Even though I think you're cute

 Amy started high school in the Freshman Summer program. This way she could get health and gym out of the way. It was something she and her mom Jen could both agree on. "You know, how much I hate gym," Jen shrugged with a grin. Although, she'd been doing a lot of walking this summer and had taken up yoga.

Amy couldn't imagine her mom ever being athletic, although, she looked like one. Her dad on the other hand, who was pretty much a nerd was good at a lot of sports. Usually, he made time for jogging or cycling in the early morning hours. Yes, she did have a role model, but no way would she be joining him on these jonts. It was an effort to keep moving all morning. If only Eli was there. But this was his time to shine with mowing lawns, which he did in the morning too. And he helped out with Dory in the afternoons.

There was no time to go to the swimming pool.

"You don't need to go anyway," her mother said she was too fair. "You have to stay out of the sun."

"But, I'm in the sun, all morning," Amy fretted. She complained she was either running or walking and could barely keep her eyes open for Health in the afternoon.

"Oh, but you sleep so well at night," Jen smiled as if she was happy with Amy's summer. It was as if she was doing her best to keep Amy and Eli apart. Because after all, she did need to study Health every night.

Even the Fourth had been a bust. It was quality family time. Amy knew her mother didn't like being outdoors, but they ended up at the lake that day with some of her Dad's co-workers. Another holiday without Eli.

"What did you do?' She'd texted him when she got a chance. It wasn't like she had her phone with her on the holiday. 

"Chilled." 

Eli said he'd watched a couple of old movies, and a few new ones he couldn't stand. "And then I played Among Us." It was as if he didn't mind all the alone time. The worst part was having to do laundry. His mom didn't like washing his stinky clothes. "I think I'm good for another month."

Amy cringed at the thought. She thought she had the most unromantic boyfriend on earth.

Junie didn't care that Amy had already started her Freshman year. After all, Darry was all she could think of. She was there every moment he was.

"But we need you to always be at the Children's Desk," Maddie kept insisting. It frustrated Junie to no end. Of course, she snapped in a huff, "I swear you're forty already!" Junie said Maddie didn't want anyone having any fun this summer. It didn't help that Maddie reported to her mom daily.

"I don't think she even cares," Junie shrugged about her mother. It wasn't like they ever got in a tiff. They always stayed out of each other's way. 

And then those early evenings at the pool with Darry. Of course, it was so much more than splashing around. Practically, skin to skin. They even kissed underwater. Oh, it was the best and better than that C-drama she was watching with KC. He'd given her a list that he actually got from Ruby that she'd made him sit through when they were together.

It did make her wince that it was an ungodly long drama. Oh, she didn't care about the two main stars. She liked the Ghost General. Of course, it was quite sad. But when she saw him, she thought of Darry. Was he her ghost puppet?

It put a smile on face. After all, they spent the night together on the Fourth. But it wasn't horizontally. They'd just stayed up all night walking the streets, finding haunts in Old Towne, where they could watch all the fireworks from a rooftop. Oh, yeah, it was a little scary, but that just made her feel more in love with Darry. Wherever he went, she would follow. She knew she was having a much better summer than Amy.