It was the summer that nearly broke the GPS, and certainly broke the definition of "teen fun," thanks to Nansy.
Nansy wasn't a place. She was a person. Specifically, she was my best friend Leo’s 74-year-old grandmother, who had recently discovered a YouTube channel about "extreme urban exploration." When Leo’s parents shipped her off to our suburban cul-de-sac for two weeks, we expected quiet evenings of tea and cookie recipes. Instead, we got a manifesto. teen funs nansy
The masterpiece, though, was day seven. Nansy decided our local “haunted” mini-golf course was boring, so she staged a fake alien invasion. Armed with laser pointers, a fog machine stolen from the school’s drama department, and a recording of dial-up internet static, she coordinated us via walkie-talkies. We were the “Men in Black” (minus the suits) while she piloted a cardboard UFO from the roof of her minivan. The teenagers working the course actually screamed. The manager called the police. We escaped through a drainage ditch, Nansy leading the charge, her orthopedic sneakers squelching in the mud. It was the summer that nearly broke the
Maya replied instantly: Fake an alien invasion. Specifically, she was my best friend Leo’s 74-year-old
“That,” she panted, leaning against a dumpster behind a CVS, “is what I call teen funs.”
Then she pulled out a jar of pickles and a can of whipped cream. “Pickleback sundae, anyone?” We groaned, but we ate it. It was disgusting. It was perfect.
Day two, she woke us at 5:00 AM with a bullhorn she’d borrowed from the neighbor’s garage. “Morning, losers! Today’s fun: dumpster diving for discarded corporate secrets.” Maya, who wanted to be a lawyer, was horrified. I, on the other hand, found a broken neon sign from a pizza place that Nansy later rewired to spell “FUN” in our treehouse. She called it “reclamation artistry.”