Nightlight

How It Started

'Blasted music, people having fun, THIS IS THE BEST NIGHT EVER.' I said to no one in particular.

'Hey, this party yours? Good job.' A random guy came up to me and said. And winked.

'THANK YOU.'

I saw a girl sitting outside on the garden chair alone. No way am I gonna allow someone being sad at my party.

'Hey, are you okay?'

The girl looked up and gave a sad smile. 'Yeah.' Definitely not. I looked at her, and she continued. 'I came here with two of my friends, but being with them now really causes a headache.'

'Oh, those two guys? They've been staring at you.'

'It...It's a long story. The blond is Michael and the brown-haired guy is Lucas. We're childhood friends. We live in the same neighbourhood and our families are close. They used to protect me from bullies and we're like family. The crazy thing is, they used to like the same girls coincidentally...and girls have been flocking to them since forever. Somehow,' she buried her face in her hands, 'this time, they claim to like me that way. Both of them. And I don't know what to do... I don't wanna hurt any of them, but this cannot go on.'

'Woah, talk about complicated relationships. Do you like any of them? Like like? If you do, then it's easy. Go out with the one you like, surely the other will understand and move on.'

'It's not that simple. I've seen them fight over girls before. Every time, it's like a cold war. I don't want us to drift apart anymore. It took three months to recover from that previous girl.'

I took a glance at them. They were laughing at a guy dressed like a unicorn? 'They seem like goofballs.'

'Michael especially.' She smiled.

'Michael.'

'Damn. Can we keep this between us? I don't want them to find out.'

'What about your feelings for Michael?'

'I've already kept them in for so long... I think I can wait longer. I'm just so happy he likes me.'

'You know what? When two people like each other, they should not "wait". Who knows what will happen tomorrow?' I had to help her. She had spilled her innermost thoughts to me. 'Leave them to me, okay? Trust me.' She stared at me blankly. 'Give that Michael a chance, yeah?' Her hopeful face said everything. I went back into the house.

'You.' I pointed at Michael. 'I wanna talk to you.'

His eyes narrowed, as if evaluating me. 'Do I know you? If you want me, I'm not interested.'

Why do guys always think about that? 'No. No I'm not interested at all. Thank you for not offering. This is about uh, her.' I pointed at Jennifer.

'Are you dumb? What, you can't remember names? This guy,' Lucas pointed at Michael, 'is Michael. And she's Jenn.' Am I stupid? Good question. If I said their names wouldn't I sound more weird since I don't know them? I ignored his comment.

'You.' I pointed at Lucas deliberately. 'Get lost.' I was rude, but I was really annoyed that what had meant to be a one minute conversation turned into a three minute chat. He did as I told, rolling his eyes but walking to join Jennifer outside.

'What is it? If you wanna say it, say it fast. It's so stuffy here.' Oh, so now it's stuffy. Why can't he just admit he wants to go out and join her too?

'It may seem unbelievable coming from an outsider like me but um, Jennifer likes you. And I know you like her too. So go and get her yeah, bring her somewhere she likes. Don't worry about him I guess, I'll settle that.' I said that in a rush, and looked up to see Michael looking incredulous.