Summer Days, Oh, Our Wasted Ways

Catherine played the piece perfectly before pressing the wrong key and ruining the song. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair hoping it would somehow erase all her thoughts so that she could play the song perfectly and fluently, something she hasn’t been able to do in awhile.

It’s been a week since the party and the fight. She hasn’t seen Matthew since then and hasn’t been able to play a single piece either. She’d been ignoring him. He has been calling and sending her messages. He even comes around sometimes but she pretends that she isn’t awake or isn’t feeling well. She just wasn’t ready to face him yet but she doubts she’ll ever be.

She sighed and tried playing it again before giving up. She stood up and went into the kitchen but jumped back in surprise when she saw someone sitting in one of the chairs. She jumped back and hit the wall making a loud thud. The person turned around and stared at her. She stared back not sure what she should do.

“Please Catherine, can you please let me explain?” He begged. He was really hoping she would say yes. The past week has done nothing but made him feel even worse. He has been trying really hard so the he could talk to her and hopefully she would forgive him.

Catherine sighed ran her hand through her hair for the millionth time that day before sitting down on the chair opposite him and fixing her headband. As soon as her hair was fixed she looked over at Matthew who was biting his bottom lip. Catherine smiled a bit noticing how cute he looked when he did that. He looked up and met her eyes before she turned away. “OK Matthew, talk.”

“I am so sorry Catherine. I didn’t mean to tell everyone your secret. It was an accident. It just sort of came out and before I could stop myself I already said it. I am also sorry about being busy and not taking you out. It’s just that my school called saying I didn’t complete my clearance for the school year. I know I could’ve told you but I am sorry I just got distracted and kind of forgot about the date and everything. I know that makes me sound like a jerk but it’s the truth and I am really sorry. I also wasn’t playing with you. I really like you and I was really looking forward to taking you out. I am hoping that you’ll forgive me and maybe reconsider going on that date with me.” He said. He rubbed the back of his neck and averted his eyes to the floor.

She let out a small chuckle realizing she wasn’t that mad at him. She stood up causing Matthew to look up with worried eyes. She just shook her head with a small smile on her face before grabbing his hand and bringing him to the piano. She sat on the chair and patted the empty space beside her. He sat down still unsure of what she was going to do.

She played a simple song before looking at him. He just sat there not sure what he should do. She pointed at his hands meaning she wanted him to play it. He shook his head silently telling her he didn’t know how to play. She rolled her eyes, already knowing he didn’t know how to play. She got his right hand and arranged his fingers so that they were resting on the proper key. She did the same to his left hand.

She played the song again and then let Matthew try playing it. He got the first few keys correct but then got confused. She let out a small laugh before directing him on what keys he should press. He tried playing it again and she corrected him on his mistakes. This continued on until he finally played the song perfectly. He grinned at her and she returned the gesture.

“Now you know how to play the alphabet on the piano.” She informed him making him laugh, all that effort just for the alphabet. She joined in and they laughed together until silence settled between the two of them.

“Thanks,” he said softly and then bit his lip again.

“No problem,” she replied before the awkward silence came. They sat in the silence, neither of them being able to start a conversation or say a word. Soon, Catherine got sick of it and decided to break it.

“Matthew,” she said catching his attention. He turned his head so he was facing her and not the wall he was staring at. She smiled a small smile hoping that she wouldn’t regret what she was about to say. “I forgive you and would love to go on another date.”

A huge grin overtook Matthew’s face as he hugged her tightly. She was stunned at first but hugged him back. They separated from the hug while Matthew still had the smile on his face. “This Friday, I’ll pick you up at 7. I won’t be late, I promise.”

She chuckled, happy that he set a date this time. It calmed her nerves a bit but she was still worried. As much as she tried to ignore it or make it go away, she knew that they won’t disappear until Friday which was two days away. Until then, she would have to deal with it.

The day has finally arrived and Catherine was sitting in her room watching Elouise and Taylor dig through her closet for something that she could wear tonight. She didn’t know what she was going to do that night but she knew Elouise and Taylor had an idea so they declared themselves in charge of her wardrobe.

