Fly With Me

If time was still
The sun would never never find us
We could light up
The sky tonight
I would see the world through your eyes
Leave it all behind

The sounds of lockers clanging and teenagers talking excitedly danced in Reiley’s ears as she joined others in slamming her locker shut. Taking the loads of now useless paper in her hands, she dumped them into the trashcans nearby. She stuffed the pictures that had been tacked on the inside of her locker into her back pack and zipped it shut.

A hand touched Reiley’s elbow causing her to jump. She turned around to see her friend Hailey standing next to her. The blonde instantly engulfed her into a bone crunching hug. “I’m going to miss you so much!” Hailey whined once she let go.

Reiley laughed at her best friend’s comment. “I’m seeing you tomorrow night at Ian’s party!”

Hailey frowned. “I know. It’s just that everyone is hugging each other and I didn’t want to look like an idiot.”

Taking a look around the crowded hallway, Reiley saw she was right. School was officially over. The last bell had rang about ten minutes ago signaling the start of summer. It hadn’t taken Reiley that long to clean out her locker, letting her have time to hang out with friends before walking home. Sophomore year was finally over. She could finally be called an upperclassman and enjoy the perks of being one.

“I’m going to go talk to John for a minute.” Hailey stated her boyfriend began to make his way towards them. “I’ll catch up with you tonight.” Reiley nodded her head as she watched her best friend rush off.

Reiley sighed as she watched Hailey jump into John’s arms and give him a kiss. She was happy for Hailey; John made her so happy that he seemed to be like the definition of Prince Charming. But sometimes it got too much for Reiley.

Her phone vibrated in her denim miniskirt as she picked up her book bag. She flipped open her cell phone to read the text.

Meet me at the clubhouse tonight at 9.

The cool air of the evening brushed against Reiley’s arms as her flip flops slapped against the concrete sidewalk. Her long brown hair at least covered her shoulders but her legs were also slightly chilled with only having a pair of short denim shorts on. His house was only a block away, but walking during the night time made it seem farther.

She could see the huge maple oak tree as she got closer and closer to his house. The speed of her feet began to increase as she went her way around the house and into the back yard. She kicked off her flip flops and let her feet squish into the grass.

Grabbing the rope ladder, Reiley placed one foot on a rung and began to climb upwards. At the last rung, she threw her leg upwards and landed in the wooden clubhouse. A smile crept onto her face as she looked around.

Nothing had changed. The old pact of the Nightingale Club was still hung on the wall along with the pictures from their childhood. The clubhouse was originally made by the fathers of the kids who lived on Nightingale Lane almost ten years ago. Over the years, the kids had grown up and moved on with their lives. But occasionally, like today, Reiley and a friend or two would sneak back up and here and relive their childhood.

She could tell that he wasn’t here yet and proceeded to move the dusty carpet against the wall. Letting her knees touch the floor, Reiley leaned against the wall. Every so often, Nick and she would plan to meet up here and talk about life in general.

Involuntary, another smile tugged at Reiley’s lips as she thought of him. Nick Jonas. Just thinking about him would make her smile. She had moved to Wyckoff at the age of three and had been lost by the suburb life. It was at preschool where the two had met after the curly haired boy had shyly come up to her asking if she wanted to play House. Well even then he knew her too well, House was the game for a girl her age to play.

The two of them had grown up together. Both had gone to the same school district and had occasionally been in the same classes despite Reiley’s slightly advanced IQ. Over the years, they had gone from childhood friends to best friends. He had been there to hold her hand when she had gone to her first dance class, and he had also been there to punch Tyler when he had called her ugly in the third grade.

Only one thing set the difference apart from their childhood years to their teenage years. It had been about the 7th grade, the year that all the girls had switched from being tomboys to the stylish and preppy girls they were today. Reiley had fallen somewhere in between those two categories. But along with falling in the middle, she also fell for someone.

The annoying quirks, his permanent smirk, hisbeautiful voice, and his gorgeous curls seemed to mesh into perfection. In the beginning, it had been a silly little crush and Reiley thought it would pass. But unfortunately for her, it had escalated into much more.

Now that they had just finished their second year of high school, Reiley had gone through so much pain. As best friends, Nick would rush to her aid whenever he would need help in a girl related situation. She had painstakingly over and over again had helped him achieve the “girl of his dreams.”

Nick had risen to popularity while Reiley had stayed somewhat in the middle of the social chain. But even that hadn’t abused their friendship one bit. She had gotten some of the perks of being Nick’s friend, such as amazing seats at football games along with special invitations to upperclassmen parties. But Nick had been there to support her through everything.

We're chasing stars to lose our shadow
Peter Pan and Wendy turned out fine
So won't you fly with me

Reiley glanced at her cell phone to see what time it was. It was ten minutes past and Nick still hadn’t arrived. She impatiently tapped her fingers on her cell phone cover as she waited for him. The mark on her annoyance meter was slowly rising as she started to become bored.

