we've got to show for it is a lousy slip of paper."

"Come on, you've got to feel a little different," Gretchen said. "This is a huge milestone."

"Well, I guess not having to take orders from anybody is a plus," Spinelli shrugged.

"What are you planning on doing at NYU?" T.J. asked, amused. "Ignoring all of your professors?"

"Hey, I'm paying a gazillion bucks in tuition money," Spinelli defended. "I'll ignore whoever I want."

"Speaking of college, when is everybody leaving again?" Gus asked. "We need to figure out how much time we have left together."

"I leave for the acting troupe in September," Mikey said. "So I'll get to stick around Third Street for a little bit, which will be quite nice. Kurst is starting culinary school in July, so I'll be able to sample all of her work!"

"Gretchen and I are heading out to California to tour our campuses as soon as we get back," Vince said. "But we'll be back after a week."

"Wow, your first road trip together," Spinelli grinned. "Your parents went for that?"

"Well, neither of them were exactly pleased about us going alone," Gretchen admitted. "But we both played the "we're adults" argument."

"When do you leave for good?" T.J. asked.

"Start of July," Vince sighed. "I have to start practice early."

"And I'll be leaving the middle of August," Gretchen said.

"Isn't that going to be rough for you two?" Gus asked.

"Yeah," Vince sighed. "But hey, it's only for a month. Once Gretchen gets to Cal Tech, it's only about an hour drive from LA."

"Yes, besides," Gretchen said. "We're not the ones who are going to have the most distance."

The gang looked at Spinelli and T.J.

"Yeah, it's going to suck," T.J. said, taking Spinelli's hand. "But we've got a fool-proof system in place to make it as manageable as possible."

"We're going to video call as often as we can," Spinelli said. "And text all throughout the day. Plus we're scheduling three phone sessions a week at least. We'll have to figure out the time zone and our schedules, but it should work."

"Plus we're both going to be coming home for holidays," T.J. said. "So I think we'll be just fine. And neither of us are leaving until the end of August, so we still have some time."

"What about you, Gus?" Mikey asked. "When do you leave for Virginia?"

"Start of September," Gus said. "But me and my mom are going to be touring in a couple of weeks."

"Just your mom?" T.J. asked gently.

"Yeah, um, but that's no surprise," Gus shrugged.

"You still haven't heard from your dad?" Vince asked.

"I-I did, sort of," Gus admitted. "He um, he sent a card for graduation."

"A card?" Spinelli said angrily. "That's it?"

"It's something," Gus said. He shook his head. "But hey, I don't want to think about that now. We're at the lake!"

"Right you are," T.J. said. He looked up at the sky. "It's getting pretty dark. How about we get the campfire going? And hey, you know what would be fun? We can go around and share some of our best stories from school!"

"Seriously? It's like you're trying to turn our lives into an afterschool special," Vince said.

"I think it sounds like a fun idea," Mikey said. "Nostalgia can really warm the heart sometimes."

"Nostalgia? No SAT words!" Spinelli snapped. "Not when college is so close; this is our last chance to use minimal brain cells. New rule: all conversation must be kept within a sixth-grade vocabulary."

"I think nostalgia would be considered a sixth-grade word," Gretchen pointed out. "In fact, I remember using that word several times in my final essay for Mr. Yammakato."

"Gretch, I hate to break it to you, but your sixth-grade vocabulary doesn't match most people's," Gus smirked.

"We're getting off topic," T.J. said. "Come on, I know it's kind of corny, but who knows when the next time we'll get another chance to reminisce like this."

"What did I say about the vocab?" Spinelli snapped. "But…okay, fine, I sort of see your point. It could be fun. Besides, I'm going to be the one who has to listen to you whine if we don't do it."

"I'm in too," Gus said. "Just remember, I have four less years of memories than you guys."

"I'm in too," Gretchen said. "It seems fitting. How many groups of friends have as many stories to share as us?"

"Well…I guess we have had a lot of good times that we should revisit," Vince said. "Alright, I'm in…on one condition. We start by talking about that time T.J. got a black eye from square dancing!"

"Oh man, I forgot about that!" Spinelli exclaimed as the others laughed. "Didn't he try to convince the entire playground that he was some big hero?"

"He had a banner made in his honor and everything!" Gus said.
"Ha, ha," T.J. said dryly, though a smile crept onto his face. "Alright, if that's how we're going to play it…I've got plenty of embarrassing stories on all of you. I'll be civil, though, and wait until we're at least three s'mores in before I unveil them."

"You're bluffing," Gus grinned as the group got to their feet and began heading off their dock.

"You'll just have to wait and see," T.J. said. "All I have to say is…good thing we have all night. I'm going to need plenty of time."

….

AN-That's the end! Thanks to everyone who read/supported/reviewed, especially with that huge hiatus in the middle. I am working on a sequel that I hope to have up within a few weeks if anyone is interested.