"Gotta get the girl, get the girl, gonna make her mine," Taryn's high-pitched imitation of Jesse clashed with a lack of harmony between her and the noisy pounding of shower water against her head and Jessa's brain. Jessa wished she left her hair down from her ponytail to block some of the screetches infiltrating her head. Celeste cuddled between a sandwich of sheets and blankets contently above Jessa, Jessa tailgating the tour bus to the last concert of the summer in NYC with a cold French Vanilla Coffee Coolada chilling her hand, beads of water diffusing against her palm, a sharp turn almost propelling the drink onto the passager's seat.

"Too early for singing!" Celeste shouted to Taryn vexedly and groggerly, rubbing and smudging the sleep from her blue eyes as she inched her way to the edge of the bed, her feet dangling loosely by Jessa's head like ropes, Jessa glancing behind her shoulder as Celeste dropped from the overhang bed, crouching on the floor, like a tiger stalking prey, in a sleepy state.

"Actually," Jessa began, glancing down at her watch as cars zoomed past like spaceships, "It's almost noon, Sleepy."

"Too early," Celeste insisted, walking like a zombie to the passanger's seat and bouncing down onto it, her curls tumbling in front of her crystal eyes, her hand grazing the grey door handle as a green sign that stated with white lettering "New York City: 25 Miles" sprinted past them, skyliners filing together in the distance, the noon sun sparkling through thunderous clouds over dew-dampened grass.

Taryn bumbled from the shower, her red hair glued to her face with wetness as she swayed to a beat pulsating in her head, her white "DS Cutie Quad" Baby Tee sliced in the sleeves for more personality. "Morning, Leslie," Taryn greeted her with a sing-song voice, her hands groping the cabinets for a strawberry Poptart.

"I think you only woke up this side of the world with your singing," Celeste informed her grumpily, leaning her chin against her hand as her eyes scanned the darkening horizon of NYC life.

"It's the right way to start the day," Taryn replied chipperly as her eyes examined the design of red sprinkles on her pastry, not phased by Celeste's negativity, her brown eyes then scampering to the picture of her and Greg onstage together a few months ago taped above her, one of many pictures Ashley left to keep her memory alive, a reflective smile pushing through the crumbs of Poptart clinging to Taryn's lips.

"It would be better if Ashley was with us," Jessa admitted, turning the glorious start of the day into a somber decline, her two friends peering at her with the exact same feeling driving like a stake at their hearts.

"Way to state the odvious, J," Taryn replied with a roll of her eyes, hoping sarcasm was the right remedy for everyone's pain, jumping to the front and fishing her hands through Jessa's silky hair.

"Everything happens for a reason, right?" Celeste asked with wonder, hugging her blue pajama pants printed with clouds as she turned toward her friends, both of them looking at her with skeptical appearences.

"Right," Jessa agreed to smooth Celeste's edgy question, a knot fermenting in her stomach, the prospect of Jessa telling Greg the truth shrinking smaller and smaller with each gained mile toward the explosive ending of their story...........

"Are they here yet?!" Jesse asked anxiously, glancing out the grimy windows of the cafteteria in the Beacon Theatre every few seconds, his hands wringing together like a dishcloth, the 5 boys the only occupants at the white tables coupled with blue chairs, small windows tiling across the wall for easier view.

"Chill, man," Chris told Jesse sternly, engrossing himself in his steamy plate of french fries, pizza and fruit, shooting Jesse with a look to force him to sit down.

"Taryn told me they had to stop for gas," Matt assured Jesse, waving his cellphone in the air as a source of verification, planting his rear on the tabletop.

"People have to EAT off that, ya know," Greg reminded Matt, chomping away on a fry drizzled with ketchup.

"Suddup, Greggles," Matt responded with a taunting giggle, making sure to use Jessa's pet name for him, Greg reaching to hit him but Matt skidding from the table with lightning reflexes.

"I just want them to be totally surprised," Jesse admitted sheepishly, straddling a blue chair stationed next to Greg, Greg poking with boredom at his mashed potatoes.

"They will," Frankie assured Jesse with a pat on his back, skipping back to his seat with a 7-Up can attached to his hand.

Suddenly, the girls appeared in the wide doorway, smiles permanetly attached to their faces.

"What took you guys so long?" Jesse asked with concern, jumping up from his seat and dramatically embracing them in a hug.

"Uhh...you know those service stations," Celeste told Jesse with a convincing head nod, the girls ambling over to the guys' table, their sandals and sneakers squeaking as it not properly oiled against the grey floor with the sudden downpour pounding the streets outside. "They take forever with the change." Jessa looked nonchalantly at Celeste, Celeste sneaking a wink between the guys' elated attention.

"Now that you're here," Frankie began with a sly smile, taking one last gulp of his soda before shooting a 3-pointer into the green garbage can sitting in the middle of the floor, the swoosh of the flap assuring completion. "We have a surprise for you."