Her eyes quickly darted to the movement of the rope ladder as it jiggled back and forth. Inch by inch the body of Nick crept upwards. At first, his curls came into view and then slowly his body emerged upwards. The playful smile on Nick’s face after seeing Reiley immediately changed into a scowl as he hit his head on the room of the clubhouse.

Reiley couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. Nick had gotten so tall over the years and was almost 5’10. He crouched down and made his way towards Reiley and sat down next to her. He began to glare at her as another giggle escaped her lips.

“You think this is funny?” Nick scowled as he rubbed his head to clear the pain. Reiley nodded to stop laughing, but still kept the smile on her face. His face relaxed as he saw her calm down. “Sorry I got her late. I had to babysit Frankie and Mom and Dad didn’t get back home till a few minutes ago.”

“That’s ok.” Reiley looked down and started to play with the fringes on the carpet. “How is Frankie? I haven’t seen him in awhile.”

Nick chuckled. “He’s fine. He was actually telling me today he was missing you. But you know the funny thing?” He didn’t bother waiting for an answer from her and kept on talking. “We were looking through the family albums a couple days ago and we came across the picture from Halloween night from 2000 and Frankie told me tonight that next Halloween he wants to the exact same thing with Kelly.”

Reiley laughed and covered her face with her hands, throwing her head back slightly from laughter. “Oh my gosh I can’t believe you still have those!”

Nick laughed. “I know. But if I do say so myself, I do believe that I made a pretty good Peter Pan. I had the whole flying thing down perfectly.”

Reiley rolled her eyes. “I made a better Wendy. I looked exactly like her!”

Both of them had grown up with Disney. They knew all the songs, the script, and all the characters from every single Disney movie made. When they were six, their moms had the brilliant idea of dressing the both of them up as Peter Pan and Wendy for Halloween. Even to this day they were teased by their families about the Halloween from ten years ago.

“Yes, but who was it that punched Tyler for the first time that night?” Nick retorted with a smile.

Reiley shook her head remembering the night. They had been walking down the street with their moms a few feet behind them that Halloween night. It was just Reiley, Nick and his older brothers Joe and Kevin walking in the neighborhood asking for candy. Even when they were little, Nick already had a nemesis. His name was Tyler Boyle, a red headed brat who seemed to think that the world revolved around him. Even to this day, he seemed to think that. The six year old Batman had walked up to Nick and Reiley and had started making kissy faces to the both of them. That’s all it triggered for Nick to punch the kid square in the face, giving him a bloody nose. Unfortunately for Tyler, it wasn’t the first time Nick punched him.

“Your mom wasn’t too happy with you that night,” Reiley remembered. “Her little sweet son attacking another kid wasn’t exactly what she had in mind when she offered to go trick or treating with us.”

“He was taunting me!” Nick exclaimed. “He kept doing the stupid kissy faces.”

She knew that he was only six when it happened, but it still hurt to hear him say things like that. As they grew older, they were constantly teased by friends and family. Reiley had grown used to it, and so had Nick. It had been difficult for the both of them when they hit puberty but now they just ignored it. Sometimes Reiley would secretly wish that Nick would just listen to them, just once.

Reiley pulled her knees up and hugged them to her chest as she set her chin down on one knee. Her hair fell to the left side of her as she played with the fringes on the carpet. She let a pause linger through the air before she spoke. “But you got used to it though, didn’t you? I mean, we were always teased when we were younger. Even today we are.”

She forced herself to look up and meet Nick’s eyes. His head was slightly tilted to the side as he took in her words. Reiley couldn’t read what emotion what was in his eyes, but she could clearly see something.

Nick sighed before answering. “I don’t know, I guess you could say that. It just sometimes I wonder…” He stopped and seemed to be debating if he should continue. “I wonder what it would be like if we were together.”

Reiley took a sharp intake of breath. “Really?”

Nick untangled his legs and scooted closer to where she was sitting. Reiley unraveled her arms from around her legs and felt herself slowly backing up. A thud echoed in the air as she hit a wall of the club house. Nick moved the left side of her causing Reiley to position her body so she was in the corner between the two walls. Her breathing increased slightly as Reiley found the space between them quite limited now.

“Remember Brady’s party a few years ago? When we were twelve?” Nick asked softly.

Now the past
Can come alive
And give it meaning
And a reason
To give all I can
To believe once again

A look of uncertainty flashed across Reiley’s face as she gingerly sat down on the ground. An excited twelve year old Nick joined her in the circle as he sat next to her. He sat with his legs crossed and leaned over to his friend Jake who was on the right side of him. The two preteen boys laughed and Nick sat back up.

