If This Was A Movie

My eyes slowly opened. Golden morning sunlight filtered through the curtains and splattered it's light over the contents of the room. My arms turned up in a stretch. Memories as golden as the sunshine replayed in my head. Memories of yesterday, spent at the Water Park with some of my closest friends. Splashing water at Peter. Being soaking wet. Going down the water slide two at a time. Buying a mocha flavoured ice cream afterward, paid by the lovely gentleman Peter.

Although, there was a bit of a sour aftertaste to the memories of yesterday, but I couldn't remember why. There was something about Peter.. Yes, something was off about him. The bad parts of yesterday came back to me. I remembered Peter furrowing his brow in worry when Bridget spoke of Glee Club this fall. He also had a distant look in his eyes the whole day.. I could see clearly that something was bothering him, but I didn't take the time to ask why. Why didn't I ask him? I was a really bad girlfriend, wasn't I?

I flopped back down on my pillow. Glancing at the alarm clock, it was 11:06 a.m.. Great.

Good memories gone bitter, I struggled out of bed and replaced my puppy pajamas with denim shorts, a white tank, and a striped cardigan. The sunny morning became bleak. Hopping down the stairs, I arrived at the kitchen. Yelps of laughter and sounds of playing came from the side yard. Sitting down to the clean and deserted table, I dug in to a cold plate of pancakes placed at the head of the table for me.

After the plate was empty, without further thought I pulled my phone out of my pocket and texted Peter immediately.
"What's wrong? Txt me back plz"
15 long minutes of waiting later, a text came back from Peter.
"I'm on the way"

I was slightly disturbed that Peter would come over so abruptly. It was definitely out of the ordinary. Shunning myself that I was being paranoid, I brushed off the thought and waited on the couch, deep in thought, for Peter to ring the doorbell.
The ringing of the doorbell eventually came, and I had never ran so fast in my life to open the door.

The awkward silence that came afterwards was.. well, awkward.
"Hi." I began the conversation in an odd tone.
"Hey there.." Peter took my arm gently and pulled my out onto the step. "Sonny, I REALLLLY need to tell you something. And it's kind of weird, and unexpected, and you might be mad at me when I tell you. So just take heed."
I nodded, looking up at him. I bit my lip in frustration and impatience as he paused.

"Well.. My Mom.. uh.. God, Nali I HATE saying this but.. we're moving to.. Cali."

I felt like I had just stepped right into the climax of an awful cheesy romance flick. Words were stuck in my throat and I couldn't force them out. My mind was whirring. I didn't know what to think. Thoughts were flying past me. First, images of Peter dancing with un-naturally tanned, bleach blonde party-hard-till-we're-too-drunk-to-stand girls, and I almost puked. And then those images vanished as I thought of how boring school, Glee Club- heck, LIFE would be boring without Peter.

First Bethie had to go. And then Peter appeared in my life, and I had some sort of sanctuary to go to, when I felt like there was no one left. Peter was the sanctuary. He was the only resort I had. Bridget was there, of course. But I can't tell her everything. She'll never get it. Peter knows it all. Bethie, my sisters, the Factory, everything. Over the past few months we had grown so, so so close.

"Sonali?" Peter eyed me cautiously.
I glanced up at his eyes. They were tear-ridden, completely dry. I felt the tears running down my own cheeks, and I was infuriated.

I tore my arm from Peter's soft hand. He winced.
"I have to go." The words jabbed at me as I spoke them.

...My life is TOO much like a movie.
-Sonny

Ahhh. It's summer.

I sat at the desk and smiled as I begun to scribble the first few words upon a piece of looseleaf paper.

Dear Bethie, it read.
I'm doing grea--

My slow scrawlings were interrupted by a knock at the door. I sighed. "Come in!" I stuffed the started letter into a desk drawer in record time before the door opened and the visitor entered. Kirsten shuffled in, her sprained leg bothering her (A few days previous, Kirsten had injured her leg from a fall on the stairs. She had been hurrying upstairs to stop Kit from shoving all the Pixy Stix in her mouth that she could yet AGAIN, when the fall had occured).

"Kirsten! Whats up?" I sprung to my feet.

"Erm, yeah, you appear to have a visitor waiting downstai-" Kirsten's announcement trailed off as my friend Bridget walked through the threshold and smiled ear-to-ear.

Kirsten shook her head, "Well, I guess she's not downstairs anymore.."

I laughed.
"Take it easy, Kirsten." I said quickly before becoming entangled in a famous Bridget hug. Kirsten edged her way out of the room and back to the Kitchen. I focused my attention on Bridget. She was happy and healthy. Her honey-caramel layers framed a glowing face, tanned by the rays of the sun. I noticed that her eyes looked a whole lot like the color of a ripe blueberry in summertime.

"Did you get my text?" Bridget asked eagerly.

I hit my palm against my forehead. "Ah, no! I left it at Peter's this morning."

Bridget winked and nudged my shoulder. "At Peter's, eh? Eh?" She had a naughty look in her eyes.

"SHUT UP!" I slapped her shoulder playfully.

"Anyways" Bridget continued, "We want to go to the local water park. All of us. Y'know, the gang. So you better come with us, missy!" She laughed. "Peter, my man, Violet, Penny.." Bridget listed off a bunch of names that sounded familiar. "Let's go!"

"Uhh.." I glanced back at my desk. I felt the presence of the unfinished letter to Bethie, waiting in the righthand desk drawer for me to presume writing. But the water park was calling to me in the back of my mind. It was a hot, sticky day, I thought. The water park would cool me down. My bedside window was propped open with a painted rock. It was summer. I could go where I wanted. It wasn't as if I couldn't finish the letter when I got home, right?

I gave Bridget a smile. "Sure! Let's get going, Bridgie! Better not keep them waiting."

Bridget drew me into another hug. "Yaaaaay! I knew you would!"
I stuffed my striped bikini into the Aeropostale bag I was borrowing from Julia, along with my sunglasses, sunscreen, a few bucks, and my iPod.

As Bridget and I bustled out the door, I relaxed my tense shoulders and thought,

Ahhh. It's summer.

-Sonali