Palm Print

Chapter 7

The temperature had dropped, and I rolled my windows down. The breezy air was refreshing. Fireflies sparkled as they migrated away from the area. It was probably the liquor, but I wanted to catch one.

I exited my Chevy Malibu and walked towards them. Trying to capture a firefly was quite difficult. I didn't remember being this uncoordinated. While dashing to catch one, I tripped over my feet and fell in the grass. I laughed, rolling around.

I stood and lay on my car's hood to observe the sky. There were very few stars out. Actually, there were hardly ever any stars because of the light pollution.

Tristan and I used to stargaze when we were kids. We lived next to each other until I moved. Tristan was my best friend growing up.

One summer when we went to his grandmother's house. Ms. Jefferson was one of the sweetest people ever. She used to make us toasted honey bread with raspberry jam on top of it. It was to die for. The sweet smell of raspberries and honey flooded my memory and made my mouth water.

I ran my fingers across the hood of my car and smiled. Brandy and I had met in high school, and we hung out a lot. One day, Tristan and I were talking, and afterward, Brandy asked, "So, is that your boyfriend?"

"Who?" I asked.

She was referring to Tristan. Tristan was attractive; however, we never had that kind of relationship. I explained to her that he was my best friend and there was nothing between us. Ever since then, she began to flirt with him.

I loved Tristan to death, but he was a little dense. Brandy was being so obvious. The funny thing was Tristan liked her just as much but didn't know how to say it.

So, I got to play Cupid and set them up. During the summer of our sophomore year, Tristan, Brandy, and I went to Ms. Jefferson's home. She was away visiting relatives, but she allowed us to stay as long as we didn't make a mess. The only downside was that I felt like the third wheel; however, Brandy decided to bring a friend. It wasn't to hook up or anything. They had been good friends for a long time. It was Ethan.

We hung out at the park during the day and stargazing at night. While at Ms. Jefferson's, Ethan and I didn't start on the best of terms. I made jokes trying to be funny, but he didn't think I was. Eventually, we just sat in silence while Brandy and Tristan ran off. That was so awkward. It wasn't until we started hearing odd sounds from one of the bedrooms that we both looked at each other and began speaking.

He asked, "Do you hear that?"

"Yeah," I replied.

We continued to follow the sound, and it grew louder. As we reached the room, it was undeniable what we were hearing. Brandy and Tristan were having sex.

We snuck back to the living room, both of us flushed. However, we began to have small conversations that grew into a debate over Harry Potter.

Ravenclaw was still better than Gryffindor.

We didn't start dating right away. We dated other people but still kept in contact with each other. While Tristan and Brandy were like Romeo and Juliet, we were Ethan and Taylor: Ordinary People.

I reached my hand towards the faint star and whispered, "Beautiful."

"It would be better if we were in the countryside," Ethan said, sitting on my car's hood.
"Ethan, hey," I slurred.

"Sorry I'm late," he began. "It took forever to find Tristan and Brandy. Also, they were not decent."

"What do you mean?"

"They were naked, upstairs." He rubbed his head. "It took forever to get their clothes on them, and I had to carry them to the car. My arms are sore."

I thought about what I saw upstairs and remembered my fantasy. I sat up quickly, slapping my face.