Elouise and Taylor quickly looked up from their board game once they noticed Catherine was finally out of the bathroom. They jumped up on the bed and held the dress up for her approval which was rather pointless because either way they were going to make her wear it. She smiled and was about to get the dress from their hands when suddenly the door burst open.

All three of their heads turned to the door and there stood Mitchel and Nathan with wide eyes. Catherine let out an ear-piercing scream before running into the bathroom her hand grasping her towel. Elouise quickly dropped the dress and pushed Nathan out of the room just like how Taylor pushed her brother. They slammed the door close before they moved on and started banging on the bathroom door with their fists.

“OPEN UP CATHERINE IT’S JUST US!” The two girls yelled. The door opened as Catherine peeked to make sure the boys were out. She then made a mad dash to the dress and back into the bathroom. Taylor and Elouise started laughing but stopped as soon as Catherine opened the bathroom door and glared at them before slamming it close which made them start laughing again.

Catherine rolled her eyes as she heard the two of them still laughing outside. She slid the dress on and then started fixing her hair. She then put on her lip gloss and then left the bathroom to see that not only were Taylor and Elouise were laughing in her room but so were Nathan and Mitchel.

She narrowed her eyes at them before sitting on the bed so that she could put on the sandals that they chose. She ignored their laughing and left her bedroom. She was about to exit the house but Elouise and Taylor pulled her back.

“Sorry,” they said breathlessly considering they were just laughing their asses off a moment ago. They squeezed her in a hug while they tried not to crumple the dress or ruin her hair. “Good luck,” they said with one last hug before sending her away.

Elouise and Taylor stood in front of the door in silence, realizing something wasn’t right. Something clicked in their heads. They opened the front door again and grabbed Catherine who was just standing there as if she too realized something was wrong and hadn’t figured it out yet. They dragged her back into the house seeing how she still didn’t notice what was wrong.

She stared at them for awhile before bursting out into laughter. Taylor and Elouise joined in not long after. Mitchel and Nathan came running down and stared at the scene before them. The three girls were just laughing in the middle of the room, using each other as support so that they wouldn’t fall down. They too joined in falling flat on their butts.

They were all laughing when Matthew entered the house. He looked at all of his five friends laughing so hard that tears were forming. He stared at them tilting his head to the side as if it would let him see anything clearer. A small smile formed on his lips as he watched his friends stupidly laugh. “Are you all high or something?”

Everyone stopped laughing and stared at him. Taylor and Elouise were the first to recover and pushed Catherine to Matthew. He caught her in his arms and smiled at her before Elouise, Taylor, Mitchel, and Nathan pushed them out.

“Ok, that was weird.” Matthew stated. Catherine nodded and got out of Matthew’s hold. She walked down and onto the sidewalk and waited for Matthew to catch up. He quickly caught up and looped his arm through hers and together they skipped down the street.

“So, where are we going?” she asked Matthew when they started walking instead of skipping. Matthew looked over at her with a smirk on his face. She looked at him with an arched eyebrow but the smirk stayed on his face, not even faltering once.

He grabbed her hand and started running. She held on tightly and tried to keep up with him, scared that she might fall. He checked up on her every now and then as they ran, making sure she wasn’t breathing heavily or holding back.

Once he saw she was looking slightly tired, he picked her up and carried her on his back. She started laughing when he started running and the wind was blowing her hair away from her face. She wrapped her arms even tighter around his neck as he went faster.

Eventually, Matthew collapsed on the sand with Catherine landing on top of him. She rolled off his back and laughed lightly as she lay in the sand. Matthew turned over so that he was lying on his back and facing the starry sky too. They lay in the comfortable silence for a little longer before Matthew stood up and helped Catherine up too while wiping the sand off himself.

Catherine did the same, brushing the sand off her dress. She held her hair and started shaking it, hoping not a single grain of sand got stuck in her now terribly messy hair. She continued to run her fingers through her hair, letting all the sand fall.

Matthew watched before pulling on her hand. She turned and faced him, a hand still running through her hair. He smiled at her which she returned with one of her own. He intertwined their fingers so that he could lead her to the area he had set up.

