Lucky Stars & Air Guitars #TeenFictionAnotherYearShortStory

Part 9-Solo for Two

The sun is just starting to set—I hope I'm not too late. My car jolts to a stop as I slam the shifter to park and scramble out of my car. My feet hit the pavement and soon dart over the fence to run up the hill. The shadows from the sunset shoot in all directions, making it hard to scan for Mer. I hope she's still here.

I run as fast as I can towards the top of the hill, and when I just barely reach the top, I collide right into Mer.

"What the hell!" She yells, finding herself on the grass like a turtle.

"Sorry," I say, jumping up to help her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. I was just leaving." She says, shooing my hands away.

"No, you can't! We haven't done our tradition yet!"

"Really?!" Mer yells, brushing her black skirt off. "I waited like two hours for you..."

I look down at the grass and feel like an asshole. Wow.

"I blew it," I say, taking a step to sit down on the grass.

"With Kai? I'm sure it'll be fine you'll—"

"I meant with you."

Every year Mer and I would come here, sit on this stupid old bench and look down at our town. We'd each say one thing we wanted for ourselves, one goal to achieve before the start of our next year. I know it's corny, but we're corny! I'm just hoping it's not too late.

"Come on," Mer smiles, extending her hand. "I can spare another ten minutes."

"Really?"

"Yeah, gurl," she says, grabbing my hand to pull me up.

As we head over to the bench, I search for what to say to Mer. I feel like I should apologize for everything that happened last year. But how can I? Does digging up the past ever really help, or is it better to just move forward, especially if the "past" is the future but now? My mind hurts just thinking about it, so I sit on the bench and watch the shadows being cast by the sun. That's when it hits me.

"Shadows," I say.

"Shadows?" Mer asks, sounding super confused, and I don't blame her because I'm confused too, but I'm going to follow it. "I don't want to be afraid of shadows."

"Seriously, what drugs have you been on today?!" Mer laughs, but honestly looks a little concerned—I mean I don't blame her, I have been crazy all day.

"I haven't! Just listen!" I say, turning to her. "Shadows are like fake news. They aren't real. Like a tree's a tree, but its shadow is a false vision of what the tree really is."

"Okay..."

"I guess what I'm saying is I don't want to spend my senior year worrying about what other people are going to perceive. I just want to be my own gangly, weird, crooked tree self and not give a shit what my shadow looks like," I say as the tears of conviction start to flow.

It's true. Last year, I ditched Mer because I was afraid I couldn't be someone Kai liked if I was my normal self. It was easier just to get rid of Mer and be someone I wasn't because I could never be anyone else with her. And then, I tried to change who Kai was because I was so caught up with the idea of what a perfect couple should be. The whole year I was so worried about what the shadow version of Shay Harris was that I didn't even stop to think about what my roots needed.

"Are you crying?" Mer says, giving me a tight hug.

"Maybe," I muffle into her.

I sit up as she wipes away my tears. "Dork," she laughs.

"You go!" I say. "What does Summer Lincoln want for her senior year?"

"If I have to pick one thing," she says, as that wicked smile moves across her face. "Honestly..." She stands, taking out her phone to scroll through her songs. "Is non-stop AIR GUITAR SOLOS FOR TWO!" She yells as music blasts from her phone, and she begins jamming out.

This is my second chance I've been waiting for all along. I jump up, take out my air guitar, and join in. And as we dance and strum our air guitars with endless vigor, I watch the sun move over the horizon, and the shadows disappear only to be slowly replaced by distant stars.

I still don't know how or when I wished on those lucky stars, but somehow I did. At first, I thought they sent me back to start over with Kai, and maybe there's still a chance to do that. But here and now, I realize that those lucky stars sent me back for a second chance with Mer. But, I think those lucky stars also sent me back to redefine myself so that when I sit on that stage with my dumb, yellow graduation cap, preparing to enter my next phase of life, I'll do so without fear of my shadow knowing who I truly was.