The feeling of butterflies was slowly increasing as the seconds passed by. She had never played Spin The Bottle before and she was nervous as hell. The giggling girls and boys looked so calm and Reiley felt self conscious sitting next to them. They seemed so at ease while Reiley was trying to stop her knee from jerking up and down.

The minute Brady’s parents had gone to the back patio, he quickly organized the game of Spin The Bottle. All the kids at the party obliged and immediately were forming a circle. Reiley was glad that Nick was next to her so she would have somewhat of a comfort.

“Okay, who’s first?” Shelby called out tossing her platinum blonde hair over shoulder. No responses answered her question as the young kids looked at each other waiting to see who would make the first move. Shelby merely shrugged. “Alright, I’ll go first.” Her fingers clasped against the neck of the one liter Sprite bottle and twisted it fast.

Reiley watched the bottle spin fast and then slowly start to dwindle down in speed. Simultaneously, everyone looked up to see who the lucky boy was. Brady was smirking as he flipped his hair back with an awaiting smile. Shelby threw out a laugh and leaned over and gave him a swift kiss on the cheek. The kids cried out in protest as some said to give full mouth on mouth action.

Brady ignored the shouts and spun the bottle once again. Reality hit Reiley as the bottle twittered back and forth between Laura and Reiley before making its decision. Reiley froze and let her eyes gaze on Brady. She knew she should be lucky to be kissing the hottest boy in the grade, but somehow she didn’t feel the need to kiss him right at the moment.

Reiley slowly got off her knees and made her way closer to Brady. Painfully closing her eyes shut, she prayed to God to get this over as soon as possible, and let the second pass by. She breathed a sigh of relief as his lips barely brushed past hers. The hoots and hollers died down as Reiley touched the pop bottle and flicked it around.

Only one more boy she had to kiss. Just one. And then she was going to excuse herself out of the game. She had already played it, so there was no way she was going to go through the torture again. Her twelve year old mind didn’t need that.

She glanced up to the clock to see what time it was, when a hush fell over the party guests. Her eyes flickered back to the bottle and her eyes went wide. It couldn’t be. Her breath got caught in her throat as she slowly, inch by inch, looked to see who her next kiss would be with.

Nick and her made eye contact at the same time as they stared at each other, wondering what to do. Reiley wasn’t sure how to feel about this. He was her best friend. But it looked like they had no choice but to kiss each other.

They were already sitting next to each other letting them have no time to stall. Nick quickly leaned down and whispered into her ear. “Just one kiss. It won’t mean anything.” Reiley looked up at him at him and nodded. She wasn’t sure what that statement meant, but she would go along with it for now.

She clutched the cross that was dangling off the silver chain on her neck, and leaned up, closing her eyes partially. She became slightly dizzy as Nick’s soft lips paused on hers for a second before pulling back. Reiley knew her face was flushed and she could see Nick’s was too.

“Your turn, Nick,” Shelby said impatiently. Nick kept eye contact with her before breaking off and spinning the bottle.

If it's you and me forever
If it's you and me right now
That'd be alright
Be alright

Reiley’s breathing started to become uneven as Nick’s hand gently touched Reiley’s left cheek. His hand felt warm as it lied against her cool cheek. He didn’t speak as he slowly caressed her face, waiting for a reaction. All he saw was her frozen but steady eyes.

“I wish it had meant something back then,” Nick whispered.

Her eyes flickered down to Nick’s empty right hand and hesitantly put herself in his grasp. A small smile began to form on his face as she touched his hand. He slyly moved his body so he was even in closer proximity of her. Out of nowhere, Reiley got the courage to speak even though the intimidation of Nick was starting to get to her.

“We could give in another try.” Reiley searched his face, anxiously looking for his response. Her face softened as the familiar smirk of Nick Jonas crossed his face. Unconsciously, Reiley began to lean in as her eyes slowly became closed. Nick let go of Reiley’s hand and let his arm snake around her waist pulling her as close as he could.

Off in the distance somewhere, Reiley could hear the night time grasshoppers chirping away in the distance. The sounds of water splashing from the lake nearby reached Reiley’s ears, along with a neighbor’s dog barking at a lone stranger. She took all that in as the moment came.

It was only when their lips touched, that Reiley truly believed in magic. The way his lips felt against her was more than anything she could describe. His lips were so soft and tender as they moved in sync with hers. Their lips seemed to fit with each other perfectly as neither of them pulled away. Her heart was racing at a mile a minute as she savored the kiss.

Finally running out of air, Reiley slowly disconnected her lips from his. She felt light headed but it all disappeared when Nick grinned down at her. She couldn’t believe after all these years it was happening. But it didn’t matter. Because Nick was hers now.

“Are you still wondering?” Reiley asked softly.

“No. Because you’re mine now.” Nick laughed and kissed her again.

Peter Pan and Wendy turned out fine.