Lights on the Lake

“I see me leaving you to pack up all of your dad’s things by yourself was a terrible idea,” Alana’s aunt Ker said as she walked through Alana’s father’s house, picking up stacks of magazines that he left on the end table near the couch that Alana remembers having every since she was basically born. To say her father didn’t like to throw things away was an understatement. He would always tell Alana that he loved to collect things and that he'd be devastated if they were to disappear. He then kissed the top of Alana's head walking past the table where she would be eating breakfast, and said "Things like you," and then immediately went inside his study to do work on shoes for the remainder of the day, barely even acknowledging her.

"Yep, it's all your fault," Alana replied as she sat down on an already filled box full of her father's old books. It was one amongst about three boxes that Alana had succeeded in packing. "Maybe we should hire movers or something."

"No," Ker said, a little too quickly. Alana raised her eyebrows and Ker picked up a picture frame lying on the mantel above the fireplace and looked at it. "I mean, you should do this yourself. I know this is what your father would have wanted."

Alana sighed and leaned backward, causing her to almost fall onto the floor. Her head still hurt from her ridiculous alcohol intake from the night before, and it also hurt from thinking about the incident with Leo. He kissed her. Leo kissed her. She knew that it wasn't a romantic kiss, it more of a 'let me prove a point to make you feel stupid and small' kind of kiss, which made her feel even more uncomfortable and awkward. He was always the person to get his point across in very risky and obscure ways, and he definitely got his point across last night: that he wanted nothing to do with her.

She debated calling Trey and telling him about the kiss, but couldn't bring herself to do it. After all, it wasn't one of any romantic gesture, it was one that came from a very spiteful and vengeful place, and she couldn't bring herself to tell another thing to Trey to make him disappointed in her. His opinion meant more to her than almost everyone she knew.

"Have you gotten to packing up things in your old room yet?" Ker asked and kneeled down to investigate more things that seemed to pop up in the living room.

"No, I haven't even been physically in my old room," Alana replied and Ker looked over at her, somewhat shocked, but yet there was a glint in her eye that showed that she wasn't very surprised.

"It must be weird being back here, huh?" Ker asked and Alana laughed. If her aunt didn't realize that things have been that way ever since Alana stepped foot back here than she must have been in some type of fairyland while being around Alana. Of course things were weird being back here.

"Well, I guess there's no better time than now," Alana said briskly about finally getting up the nerve to go to her room. She pulled herself up off the box and walked toward the hallway that she used to walk as a young, bouncing little girl and as a slightly older, yet still young, rebellious and angsty teenager. She looked to the door on the left and knew it to be her father's study, and then walked a little further to see her bedroom on the right. She stared forward for a second, where there was her father's bedroom's door, almost glaring at her. She looked away and toward her bedroom door and hesitantly placed her hand on the doorknob.

The door swung open and Alana stood in silence as she stared at her room that had not changed since she left. Everything was the same. The calender on her wall was set to the month of July of the year she left, with the days Alana used to cross out with a sharpie marker. Her closet was slightly empty, a few random articles of clothing Alana didn't take with her were lying on the hangers. Her nightstand was still full of pictures of her and her friends, some of whom were at the party that didn't even acknowledge her. She then looked down by the bed and saw something that wasn't there when she left: her father's slippers.

There they were, just placed right by the bed and Alana realized that her father probably sat on her bed close to his death, took off his slippers and forgot to get them when he left. This meant that he probably sat in Alana's room, staring at his daughter's old pictures, her old T-shirts and trinkets she left behind. He probably sat there, wishing she was back, hoping that'd she'd come to her senses - as he was dying.

"Alana, are you okay?"

Alana didn't even realize she was crying until she felt fresh tears on her cheek. She turned around to see Ker in the hallway and without even a second thought, Alana urgently walked toward her aunt, pulled her into a hug and cried.



"So what brings you out on the lake on this wonderfully gloomy day?" Weezer asked Alana as he sat with her at the end of one of the docks on the lake. He had a fishing pole in his hand but wasn't really trying to catch anything. The wind blew fast, yet softly against their faces as the clouds continued to cast over the sun in intervals, making it sunny one second then cloudy and dark the next.

"I just needed some time away from that house," Alana replied and laid backward on the dock so she was staring at the sky. Weezer stayed where he was but turned his body to face Alana.

"Why did you call me to hang out and not Mackenzie, or Abigail?" He asked genuinely and Alana shrugged.

"You were just the right person I wanted to see, Wesley," Alana said and Weezer smiled back at her.

