Dark Eyed Dreamers

I walked into the Hale household a week after Brae and Rae’s birthday, I was greeted by a tiny fur ball barking at me and nipping at my ankles. I screamed as loud as I possibly could. Braelyn came into view and scooped up the fur ball.

“Sorry! Yoda’s still getting used to everyone!” Brae apologized.

“Um. You bought a puppy?” I asked staring blankly at the hideous dog that Braelyn dubbed as Yoda.

“Isn’t he adorable?” Brae asked, keeping her eyes locked onto the clumsy puppy.

No. He’s not adorable. It looks like something punched its nose in and its eyes popped out of its head. Braelyn had a horrible sense of what is adorable and what is plain ugly. Example: her hair.

“The most adorable puppy ever.” I lied, reaching out to pet the dog.

“I knew you’d love him! Everyone’s outside, so you can just go back. I need to go change.”

I nodded and led myself to the backyard. Alex and Jack seemed to be trying to drown each other. Rae was sitting in the screen house Zack. Rian was standing by the pool shouting instructions to Alex, who was miserably losing to Jack in the drowning game.

“Hey Mikayla! Most of us have been waiting for you to get her so we can call go swimming together.” Reagan told me as she absently crushed a Dorito under her finger.

“It doesn’t matter, I’m not going swimming anyway.” I informed her.

“It’s the hottest day we had this summer and you’re not going swimming?” Zack asked with a raised brow.

“No. I look like a cow, I am not putting a bathing suit on.”

“Are you joking right now? You barely have any bump at all!” Braelyn voiced as she walked into the screen house.

“That’s easy for you to say, you don’t have the bump. You don’t know how self conscious it makes me.”

“You’re gorgeous. Stop torturing yourself and go swimming.” Rian kissed my cheek and that’s all it took for me to feel good about myself again. I felt good enough that I could put on a bathing suit and swim with my friends on the hottest day of the summer before we all went our separate ways.

- - -

I don’t think I could have been happier as I we all said our goodbyes to Braelyn and Zack for the night. I was cuddle close to my boyfriend watching a movie with the rest of my friends, minus Braelyn and Zack.

Normally, I would have been pissed if Zack and Brae ditched movie night. I’m an understanding person though; I understand that they wanted to spend as much time together as possible for the end of summer.

It was different with Braelyn and Zack than it was with Rian and me. Braelyn and Zack have been together for almost three years. I didn’t even think it was possible for high school kids to stay together for a year let alone three.

Rian’s POV

I kissed Mikayla good night, and left her at Rae and Brae’s house for the night. I probably would have stayed the night if they weren’t expecting at least on of their parents to show up that night. I definitely didn’t want to risk Mr. Hale finding me asleep in the house with his daughters. He was a scary guy.

I walked down the sidewalk just as Braelyn shoved past me in a hurry, her eyes stayed connected to the ground.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I called after her.

“Nothing.” She said lowly accompanied with a sniffle. I couldn’t pursue that obvious problem she was faced with because she slammed her front door shut loudly.

I shrugged and continued to walk to my car. Braelyn was probably just upset that we were leaving in a few days. I would probably be in the same state if I were in her situation.

Almost as soon as I got into my car, my phone vibrated in my pocket. “Hello.” I answered turning the key.

“Ri.”

“Zack?” I questioned unsurely. I failed to look at the screen before I answered.

“I think…that I just made the biggest mistake of my life.” He said with a shaking voice.