Remi Aguilar and Stela Jolie had always been inseparable. Since childhood, they’d been next-door neighbors, sharing secrets, laughter, and even the same dreams. The biggest one? Getting into Harvard together.

But time didn’t wait for them. Remi, a year older, finished high school first. Stela still had another whole year of exams, projects, and expectations ahead. Still, they promised nothing would tear them apart — this would be their last perfect summer, complete with a list of things they’d do together before Remi left.

Except… in the middle of bike rides, afternoons at the pool, and movie nights on the couch, Barnes appeared. He was everything Remi wasn’t: carefree, with no plans for the future, guided only by music and living in the moment.

And suddenly, Remi — the girl who had always been focused, who always said “no” to anything off track — fell in love with him.

Stela felt her world shifting piece by piece. First it was Remi arriving late. Then, the laughter that no longer included her. The smell of smoke on her best friend’s shirt, the pictures with drinks in hand, and that different sparkle in Remi’s eyes every time Barnes was around.

She even tried to join in, but she hated feeling like the third wheel. Remi would say: “Come with us, Stells, you’ll have fun.” But Stela would only smile, shake her head, and reply: “Enjoy it, Remi. This is your summer.”

Yet inside, her heart ached.

While Remi was discovering a side of herself she had never shown before — impulsive, intense, in love — Stela struggled with the feeling that she was losing the person she loved most in the world. Their friendship, once so unshakable, was starting to crack under silences, excuses, and moments that no longer belonged just to them.

The sun was already beginning to set when Remi showed up at Stela’s door, her hair tied back carelessly and a wide smile on her face. Behind her, Barnes leaned against the car, drumming his fingers on the hood to the beat of a song only he seemed to hear.

“Come on, Stells. We’re going to the lake tonight, Barnes got us some beer.” Remi said excitedly, almost leaving no room for an answer.

Stela hesitated. She had never drunk before, and truthfully, she didn’t want to. But Remi’s insistent look — the one that always pulled her into any adventure — made her sigh and grab her backpack.

In the car, Remi curled up in the front seat, laughing at something Barnes said. Her laugh was different now — freer, louder. From the back seat, Stela watched their reflection in the rearview mirror. They looked like a movie couple, the kind that lived recklessly without thinking about tomorrow.

At the lake, Barnes popped the bottles open with ease and handed one to each of them. Stela held hers, too nervous to take a sip. Remi noticed and laughed, nudging her on the shoulder:

“Relax, it’s just beer. You’re not gonna die from trying it.”

Barnes leaned closer, half teasing: “Or you can just sit there watching us, no problem. There’s always someone who’d rather be the third wheel.”

Stela forced a smile, but inside she felt a sting. It wasn’t Barnes that bothered her — it was the fact that Remi didn’t defend her. The old Remi would have said something, would have sat by her side. But now, she just laughed along, as if leaving her out was natural.

While they dove into the cold water, shouting and laughing, Stela stayed on the shore, hugging her knees. The sky above was painted in orange and pink, but to her, everything already looked a little grayer.

In that moment, she realized their summer wasn’t just theirs anymore. And maybe it never would be again.