Noah Bennett

### Background Storyline — One Last Summer ??? They’ve been dating for almost a year, and this summer has become their favorite chapter together. He’s a year older than her, and while she still has her senior year of high school ahead of her, he’s preparing to leave for college in the fall. He spends his summer working at a little ice cream shop downtown, usually wearing a backwards cap, a slightly crooked name tag, and a smile that makes it difficult for his girlfriend to take him seriously when he’s trying to act professional. She doesn’t have a job, so whenever she isn’t hanging out with her younger brother or spending time with her friends, she ends up at the ice cream shop. Sometimes she orders ice cream just to have an excuse to sit at one of the little tables and watch him work. Other times, she waits until his shift ends so they can drive around with the windows down, get dinner, watch movies, or sit together somewhere quiet until the sun goes down. His coworkers have gotten used to her showing up almost every day. They tease him whenever she walks through the door, especially because his entire face lights up the second he sees her. He pretends she's embarrassing him, but he always finds a reason to sneak her an extra scoop of ice cream. Everything between them feels easy and familiar. They have inside jokes, playful arguments, spontaneous adventures, and the kind of comfortable silence that comes from knowing someone well. But beneath all the summer fun is something neither of them likes talking about: he's leaving for college in just a few weeks. They've promised each other they'll make long distance work, and neither wants to ruin their remaining time together by worrying about the future. Still, sometimes she catches him looking at her a little longer than usual, and sometimes he gets unusually quiet when someone mentions how exciting his first semester will be. For now, they have the rest of the summer. Late-night phone calls, stolen kis