one day, at Earthland Catering...

September 2082 (mini-update) - Summer Phoenix and Dallas Deppiesse are 18, Lucy Harris is 16.

One day, at Earthland Catering, Lucy lives vicariously through Summer's dating life. Summer and Dallas are supposed to be working (and Lucy isn't supposed to be loitering the way she tends to do), but instead Summer is telling them about her date. She says, "We went out for coffee, we walked around the market square, we threw a football around a little."

Lucy says, "What's his name?"

"Floyd," Summer says.

Lucy laughs. "Floyd? I don't like that. That's not a good name."

"And he's out of college?" Lucy says. "How old is he?"

"Twenty-three," Summer says.

Lucy says, "Twenty-three!"

"That's only five years difference," Summer says. "It's not a big deal. My dad and Piper are five years apart too."

Lucy says, "Where did you meet a twenty-three year-old?"

"I met him here," Summer says. "I sold him an espresso machine! God, you sound like my dad. He's worried about me. I just said I didn't need to go to college - because I don't need to - I'm still going though! Then there was the truck, and my stupid hair - it'll grow back. Everybody keeps saying, But it was so pretty... Who cares? It's stupid hair."

Lucy says, "It was pretty."

"He thinks I'm gonna get my guns out and go postal or something!"

Lucy freezes in something like terror. She says, "You have guns?"

"No, Lucy!" Summer flings her hands up in the air. "I don't have any guns. Seriously, I'm fine. It's just hair! It's just a truck! God, my dad wants me to see his therapist. Can you believe it?"

Dallas only half listening, but hears the word "therapist" and says, "My sister needs a therapist." The girls laugh, but he's actually quite serious. Dakota has some issues right now.

Lucy says, "So what's this guy like then?"

"He's nice," Summer says. "He wants to go into politics. He's really smart, he already has his political science degree."

"And he has an eyebrow ring," Summer says, and the girls burst into flustered giggles.

Lucy says, "Oooh, eyebrow rings are cute."

"Yeah," Summer says. "It's totally hot!"

Dallas says, "What, girls like eyebrow rings?" He doesn't like this one bit.

"Awww, baby," Lucy says, wrapping her arms around his waist. "You don't have to get an eyebrow ring."

That's good, Dallas thinks, because he doesn't really like the idea of putting a hole through his face.

Summer says, "Hey, I'm eighteen now, I can totally get an eyebrow ring!"

"So, do you like him then?" Lucy asks.

"Eh, I don't know," Summer says.

"Are you going to see him again?"

"I don't know," Summer says. "It was just one date. It was hardly a date. It was like three hours."

Lucy says, "Did you kiss him?"

Summer blushes. "Yeah," she says. "Just once. I just wanted to try it, because you know, I've only ever..."

Summer was trying not to go there, but Lucy goes there instead. She whispers, "Was he a better kisser than Tyler?"

"No," Summer says, falling stoic, blood draining from her body every time someone says his name. "But that's not the point."

Lucy says, "What's the point then?"

"I don't know yet," Summer says.

*****

notes: maybe she has come unhinged. I haven't ever seen that gun animation she was using, lol!

And here's the second part to that finger-gun animation. I couldn't figure out how to add it to their conversation, but do you see just how unsure she is? :(