Tonight, he was here at Riley’s request, snapping pictures of the participating students and taking video for our first-ever video yearbook (his idea, I am told).
Jake moved closer to the railing, tinkering with the camera he had jerry-rigged to the side of it. He worried at his bottom lip, his face a mask of concentration. Either the camera was more complicated than it looked or he was putting a lot of effort into ignoring the booze brothers as they barked out insults from their crappy old lawn chairs.
“Jakey-jakey-spanks-the-snakey,” sang Mike. “Hey bro, maybe we should send the little guy back to Kindergarten where he belongs.”
“He’d have better luck with the chicks there, that’s for damn sure,” Andy added. Both of them laughed, but Jake just shook his head and went back to setting his camera.
“Hey, Princess Toler-muffins,” Mike slurred. “Where’s your, your um, little princessy crown thing?”
“It’s called a tiara, dude,” Andy laughed, elbowing his brother.
“Yeah,” Mike agreed. “Where’s your tiara?”
“Where’s your ass-hat,” Jake muttered under his breath.
“What did you just say, bitch?” Mike tried, unsuccessfully, to rise from his tilted seat.
He leaned too far forward and flopped back down onto his chair, collapsing the back legs. The two of them erupted into a fit of obnoxious laughter. Thanks to Mike’s failed dismount, the twins lost interest in Jake for the moment, focusing instead on the sudden hilarity of their intoxication.
“For Christ’s sake, would you just shut the hell up, you ignorant, double-dipped, drunken, morons,” yelled Riley. “It’s starting!”
All eyes shot upwards. The sky began to roll in on its self, stirring an ominous rust color into the burnt orange that already engulfed the sky. The warm shifting glow reminded me of all the time I had spent staring into a campfire with my family.
The colors draped heavily across the expanse above, moving like molten lava. Great red streaks began slicing trenches through billowing oranges like something had clawed at it, drawing blood. Just above the horizon there was a thick band of dark gray. It lingered there, compressed by the color above. It was mesmerizing.
Zander slid his hand softly into mine and laced our fingers together. The calluses on his palms felt rough, though not unpleasant, against my soft skin. He smiled shyly down at me, the slightest twitch of a grin, and my heart did a little flip. I stared down at our hands, in awe of how well they seemed to fit together. I smiled like an idiot.
Waves of yellow caressed the sky and I followed their path. They seemed to lead me back to Zander’s upturned face. He squeezed my hand gently, his eyes fixed on the sky. A single bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. It slowed when it reached the light stubble on the side of his jaw, then disappeared beneath it.
“Are you getting this, Jake?” Riley yelled.
I watched with rapt fascination as the colors began to swirl together. They swam around each other, swirling around a center point. A giant flash of white burst directly above us, followed immediately by an enormous clap of thunder. The white-hot blast dissolved what little bit remained of the dwindling fog, as the piercing light expanded outward. It moved in rapidly expanding waves, but the intense light was too bright to stare directly into. I buried my face in the crook of my arm.
It lasted just a few seconds, before both the flash and the lingering echoes dissipated. I
Jake moved closer to the railing, tinkering with the camera he had jerry-rigged to the side of it. He worried at his bottom lip, his face a mask of concentration. Either the camera was more complicated than it looked or he was putting a lot of effort into ignoring the booze brothers as they barked out insults from their crappy old lawn chairs.
“Jakey-jakey-spanks-the-snakey,” sang Mike. “Hey bro, maybe we should send the little guy back to Kindergarten where he belongs.”
“He’d have better luck with the chicks there, that’s for damn sure,” Andy added. Both of them laughed, but Jake just shook his head and went back to setting his camera.
“Hey, Princess Toler-muffins,” Mike slurred. “Where’s your, your um, little princessy crown thing?”
“It’s called a tiara, dude,” Andy laughed, elbowing his brother.
“Yeah,” Mike agreed. “Where’s your tiara?”
“Where’s your ass-hat,” Jake muttered under his breath.
“What did you just say, bitch?” Mike tried, unsuccessfully, to rise from his tilted seat.
He leaned too far forward and flopped back down onto his chair, collapsing the back legs. The two of them erupted into a fit of obnoxious laughter. Thanks to Mike’s failed dismount, the twins lost interest in Jake for the moment, focusing instead on the sudden hilarity of their intoxication.
“For Christ’s sake, would you just shut the hell up, you ignorant, double-dipped, drunken, morons,” yelled Riley. “It’s starting!”
All eyes shot upwards. The sky began to roll in on its self, stirring an ominous rust color into the burnt orange that already engulfed the sky. The warm shifting glow reminded me of all the time I had spent staring into a campfire with my family.
The colors draped heavily across the expanse above, moving like molten lava. Great red streaks began slicing trenches through billowing oranges like something had clawed at it, drawing blood. Just above the horizon there was a thick band of dark gray. It lingered there, compressed by the color above. It was mesmerizing.
Zander slid his hand softly into mine and laced our fingers together. The calluses on his palms felt rough, though not unpleasant, against my soft skin. He smiled shyly down at me, the slightest twitch of a grin, and my heart did a little flip. I stared down at our hands, in awe of how well they seemed to fit together. I smiled like an idiot.
Waves of yellow caressed the sky and I followed their path. They seemed to lead me back to Zander’s upturned face. He squeezed my hand gently, his eyes fixed on the sky. A single bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. It slowed when it reached the light stubble on the side of his jaw, then disappeared beneath it.
“Are you getting this, Jake?” Riley yelled.
I watched with rapt fascination as the colors began to swirl together. They swam around each other, swirling around a center point. A giant flash of white burst directly above us, followed immediately by an enormous clap of thunder. The white-hot blast dissolved what little bit remained of the dwindling fog, as the piercing light expanded outward. It moved in rapidly expanding waves, but the intense light was too bright to stare directly into. I buried my face in the crook of my arm.
It lasted just a few seconds, before both the flash and the lingering echoes dissipated. I
Similar Books
