Jake turned the envelope over, seeing his name and "Ithaca." He shook his head. "I thought we were supposed to open them together. If you didn't get one, then I don't want this."

"I thought we decided that--"

"No. You decided. If you don't get in, I'm not going."

"First of all, that's ridiculous. If you get in, you're going. You're better than those lame party schools."

"So even if you're stuck here doing community college and working at the Dairy Queen, you want me to just—"

"I'll be happier about it if one of us is there. Also, you know, free sundaes." She pulled something from her pocket. "But, just you know, I got one, too. Yours must have come yesterday because it wasn't in today's mail."

Jake laughed. "Are you stalking my mailbox?"

"Obviously, I am! I found it just sitting on the counter. And I'm kinda mad you didn't tell me yesterday."

"Because I didn't know!"

"How?" she demanded. "Tell me the truth! Did you steam it open, then reseal it because you wanted to spare my feelings or—"

"No! I didn't even notice it. I swear!"

"How?"

"Well... there was a coupon for Porky's Pizza and then another for China Moon and it was a really hard decision."

She considered it a moment, then nodded. "That checks out." She sat on the edge of his bed again. "Now open it!"

"You, too!"

Molly stared hard at her envelope. "Okay," she said in a choked voice.

He'd like to say he was just as nervous, but no one was ever as nervous as Molly about THE FUTURE. Whether it was about college or the environment or upcoming elections, Molly worried. And while he, deep down, knew he should worry, too, Molly worried so much he felt like one of them had to pretend it was all no big deal.

"Whatever happens," he started, "we're gonna be okay. We got this."

"Okay," she said again, still sounding like someone was strangling her.

He took a deep breath and slipped his finger under the open edge of his envelope...

"Wait!" Molly snatched his away, weighing it with hers. "Yours is thicker, I think."

"What?" He took them both, weighing them for himself. "They feel the same to me."

"But yours came yesterday. Mine came a whole day later." Molly nodded to herself. "That means something."

"You don't know that. We have totally different majors. Maybe mine just rejects people quicker."

"Or acceptance letters are sent out one day and rejection letters the next—"

"Jesus! Just give it!" He took her letter now, tossing his aside, tearing at the envelope and just one little corner of the first paper inside.

"Jake!" She dived for his letter. "How would you like it if I just—"

"I wouldn't care." He scanned her letter, then leaned back, hoping his face revealed nothing. "Okay. Open mine."

"Fine! I will!" She tore at his envelope, then unfolded the pages.

Jake tried to pretend, after what he just saw, that he didn't care, but he... Jesus, how long was it taking her to read the damned thing? "Well?"

She folded the letter again, very primly, and way too slowly. Molly took a deep breath. "So... this might be hard to hear, but—"

Jake huffed. "No. It's fine. I knew it wasn't for me. It was more your thing."

"I mean, college is supposed to be a change," Molly went on, "and you're not even leaving your own time zone. And I hear winter sucks in Ithaca."

"What? I'm in? That's crazy!" Jake bounded out of bed, nearly knocking her off it. "You being in is one thing, but me—"

"Are you saying I'm in?" Molly stood and slapped his chest.

He barely felt it. "I think we both are."

She tossed herself at him and he caught her, squeezing her hard and spinning them around until the room started to spin with them.

They stilled, breathless and unable to speak.

Molly recovered first, of course. "That's not all. You get a full ride!"

He held her away because she was obviously shitting him. "You're shitting me," he accused.

"I swear, I'm not."

"Holy mother of—"

"Jesus, you're lucky! I mean, not like I can't still go. If I go full time at DQ for the summer, earn a little extra, I think my parents can swing it. They have college savings." Molly nodded to herself. "We got this. I'm not worried."

So she didn't know? Jake could barely celebrate his good news if she didn't know hers. Still, just telling her would be less fun. Besides, she faked him out first. "Yeah." He schooled his expression into complete and total sobriety. "It's gonna be hard on them, figuring it out."

"Oh, God, don't say that. They promised they could work it out, but if it's too much—"

"I mean, how do they spend that extra money now? Boat? Eagles season tickets? It's a lot of pressure!"

She pushed at his chest. "What are you saying?"

Jake grinned. "Get on my level."

Molly was fanning herself now. "So I got the scholarship?"

