wouldn't it be nice

a night so bright

sandy was up just before the sun on her sixteenth birthday. she stretched her limbs, she smiled a little bit.
sixteen.
she was sixteen.
she'd been alive sixteen years.
sixteen truly was sweet.
she tousled her hair in the mirror, made a face at herself, then walked down the street, barefoot and in pajama shorts and a tee shirt, to the diner to open up for mom and dad (just as a surprise so they could sleep in)
and started making herself a birthday breakfast.
the early morning surfers came in to wished her a happy birthday and order breakfast, but the morning was slow and peaceful. her mind often drifted to her birthday party, which was happening later tonight. she would wear a floral dress and lip gloss. she would put sparkly clips in her hair.
then her mind fell on him.
bentley.
would he come tonight? would he tell her she looked pretty? would he dance with her again? close and slow. he felt warm and smelled fresh.
and that's when she decided to chop her hair.
it fell down her back, the longest strands reached to her hips. she had never had short hair before. it was always long, wavy and wild. bleach bright blonde, kissed by the sun, smelling like the ocean. and she decided to chop it all to her chin.
she didnt even ask her mother. but that night, minutes before the party started, she pulled her dress on, looked in the mirror, and took a pair of scissors to her beautiful, flowing hair. it drifted to the ground like angel wings, graceful and tragic. she cried a little, to say goodbye to the image she'd always known. but when she looked in the mirror with her hair just past her chin, she cried of joy. she touched it, again and again, nearly in shock. when she finally wrapped her head around it, she skipped downstairs to the buzzing party. cheers erupted from the crowd in response to her haircut. friends and family members who had always adored her gorgeous long hair, stared in absolute awe. her eyes scanned the crowd, unbothered by their questions, looking for a pair of warm hazel eyes. and there he was, in the back of the room, staring straight at her.
"you came." she mouthed at him.
he only stared.
suddenly, her mother was pulling on her arm.
"sandra what is this about?" she laughed again, running her hands through Sandy's hair.
"it's not a big deal. I just, decided to do it this morning and i figured i wanted to give you a shock." sandy nudged her mother, smiling broadly. "is it ok?" she asked, insecurity writing her heart.
"its adorable, babe. I love it. you look great, really. you always keep me on my toes." her mother sighed.
a final glance was shared between Bentley and sandy before he left the party, and she joined the party.
"thank you guys for coming!" she said excitedly. "I love you all so much!"
the chatter of the town became indistinct, a blur of voices and laughter to bentley as he let himself out the back door. his flight back to ohio left the next day. he wanted to see her one last time.