Heartbreaker

“Hurry up and put some gas in the goddamn car so we can get back to the party.” Ariel glanced at me, a scowl on her face. She’s had a few shots and cigarettes, but not enough to make her drunk. She’s just pissed that I stopped her from hooking up with some sleazeball that had been eye fucking her the whole night. Her eyeliner was smudged and her red lipstick was smeared, but she still looked as pretty as ever. She’s one of my best friends and I think of her as a little sister.

“Could you get me a Red Bull and a Snickers, Trist?” called my other best friend, Luke. He flicked my lighter on and off, the flame reflecting in his iridescent blue eyes. People think that we’re related because we both have the same coloured eyes. He’s unusually quiet tonight; I wondered if he had another fight with his girlfriend, Jessie.

I sighed loudly, feigning annoyance. “Fine, whatever, I’m not your slave though so don’t get used to it.” I heard them laugh as I walked away, my stride confident.

The night was still young and I had nothing to worry about. I began to whistle a song that had been playing on the radio, completely unaware of my surroundings for a few minutes. There was the sound of an engine, tires screeching to a halt, and the rider of a motorcycle putting down the kick stand. I hadn’t even noticed I was staring until the helmet came off, revealing a very attractive girl with curly brown hair. She looked over her shoulder, the helmet in one hand, before rolling her eyes, one eyebrow arched. “May I help you?”

“I, uh, well. Nice bike,” I stammered, caught off guard by how brash she was.

She was dressed in head to toe black, save for a flash of dark purple lipstick. Her leather jacket had spikes and studs on the shoulders, a plain tank top underneath, as well as form fitting pants and boots. In short, she was a goddess and I’d never met anyone like her.

“It’s a Kawasaki Ninja 250R,” she said, patting the seat with a smile. “Ever been on one?”

“Can’t say that I have actually,” I replied with a shrug. “I think I’d---”

BEEP. BEEP. BEEEEEEP.

We both turned towards the source of the noise, which was coming from my black Honda Civic. Ariel had been honking the horn and Luke was now trying to distract her, but from what I could see, she was ready for another round. I turned to her with an apologetic grin, “Those are my friends. We’re going back to this party and. . .yeah.” Smooth, Tristan. Very smooth.

“Cute.” The brunette’s lips quirked into a smirk. “Maybe I’ll see you around.” She was looking past me now. “I just stopped by to meet up with someone but I found out too late that it wasn’t this station. I’m heading back to town.”

“Oh, cool, well, my name’s Tristan. Tristan Brewer.” I extended a hand, which she shook gingerly.

“Marina Simmons.”

Before I could say anything more, she was back on her motorcycle and leaving me standing there, hoping I’d see her again.

When I got back to the car and put gas in it, Luke was sharing his Snickers with Ariel, who was fuming and asking why I was talking to “that bitch on the black bike.” I must have had a moony eyed look on my face because Luke burst into laughter. “Jesus. What did she say to you, bro? You haven’t been like this since two years ago when Darcy Young was your Calc tutor!”

“I still can’t believe you hooked up with her,” Ariel said with a scoff, “she was so fucking obsessed with you after that. Remember how she accused you of being in love with me when you turned her down? As if!”

Luke groaned in exasperation. “Just drive, Trist. And fast. We have to redeem our title as beer pong duo champions.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” I smiled wryly, turning up the music as Ariel began to sing along. Luke and I joined in, ridiculously off key, which only made us sing even louder. It was going to be a long night, and I knew that at the back of my mind I’d be thinking of a certain girl on a motorcycle. But in that moment, I didn’t mind. I’d probably never see her again anyway, I convinced myself, and that meant I could hold onto the image of her for a bit. I could imagine what could’ve been and if we’d end up as friends or something more. I could daydream about the endless possibilities and no one would question it.

But most of all, those daydreams could possibly provoke the cosmic forces of the universe to bring us together again.

Wishful thinking didn’t seem like a bad idea, right?