The Stars Are Fading Away

This is the moment
Time is racing, slow it down

Wren had already left. He texted me from the plane, or car, or wherever the hell he was. I honestly didn't care. I was glad he was gone, for one weekend. Mason was picking me up in about ten minutes, and Grace was bugging me about not inviting her.

"Do you not like me, Amber?"

"No, Grace, I just forgot." This was true. I had a lot on my mind lately.

She stuck her tongue out at me. "Well, if you're not out too late we're going somewhere, too."

"Okay, sure."

She smiled and bounced back up the stairs. I was sitting lazily on the couch in the front entrance. I waited for awhile longer, absentmindedly watching the fire. It was only November, why did they have a fire?

I sighed as I looked at the fresh bruise on my arm. I pulled my sleeve down, as if that would make it go away.

What a wonderful birthday. I closed my eyes.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I jumped.

Mason laughed. "Boo."

I smiled. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting someone to stalk me."

"Too bad." He waved me out to the car. I got in the front seat.

"So I'm getting Coby from his class and Derrick from the house. Bryce is bringing his girlfriend. Her name's Rebecca, she's cool."

"Sure. Sounds good."

He looked over sideways a me. "Something bothering you?"

I shrugged. "The usual."

His hands gripped the wheel tighter as he pulled into the driveway.

"On your birthday?"

"It was yesterday."

He sighed as Derrick and Bryce got in the back. A small brown-haired girl got in after Bryce.

"Hey, you must be Amber!" She smiled.

"You must be Rebecca." I twisted around so I could shake her hand. Mason put the car in reverse.

"Shit, Mason, I have to buckle my seat belt!"

"Hurry up!" He glanced at the rearview mirror, laughing.

We picked up Coby from his class and Mason started driving away from campus.

"So where is the mystery location?" I asked him.

"You kept it a secret? GAY!" Derrick yelled from the back.

"I agree!" Coby called.

"Of course you do. You're like Derrick's evil minion. He's trained you well," Mason retorted, pulling into a parking lot. Rebecca climbed out of Bryce's lap and opened the door.

"A bowling alley. That really is gay, Mason." I elbowed him.

"No. You have not seen Derrick bowl. It is the most hilarious thing ever." Mason laughed.

"OH NO YOU DIDN'T. WHAT THE HELL, MASON!" Derrick exclaimed as he saw the bowling alley.



Derrick bowling was the most hilarious thing ever. He obviously didn't know how to bowl, and he tried traditional bowling for awhile, but after he failed miserably at the he resorted to swinging the ball between his legs.

"You should try it, Mason. It's like having a fifteen pound boner!" Derrick said after bowling a strike.

"No, no, I already know what that feels like."

Rebecca was a really nice person and we became fast friends, bonding over the boys' antics. After bowling, we went out to dinner and went back to the house. We hung out for awhile and they actually had bought me a cake.

"Okay, so we did not this make this ourselves, we got it from Dairy Queen, so there's really no need to thank us," Coby said as he rummaged around in the freezer.

"Watch it be crushed," I said laughing.

It was crushed, but it still tasted good.

"IT'S TEN O'CLOCK! BOOZE TIME!" Derrick shouted, running to the refrigerator. He took out several bottles of beer that I hadn't noticed before and handed them out.

"Ugh, I hate drinking."

"But you have to drink on your birthday Amber!" Coby exclaimed.

"Yeah, aren't you supposed to take the number of shots of how old you are?" Bryce asked.

"Shots! Good idea!" Derrick ran back into his room.

"Is Derrick already drunk or something?" I asked Mason.

Derrick ran back out with a bottle of Jack Daniel's.

"Derrick, why the hell do you have a bottle of liquor in your room?"

He raised one eyebrow. "Just in case," he said, grinning wickedly.

"Nice to know. Now go put it back."

"But, AMBER!"

"It's my birthday! Now go put it back!"

"FINE! GOD!" He stormed back into his room.

The rest of the evening was much the same. I had one beer. It was surprising that I even finished it.

Mason drove me home at a little after midnight. No one had really drank much, so I wasn't worried about him driving.

"So, did you have fun?" he asked.

"Hell yeah!" I smiled.

"Good." He pulled up to the curb by my building. I got out, and so did he. He fell into step beside me as I walked up to the door. I turned to face him on the step.

"This was actually really fun. Thanks." I smiled. "Better than last year."

Mason raised his eyebrows. "What did you do last year?" he asked.

"Grace dragged me off to a bar. It was where I met Wren…" I trailed off.

Mason put his arms around me. "Considerably better than last year, then."

"Yes." I said resting my head on his chest. We stood there for several seconds before he put his finger under my chin, tipping my head up. His hand moved to cradle my face. His face drew closer, and I started feeling uncertain.

"Mason…?"

"Yes?" His face was about an inch from mine. I could feel his breath on my lips.

"What are you doing?" I asked shakily.

His face came closer still and his ring brushed my lip. I shivered slightly.

"Good question," he whispered, before pressing his lips onto mine.

His lips were soft and his lip ring felt strange against my mouth. One of his hands stayed cradling my face while the other moved to my lower back pulling me slightly closer.

He was so gentle. The kiss was hesitant and sweet. Without thinking, my arms reached up around his neck and I drew myself closer.

He smiled into the kiss as I went up on my tip toes to get closer. The hand on my face moved down to my waist, circling it. After I don't know how long, he pulled away, resting his forehead against mine.

"Happy birthday, Amber."