Telescope

Eyes That Catch the Street Lights

Benny

At four fifteen in the morning, my alarm was so loud and my house was so quiet I woke up so suddenly I sat all the way up and could feel my breath go away. When I realized that I was in fact the moron who set the alarm to prove a point, I slumped back into my bed. Then I reached around in the dark, found my phone, and called Juno.

I was expecting her to not answer, or at the very least be groggy and tired and just woken up, like, well me. She picked up on the second ring. "Damn," She laughed, and her voice sounded wide awake. "And you called me a smartass."

"Did I wake you up?"

She laughed again. "Nope. Oh, poor sweet Benny did you really set an alarm just to call me?"

I stared at my alarm clock, glowing like eyes in the dark. "No."

"You sound really tired, hun, why don't you go back to sleep and I'll see you later."

"How are you not tired? Its four in the morning."

"I drank like four energy drinks and didn't go to sleep."

"What?"

She laughed, but this time it felt hollow and far away, not like before. "Sleep is for the weak."

I wondered if she meant that. "Well, I hope you're on your way to the school cause you've got like ten minutes to get there."

"I will give you a million dollars if you aren't in bed right now," She said, and I could picture her smirk.

I stood up, my head spinning. "Oh, shit, I just became a millionare then."

"Doesn't count if you just stood up."

I gasped. "I can't believe you're questioning my integrity."

"I could hear you stand up."

"Shhhhh. We don't talk about that."

She laughed, and I smiled. "So," She said. "Do you want to go back to sleep now?"

I thought I did, but as soon as she asked, I grinned into the dark like I was looking at her. "No. Let's go start the mural."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, unless, of course, you want to go back on it?"

"Okay. But you're bringing coffee."

"Deal."

By the time I got to the school, bundled in a hoodie and sweatpants and beanie, Juno was already there. She was sitting against our wall, wearing a dark blueish gray shirt over a hoodie and sweatpants. She looked up at me, cheeks flushed and eyes bright and smiled. I set down her coffee order, an iced vanilla latte despite the bitter coldness and damp fog clinging around us.

"Yesss, thank you, Benny," She said, smiling at me.

"I also got you a donut. Didn't know what you liked so I guessed." I tossed her the bag, and she opened it.

"Chocolate glazed?" She said smiling.

"Mhmm," I sat down next to her. "Classic. Always good, but for some reason overlooked. I don't think you'd overlook it. Did I get it right?"

"It's literally my favorite," She smiled. She wasn't looking at the donut. "So what's your order?"

I held up my coffee. "Black coffee, glazed donut."

"Boring."

"Classic."

"Whatever you say. Also, it's freezing."