"I can't take all these surprises," Taryn responded, grabbing her head as if it was clogged with a thousand tasks, Jessa sauntering across the table and leaning to Greg to present him with a sugary kiss, Greg's diligent hand tickling her spot behind her ear, Jessa retaliating with a sneaky blow to his hip, Greg trying to supress the sensation because of his manly stature. Everyone heard the click of the metal door handle, Celeste's keen sense of hearing pivoting her head to the right side, Ashley stepping out of the kitchen in her DS Cutie Quad Tee, her eyes glimmering with joy as she gazed at her "sisters", her hands clasped firmly in front oh her stomach, khaki boyshorts swimming on her legs, grinning ear to ear.

"Ashley!" Celeste screamed, her mouth dropping like an anvil as she sprinted like a track star across the room, her sandals smacking forcefully against the floor, lifting Ashley in her arms like she was a beloved doll. Ashley's face slightly contorted at her aching body's response to Celeste's embrace, nevertheless, she was overjoyed to see her three friends again. Jessa and Taryn pushed past Frankie and Jesse as if they saw a crisp $100 lying on the floor. Jessa and Taryn crowded the other free sides, all three of them shaking Ashley in appreciation, conversation on anything popping up in their heads mushing together in an uncomprehensive mutter about the cafeteria like the low rumble of fans before a band takes stage. Jessa mouthed 'Thank you' to the boys with a earnest smile, the boys' hearts bubbling with their good deed.

"Girls?" Frankie asked, taking a cautious step towards them and gently prying Celeste from Ashley, enveloping his hand over Ashley's to lead her safely to the table, the rest of the guys displaying satisfied smiles, the girls trailing Frankie like obidient puppies, "She's not invinsible. She's still soar."

"It's Okay, Frankie," Ashley assured him with a meek smile, Jesse patting the seat in front of him for Ashley to sit. Stiffly, Ashley descended into the seat, Jesse's hands cupping over her shoulders like a father's. She glanced up and smiled, scanning her view from one side to the other, feeling blessed to have these incredable, caring people surrounding her like angels above. "It's so good to see you all again. The week or so had been so lonely and not fun."

"It's great to have you back for our last show," Chris agreed, engulfing Celeste in a bear hug from behind, Celeste glancing behind her and smiling, contentness encompassing all of the friends like an aura.

"It wouldn't have been the same," Matt admitted honestly, the love for everyone in the circle bloomed so fruitfully, so vivaciously, and beautifully this summer, a forest of flowers coming to its zenith and ending with the conclusion of tonight's concert.

"Boys," Louie shouted from the hallway, his cellphone lowered to his side as he leaned in, his light green shirt unbuttoned at the collar to releave the muggy heat constricting him, everyone turning around the receive the message. "5 minutes before practice!"

"Aye Aye, Captain!" Chris saluted him, Louie leaving with a chuckle as he refocused his attention on his call.

Jessa snagged Greg's arm and took him to an empty table for a little one-on-one time, her pocket containing the real and truthful reason why they were late. "I got something for you," Jessa told him quietly, saddling a chair as if it was a horse as Greg sat down next to her, pleased shock slipping onto his face as Jessa fished through her pocket, extractin something shiny.

"You know you didin't..." Greg's voice hitched in his throat, caught between layers of surprise and awe, Jessa placing a silver ID bracelet in his hand, the metal surprisingly cool over the tiny ravines of his palm. Enscribed in script on the bracelet was "GR + JB July 4th, 2002," a permanent jubilation of their first kiss. Greg bored down at it astounded, the gift too expensive for anyone to accept or keep, but Greg couldn't give it back. He felt the sparks in the bracelet jolting in his fingers, just like in Jessa's touch.

"I got one, too," Jessa shattered through the silence, lifting her right arm to reveal a carbon copy on her wrists glimmering with the long rows of lights above them.

"I...don't know...what to say," Greg confessed spellbound, staring into her green eyes, a cunning smile raising the corners of her lips, her hand raking through her light brown hair.

"That was the idea," Jessa replied deviously, leaning over the back of the chair toward him, Greg pitching foward so their lips could gently unite, Celeste gazing at them from afar in admiration and slight jealousy.

"Listen," Greg began when they both retained normal position on the chairs, glancing up at the clock to see time ran out, grappling through the air for her hands, squeezing them affectionatly. "My family's going out after the show for a late night dinner to celebrate my homecoming. I want you to come, meet the people you know so much about."

Jessa thought a moment, that prospect a little frightening. Meeting the parents was always a little edgy for her, especially Greg's, her "conquest." It was terrible to even fathom him like that, freaking property, but technically, according to the rules, she won. She felt sick.

"Of course," Jessa replied with a nodd, Greg's eyes enlarging with her acceptance, "I'll meet you by the bus after the show." Greg seized her lips in one last kiss, her head arched back from his passionate force, Greg running his thumb around her scar before scampering over to the rest of the group, the boys giving hugs and waving goodbye to the other DS Cuties.

"Have a great show!" Ashley shouted after them, waving eratically at them as they walked backwards toward the door.

"Break a leg!" Taryn told them, Celeste elbowing her square in the ribs.

"Don't break anything," Celeste warned them in a harsh motherly tone, "I officially hate hospitals!"

