“HAPPY GRADUATION DAY!” JC practically yelled into the phone as he called Allyson the morning of June 27. He had the date circled on his calendar. “Proud of you, honey.”

Allyson giggled, “Thank you, Josh.”

“So who all’s there to celebrate with you?”

“Mom and dad, Shannon, a few friends from school. Pretty low key.”

“Sounds like fun. Sorry I can’t be there.”

“Shannon’s sad you can’t be here too,” Allyson said with a smirk as she winked at Shannon.

“Ha, I’m sure she is!”

“I am too, but I’m excited to celebrate in LA. You’re gonna spoil me for any future LA trips I think.”

“I’ll make sure you do it right the first time.” 

“Sounds like a plan. Well, hey, I better get dressed. We have to be at the auditorium in a couple hours.”

“Yeah, yeah, go do your thing.”

The college was having a small reception for the summer graduates and their families because summer graduates did not get their own official graduation ceremony. All the summer graduates were invited back for the fall commencement in December.

Allyson took full advantage of not having to worry about school, spending her time looking at things she wanted to do in Los Angeles and hanging out with Shannon again outside of work, something she’d missed as she cracked down on school work.

“So what’s the plan for LA?” Shannon asked as they grabbed brunch Fourth of July weekend before Allyson was due to leave for California later that week.

“I get in late afternoon on Thursday, so Liz is going to pick me up from the airport, and then I’ll get settled in at her place.”

“And then you’re seeing JC?”

Allyson dropped her head and shook it laughing. “Yes,” she looked back up at Shannon, “then I’m seeing Josh. We’re going to grab dinner with him on Friday.”

“I love that you call him Josh,” Shannon said with a megawatt smile.

“Me too!” Allyson said with a giddy tone.

“So any third attempts at a kiss?” Shannon asked with a mischievous smile.

“Shut up!” Allyson snapped back as she topped off their mimosas from the carafe on the table.

“Well, that wasn’t a no.”

“It wasn’t a yes either. I’m not going to jeopardize a really good friendship because I wished for him to be my boyfriend growing up.”

“Fine, but promise me you won’t actively avoid it.”

“I promise. If anything changes in LA, you’ll be my first call. How’s that?”

“I can live with that,” Shannon smiled. “Allyson Chasez. Allie Chasez. It just has a nice ring to it, you know?”

Allyson couldn’t help but giggle. She’d written those exact names on so many high school notebooks. “You’re too much sometimes.”

“But you love me anyways,” Shannon said, taking a bite of her toast.

“Ha! I do. You’re my Shanny Dawg!”

“Oh God! I thought we were done using that awful nickname.”

“I won’t ever let you forget that one!”

“Damn that week of training. Why did he insist on giving us ‘funny’ nicknames? They weren’t funny to anyone but him.”

Allyson laughed. “I don’t know. Don’t worry I don’t use that around anyone else.”

“Good. Let’s keep it that way. What was yours again?”

“Ally Sauce.”

“Oh right! That’s not bad.”

“No, it wasn’t that bad. Yours was one of the worst because beyond the name, he decided to spell it D-A-W-G like it was 1995.”

Shannon just nodded in agreement and quietly clapped her hands. “OK, next topic. I need you to find me a real Tiffany’s heart necklace. I will write you a check for whatever it costs. It is the one thing I will splurge on to have that necklace from Rodeo Drive.”