sleeping lessons // finn wolfhard

1.1 | breaking up

To be honest, Ana Jimenez was really not sure what the hell was going on.

Ana Jimenez was about to be hollywood's newest breakout star, once her Netflix Original series "SUCKER" (yes, all capital letters) aired. However, it had not aired yet, so no one knew who she was.

This was some sort of Netflix Originals party, so she knew who almost everyone else was, including one curly-haired boy in particular, who sat on a random stool all alone.

Ana figured she didn't have anything to lose.

"Hey, um, are you alone?" Ana asked the obvious question.

"Right now?" The boy looked out into the crowd, trying to see someone he knew, but there were too many people. "Looks like it."

"Okay, well, same," Ana sat in the stool next to him. "I'm Ana."

"Finn. What are you...?"

Finn did not have to finish his question, because Ana had been asked it basically a million times already. What are you doing here? Who are you? Are you the girl who plays young Jane the Virgin? (well, yes, but that's not why I'm here...)

"Oh, I'm coming out in this original next year called SUCKER, all caps." Ana rushed quickly, trying to prove herself.

To her surprise, Finn lit up. "No way, the one about the girl rock band in the 90s?!"

"Yeah, that one!" Ana couldn't help but grin. "Wow, most people have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about and I have to go off on this huge speech..."

"Are you serious? All my friends, well my friends into music, they're, like, fucking obsessed with the idea. They're so excited. So you guys are doing originals and covers?"

"Yeah, every week we act out an episode, and then the week after we perform whatever original song or cover that's in it."

"That's so cool, I heard breaking up today, I loved it!" Finn then proceeded to play an air guitar for a few seconds and sing-screech some lyrics (hate your friends / and your family too) to her single that came out that day. Ana laughed, and Finn sighed and stopped. "Sorry, I'm so bored."

"God, me too," Ana admitted. "So what are you up to? Besides, being a kid dealing with aliens in the 80s."

"Uh, well I'm sort of co-directing a music video soon."

"Sort of co-directing? How do you only sort of co-direct?"

"No, well, I'm actually co-directing." Finn laughed. "And I'm really nervous about it."

"Why? I'm sure you'll do great." Ana was honest.

"Really? You think so?"

"Yeah, I mean, you're really passionate about it so I'm sure you'll pull through."

At this point, a random waiter dropped some silverware, and Ana and Finn realized that the room was mostly empty and the party had ended long ago, and they should probably leave. 

Being the drivers-license-free children they were, they automatically decided they would share an uber home.

"Hey, do you think we could... not go home?" Finn asked once they got in the car. He had just met this girl, but she was amazing to talk to, and he wanted to keep talking about his ideas for the music video with her.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, let's just go somewhere, keep talking."

Ana knew her mom was out late anyway, and figured this guy was nice, and she wasn't tired. "Alright... why not?"

"So where do we go?"

Ana stopped the uber at a seemingly completely random location, and Finn began seriously questioning her motives as she led him through a back alley in the middle of the city. 

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna murder you," Ana assured him as she approached a fire escape. "But I am gonna make you climb."

Eventually they stood on the roof of this random building. "Wow. How did you find this place?" Finn asked.

"Really not that hard. I've always lived here so it's just a random building I've been climbing for years. No one ever locks the fire escape. I kind of... never really bring anyone up here." Ana sheepishly admitted, looking down and kicking some random rocks around.

"Wait, seriously? I'm the first person up here with you?" Finn asked.

"Yeah... I don't know. It's not a big deal." It totally was.

"Well what do you usually do up here?"

Ana held up a finger, signaling for him to wait, and brought some random bales of hay that happened to be piled in a corner. "Absolutely zero idea as to why there are bales of hay up here, but," Ana spread the hay around on the floor, and laid down on it, looking up at Finn and reaching a hand out. "Come on!"

Finn haphazardly fell beside her, laying his head on the hay next to her. "Okay... now what?"

"Now," Ana pulled out her phone. "We listen to the best song in the whole entire world."

"All-Star by Smash Mouth?"

Ana laughed and pushed his arm. "Oh god no, please don't make me think about Shrek in my special spot."

"Okay, fair point. What is it?"

Ana played the song out loud in response. Finn moved his head closer to hers in an attempt to hear it better, meaning his head gently clashed with hers. 

Ana winced. "Ow! Stop moving your head!"

"But it's so quiet!"

"Here," Ana turned on her side and faced him, and he faced her too, the 3-inch width of the phone being the only space between them. 

They were so close that Ana heard him when he gulped.

"Um, I'm glad I met you. We should, really, talk more and stuff." Finn stumbled through his words, staring into her eyes.

"Yeah, we should, and stuff..." Ana trailed off as the song reached its bridge, meaning that it had changed from slow and delicate to fast and passionate.

"Woah, this is good. What song is this again?"

"Sleeping Lessons, by the Shins."

"I'll remember that. And this place."

One could argue that the fact that Finn stayed true to that last sentence changed everything.

Or, one could argue that Ana's random decision to bring Finn up to the roof in the first place was what changed everything.

Or, one could argue that Finn's decision that he wanted to keep talking to Ana and go somewhere else changed everything.

Or, one could argue that Ana's decision to walk up to him and changed everything.

Or maybe it was Ana auditioning, and getting the role in SUCKER. Or maybe it was Finn getting the role in Stranger Things. Or maybe it was something totally out of their hands, completely up to divine intervention.

Either way, that song and that roof they shared together that night later saved Ana's life, or at least made it a whole lot easier.

Either way, it was that place, and that song, that marked a turning point in their lives, and would soon mark a turning point in the lives of their future group of friends, too.

author's note | this one's kinda messy and boring? but it will mean a lot at the very last chapter of this book.