*Flashback*
Here I was just a little thirteen year old sneaking out of the house to go to some party. Not that this was something new to me. Sneaking out was becoming something of a secret expectation of myself. I climbed out the window wearing my leather jacket with my beanie and skateboard in hand. I quickly ran across the lush grass filled with various species of plants from my mom's gardening, so I was stealthily hidden within the confines of the shadows from the sycamore trees ligning the sidewalk. The calmness of the summer night was almost comforting, but for some reason simultaneously I felt uneasy. I tried shifting my focus from my fear of getting caught to the sounds of life around. I started listening to the chirping of cicadas, and the buzzing of fireflies flapping their wings. When I arrived to the house I swiftly walked up the steps to the porch. My friend Zach at the time who was 15 pretty much invited any and everyone he came across. The place was lit up like fireworks on the 4th of July. You could tell this was a party from a mile away.
I just stood there on the porch slouched leaning my head against the door. Just standing, waiting for my arms and legs to shift and allow me to move. What was I waiting for? I exhaled and talked to myself quietly. "What are you doing? Just walk in. Just go. Do it. GO! This can make or break you. You gotta do this." That's when I heard her. But it was yells of pure rage coming from the side of the house. I know I shouldn't eavesdrop, but I couldn't help myself. I leaned as much against the railing as I could without getting noticed.
"You're such a jerk! Leave me alone." Said a female who sounded like she was ready to rip this guy's vocal cords out.
"C'mon don't be like thattt, I said I'm sorry already." He responds.
"No don't touch me, get your arms off me! I don't want to be anywhere near your GRODY cheating mouth. I don't want to catch whatever nasty disease that tramp probably has." Fuck, that was a good comeback.
"Baby stop it, you're being childish and it's ridiculous. Just get over this, it's not like it's actuallyyy a big deal." God this guy must be an idiot.
"Ha okay first, don't you dare call me baby. Ever. Second, it IS a fucking big deal. I mean, I'm legitimately worried for that girl's wellbeing. Ya knowww, after I caught you practically chewing her face off. By the way after this argument is over, and she comes running to you, tell her to get a makeup lesson or two. It looks like Crayola gang banged her face. Tssk tssk, I thought you had better taste."
"Jesus, I guess I dodged a bullet with you. You really are a cold hearted lil bitch." Oh no, this doesn't sound good.
"Um no. See that's where you're mistaken. You were the bullet. And I allowed myself to get hit, I didn't think to dodge it. And I think I'm entitled to be as bitchy as I want right now. You're fifteen and I'm thirteen. I knew it was a bad idea. I knew, but I still took the chance. Took a leap of faith expecting you to be there to catch me. But I guess I was wrong." I started to hear leaves crunching beneath her feet. She was coming closer to the porch. I quietly moved farther away from the railing, but made sure I was still close enough to hear.
"What, so we're really over? Pfft, good luck getting over me." Well aren't you a cocky motherfucker...
The sound of crunching leaves abruptly stopped. "Oh god, Jasper. For one fucking second could you step off your damn Pedestal made of your inflated ego, and get the hell over yourself?! You don't matter to me nearly as much as you want me to. And it shouldn't be too hard to get over you. I mean, every time I go outside I see things that remind me of you. Like trash cans and dog shit." Dayyumm. This girl is great!
I sat on the steps waiting for her to appear. There she is. Absolutely beautiful. She has blue eyes as fiery as her ginger hair. And she has little freckles dancing across her face. She looks up at me and gives a weak smile.
"That was quite a show, are you alright?" I ask her.
"Heard the whole thing huh? And yeah I'm okay, I guess." She responds but her eyes don't reach mine.
"Don't worry about that guy, he's no idea what he's lost."
"I'm not so sure he lost anything. And how can you say that? You don't even know me" She says barely audible. She's right. I don't. "What's your name?"
"It's Charlotte." She smiles. What a beautiful name. I slowly get up and go to her not wanting to frighten her if she's as fragile as she looks. "I'm Ethan, wanna talk?" I can feel my cheeks burning. WHAT THE HELL. "Sureee but only if you can climb a tree." She responds mischievously.
"Wait wha-" is all I'm able to spit outta my mouth before she pulls my hands wanting me to follow her. There it is. An old oak waiting to be explored. She climbs it with such ease she must be flying. "Come on up!" She yells. I climb after her... not so gracefully. I probably looked gawky and awkward trying to maneuver from limb to limb. But I did it anyway. I don't know how to explain it, but I think I she was meant to come into my life. I'd figure out her story and she'd figure out mine. And our lives would intertwine and tangle, but to never unravel.
I look up at her and she's gazing at the sky. It's dark but it's filled with color. An array of blues, purples, and microscopic shinning dots was being reflected in her eyes like a mirror. Her gaze was filled with wonder and longing for something in that infinite space. I never wanted to know what it was, so I never asked. I wanted my curiosity to burn at what she was thinking about.
"The sky isn't the limit," Charlotte says to me, "we're just too scared to go any further. Because we're afraid of what we don't know..."
"Are you scared of me?"
"Why would I have any reason to be scared of you?" She says.
"You don't know who I am."
"No... for now there's no fear. Only curiosity. Are you scared of me?"
"Yes. But only for the fact that I'm having the hardest time figuring you out." I respond honestly.
"Don't try to, it's simpler for both of us. By tomorrow tonight'll be like a distant dream. Something so close but never in reach. Don't try to reach."
"Too late." I tell her. She glares at me, her expression is hard to read.
At the same time we both turn our attention to the house, the music has gotten louder. It seems fun.. maybe I could ask her to dance."Hey do y-"
"May I have this dance?" She asks shyly. "Yes." We hop off the branches and run to the front door. I try to be a gentleman and open it for her. We both try to move through the crowd of people. Everyone's either drunk or grinding on each other, gross. The room smells of sweat fromantic people dancing and beer. I continuously get bumped into, and I have to lean on Charlotte for support. I start feeling bad about this awkward encounter until she some how ends up lacing her fingers with mine and justified it with, "more stability" smooth. Suddenly the music changes, and I see a faint smile reach her face.
It's a slow song. The mood in the room shifts from raging hormones to calm sweetness. Charlotte's eyes sparkle from the dangling lights as she looks up to meet mine. She gently clasps her hands together around my neck. As my heart palpitates, I place my hands softly on her waist and pull her close. And we sway. It's like it's just her and I, content with being together. We sway. Then she rests her head on my shoulder, and we keep moving our feet rhythmically. I can only see her. Everything besides her is blurred. And we sway.
"I'm glad you reached." She whispers in my ear.