"I never thought you wouldn't," Jake said, meaning it, then stared at her in terror. "Okay, don't cry. You know I can't handle it when—"

"It's fine," Molly said on a choked whisper. "This is a happy cry."

"Still, I can't—"

"You know what this means? This means we got everything we wanted. Like what's the catch?"

"I hope there isn't one. Molly, don't start freaking out!"

"I'm not," she lied, still fanning her eyes.

He took her by the shoulders. "Everything is awesome and there's no catch and if a catch tries to get in there, I'll kick its ass. Okay? This is good. And you know what? Now there's no last spring, no last summer, no last anything. We're going to see each other every day. Isn't that awesome?"

Molly dried up a little, nodding. "It is." She stilled. "But what if it isn't?"

He dropped his hands. "What do you mean?"

She backed away slightly, staring at his chest – his very bare chest. "Do you have something against pajamas?"

"I'm a hot sleeper. I'm wearing the pants part."

"Well, could you put on the shirt part?" She turned around. "You have a guest."

"A guest who broke in to sneak-attack me with mail," he muttered, pulling a T-shirt from the foot of his bed. He might start with it on, but it always ended up tossed off in the night. He pulled it on now. "Sorry to offend."

"I didn't say I was offended. I just meant... I mean, it's not even May. It's not hot enough to walk around half-naked."

"I go jogging dressed almost the same. Maybe I should be arrested for indecent—"

"Why do you have to jump to that?" She turned back, huffing. "I just meant you should put something on because there's a lady present."

"Where?" He glanced around. "Oh, you mean you?"

"You're hilarious," she said dully.

"And you're suddenly so prim and proper?"

"I was just gently suggesting you wear a shirt."

"No. You were snippy about it."

"How would you like it if I pranced around topless?"

Jake had no answer for that and he tried not to linger on the image... though the devil in him wanted to suggest she try it and let him be the judge of how he liked it.

As it was, she paced away. "Look, I don't want to fight. But I feel like that's all we do lately."

"What? No, we don't."

"What about yesterday and last week and back in February and Christmas Eve and—"

Jake let out a shaky laugh. "Yeah, but our fights aren't like real fights."

"But what if they become like real fights?" She leaned against his dresser, staring at him hard. "We've been driving each other crazy this year and maybe it's just the stress of the future, but now... that's all gone. Like you said, this isn't our last summer."

"Which is a good thing."

"It is. And I want it to stay that way." She sighed and stared at his ceiling. "Maybe you were right about seeing other people."

"Molly, that was actually a joke. I mean, it's not like we're dating."

"But maybe that's why we fight all the time lately." She pushed off his dresser and moved toward him. "And that's with our parents around as buffers. We're about to go through four years of like... semi-adulthood together and we've never even tried to..."

He leaned closer as she neared him. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?

"Maybe if the two of us were dating, we wouldn't be so tense," she said.

He let out a breath, nodding dumbly. It was a terrifying idea, but it was also almost like a relief. Did she feel it, too? Maybe she was right, maybe all this tension would be gone if they just gave in and... Jesus, it felt too crazy to even comprehend, but he was tempted to grab her now and leave the comprehending for later. "I could see how that might," he gulped, "relieve some tension."

"Exactly. I feel like we need to blow off some steam," Molly was saying. "For the sake of our friendship so we don't get so... codependent."

Well, now he was even more confused. "Wouldn't dating mean we'd be—"

"Not dating dating, just maybe... a summer fling. Not like it's forever. Because you're right about Tommy. He's a dumbass."

"Tommy?"

"But he's also really hot." She shrugged. "And as for Rachel... I mean, I wouldn't call her a dumbass. She's more of a loudmouth, but I could see someone describing her as hot enough to counteract it."

"Yeah. Okay." What the hell was she talking about?

"And yeah. I still think Prom is stupid, but maybe it's a good way to branch out, test the waters, see what happens." She nodded to herself. "I think it could be good for us."

Jake nodded, too. Not because he agreed, but because he finally got what she was saying. He'd been a bit slow on the uptake, which was really her fault for talking about prancing around topless.

And maybe she had it right. They had been tense this year, looking back. He could now see the reason, at least on his end, though she obviously wasn't feeling what he was. Molly was so many things to him and maybe it was too much pressure to expect her to be everything.

"But isn't the end of senior year kind of a weird time to start dating?"

