Lay Down Your Arms; Give Up The Fight

It was the summer before Senior year, and John was going to his first party with Annalise.
"Babe, I have a surprise for you tomorrow," John whispered as he looked over at her while driving her to Eric's house.
"Johno, I'm so excited. I love you," Annalise said as she threw him her most seductive smile, and even went for the lip bite. She didn't even like him. He was a past time for her; he would drop the world for her and buy her everything she even mentioned. John was a decent catch: he was pretty cute, tall, athletic, and he was a lead singer in a band. It was whatever.
"Annalise, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me," John said softly, as he looked over at her with passionate, tender eyes. He took in everything about her: her blue eyes, sunkissed (or spray-tanned...) skin, and her, erm, assets.
Annalise waited for him to turn away before she rolled her eyes and put her hand on her forehead. They were almost at the party; she would get so fucked up that she wouldn't know where she was and she wouldn't have him down her back.

John shook his head. He couldn't believe he fell for that. She used him. "Love doesn't exist," he reminded himself as he pulled into Shay's driveway. A beach day in Cali would loosen him up.

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The sun was down, and the stars shone brighter than ever.
"Look at that. Do you see it? That's the big dipper," John said as he pointed at the enormous constellation, forming the familiar shape.
"Wow, it's breathtaking. Do you see that up there, on the left of it?" John nodded, and Shay continued.
"Well, 9 years ago, I was 10 years old and me and my dad were laying out in our backyard. He showed me the big dipper, and then he pointed out that circle. He told me, 'Shay, do you see it? It's a never-ending circle; my never-ending love for you. As long as the stars in the sky still shine, my heart will always be in the never-ending circle of stars. When I'm gone, look up to the sky and I will always shine brighter than the others for you.' He died when I was 12."
Shay paused for a moment to take in the beauty of the stars. There were about 17 burning balls of fire that formed an infinite ring. The beauty of nature is a miracle in itself.
"That's beautiful," John said as he laid back on the warm sand.
For a few minutes, all they did was lay on their backs and look at the stars. Then, they began a game of picking out constellations and naming them and creating stories and meanings for them.
"See that triangle? That's a pyramid; it holds all the Egyptian kings and queens from thousands of years ago. Cleopatra, King Tut... The pyramid is lined with their jewels and riches which is why it shines every night." John chuckled as he pointed at the arbitrary geometric shape.
"See those two stars all alone right under the pyramid? Those are the eyes of God. They watch down on us all everyday." Shay smiled as she laid back and rested her eyes.
Moments became seconds, which turned into minutes, which turned into hours. Pretty soon, it was well past midnight and they were sound asleep cuddled on the beach. Shay's head lay comfortably on his chest as his arms wrapped securely and instinctively around her torso.
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"I've always believed in love at first sight. I don't know, that's how it's always been: My mom and dad were love at first sight," Shay randomly spoke as they sat in the car for the 4 hour drive back home.
"Love at first sight? I think it's an excuse to be happy. Personally, I think it's all bullshit," John smirked.
"You'll see one day, John. Sometimes it just takes time to realize that everything you've ever wanted has been right in front of you. Love finds its way, through thick or thin," Shay said as she yawned and drifted into a nap.
Shay believed in love with all of her heart. Almost too confident that love would happen to her in time, she was carefree and bubbly. Though she did sound pretty convincing, John had his share of a broken heart and would rather live without this "love." If he could live without it now, he could live without it for the rest of his life. Love would not be the death of him.