Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Ai no Natsu ❯ Vol. 9, Chap. 54: Summer' Goodbye ( Chapter 54 )

Summer's Goodbye

Last Day of Summer

7:00 a.m.

-Hallie-

I stood in front of the recruitment building. Heh, I thought the Japanese were anti-military. That old bastard would probably approve of this. Not exactly a choice for me, but what else can I do? I might as well get this over with. I pushed open the glass door and went inside.

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-Heather + Reggie-

“I'm going to miss you so much!” Heather said as she hugged her boyfriend.

“There, there,” Reggie said. “We'll still be in touch.” She looked him straight in the eye.

“You'll call as soon as you get back home, right?”

“Of course!”

“And you'll keep in touch every day?”

“Skype?”

“Yes?”

“E-mail?”

“Yes.”

“Chat?”

“Yes.”

Heather broke into a little smile. “I love you, Reggie.”

“I love you too, Lil' Mama.” They shared a kiss before leaving Fuji Apartments for the last time.

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-Hallie-

I sat the office, waiting for the officer to get off the phone. I didn.t really think this through. What should I say to him? Which branch should I join? Do I even want to join the military?

I returned to reality when the officer hung up the phone.

“Alright, please state your name,” he said.

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-Jack and Evie-

Jack gave his girl a kiss on the lips. Evie threw her arms around his neck.

“Before we leave,” she whispered in his ear. “Do me one favor.”

“What is it?” her beau asked. Her lips curved into a little smile.

“Take me on one more ride on your motorcycle.”

Jack grabbed her by her waist. “Gladly.” He led her back to motorcycle in the parking lot. Evie hopped on the back and put on her helmet. Jack climbed on, smirking.

“You're in for one hell of a ride!” he announced. Evie giggled as her beau cranked up the motorcycle. They took off in summer's final day.

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-Hallie-

I have no idea how I did. His questions were confusing and he talked too fast. Still, I was amazed at how well I did on the practice test. You see, I was a lazy student. It was a miracle that I graduated high school.

The officer promised to be in touch with me after I finished the paperwork. I won't know if they will take me after everything's finished. I don't know if I want to find out or not.

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-Wong and Don-

The two friends sat in the Chill Lounge. Wong leaned back on the couch.

“So this is it, huh?” he asked.

“Yep,” Don said.

Wong smiled. “It was a great summer, yeah?”

“Yep.” The nerdy guy turned his head. “Let's be friends on Facebook.”

“Yes, we shall.”

“Yep.” Wong put his arms behind his head. “Now what?”

Don shrugged his shoulders. “Not much, I guess.”

“Ah.” The boys sat on the couch as they watched Hal help Choko close up the pool for autumn.

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-Hallie-

I pulled out my cell phone. My hand pressed against the store window as it rang.

“Hello?” a man's voice asked.

“It's me, dad.”

“Have you made up your mind?”

“Yes.”

“So what will you do?”

I stood up straight. “I just visited a recruitment office.”

“And?”

“He will talk to me when I send in the paperwork.”

“Is this really what you want to do?”

“I'm not sure.”

“Explain.”

I clenched my fists at my sides. “I'm not sure, but I will look into other options.”

“And you are serious about this?”

“Yes.”

“Very well.” I sank to my knees as he hung up. Did he just…? I didn't know whether to scream or dance in the street.

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-Hal and Sadao-

“You going back to your priest training?” Hal asked near the closed pool.

“Yeah,” Sadao replied.

Hal gave him a small salute. “Good luck, man!”

“And what about you?”

Hal stared blankly. “Huh? What about me?”

“What are you going to do now?”

“Go to college. I got accepted into my first choice and passed the entrance exam.”

“Nice. Which school that?”

“Nihon University.”

Sadao whistled. “Whew! I wish you luck!”

Hal chuckled. “Thanks, man.” They hugged and shook hands.

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-Hallie + Dustin-

She found him downtown at a bus station. The tomboy didn't recognize him until she got a better look. Hallie put her hands on her hips.

“Dustin!” she shouted. The cowboy looked up with big eyes. His girlfriend matched up to him.

“Did you think you could leave without saying goodbye?” she asked, pretending to sound angry. Dustin chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.

“I tried, but you were already gone,” he said. She lightly hit him on the arm.

“That's no excuse, jerk!”

“Ow.” Dustin rubbed on his arm as his girlfriend smiled.

“I went to the recruitment office this morning.”

Dustin raised an eyebrow. “You're joining the military?”

“I don't know maybe.”

“You don't know?”

“I'm keeping my options open.” Dustin kissed her on the lips. The tomboy blushed with a blank stare.

“What was that for?”

“Good luck.”

She stood, blinking. “Uh… thanks, I guess.”

“I'll call you when I get to the campus.”

“Okay… Uh…?”

“What is it?”

Hallie glanced down at her feet. “Could you… kiss me again?”

The cowboy broke into a grin. “Of course.” He gave her one more kiss before boarding the bus. Hallie gave him a dreamy look and waved as it pulled away.

Good luck, Dustin. I love you!

I Think I'm in Love