Molly let out a slight laugh. "The damage is done. I'm sure everyone thinks we're weirdos already. Maybe me more than you. At least you play football."

"No, I don't care what people say. I just... why start something if it's just going to end?"

"But that's what makes it perfect. There's no pressure and nowhere for it to go."

"And what if Dumbass Tommy doesn't feel the same way?" he grumbled, still hating the idea.

"I'll be clear from the start what this is. It's just Prom and maybe more." She shrugged. "He can take it or leave it. I'm sure you can do the same with Rachel unless... you have someone else in mind." Molly gave him a sidelong glance. "Is Juliet Bloom still in town?"

Jake let out an awkward laugh. "Yeah. Be serious."

"I am serious. I think this might be what we need. I just... I don't want to fight anymore, Jake. And if that means we take a little distance, then... I can put up with it if you can. Not like it's goodbye forever."

*******************

But it had been goodbye, at least for that summer. What started as a pair of empty threats became a reality. They went to Prom with Tommy and Rachel. They even shared a limo. And then... they barely saw each other until the inevitable breakups.

Luckily, they slipped back into each other's lives again like nothing had happened. He remembered some awkwardness, but then they got right into prepping and packing and teasing each other. By the time Uncle Josh's annual Labor Day barbecue came, it was like they hadn't missed a beat.

But would they be able to pull that trick again? Thanks to him – and that damned, cursed crystal. Can't forget that crystal! – things went further yesterday than ever before. But they hadn't fought, not really. Still, it felt... different this time, different now that they'd kissed. But maybe it only felt different for him.

Or maybe that damned crystal made it different!

Molly wasn't bothered. She texted him another picture of George, this time peeking out of her washer. ("I can't even try washing the blouse. He keeps making me play hide-and-seek. He's so demanding!"). He had to stop thinking about it. He also had to stop replaying the mud moment with new and improved endings because it was useless. Hadn't he learned by now?

He was grateful for the distraction when his mom called him down for dinner. But dinner didn't make him feel any better, and she'd made his favorite – two cheesesteaks! What was wrong with him?

His mom seemed to notice, too. "Something bugging you?"

He didn't even attempt to lie. She could sniff it out. "It's not a big deal," he tried. That wasn't a lie. It shouldn't be a big deal. Molly had seemed to get over it, and she was the one who was mauled. So why couldn't he?

"You've only had half of one cheese steak," his mom prodded.

"Same for you," he groused.

"Well, I'm not you."

"I had a late lunch."

"Jake... Come on."

He huffed and sat back. She'd get it out of him anyway. "Something happened today and... See, there's this girl..."

His mom leaned forward. "Yes?"

"Do you believe in magic, Mom?"

"Wow! This must be some girl." She laughed slightly. "Are you gonna break into song or..."

"Yeah. Very funny. This is like... This is a separate thing." Liar!

"Okay. Well... It depends on what you mean by magic."

"I mean like... crystals and tarot cards and all that stuff?"

"Hmm... Well... No, it's not really for me."

"Molly doesn't believe any of it either." Considering she just tossed a magic crystal away like it was nothing.

"Hmm. So you said there was this girl." His mother grinned. "Is this girl named Molly?"

"No," he said quickly. It shouldn't be. It wouldn't be. He'd almost screwed things up enough with her today.

"Oh." His mother sat back, frowning.

"It's not even really about this girl. It's about the whole magic thing. I mean, you read your horoscope and stuff like that."

"That doesn't mean I believe in magic," she scoffed loudly. "I read my horoscope with my coffee. Just one of those casual little rituals we do. Not like I take it seriously. I might make some choices based on it, like my daily colors, but that's just for funsies. I also wear my lucky birthstone earrings when I'm showing a big house. Maybe I also read your horoscope, but only some days, like when you have a big game or when you'll be driving back to school to be sure things are safe or..."

"Yeah. Sounds real casual." He should probably introduce his mom to the crystal lady.

"Fine, Smartass. I like having a little guidance. Call it mental ammunition. Maybe it seems stupid to you."

"No. I'm not saying it's stupid. But your birthstone earrings? Do they do something?" Because that crystal did something. Like a lot of things.

"They look cute and make me feel confident. Beyond that... I don't know." She shrugged. "So what does all this have to do with a girl?"

