The Kids From Yesterday

I had spent most of the day nursing my hangover, staying in bed watching John Hughes movies, sipping tea and snacking on crackers. Will and Em were in and out of the house and Nick had stayed with me for most of the day until he got a call from his close friend Jack White.

After Nick got off the phone, he looked at me with a sheepish smile on his face. I smirked, "Jack wants you to hang out with him. And you're nervous to ask me if you can go. You think you need to stay here and take care of me, but because I'm such an amazing girlfriend I'll kiss you and tell you to go anyway. No matter how sick I am, and you're going to take one of my brother's cars."

He started to laugh and then leaned forward for me to kiss him.

"Are you sure you don't wanna come? Jack wouldn't mind at all." He asked.

"No I just wanna stay here, go ahead. Tell Jack I said hi and that he should come visit us when we get back to New York."

He kissed my forehead and got up, "I love you, I'll text you throughout the night and text you when I'm coming home."

"'kay, love you." I smiled, turning my attention back to the t.v.

I watched him change his shirt and look around for his wallet and his phone, when he got himself ready, he gave me one last kiss and left. I stayed in bed until the movie ended and bored already I decided to run myself a bath.

I brought in my laptop and played some soft music and lit some candles as I relaxed in the tub for a while. After my bath, I wore only my robe and walked around the house checking out the rooms. I found a library and got excited, so I decided to go and make myself some tea so I could relax and read a book with some tea.

As I was in the kitchen putting the kettle on, there was a knocking at the front door. It startled me but I figured it was Nick or Will, so I went to go and answer the door. I opened the door to see Zack standing there alone, he looked up and gave a half-smile.

"Did I come at a bad time?" He asked.

I clutched the top of my robe, "Not at all, sorry I just wasn't expecting anyone. I would've put on more clothes." I lightly laughed, opening the door for him to come in. "I'm gonna go change into something more, appropriate." I left and went to change.

I came back and found him in the kitchen, leaning against the counter sipping a Snapple from the fridge. "Don't worry, I always do this. Will doesn't mind."

I just laughed and heard the kettle whistling, so I went to take it off the stove.

"What were you doing before I came here?" He asked.

"I was walking around the house, I'm just checking out the rooms. Will gave us a tour, but I didn't pay attention." I smiled, pouring myself a cup of tea.

"Have you seen the rooftop?" He smiled.

I made a face, "The rooftop?"

"C'mon, I'll take you up there." He said, going to open the sliding door for me. I hesitated but decided to go with him. We walk around the side of the house to a stone stairway leading up to the roof. Making it up to the top I was amazed at the view from the top and the coziness with the blankets and pillows on the lounge sofas, and a fire pit in the middle.

"Wow, my brother's place is amazing." I smiled, sitting down as Zack knelt down by the pit, taking a box of matches and lighting a fire. He came back and sat down next to me.

We both sat there for a while without saying anything, we just stared at each other and already the memories of my teenage years rushed back.

"Zack, what do you mean you never stopped writing?" I asked him.

He shook his head, "Isla, I wrote to you every week. I wrote pages and pages of letters and took them to the post office every time, and when I wasn't getting anything back, I thought you had dumped me or something."

I was speechless, my heart skipped a beat and was so confused.

"You never got them." He spoke, sadly and rhetorically.

"I don't understand, why didn't I get them? My address never changed, I never moved. I can't believe this." I looked down.

"Nine years and we thought we broke up with each other in such a heartless and cold way." Zack sighed, shaking his head.

I brought my knees up to my chest. He was right, maybe if we had received those letters we might have still been together. I would have never met Nick, I would have never stayed in New York, or moved into a loft with Nick, fallen in love with him, made plans with him, be here with him...

"What are the odds?" He smirked.

I looked up at him, confused. "What?"

"What are the odds that years later we'd see each other again, come to this...discovery...we could have gone the rest of our lives still thinking the same thing."

I thought about it and half-smiled, "Yeah...wow, this is...this is crazy."

We paused for a moment and I lightly laughed, looking up at him, "I've missed you so much. You know, you'd always manage to write me a letter at the perfect time. Juilliard was so hard, and I could be going through the hardest times and just a letter would bring my spirits back up."

He smiled, "Really? It was the same for me! When we started out, the band and I, it was hard. Trying to find venues to play, writing records. It was like Christmas whenever I'd get a letter from you."

We laughed together, "I'm really glad we can talk now." I smiled, taking a sip of my tea.

"Me too...so how are you?" He smiled softly.

I thought for a moment. "I'm...I'm good. Work is good. New York is good. Nick is good." I laughed. "I'm good."

"Are you really?"

I bit my lip and started to laugh, "I'm alright. I don't what to say, things are just good. They could be great but they're just good."

"Don't you like where you're at in your life?"

Again I thought for a moment, "I do, I really do. I mean, not many people make it to where I am right now, and I love always having something to do. But this is my first real vacation all year. I'm always working, and Nick, they just released a new record and have been going to a few festivals...it's hard to find time to be with the ones I love."

He gave a laugh, "And where is Nick now?"

I lightly laughed, "He left me...for Jack White."

Zack burst out laughing, seriously thinking that Nick left me. I laughed with him, "Jack is his really good friend."

His laughter slowly died down but a smiled still remained as he looked at me. I cleared my throat and looked away. "So where is Gena?"

"It's her sister's birthday, so I guess it was a girl's night out or something." He half-smiled, again looking up at me. I smiled as those green eyes took me back to when we were young.

"I still see that young boy in your eyes." I spoke.

"And I still see that shy girl in yours."

Again we started to laugh, "It's hard for me to be sentimental." Zack laughed.

"I know, same here." I grinned.

We ended up talking for hours up on that rooftop. We'd lie down and gaze up at the stars talking about our past, and life and how it's changed so much. Again I felt that connection we once had when we were very young, and though we've changed so much physically and in our maturity, I knew we still saw each other as those kids from yesterday.

But the night could not last long enough as Will and Emily had come home for good from running in and out, so Zack and I knew we had to call it a night.

"I'm gonna stay up here for awhile." I quietly said to him.

He nodded, "Okay. I have to get back, Gena doesn't like it when I'm not home when she comes home at night."

I nodded, and then we gave each other a hug. The smell of his cologne made me smile. I gently pulled away and said goodnight as he turned to leave.

I went back to the sofa and laid down, continuing to star gaze but this time on my own.