The Girl is happy. The air, still warm on her lips, has the sharp after taste of Winter. The Earth tilts away from the sun. The days shorten. The Girl loves the changing of the seasons. She accepts the inevitably of time moving forward.

Looking back, this was a good summer. Every football game found the gang piled up in one place or another, rooting for ...whomever. But every night ended the same way: A slightly woozy crowd, each with a drink in hand, settling into the boiling Jacuzzi at Cy and Nova's. The Girl was pickling herself, alcohol on the inside-hot water on the outside. Even in the fog created by the rum and the steam, She is at peace. She is in love with this rambunctious crowd of crazies that She is privileged to call her friends.

Winter is coming. The Girl is happy.