The Summer Scene

My eyes were still locked with John’s; neither of us making a move on the other for fear that it would be going too far. The only thing pulling us out of our trance was the sound of Rachael’s voice.

“That was so much fun!” she laughed out heavily, coming down from her high after the song had ended and the next became low background noise.

I removed my hands from his shoulders, turning myself back around to face our small group. As I turned I was wiggling myself out of his arms, but he was not obliging that easily; I had to place my hands on his own which rested on my bellybutton region and peel each one of those fingers from my body.

“I know, good times.” Gabi reminisced, also breathing heavily and using Kennedy as support; neither of the girls taking notice to my forceful denial.

“Rach, get the guys!” We heard Ashley yell, with Dana by her side in the doorway on top of the porch.

“Come inside and cut your cake.” Dana added.

Rach looked over her shoulder, spying Pat not too far away, still in Ratboy attire. “Pat, time for cake.” She shouted so he would hear through his enormous, but fitting ears.

“You’re just a cupcake lover!” He shouted back in a high pitch all too quickly.

Rach rolled her eyes while Garrett giggled at the inside joke.

Before following my friends in to help with the distribution of the cake, I walked over to where Nathan was still sitting. “Want cake?” I simply asked him.

“Sure.”

I turned my back on him and started walking on my way inside the house.

“Hey,” he called after me, finally getting up. “I’ll come and help.”

“Ok.” I smiled at his sweet offer. He was genuinely too kind, which is one of the things I love about him.

After the cake was distributed to the seventy-something people that showed up, eaten by us all, and then the garbage was cleaned up when the non-“family” members left, we all; Joel, John, Eric, Max, Tim, Ashley, Rach, Gabi, Pat, Jared, Kennedy, Garrett, Vito, Aaron, Rex, Nick, Andrew, and Justin all sat in a circle on the grass, being lazy and talking about nothing in particular at all.

The conversation drifted to of course music and the new songs that were being written.
Rach looked over at John who was seated three people over from her and diagonally across from Nathan and I. “Play for us.” She told him.

“Why?” he asked nervously.

“Cause it’s my party and I said so.” She demanded.

“No.”

“Please.” She started to pout like a four year old. “Play for us all.”

He chuckled at her facial expression and honestly answered, “I don’t know what to play.”

“Play something new.” She suggested, a wide chestier cat grin spread across her mischievous face.

“Ok. I wrote this a while ago.” He warned us, setting up the guitar that Joel handed him from behind where it laid in its case.

He strummed the first note to get himself in tune. He opened his mouth, and out poured meaningful words laced in that divine and heart wrenching voice of his.

She thinks I'm crazy.
Judging by the faces that she's making.
And I think she's pretty.
But pretty's just part of the things she does that amaze me.

His eyes were fixed on me, as mine were on his. This wasn’t awkward due to the fact that we have had this connection before.

And she calls me sweetheart.
I love it when she wakes me when it's still dark.
And she watches the sun.
But she's the only one I have my eyes on.

Tell me that you love me and it'll be alright.
Are you thinking of me?
Just come with me tonight.
You know I need you.
Just like you need me.
Can't stop, won't stop, I must be dreaming.
Can't stop, won't stop, I must be dreaming.

I diverted my gaze from him for a few moments to take in the reactions of the people around me. From the looks on their faces, they were purely in awe. Nathan on the other hand, was only just listening.

And she moves in closer.
Whispering to me, "I thought I told ya."
And oh she's playing games now.
And I've figured it out now that we're, now that we're closer.
Two kids, one love
Who cares if we make it up?
Her voice is sweet sound.
Our clothes lay on the ground.

She moves in closer
Whispers, "I thought I told ya"

My eyes were back on his again, watching how they filled with emotion as he sang each and every word.

Tell me that you love me and it'll be alright.
Are you thinking of me?
Just come to me tonight
You know I need you
Just like you need me
Can't stop, won't stop, I must be dreaming.
Can't stop, won't stop, I must be dreaming.

Remember the day when we started this.
And she made the shape of my heart with her hands.
We try to make some sense of it.
But she called me on the phone and said...

It felt like he was coaxing me, reminding me of summer’s past and how we would grow closer and closer, but only get pushed back by some unexpected event.

Tell me that you love me and it'll be alright.
Are you thinking of me?
Just come with me tonight.
You know I need you, just like you need me.
Can't stop, won't stop, I must be dreaming.

