The music is blasting through the old wooden walls of the barn. The stars are dimly shining overhead, and there are clouds just off in the distance. The weather report said we wouldn’t get any rain until around midnight, so we weren’t worried. The kids are all dancing to “Tick-Tok” and the adults are sitting around the room at tables. LuLu is dancing with Sylvia and Spencer. Nico is nowhere to be found. Me & Tony are standing against the wall with our drinks. We haven’t talked since we got home from the beach. Why is he being like this? I wonder glancing around at every other happy couple. I hated feeling like this toward him, but he was being ridiculous! I wasn’t like LuLu; I don’t go around flirting with every guy I see. I should just talk to him, end this before it gets any bigger.
“Wanna dance Tony?”
“No.” That was it. Cold & hard.
“Ok, wanna go sit or something?”
“No.” His beautiful blue eyes were fixed straight ahead, slicing through the air like ice.
“I’m going to get a drink.” I mumbled walking away frustrated. Silence followed my retreating footsteps. Nobody was at the drink table as I took out my anger on the ladle in the punch. I resumed watching everyone else enjoying the party, envying every laugh, or smile, or loving gaze.
“Hello Summer.”
The velvet voice took me by surprise & I span around to see Nico’s stunning green eyes gazing flirtatiously at me. I instantly felt 10 times calmer than I had just a few seconds ago. Stop Summer one part of my brain cautioned Don’t forget about Tony I felt slightly guilty, until another part of me argued back. Yeah, Tony who’s mad at me for no reason. I’m on vacation, I think I deserve to have a little fun That side of me was making sense.
“Hi Nico. I was looking for you.” I imitated LuLu’s famous flirty smile.
“Yeah, I just got here.” He smiled back. The song switched over to “Crazier” by Taylor Swift. Everyone paired into couples, and Tony was still standing against the wall, lifelessly. A surge of jealousy ran through me again as I watched the others dance. You could always ask Nico I thought. If Tony didn’t want to have any fun, that wasn’t going to stop me.
“Nico, do you wanna dance?” I asked putting my drink on a nearby empty table.
“I’d love to.” I reached for his hand as we made our way across the wooden dance floor. In one graceful movement, I was in his arms, swaying softly to the music. I saw LuLu give me a quick thumbs-up before I faded into my own fantasy. We were dancing, on a cloud, in heaven, he looks at me with those emerald eyes-
Wait I think crashing back to reality What am I doing?! I don’t love Nico! I don’t even KNOW him that well! I love Tony, I always have!
“Nico, I-“
“Your name is Nico, huh?”
My blood went cold, and I silently begged that I imagined that harsh but painfully familiar voice behind me. I turned to see Tony, glaring at me & Nico with his harsh, icy eyes.
“Who are you?” Nico asked with a cruel edge in his voice
“Better question is who are you to come here and steal MY girlfriend?! Get lost!” Tony yelled. The whole room was painfully quiet & my cheeks flushed red with embarrassment & anger.
“Tony-“
“We’re leaving Summer.” Each word was demanding & distant.
“You can’t-“
“Now.”
A burning fire of rage was erupting inside me. He couldn’t just tell me what to do! I am my own person! I make my own decisions! We stood glaring, my eyes challenging him to force me to leave, his eyes were still cold & clear of emotion. LuLu & Sylvia came and dragged both of us outside and started walking before he erupted.
“What the heck was that?!”
“What?!”
“You think you can just go around with whatever guy you want, and I’ll just be totally fine with it & just stand there like an idiot?!”
“You were being ridiculous Tony! I just wanted to have fun, be YOU were being a total JERK! You can’t order me around and expect me to obey like some Golden Retriever!” I screamed my face hot with rage.
“YOU WERE OFF WITH SOME OTHER GUY!”
“YOU TREATED ME LIKE I’M YOUR PROPERTY!”
The clouds off in the distance were darker now, but I barely noticed.
“Can both of you just relax?!” Sylvia begged, but it was hopeless. Our screaming continued.
“Just forget about it and move on!” LuLu tried.
“Yeah,” Tony said, his ice-cold eyes glaring, “I will move on. I’m done. Goodbye Summer.”
“FINE! I DON’T CARE!” I screamed before running down the longer road to the house. LuLu chased after me while Sylvia chased after Tony. When we got to the house, I ran into me & LuLu’s room & just screamed into my pillow until I was nearly hoarse. I must have fallen asleep somehow, because awhile later, LuLu & Sylvia were shaking me awake.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” I moaned sitting up.
“Come down to the beach with us!” Sylvia pleaded
“It’s the middle of the night!” I said glancing at my clock
“We’re sneaking down there, I think the waves won’t be as rough as during the day.”
“Tony’s not going?” I asked warily
“No.”
“Let’s go.”
The beach looked much calmer than it had early that day. The sand felt cool & soft between my toes as I walked behind LuLu & Sylvia who were running into the water. We splashed around in the shallow end and then waded in a lot deeper than we’d tried that day. I was just starting to feel relaxed when;
BOOOOOMMM!
The thunder crashed overhead. We all began to swim back to shore when it happened.
“SUMMER!” LuLu screamed. Too late. A hurricane-sized wave crashed over me easily knocking me into the sand. I lost all sense of direction, and couldn’t figure out which way was up. I struggled to get to my feet, only to discover I was even further down than where I’d started. LuLu & Sylvia were running towards me from the shore. The thunder boomed again like a huge drum, and lightning flashed across the black sky. I began to swim forward when another wave dragged me under. I couldn’t swim; the waves were knocking me down from every angle. LuLu was screaming bloody murder, and I could barely breathe. Another wave crashed over me, and I lost all strength to move. I sank deeper into the water, darkness was overtaking me. I was dying. I could feel it. I did the most clichéd thing possible.
I love you, Tony I thought as the darkness finally claimed me.