I stride up to Isla and the tall and handsome boy she talks to. The closer I get, the more tall and handsome he gets, I also begin to notice his large muscles that could whack me off the campus in one blow. Only that sickening and hollow feeling in my stomach urges me on.
Keep the grasp, Bradley. Don't let go. Don't let her fall away.
I take a final deep breath.
"Hey, Isla." I smile, and her face lights up, at the sight of me, hopefully.
"Hey, you must be Bradley." The tall handsome guy puts his hand out for me to shake. Unwillingly, I place my sweaty palms in his hands and he almost breaks them. I quickly banish my hands behind my back.
"I'm a friend of Isla's. Derek." He adds gesturing to Isla, who glows in the sunlight.
Friends. Just friends. I inhale and breathe all the oxygen supplies within a five-meter radius. My mouth still feels parched.
"Bradley." I bite my lip and the awkwardness hangs over us like a rain cloud. "I'm Bradley."
"So, Bradley..." Isla begins. "Are you going to the party tonight?"
Concentrate, Bradley. And ask her to accompany you.
"Yep." I say, slightly relieved on the change of topic. "Actually, I was wondering if..." I trail off.
The awkwardness resumes and I can't stop looking at Isla's long brown locks softly being blown about by a sudden gale of wind.
"What is it, Bradley?" Isla asks.
Spit it out, Bradley. I try and coax myself.
"If you would go with me..." I hear Derek say, he completes the sentence for me and I let out a sigh. Derek isn't really so bad.
But, just as I'm about to thank him, he turns to Isla and continues:
"I was wondering if you would accompany me. You know, as just friends."
Just friends. My arse.
Isla only looks down at her tanned hands and summer dress.
"Sure." She looks at me suppressing her smile. "You weren't gonna ask that too, were you Bradley?"
Hell. Yes. I. Was.
"Nope." I reply through clenched teeth, silently urging my hands to muster the courage to punch Derek for ruining everything.
"Cool." Isla squeezes my hand and I only just realise she held it, but just as I'm about to completely back out of the party, I hear Dr Chris' voice in my head.
Hold on. Don't let go.
"I'll see you there, Isla." I say firmly, before letting go of her hand. I expected it to feel so alien to hold her hand, but it felt like the most normal thing in the universe and at this moment, it's the only thing I've got that's spurring me on.
●●●
There's a reason parties aren't my thing. They're hot sweaty areas where you can see greasy shoulder marks on the wall and it's so stuffy that the rubber heel of my shoes could melt away.
But, as I follow Shauna and Murphy into the dark ruins of an overly-subscribed frat party, I can't help but wonder why I came.
Hold on. Until your hands wither.
I can now hear Dr Chris in my head, like a motivational angel. It's creepy to say the least, but it's a reminder. I need to find Isla.
Of course Murphy and Shauna lead me to the keg, where they begin chugging down gallons of beer, which I don't touch.
"I'm gonna go and find Isla!" I yell over the music, but they just keep chugging. Based on the ratio of alcohol to water in their bodies, they probably won't even notice that I've gone.
But, when I turn around, harsh reality slaps me in the face (and a surprisingly solid can of beer.) The frat houses are surprisingly big and probably darker than the night itself. After a few paces away, I can barely make out the figures of Shauna and Murphy, who now seem to be snogging vehemently. I keep walking and try to remove the image from my head.
The party house is packed from head to toe and I find myself wiggling through people and contorting myself in the strangest ways to fit through the tiny gaps.
Frowning, at the disheartening feeling I can't help but feel, I pull out my phone as a last- ditch resort.
Isla. Where are you? I text. There isn't much signal out here, but I still send the message.
Just as my hopes completely evaporate, my phone vibrates in my hand.
Meet me outside. I'll be waiting. The message reads.
Sprung with my new-found hope, I rush outside and out of the hell-hole that I've been stuck in, that teenagers like to call a party.
Outside the party, I can finally breathe the fresh air. I quickly scan around for Isla and immediately I spot her.
She sits on a ledge off the house, hair out and dancing as usual. She wears a beautiful red frock, that contrasts with her light complexion. Her eyes seem deep in thought and distant. It seems she gets even more beautiful as the days go by.
"Isla!" I call out to her, straightening my jacket.
She beckons me over.
"Bradley." I can feel her breath on my face, as we sit side by side under the stars. "I've been thinking a lot."
"About what?" I interrupt, raking a hand through my greasy hair.
"The crash." She replies as if the words have no meaning at all. "And the stars." She adds in.
She's so intriguing. She breaks her glance from me and looks up into the night sky.
"You ever heard the phrase stars align?" She talks to me, but looks up at the twinkling night sky.
"Yes." I say. "It means when good things happen for a reason."
She nods up at the night sky.
"You know," She chuckles softly to herself. "I hated you when I first met you."
I wince. Those words cut deeper than a knife.
"And now I can't stop thinking about you." She takes my hand in hers. "I think when we met," She pauses for breath. "The stars aligned."
I'm falling for her all over again.
"I really like you Bradley Monse." I hold her hand tighter. "And that's why I hope you don't mind me doing this."
Then, the most magical thing happens. The stars most definitely align.
And, Isla Woodley kisses me.
YOU ARE READING
After the Crash ✓
Teen Fiction"It's day 10, Isla. I wish you would wake up. I've lost everything and you're the only person who understands." Bradley Monse used to have everything. He was the star basketball player. He dated the most popular girl. He had good grades and friends...