Go on and tell him that you love me and it'll be alright,
Are you thinking of me?
Just come to me tonight
And she moves in closer
Can't stop, won't stop, I must be dreaming

I had to tear my eyes away from John’s in the event that his eyes were saying way too much, expressing too much of his inner feelings. Those green orbs where the perfect key to his heart and soul; and I couldn’t take it anymore.

As everyone clapped, I arose and made my way to the bathroom.

I stood in the small, pure white downstairs bathroom, the white door shut and locked behind me. I heard a knock. “Natalie?” It was Nathan. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I just needed to pee.” I flat out lied so he would go away.

Another knock came not too long after. “Nattie.” Rach was now the one on the opposite side of the door. “Are you okay?”

I cracked the door open a little bit, willingly letting her come in. She closed the door behind her and took a seat on top of the lid of the white porcelain toilet; I was standing against the granite sink counter, my arms folded across my chest. She looked up at me, not saying a word because she was awaiting for me to explain.

“He wrote a song about me.” I dropped my arms so that my palms were pressed down against the counter top. “And preformed it right in front of my boyfriend.”

“Are you sure it’s about you?” She asked, though she already knew the true answer.

“He was looking at me the whole time.” I’m sure she noticed, but it was the only evidence I could use to back up my previous statement.

“Well he does feel the most comfortable singing when you’re around.” She pointed out.

“Bullshit. That has nothing to do with it.” I retorted quickly.

“Whatever you say.”

My tone lowered to a whisper, and I looked away from her, thinking over the answer for
myself. “What was he thinking?”

“I, I don’t know hun.” She honestly couldn’t think of a thing. “It’s John, remember.” She reminded me of this complex minded boy that I was having so much trouble with.

Tears were building up. Rach rose from her seat to comfort me, though I was still so much taller than her. “I just don’t know what to do.” I cried into her.

“Follow your heart.” She told me.

If only it was that easy.

-xxx-

After minutes of crying into Rach’s shoulder, I felt the need to compile myself back together. Rach exited the bathroom first, giving me time to fix myself.

As I walked through the kitchen on my way back to the yard, I noticed that John was sitting there alone on a stool at the counter, playing with an empty plastic cup.

“So what’d you think?” he asked me as I passed. We must have been the only people inside the house because the only other thing I could hear was the rumbling of the appliances.

“Was that the song you were writing after that night?” I asked skeptically.

“Yes.” He smirked.

I wasn’t falling for his easy tricks. “Who’s it about?”

“Natalie,” He begged, confirming my own assumption.

“John.” I needed to hear the words from his mouth, I stood there with a hand on my hip, waiting for the answer I knew was coming.

He gave in easily. “It’s about you, okay.”

“Why?” I questioned. “Why’d you have to pick now!” I raised my voice slightly.

“I didn’t know you were going to bring home some fairy.” He quickly retorted without even taking a second to think.

“Do not bring Nathan into this!” I yelled back.

“This has everything to do with him!” he got off of his seat and was now standing a few feet away from me.

“And last year it had everything to do with Melissa.” I brought up, to contradict his last argument.

“I dumped her ass.”

“And then you didn’t make any attempt to make me yours.” I shot back.

“I did everything I could do without feeling like a pedo.” He informed me.

I couldn’t say anything else at that moment; my mind was racing through last year’s events. I was only sixteen and he was a mere nineteen.

His voice softened as he advanced closer towards me. I wouldn’t move, being stubborn I stood there with my arms folded across my chest and looking away from him. “I like you Natalie.” He started. “Hell, I’m crazy for you! Have been since the day I met you.” John confessed. I had to look over at him against my heads protests, but my heart made me look into his green tell-all eyes to decode if what he was saying was in fact true. Unfortunately they were. “But the only thing standing in the way of me taking you for myself right now is your boy toy.” He strongly closed his confession.

I turned my head away from him again, tears filling the brims of my eyes. This was too much. Too much, too soon. I started to walk towards the back door.

There was one thing stopping me from crossing through the doorway, I had to turn around, I needed to know this; it couldn’t wait for fear that I would never get the chance to ask it again. “Why Melissa?”

“I needed to be with my own age.” He shrugged. “We were too different.” The “we” was to describe the two of us.

I nodded and walked out.