"No one ever calls me that," He said as he stared forward at the lake, Alana sat up and leaned her shoulder against his. Weezer was always the nice guy, the one all the girls liked to hang around because he was always the one to not treat them like dirt. Unfortunately, this threw him in the 'friend zone' almost immediately and he's been stuck there ever since middle school. Alana knew it, and she was guilty of putting him there as well, but Weezer was Weezer, and Alana appreciated it.

"Why don't people call you Wesley?" Alana asked. "When we started talking in fifth grade, people were already calling you Weezer."

Weezer exhaled his breath, as if telling the story wasn't something he particularly wanted to do. He squinted one of his eyes as the sun revealed itself again. "I've always been a big-boned guy, so that was already a point against me when it came to nick names people made up," Weezer said and placed his hand in the water, absentmindedly moving his fingers through it. "But when I was eight, I had really bad asthma. One day, during P.E., we all had to run the mile. I got two laps in before basically falling over. I couldn't breathe and I left my inhaler in the classroom. Leo actually was the one who went back to get it for me, and as he was turning to run and go get it, he shouted to me, 'Don't worry Wheezy, I'll get your inhaler!', kind of as a joke, you know? To make me feel better because I was weezing and could barely breathe. A few other kids overheard Leo's statement and starting joking around with it, calling me Wheezy - and then Weezer, and by the time Leo came back with my inhaler, that was my official new nick name. He told me he was sorry and didn't even mean for it as an insult, but the kids thought it was hilarious. I just went along with it and now... I'm still Weezer."

Alana looked up at him, who's dirty blonde hair was blowing over his forehead in the wind, and felt a new kind of compassion for him; she had never even bothered before to ask him why he was called that. She had never bothered with a lot of things.

"I had a feeling Leo was behind that nick name," Alana muttered and stared at the water, which was surprisingly still. A few ducks were swimming near some reeds on the right side of the lake.

"It wasn't his fault," Weezer replied. "Trust me. He didn't mean to."

"Leo means all of the things he does, actually," Alana replied. "He always means the hurtful things he says."

"Do you always mean the hurtful things you say?" Weezer retorted and Alana opened her mouth to speak but closed it and then opened it again.

"Why are you defending him?" Alana asked back.

"He's my best friend," Weezer replied and a silence fell upon both of them. The silence was quickly interrupted by both of them feeling a pair of hands on their shoulders and someone yelling 'Boo!'

They both jumped and turned around to see Mackenzie smiling down at both of them. She had on her bathing suit and her wet hair was sticking to the nape of her neck.

"What's up!?" Mackenzie asked, eying both of them. "I didn't know you two were going to be here today."

"It was a last minute decision," Weezer replied with a friendly smile in return, staring up at Mackenzie. Alana always knew that Weezer had some sort of feelings for Mac, he was always the one who'd take her places when she didn't want to go alone, or let her cheat off of his homework in high school. Taken, he was just as nice to a lot of other people, but he would do just about anything for Mackenzie. Something she took for granted. She loved to make fun of him, in a playful and innocent way, but Alana knew that Weezer wasn't always appreciative.

"Well, I'm here with my family and we just went cliffdiving off the Samuel Cliffs, and we're having our annual old school movie night in my backyard again. Remember our sophomore year when we watched Snow White and Alana accidentally fell and hit the projector breaking it?"

Weezer laughed at the memory and Alana frowned.

"Yeah, as if your parents didn't need any more reason to hate me, I had to go and ruin the Platt Movie night," Alana replied and Mackenzie just grinned and rested her hands on her hips.

"Well I'm pretty sure they've forgiven you by now, you guys should really come," Mackenzie replied and Alana looked over at Weezer and nodded. "Great! Let's just keep Alana away from anything that can reduce to her falling on her face."

About two hours later, Mackenzie's backyard was filled with people Alana has known all of her life. There were all of her close friend's parents, Mackenzie's younger siblings, cousins and relatives along with a few people from Alana's high school that she used to hang out with, including one girl that was one of Leo's ex girlfriends, Cassandra Wesselman, a pretty girl who was exceptionally boring. He dated her for about two months in high school and couldn't take the bland and dumped her, telling his friends that she was as interesting as watching paint dry. His statement didn't go unheard by her, who was devastated for weeks following.

Alana thought of Cassandra when she saw Leo walk in the backyard from inside the house. He was wearing a plaid shirt Alana remembered seeing him wear before she even left, and his hair was still messy, as if he just got out of the lake - just like it always was. Mackenzie's dad approached him and patted him on the back and Leo grinned in return as they had a conversation probably about man things like football and dirt. Alana looked over at Cassandra, who glanced in Leo's direction, probably hoping that Leo would notice her. But Leo was too entranced in his conversation with Mr. Pratt to even look over at her.