"Maybe nothing." Maybe everything. "Actually, I... There's this girl from high school who I kinda... Well, I liked her back then. And I saw her again today."

"This girl have a name?" She looked up suddenly, her smile dropping. "Is it Rachel?"

"No."

"Oh, good," she said before catching herself. "I mean..."

"It's fine. You didn't like Rachel." It kind of felt like nobody but him liked Rachel... and he didn't even like Rachel all that much.

"Not true," she scoffed. "I liked her fine. I only..." She took a long sip of her wine and, he noticed, didn't finish that thought. "Anyway, who's this girl?"

"Juliet."

"Okay. What's she like?"

"She's really pretty and... um..." He couldn't think of anything else. He was sure there was something else. Otherwise, why did he spend the better part of two years thinking she was the perfect woman?

"What does she have to do with magic?"

"No. The magic thing is that she... I'm just... I can't..." There was no way he was telling his mom about the crystal. She might have him committed. "I'm probably going to see her again tomorrow and... I was thinking I should check my horoscope first," he lied. "I guess that sounds stupid."

"Not at all. I've done it before a date. It's best to know who you're dealing with, which signs are compatible. You're a Pisces and Pisces are compatible with... Aquarius, for instance." She was silent for a moment. "Isn't Molly an Aquarius?"

"Yes, that's why we're friends, such good friends," Jake supplied quickly. Molly was not part of this conversation.

"So this Juliet's sign is..."

"I don't know."

"You don't know? She's not a Gemini, I hope. Because a Gemini would steamroll right over you."

"I don't know. I barely talked to her for more than two seconds once and that was today. Did I mention she's really, really, ridiculously hot?"

His mother rolled her eyes and sat back. "I don't know what to tell you. Maybe just keep an open mind."

"And what does that mean?"

"It means that you can read your horoscope or not. You can choose to believe it or not. In the end, you do what your gut tells you. It doesn't always choose right, but it almost always knows what you want. And even if it's a mistake... Some mistakes are ones you have to make."

At the moment, his gut wanted to finish that second cheese steak, so he did it. His gut didn't want to do the dishes, but he didn't have much of a choice about that.

"If I cook, you clean," his mother always said, even if she always ended up helping him finish up before the end. Tonight was no different. And it was a good thing, since he kept dropping stuff into the sink water to splash all over him. And sometimes her.

"Jake!" His mom laughed and patted at herself with a towel. "Does this girl really make you that nervous?"

"No. She's not mad at me. She texted me three times." The third was George on her couch with the remote ("He's a total TV hog. He's making us all watch National Geographic and nothing else!").

"Juliet? If she's texting you, then you don't need a horoscope. Wait... Mad?"

"No, I meant Molly. She—" He shut his mouth, but it was too late.

"Why would Molly be mad at you?" His mother's eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"

"She's not! And why do you always take her side, anyway?"

"Jake!" A wet towel flopped against his head. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing! Jeez! Molly and me... We had a little disagreement involving mud and... and I might have destroyed her blouse. But she kind of destroyed my sneakers and I bought her a monkey, so it's fine," he said, hoping that would be enough.

His mother stared at him a moment, then laughed. "I can't keep up with you kids and your weird little fights. Fine. Molly's not mad. So what has you dropping half my dishes? This Juliet girl?"

"Oh, yeah. Her." He kept forgetting about Juliet, which was weird considering how the afternoon started. "I dunno. It's not like I'm totally freaking out, I just... She's like..." He wasn't sure how to describe Juliet. Could anyone do her justice? "She's like looking at a poster and the girl just steps out of it to join all the regular people."

"Yes. Ridiculously hot. So you said. But what else do you like about her?"

"What else is there?" he asked, which gained him another wet towel slap on the head.

"Now I get why Molly's mad!"

"What? No. Molly's not mad about that." He fended off another towel slap. "Mom!"

"Well, I am." She stopped, then smoothed his hair. "Jake, why not..."

He turned to her.

She shook her head. "Never mind."

"Why not what?"

"Well... Why not Molly?"

He did the head-shaking this time, turning back to the sink. "Mom, no."

"But why?"

"Trust me. She's not an option," he said with enough finality that he hoped she'd leave it alone.

"If you say so."

He knew so. He was glad when she left, even if it meant he had to finish the dishes himself.

TBC