Students Ready to Book Right Into Summer : Vacation: The season officially starts today. Fun and freedom beckon many whose schools let out this week.

The teen-age boys were standing around the courtyard at the Triangle Square shopping center, sipping colas and talking school. Talking homework. Talking tests.

Talking about how all those will be things of the past when summer begins for them at precisely 12:05 p.m. today, when their last classes let out for summer vacation.

Officially though, the summer clocks in at 3:34 p.m. today, according to the almanac. But, as far as most students across the county are concerned, what’s an hour or two in the context of three months of vacation bliss?

“Summer means . . . we get to stay out late and no more homework,” said 12-year-old Blake Johnson, who attends TeWinkle Middle School. “We don’t do it anyway.”

This week, school wraps up across Orange County for thousands of youngsters who have been impatiently counting down the days. From air-conditioned arcades to shopping malls to shady parks to gleaming beaches, students basked in the glowing warmth of vacation Tuesday as they gushed about fun and freedom.

“I fall asleep in the classroom and dream and think about summer,” said David Lartigue, 14. Classes at St. John the Baptist in Costa Mesa had ended early Tuesday, so David and his friends rushed to the Triangle Square center to practice moves on their skateboards.

“Summer is freedom and rebelling and skateboarding and chicks,” proclaimed his friend, Lou Carrasco, 13.

In contrast, Amber Seagers was still hitting the books Tuesday. The 16-year-old La Crescenta High School student spent the morning with a copy of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” while suntanning in Newport Beach.

“See, I’m being a good girl . . . not just sitting here getting a tan,” she said. “I’m only on chapter two, but at least I haven’t dropped this education thing totally.

“But don’t get me wrong,” she added, adjusting her designer sunglasses. “I’m all for the beach over the classroom any day.”

Other students, such as Rhys Hartung, will spend a good part of their break going to summer school.

“But we try to look at things on the bright side,” said Rhys, 15, minutes after he got out of his algebra class Tuesday at Calvary Chapel High School in Santa Ana. Regular classes ended last week, and Rhys only had a few days off before returning this week for the six-week summer session.

“School doesn’t start until 1 [p.m.] so we still have all the morning to do what we want,” Rhys said. “And it’s not for that long anyway, so I’ll still have some summer left.

“I’m only a little jealous of the ones who have the whole summer to themselves,” he said. “They can pretty much do whatever they want when they want.”

Dana Summers and her friend, Cissy Osorio, both 15, had escape in mind Tuesday.

So they went to a matinee showing of “Batman Forever.” After the movie ended, with the afternoon still ahead, the girls took off for the beach.

“We’re going to catch some rays and just get the tan we’ve been missing,” Dana said, as her friend waved her arms happily and bellowed: “Freedom at last!”