There, on the sand was a blanket and a basket. In the middle of the blanket were two candles and a single flower in between the lit candles. The waves were crashing on the shore, serving as good music. The stars were shining brightly above them, removing the need of light aside from the two candles.

Catherine and Matthew sat down, facing each other. Matthew noticed the huge smile on her face which made him smile one of his own. She kept looking around and muttering things that he couldn’t hear. If it wasn’t for the smile that was occupying her face, he would be worried that she didn’t like it.

The dinner, that Matthew had asked his mom to cook, was delicious and still warm thanks to the foil his mom had wrapped the food in. Their conversation was light but interesting, both of them adding to the conversation. Their conversation topics went from childhood picnics to outer space imaginary adventures to potatoes to grandparents to cars and to photosynthesis.

Matthew was currently trying to convince Catherine that it had something to do with cameras and photography. Catherine, on the other hand, laughed at him and told him it had nothing to do with cameras but with the sun and plants.

“NO! It has something to do with photography. I hear Elouise say it every now and then.” Matthew said, crossing his arms. Catherine rolled her eyes. Just because Elouise talks about it he immediately associates it with photography, she thought.

“Matthew, it has something to do with plants and the sun!” she tried convincing him again. “You know, not everything that comes out of Elouise’s mouth is related to photography.”

“Yeah,” he said thinking about it. “But a lot of the stuff that does is!” he said being stubborn like the five year old he really is. She rolled her eyes, deciding to give up since he would never give in anyway. She decided to let him believe whatever he wanted now and prove him wrong tomorrow when it he won’t be so stubborn.

The topic changed once more before they started packing up the leftover food and putting it back in the basket. A silence surrounded them as they packed the food, neither of them feeling the need to speak. When they were done packing, they sat by the shore, their toes being the only thing that got wet by the tide.

Matthew stood up, his feet sinking in the soft sand. He looked down at Catherine and extended his arm. “Do you want to go on a walk with me?”

She nodded and used his extended arm to help her up. They intertwined their fingers again and walked on the shore. They didn’t talk, the waves crashing being the only thing they could hear. Their feet walked on the smooth sand that the tide occasionally touched.

They walked on and on, Catherine not having a clue where they were going because of the lack of light but Matthew knew exactly where they were going. Growing up here, he learned many things. He knew the shortcuts, the good hiding places, and all the paths.

They walked away from the shore and towards inland. Catherine grasped his hand tighter, her fear getting the better of her. Matthew let out a soft chuckle and squeezed her hand in reassurance. Her olive eyes looked at his face before focusing back on the floor, making sure she wasn’t stepping on anything not meant to be stepped on.

The walk took awhile but they were finally where he wanted to be. He could hear the water that was calm beneath them, he was sure she could hear it too. She smiled at him once she realized where they were. They sat down near the edge, the breeze making the night cool.

“Thanks for giving me a second chance.” Matthew said.

“No problem, I am really glad I did.” She said giving him a small smile which he returned with a huge one.

“Me too,” he said while wrapping an arm around her shoulder and bringing her closer to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and he rested his head on top of hers. They sat in silence, something that followed them but enjoyed, aside from the sounds of the water below.

She took in a deep breath, sucking the cool sea air in. A small smile stayed on her face as she looked at the scene before her. The stars were shining brightly above and the water was calm below them, the breeze kept her cool while Matthew’s body heat kept her warm.

Matthew sighed, a sigh of content. He didn’t expect the night to go so well but he was glad it did. He was also extremely happy that Catherine had enjoyed the night but something, though he didn’t know what, was missing. He couldn’t pin point what exactly was wrong but he was sure there was something wrong.

He sat with his arm around Catherine before he finally realized what was missing. He poked her cheek, with his free hand, making her look at him. He smiled a sly smile causing her to arch one of her eyebrows. She kept the same expression for awhile until she finally realized what he meant.

She nodded her head making Matthew’s smile grow. They stood up and stepped away from the edge. They grasped each other’s hand and looked at each other one more time. With a nod from the other, they took a deep breath and prepared themselves for what they were going to do. They broke off into a run and then jumped off.

The sound, of something landing in the water, echoing against the cliffs.