Alana glanced over at Mackenzie and Weezer, who were both filling cute popcorn bags from a large popcorn machine that Mackenzie's father bought on a whim when they were in middle school - much to Mackenzie's mother's dismay. But it came to good use for these movie nights that they decided to conduct, mainly to try to find use for that random popcorn maker.

Mrs. Pratt walked up the projector and pressed play, and suddenly the film Sleeping Beauty was playing. A few of the children took first row seats and soon enough were completely entranced in the film and Alana smiled at them, knowing she was in their position a long long time ago, where magical movies took you away for a few hours. Now it took a lot more than a movie to make you forget about things.

Mackenzie was handing out popcorn with Weezer, and Alana turned her head to see Abigail sitting with her boyfriend Jason in the back, both speaking with their heads very close to one another.

Alana sighed and picked grass with her hands and looked up at Leo, who was still talking to Mr. Pratt, yet his eyes looked over in her direction and stayed there long enough for her to notice it wasn't just a glance. Mr. Pratt patted Leo on the shoulder again and walked back into their house while Leo stood, giving Alana an icey glare. She sighed and stood up, brushing some grass off her jeans and made her way over to him. It was obvious he was a little surprised by her actually coming up to him, but he didn't show it too much and coolly took a sip from some water he had in a cup.

"Hi," Alana said and stood next to him. There was virtually no moon out tonight and the only light that was being reflected was from the large inflatable projector screen. The images reflected themselves across the two's faces and Alana glanced sideways at Leo, waiting for him to respond. "Yeah, yeah, I know you don't know me anymore, but even normal people usually say hello back to strangers when they say a common greeting."

Leo stayed silent.

"Oh come on, Leo. We're not ten anymore, you can't just ignore me when you're mad at me and then push me in the mud."

"I could definitely do both of those things," Leo replied.

"Ha! Well it looks like one of them just got thrown out the window," Alana said while Leo continued to stand there like he was getting his teeth pulled. "Look, I'm sorry, all right? Sorry for accusing you of spreading a rumor, it was stupid of me and wrong - although I have to admit, you handled the accusation kind of like a little bitch."

Leo's head snapped at her so fast that Alana was surprised his neck didn't snap right along with it. She smiled. Making Leo lose his cool was something she and only a few other people she knew could accomplish, or have accomplished. One of those accomplishments happened to be on the very night she left, but she wasn't so sure she was proud of that one.

"Is that supposed to be an apology?" Leo asked, his hazel eyes looking like they were going to shoot lasers and pierce Alana's skin.

"I'm just saying, out of all of the things you've done to me, you can't blow up on me for adding another small one to the list," Alana replied and Leo scoffed. "Look, I'm not trying to start another fight, but I have seen from your perspective and now I think it's time you see from mine."

"What if yours is shit?" Leo asked back just as a little girl was walking by. She gasped and ran over to her father, probably to tell him that the mean boy over there said a bad word. Alana laughed and Leo groaned.

"You know mine isn't," Alana replied. "The way I delivered it in a drunken mess was pretty bad though." Leo stifled a small smile and Alana awkwardly smiled back.

"Sorry for kissing you," Leo said after a few moments of silence between the two, where only the movie in the background could be heard along with the crunching of popcorn.

"It's fine," Alana replied. "It's not like you meant it to be other than proving a point. Although, I don't think my boyfriend would be very happy."

Leo's head snapped in Alana's direction again. "Boyfriend?"

Alana was about to respond when they were interrupted by a girl's soft voice.

"Hi, Leo."

Alana both looked forward to see Cassandra standing in front of them, her long red hair framing her very pale but pretty face. Leo kept his eyes on Alana for a second before tearing them away to look at Cassandra.

"Hi," Leo replied quickly and Alana could already see Cassandra's face dropping. She knew what it was like to feel like you'd never get the attention you wanted from Leo, where he'd see you but wouldn't actually see you. She could see her young teenage self in the eyes of Cassandra, who defeatedly sighed and was about to walk away.

"Wait!" Alana said, a little too loudly so a few people looked up from the movie and shushed her. "I'll leave you two to catch up, I told Weezer I'd get some popcorn."

"Alana," Leo said but Alana shook her head and smiled.

"No worries! I'll see you later," Alana said quickly and started to walk toward the popcorn machine, where Weezer and Mackenzie were still standing in happy conversation instead of serving popcorn to a few kids who stood there impatiently. Alana glanced back at Leo, who was now talking to Cassandra, but his eyes glanced up at hers before finally looking in front of him and giving the girl the attention she never got.