As I look at the empty spot on our driveway, I realize that this summer won't be the same. When I was younger, I spent the entire school year waiting for summer. I couldn't wait for the freedom, staying up late, and being with my friends. But this summer it's different. As I stare at the empty parking spot, I think back to when summer was how it used to be. I think back to the summer of 2005. The summer of 2005 had been mostly uneventful. I had just gotten out of sixth grade and was in no hurry to get to seventh. Most of my days consisted of me sitting at home trying not to be bored. I usually failed at this. This was the summer my brother Alex got his first car. Buying his own car had been his dream since he was just a little kid, and he had finally managed to save up most of the money for it. After much research he decided on a 1994 Honda Accord. He loved this car like it was his child. He took great care of it and referred to it as "she". While most 17 year old guys would try to ignore their 12 year old sister and hardly give her rides anywhere, my brother was different. Getting his car only brought on new ways for us to hangout and talk with each other. Drives with him hold some of my best memories of that summer. "Hey Ani, wanna go for a drive tonight?" my brother asked. "It's already 10:30!" my mom replied. "Who cares Mom, I'm not tired." I said. "Well, be careful." She continues to lecture me about not distracting him while he's driving, and to be safe. I already know all this. After we say goodbye, I go outside, still in my pajamas. I walk over to his car and climb in. My brother flips open the radio. "What should we listen to tonight?" I think about it. "The Rolling Stones," I answer. Music has become a big part of our drives. Normally we listen to The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, or ACDC. We'll share which songs we like best, and he'll tell me facts he's learned about the bands, most likely from Wikipedia. As we drive down our street we think about where we want to go that night. Our drives have taken us all over. Sometimes we drive all around Bethlehem. We go to different neighborhoods, especially rich ones. If we want to look at a lot we explore Albany. On a future drive, we will go to Henry Hudson Park and walk on the dock in the dead of night. A lot of the time, we like the peaceful empty roads, wherever they may be. Those roads are my favorite. There is nothing as fun as driving with the windows down and the music loud, on a summer night when nothing seems to matter. Tonight seems like a good night to do that. As we drive, we have a wide range of conversations. We talk about friends, school, history, current problems, opinions, and random facts he tells me. My brother and I have a different relationship than typical brothers and sisters. We have been extremely close since before I can remember. I can trust him with anything, and I know he would do anything for me. While we drive we laugh and joke around. But it's the serious conversations that have really opened my eyes. Even though I'm only 12, I think talking with him has made me a smarter and better person. Tonight, we decide to do something different. I suggest that we stop at the 24•hour Price Chopper on the way home. Alex knows I've wanted to do this for a while. I've always wondered what it's like in the middle of the night, if there are any people there, and if so, why are they there? I expect him to say no, but to my surprise he agrees. We go inside and scan the aisles. Only a few people there. Not as exciting as I thought, but it's still fun. We buy a box of Swoops, and head home. We arrive home and neither of us are tired. We decide to watch one of our favorite shows, News Radio. Since we don't have it on DVD we watch one of the episodes my brother has on the computer. We sit there watching it with our Swoops and our sun tea. It has been a good night.