summer sparks

ELAYNA

Everyone was always looking forward to summer, but I never wanted it to start. Because once it started, that meant it would end. Unfortunately my wish never came true. My friends talked up every single idea and desire they had for our summer—swimming, the drive-in, state fair, more swimming.

Delilah was the most excited. She had been counting the days since December. But everyone was excited, except me. Which is why when that last bell of the day rang, I let out a sigh and balled up my fist before picking up my backpack. I took extra slow steps through the halls before I saw my friends waiting in our usual spot. We liked to wait out the rush and traffic of the parking lot for a few minutes, but that usually turned into half an hour. I quickly plastered on a smile before walking up to them.

"We're done!" Delilah greeted me in a sing-song voice.

Kolton scoffed, "Yeah but now we're seniors." I shoved his shoulder at the reminder but he only giggled in response.

Another reason why I didn't want summer to come was because then it'd be our senior year. Our last year. Time was moving too quickly and I wanted it to stop. I wanted more moments like this where we could wait half an hour after school ended to simply talk because we wanted to. I wanted that feeling I got when we'd walk through the empty parking lot, it's High School Musical sunny, there's a light breeze, and our cars are all parked in a corner together. But I knew this could be the last time it would happen so I took it all in. The smell, the sounds of nature.

"Layna?" Delilah shook me from my meditation. "We said, what's the plan for tonight?"

We always hungout on the weekends but never planned anything until 8pm so it was odd for them to be asking that question at the time.

I shrugged my shoulders, "I don't know. We'll probably end up doing the usual."

The usual was: get food somewhere, stay there until it closed(or until they kicked us out), go to a park or sit in someone's car until one of us got too tired and wanted go home.

"The usual is getting boring," Vince groaned.

I actually agreed with him and nodded my head. It had been getting a little repetitive and it felt like we were running out of topics to discuss. I wouldn't mind trying something new.

"Elayna, you're not gonna even be there why do you care?" snapped Kolton.

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't I be there?" I sassed back.

Kolton ignored my sass since this was how we usually were and replied, "I mean Preston will probably be there."

I pursed my lips together, realizing that he was right. Preston and I broke up two weeks ago and ever since, I've had "family stuff" every time he was at the group's hangout and he just never showed up when I went. It wasn't that it was a bad breakup, it was just that I didn't want to put myself and everyone else in the awkward situation of a breakup in the group.

"So what? Preston and I can be civil towards one another," I fibbed. I hadn't talked to Preston once since the breakup. But like I said, it wasn't a bad breakup.

Preston and I had been friends since 7th grade. He was my buddy and I was his. But just like any other male and female friendship, we were pestered by everyone. "Are you guys dating?" "You'd be so perfect together!" Years of teasing and we finally got together and it was great. But being best friends for so long, the label didn't change much for one of us and the other wanted it to change in certain ways, so we split. We were only together for six months and the breakup was mutual. No hard feelings.

"Yo, let's go drive by the big bonfire at St.  Jane's tonight," Vince suggested.

We normally didn't attend parties, we just liked to drive by them. This may sound lame to some people but we found it way more enjoyable than being crammed in a basement with a hundred drunk people that we don't even know. So everyone agreed to this idea and we went our separate ways home.

Preston and Liam had baseball practice so we planned to meet up once they were done. In fact, they were practicing on the field right next to the parking lot. I had a perfect view when I got into my car and I scanned the field. I hated myself for spotting Preston in a split second. He was throwing with Nate Koland, your typical baseball guy. I actually didn't mind Nate, though—he was sweet. My eyes shifted back to Preston as he caught the ball in his glove and threw it back to Nate ever so swiftly.

He had on his stupid sunglasses that he never let me wear because they were "expensive". His baseball cap, that he wore almost everyday, sat on top of his dark brown waves with his light blue baseball pants that clung a bit too tight to his—Christ Layna, get a hold of yourself.

I quickly started up my car and zoomed out of the parking lot before I could further embarrass myself.

I would admit that I was not completely over Preston. It took much longer than two weeks to get detached to someone you were close to for so long. I was just giving myself some time to do that, I wasn't necessarily avoiding him...maybe I was but it was the last day of school, I wasn't going to miss out on a hangout. So I decided to suck it up and go either way.

As I drove home, my mind couldn't help but wonder all of the possibilities that could come from this night. Even if Preston didn't show up, I knew deep down part of me wished that he would. I wanted to see how he'd been doing, see how we would've acted together. Would things still be the same? Or would we do that awkward post breakup pretend like we don't know each other.

I was so distracted that I didn't even see my sister's car in the street. When I opened the door, she tackled me with a hug.

"Oh my god, what are you doing here? I thought you were staying to help with orientation."
Her semester ended a week ago but she was supposed to stay and help with freshman orientation so she didn't have to drive back and forth so many times.

"I know, I just decided to come home for the weekend since orientation isn't until Wednesday," she explained. "Where's Tristan?"

My eyes bulged out of my head as I slapped my hand over my mouth. I forgot about my brother.
"Shit."

"You forgot him?!"

"No, I didn't forget him—"

"Do you usually forget him?"

"No..."

That was a lie.

"Hey guys—Kennedy? What are you doing here?" Our heads snapped towards the door, a semi-sweaty Tristan walking in.

"See," I pointed to him, "I didn't forget him."

"She forgot me," Tristan nodded his head, towering past us as he walked to the kitchen. He began to look for a snack and we followed him.

Although he was the youngest, he was the tallest by far now. Damn boys. He had also recently become a three sport athlete who needed his "gains", so he started pulling out almost every item in our fridge.

"How could you be so irresponsible?" Kennedy scolded me.

I grabbed a piece of cold pizza that my brother took out of the fridge and began munching on it, ignoring my sister and brother, who was now trying to take back the pizza.

Tristan sighed, "She don't care, she's been like this for weeks."

"Is this about Preston?" asked Kennedy, taking a slice for herself too.

"No," I fibbed with my mouth full. "I am doing perfectly fine about that, thank you very much. In fact, I'll be seeing him tonight for the first time in two weeks that isn't awkwardly passing each other in the hallway. So if you don't mind, I'll be in my room, enjoying my summer."

With that, I walked up the stairs to my room, not caring to hear their responses. I knew what it would be anyway. "You should talk to him, be mature." "It's okay to be sad." And I was sad, but I got all of that out after the first day.

Now, I just felt empty.