our last summer

in which boy meets girl

When Alina wakes up in the morning it takes a couple of minutes of staring at the ceiling before the previous night's events come rushing back to her. Finn. Dying her hair a horrid shade of pink. He loves Charlotte. Parker, laughing at her pink hair.. Crying on his shoulder.

She doesn't even want to get out of bed. She doesn't want to eat or do anything but sleep the heartbreak away.

Of course, everyone knows you can't just sleep heartbreak away. All it will do is sleep with you-

Oh, I wish I could die! Alina thinks to herself. Then the heartbreak will die, too.

She knows she's being dramatic and acting like it's the end of the world. But she doesn't know what else to do-

Except go through their old messages. The old photos, the playlists that he made her. How could he do all of that and still break her heart as though it was nothing? How could he, she notices a few minutes later, delete the pictures of them off of his socials as though she doesn't exist in his life anymore? Is he that heartless?

She presses on the voice recordings to hear him talking, laughing, the ones he'd send her because he was too lazy to type. She secretly loved them even though she teased him about being that lazy. Hey babe, he was shouting into the phone just four days ago. Im out at a party right now with the guys. You should've come, I know you'd have fun.

She realizes she's crying as she plays all of his other messages. Hey Pretty Lina, hope you're doing okay all alone in your big house with no one else there.... Im on my way.

Hey pretty woman, walking down the street, he's singing in one of his recordings. The one I'd like to meet. I'll be at sixth street today. You know you wanna come. Can't wait to see you tomorrow night, he adds with a lower voice. I love you.

She throws her phone to the end of the bed and buries herself underneath her covers. She imagines him at Sixth Street with Charlotte, kissing her, touching her hair, hands on her waist. She should've gone to the parties with him, should've done everything he wanted her to do with him but she was always too shy or scared to go. She wants to go back in time and do everything, anything to make him stay.

It's too late for that.

She turns over and hugs her pillow, wishing it was him.

Nighttime. Three days later. She took the bus to God knows where, she told her mom she's going to Lila's house. She's standing outside Grand and Sixth, and down the street there's a house that's blasting rock music. Rebel Rebel, how could they know? Hot tramp, I love you so.

She wants to go inside- for some reason she feels like Finn could be there. He's always been a rock fanatic, he and Danny always go to those parties you see  in the nineties movies, with skaters and punks and red solo cups and no phone in sight.

She wants to go in so badly. She can hear the music, she recognizes the song, It's Rebel Rebel by David Bowie but it's a woman singing it. Her heart is beating fast and almost comes out of her chest as she nears the house. Outside there's a boy smoking a cigarette, a black t-shirt and some blue baggy jeans and some vans. His hair is a mess and when she stops five feet away from him, he brushes it out of his face.

He smiles at her and motions towards the house. "You gonna go in?"

Alina shrugs and gives him a shy smile. She's dressed in a pair of jeans and a hoodie, the hood covering her curly bubble gum pink hair-- which, with the right styling and makeup, might actually look nice, her mother weakly pointed out this morning.. She's not necessarily dressed the best she can be. "I'm not really dressed for a party," she tells him with a laugh.