Thursday Nights | ✓

EIGHT | 6/25/15

EIGHT | 6/25/15

THE EVENING IS lively, filled with a few screaming children, laughing couples, and happy chatter. An aroma of buttered popcorn and grilled food travel through the air, overwhelming my senses as I wander around. I notice that the bright lights illuminate everyone's faces with colors, allowing them to seem even more joyful than ever.

My dad and I came together in separate cars, but now he's busy patrolling the area while I freely roam the amusement park.

The amusement park comes to Cherryhill every summer, making it the most popular place to hang out at. Now, a lot of older teenagers replace the younger kids, which is more of a reason to have police patrols. According to my dad, anyone hanging around at this time are bound to do something reckless. To him, I'm not part of that majority because he knows that I'll never do anything bad, or so he thinks.

However, it's not possible without a significant person.

I sigh at this point, suddenly tired and wanting to go home, just to curl up in bed and watch Netflix. Surely, that's more entertaining than aimlessly walking around by myself. So, I turn on my heel and head back to the direcrion I came from, ready to tell my dad that I'm leaving.

"Hey, Dad," I greet as I approach him, "I'm gonna head home."

"Why, kiddo?" A frown graces his face, "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I reassure, "I'm just bored of doing nothing."

"Why don't you go hang out with your friends?"

I deflate, realizing that my dad doesn't know that I barely have friends, and that he's the reason why. I don't tell him that, knowing that he'll blame everything on himself. It's my own fault for not putting myself out there at Jason McCain's party because I was with Harrison most of the time. I haven't even spoken to Cassie since that day.

"Arden?"

I look up, startled out of my reverie, "Huh?"

His frown cuts even deeper, "Maybe you should go home. Do you want someone to drive you back?"

I wave his concern off, "It's okay, Dad. I'm okay, just a little tired."

"If you're sure, Arden."

Giving him a hug, I say, "I'm sorry that I'm not staying. We haven't been hanging out lately, and I'm sorry."

He softly nods into my hair before pulling back. I expect him to say something, but he remains quiet, not a single word about how we should try more or that he's sorry himself. Should it hurt this much?

I'm the one to pull away and walk towards the parking lot, where a few people are lingering. It's no longer bright here, and there aren't any smiling faces to be seen.

•••

I SIT ON my front porch, watching the sun sink below the horizon. I notice someone sit down next to me, and I turn my head. Harrison is looking forward, watching as the colors bleed away.

"Harrison," I say.

"Arden," he replies.

I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear, "What are you doing here?"

"Um, I was in the neighborhood," he replies with a nod of his head, "What are you doing here?"

I gesture to the house behind me, "I live here."

It's silent for a few seconds, but then he says, "So, I was thinking about getting a tattoo."

"Of what?"

"The stars? Planets? The whole entire fucking galaxy?"

I laugh, feeling the pressure ease away, "There's not enough room on your body for the whole entire fucking galaxy."

A hearty laugh sounds from next to me, slightly raspy and warm and rough.

"Are you sure about that, Arden?" Harrison jokingly asks.

"I'm pretty sure," I grin at him. I can barely make out his body with the darkness engulfing him, even though he's right next to me.

"Speaking of Astronomy, would you like to go see the stars with me?"

"Okay," I easily agree, "Where?"

"You'll see."

•••

THE TWO OF us end up at the beach, a good thirty minutes away from Cherryhill. Harrison, hilariously enough, pulls out an air mattress from the trunk of his car. I'm dying of laughter as I watch the matress slowly fill up with air.

"Why?" I ask after calming down, "Couldn't you just get beach towels like a normal person?"

"Beach towels are no fun," he says, moving onto bed and patting the spot next to him, "and normal is too mainstream."

I sit down next to him and simply look up at the sky. The more I stare, the more insignificant I feel compared to the vastness of the universe. How can anyone ignore a sky like this?

"When I was younger," Harrison starts, breaking the silence, "I would sit on my roof and watch the sky for hours until I felt like I could understand the enormity of it. It made me feel very small, and I would legitimately cry and laugh and just feel."

I feel a certain lull as he speaks with such passion. I don't interrupt him, just slightly brush my hand over his, so he knows I'm listening.

"I'm eighteen now, and I still look up at the sky, getting all those same feelings of crying and laughing. When I feel particularly troubled, I'll drive out here and try to get some perspective of my life."

"Do you still feel small compared to all of it?"

"I think I'll always feel like that."

"How do you do it?" I ask, suddenly overwhelmed by all his thoughts and emotions. When I see Harrison's confused expression, I elaborate, "You always show up at the right times and say the right things. There I was, feeling beyond upset with life, and then you suddenly come, and everything's great."

Saying these words, I begin to realize how true they actually are. I keep telling myself that I barely know Harrison, but I know some of the deep things from him, and that's enough for me.

He looks down for a few seconds, a little smile on his face, before he makes eye contact with me. He moves closer, and my heartbeat picks up, thinking of what he'll do. However, he just wraps his arms around me and whispers, "You're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me."

_______________________

HONESTLY, THE FEELS ARE SO REAL RIGHT NOW.

LIKE I CAN FEEL THEIR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER. OH MAN, I SHIP ARDISON SO HARD.

THOUGHTS ON INTELLECTUAL HARRISON? WHAT ABOUT THE SHERIFF? LOL, HOW DO YOU LIKE THE NEW COVER? COMMENT ME YOUR THOUGHTS.

I LOVE YOU ALL SO, SO MUCH!

THANKS TO MY BAE jensaispaspourqoi FOR HELPING ME OUT WITH THIS CHAPTER AND ALL THE OTHER ONES.

vote•comment•follow

--islandarc