Totally Not Average

“I told you they would like you.” Alex rubbed in my face.

I laughed, “Whatever.”

Currently, we were walking down my street, just talking and laughing. It was around 8 PM, and it was completely dark; but I guess that’s what made this all the more fun.

“You just don’t want to admit that I was right and you were wrong.” He shook his head in mock disappointment.

“It’s not about who’s right and who’s wrong.” I sniffed.

Alex laughed, “Yeah, that’s what the people who are wrong say.”

“Humph.” I crossed my arms over my chest and looked up at the night sky.

It was a cloudless night and you could see the millions of stars all shining down on all of us. I stopped walking and just stood there, staring up at the sky. It was so beautiful, it could take your breath away. I didn’t care about my curfew, which was in an hour or two, I didn’t care about anything at that moment.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” I whispered, entranced with the sight.

Alex wasn’t looking at the sky, but at me, when he said, “Beyond beautiful.”

My gaze shifted from the sky to his eyes and I felt something electric pass between us. I couldn’t react though, not when I was so deeply lost in his dark brown eyes. There was something different in his eyes, something I couldn’t quite decipher.

Was this what Mrs. Gaskarth was talking about? Was this the way he always looked at me? Because this look was taking my breath away; and it was a feeling I was enjoying.

“Have you ever just lied on the ground and watched the stars?” Alex asked, cocking his head to the side.

I shook my head, “No, I haven’t.”

He grinned, “There’s a first time for everything.” He held out his hand for me and I took it, gripping his hand tightly.

He pulled me across the street and to the tiny little park that no one went to anymore. There was a swing set and a jungle gym with a pretty high tower.

“Are we going up there?” I asked, smiling at him.

He nodded, “When I was a little kid and lived in my old town, we used to have a park just like this and when it was a cloudless night I would just sit there and stare at the stars for hours.”

“Let’s go then.” I let go of his hand and stepped up on the Jungle Gym, navigating my way through it and to the top. Alex was always right behind me; a supporting figure. Eventually, we got to the top and I sighed.

“Wow, this is pretty high for a little kid’s playground.” He commented.

I nodded, “That’s why nobody comes here anymore; a couple of kids got hurt.” I shrugged.

Alex laughed, “That’s an interesting story.”

I laughed along with him, “That’s how small this town is.” I sat down on the floor of the tower, leaning against its walls. Unlike a lot of other Jungle Gyms, this one didn’t have a roof so we could stare up at the stars for hours.

Alex sat down next to me, so close that we were touching. I didn’t mind though, it felt good to have his skin on mine. Unconsciously, I leaned my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes and sighing.

“You’re supposed to watch the stars not fall asleep.” He joked.

I smiled, “But I’m tired.” I complained.

“Then go home.” He suggested.

I shook my head, “No way. I don’t feel like getting yelled at for staying out late.”

“Yeah, because 8:30 PM is all that late.” He said sarcastically.

“Tell that to my Dad.” I muttered.

“Look,” Alex told me, “A shooting star!”

I opened my eyes and looked up just in time to see a shooting star pass the night sky. It was so bright, compared to everything else; like fireworks lighting up the sky on fourth of July.

“Make a wish.” He whispered in my ear.

I didn’t know what to wish for, what I really wanted in life. I wanted my Mom back to me, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen. I wished my Dad wasn’t so uptight, but that was going to be impossible. All I really wanted was for everything to be okay.

It’s all I’ve wanted since my Mom died; a hope that my life wouldn’t be a shitty one. That I would succeed, be happy, and have a normal life. I knew it was a long shot, especially since everything that has happened to me wasn’t normal, but was it so weird to wish to be normal? Not for me.

“I wish that everything is going to be okay.” I whispered softly, closing my eyes.

Alex murmured something, but I couldn’t hear it exactly. Right now, I just wanted to feel like everything would be okay. That’s all I want.

He draped an arm over my shoulder, bringing me closer to him. Did he hear my wish? Is that why he’s doing this? But those questions didn’t matter now, and they probably wouldn’t matter. All that matters is that I was here, with him, having a good time.

That was how we fell asleep that night.