"Yes, Mother," she heard one of them reply in a high-pitched voice, the culprate quickly downed out with laughter as the boys traveled down the hall, the girls reved up for their last night of freedom, freedom that would be evanscent with the curtain's fall, their hearts would become stone with all that happened.........

"That's an...interesting name," a fan sitting next to Taryn in the 3rd row told her, dimmed light flickering upon her oily skin, her button nose scrunching up in odvious distaste for Taryn's shirt, her toothy smile trying to cover up her true feeling, her brown hair cascading down her back and over her sign.

"How did you come up with it?" the fan's shorter and more genial friend asked, her blue eyes wide with inquizition, leaning over to hear Taryn's response through the static of conversation firing and slashing through Taryn's words.

"Well," Celeste stepped in, her eyes levetating to the ceiling to remember the date, tilting foward to give the girls the 411, "It was July 4th and we were at a picnic with the boys in Nebraska. It was so hot that day, but such a lovely place. I was already with the boys and when Taryn, Ashley, and Jessa arrived with the food, Chris randomly shouts 'It's the rest of the Cutie Quad!'"

"Riight," the mean fan responded skeptically, rolling her dark eyes at Celeste's "lies" as the other fan smiled wide, that story so cool compared to her pitiful exisitence.

"That's an...interesting sign," Taryn told the mean fan, flicking her "DS: Boxers or Briefs?" sign with her fingers. "Of course," Taryn continued, looking over at Celeste and laughing snootily, "We know the answer."

"You do?" the nice fan questioned astounded, the mean fan glaring at her to stop with the ridiculious questions, the girls having "liars" printed across their foreheads.

"Chris loves Calvin Klein boxers, cotton, of course," Celeste confessed. "Jesse is a Hanes kind of guy, but he never has orange because it's such a random color, right Taryn?"

"Yep. And Greg has the cutest pair of blue boxers...they have tiny white stars on them that kind of shimmer in the light," Taryn continued, smiling austerely at the two, the mean fan scowling at her with crossed arms, "How precious! We stole those."

"That's the biggest bunch of bull shit I ever heard," the mean fan announced brashly, bolting abruptly from her seat and storming to the aisle like a bulldozer, the look in the eyes of the nice fan assuring the two that someone believed.........

The four friends held hands the whole night, bouncing around to the music, the whole crowd pumped with the purest for of adrenaline, hands and signs stabbing and throbbing in the air. Jessa glanced over at Ashley, Ashley's face beading with sweat from the workout she was being put through to keep up with the beat, no signs that she was strapped to a hospital bed days before on her carefree face. Jessa was happy. She was happy they were all finishing the summer...together.

Inevitably, "Jennifer Goodbye" popped up mid-way through Dream Street's set, Greg sauntering slowly to the front of the stage, teasing ever girl in the place from choosing his serenadee, his tounge glazing his lips suggestively. His eyes locked on Taryn's, Taryn's face falling white as Greg pointed to her. Greg slipped a joking smile on his face, puckering Taryn a kiss as bright and colorful lights flashrf on and off his face, veering to the right, Taryn releaved that she didn't have to face the crowd again, shaking her head with an amused smile at Greg's playfulness.

The show was nearing to a close in the novel of the summer, a summer that would be bounded with the thickest glue and most pages, the small Beacon Theatre transforming into a karayoke bar as the boys performed a most lively version of "It Happens Every Time," the fans copying every move if they didn't know it by heart already, the echo of learned lyrics reverberating off the walls and to the ears of the boys onstage, their hearts exploding with fatigue and adoration for their fans. Even thought they appeared like a sea of ants with the ability to repeat words and moves on top of the mile-high stage, the boys all knew they were devoted, dedicated fans. They made their memories precious and memorable, them and 4 unlikely friends...

An ear-splitting combustion of screams bowled the boys over, the maroon curtain dropping and the crowd dispersing, everyone getting their rightful dose of satisfaction, especially 4 girls...

"It's over?" Ashley asked unassured, all four of them still in the quiet theatre, staring at the stage as if Chris, Greg, Matt, Frankie, and Jesse's spirits were still busting moves and notes with immortal energy, the feeling of future emptyness so surreal in her aching heart. So many things they climbed over, they conquored, standing proudly on the hill of greatness becaused they believed. They believed in the music. They believed in each other. They believed in themselves.

"It's done," Taryn replied glumly, inhailing a deep breath of sweat-stained air and stretching toward the lights suspended in the ceiling simultaneously, forcing a smile thought the memories, good and bad, the trials, good and bad, the life, good and bad, of the summer stitching in her brain like a patch quilt.

"It's finished," Celeste agreed with a sigh, her voice hurdling and tripping over the dirty stage, Celeste resting her head against her right palm, driving her sandblasted flares into the unoccupied black seat in front of her, her mind not ready to believe that the amazing summer was over with the simple close of a maroon curtain, that life wouldn't be as exciting and educational as 8 week had been on 4 different minds and outlooks.

"It's great," Jessa replied quietly, her eyes sneaking over to her friends as her right index and middle finger supported her temple, a thin, thoughtful smile pushing up her cheeks, all three friends nodding...together.