When the Sun Goes Down

Heather trotted down the steps of Chamberlin Academy’s main entrance, her heavy backpack straining her shoulders. She pushed past groups of students, all of them having swarmed towards the parking lot as soon as the last bell of the day had rung. She caught sight of Jade leaning against the door of Sasha’s car, Yasmin perched on the hood.

“Yasmin’s with the Mrs. Chanson”, Jade called as she approached.

“Alright,” Heather said as she dumped her bag into the trunk. Sasha spent about fifteen minutes after school each day with the choir teacher, who said she was ‘coaching’ her, but really just loved to hear the hypnotic melodies Sasha's voice so effortlessly created.

“Look, a ginger!” Yasmin yelped suddenly, and Heather rolled her eyes with a smile, turning to face her red-headed older brother.

“Yes, it is I, the Great Ginger,” Connor proclaimed with a smile, his green eyes sparkling.

“All hail the Great Ginger!” Yasmin cried, throwing her arms wide and drawing the attention of several confused yet amused students. Connor laughed, bowing to Yasmin.

“If you would excuse me, my most loyal servant, I have some business to attend to with Lady Freckle-Face,” he said in his best regal voice as he gestured towards Heather, and Yasmin bowed her head as well.

“Of course, your Greatness. Your ginger-ness will be greatly missed.” Connor grinned widely as he turned to Heather, who raised an eyebrow as she attempted to hide her smile.

“Lady Freckle-Face?” she asked, and he shrugged, his grin only intensifying. He then paused, clearly trying to remember why he’d approached Heather in the first place.

“Dad wanted me to tell you that he and Mom won’t be back from California for another few days,” he said after a few moments.

“I know,” Heather lied, not willing to admit that their parents went on so many research trips she’d given up on trying to keep up with where they were or how long they’d be gone.

“Of course you did,” Connor said with a grin, and her face flushed in embarrassment.

“It’s alright,” he added, his voice lowering. “I thought they were in North Dakota again.” Heather couldn’t help but smile at her big brother, who she’d always genuinely believed to be the best sibling in the entire world. “Oh, by the way,” Connor said, drawing Heather’s mind back from trying to remember her parents’ reasons for venturing to California. “I won’t be home until late tonight; I’m going to Don’s party.”

Heather blinked in surprise. “Why? I mean, don’t you think he’s a prat or something?”

“Oh, he is,” Connor assured her.

“Then why are you going to his party?” she repeated, not even sure why she was attempting to understand Connor’s muddled logic.

“Because every girl with even an ounce of hotness will be there,” he said, as if it were the most obvious reason in the entire world for anyone to go to a party hosted by someone they hated.

Heather rolled her eyes, not surprised in the least. Her brother was the star pitcher of the Chamberlin Chargers baseball team, and therefore undeniably the most sought-after boy in the entire school; most girls would do just about anything to have him glance their way. The attention had finally gotten to his head during his Junior year, and although he would never admit it, Heather knew he now considered himself to be ‘irresistible’.

“I’ll be there too,” she said, and his jovial expression became one of confusion.

“Why?” he asked, and she shrugged.

“I was invited, and it sounds like fun.” Connor smiled, leaning forward and ruffling her hair affectionately. Heather squealed, pulling away and quickly patting down her brown curls.

“Have fun,” he said with a laugh at her reaction, glancing over to the large group of his teammates. “But stay away from Don,” he added in a more serious tone, and Heather let out a huff of frustration, her mirth instantly replaced by annoyance.

“Not you too!” she exclaimed, and his gaze returned to her face.

“What do you mean?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, and he shrugged.

“I don’t know; Brandon just told me to say that when we talked at lunch.”

“Ugh!” she cried, glaring over at the group of senior baseball players. She could see Brandon in the midst of the crowd, his light brown arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against his red pickup truck. He was laughing at something one of the other boys had said, and the sight of his smile caused Heather’s lips to twitch upward ever so slightly despite her foul mood.

“Is there something wrong on between you two?” she heard Connor ask, and she pushed away the fluttering in her stomach, growling an almost indistinguishable “No.”

Connor raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything else, and Heather scanned the crowd for anything to focus on other than Brandon. Turning around, she spotted Chloe, leaning against Don’s small electric blue car and staring directly at her. The blonde’s eyes were wide, and she looked as if she’d just won the lottery as she glanced from Brandon to Heather and then back again.

“Oh no…” Heather muttered, and Connor placed a protective hand on her arm.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, but Heather ignored him, knowing Chloe, who’d always been able to read her like a book, had just spotted her staring at Brandon.

Although Heather had only ever denied having feelings for Brandon in Chloe’s presence, she knew the blonde had seen the affection and longing in the way Heather had stared at him. Chloe was surely plotting her revenge for the event by the lockers with Don earlier that morning.

Heather watched in horror as Chloe caught Brandon’s eye, then gave him a slow, exaggerated wink, before hopping onto the hood of Don’s car. She crossed her legs to reveal an expanse of skin, Brandon’s his light brown face growing flushed as she tossed her hair over her shoulder and gave him a slow smile from across the parking lot.

“No, no, no…” Heather muttered, her head swimming. This cannot be happening, she thought as Chloe leaned forward and blew a kiss in Brandon’s direction. Heather tried to breathe deeply and calm down, but failed miserably. Chloe’s green eyes latched onto Heather’s moments later, an evil smile playing on her red painted lips. Heather wanted to slap the stupid grin from the blonde’s face with a frying pan, and then demand to know why she’d turned so harshly against her former best friend.

Connor’s own green eyes darted from Brandon’s red face to Chloe’s triumphant smile, then finally took in Heather’s devastated expression as he struggled to make a connection between the three.

“Heather, are you sure everything’s alright?” he asked, and she turned to him, eyes brimming with tears.

“No,” she choked out, stomach twisting with dread as Brandon continued to watch Chloe. “Nothing’s alright anymore.”