Alex

I stand in front of my closet, the night before my first day of high school, considering what to wear. What first impression do I want to give? I pick out a plain black t-shirt from my closet. I could pair that with some gray joggers and black Vans. I then remember that it’s summer, and I wouldn’t be caught dead in long pants in August. I eventually settle on a Star Wars shirt that had the iconic New Hope movie poster on it, and a pair of khaki shorts. I hang my shirt on the hook behind my door, and place my neatly folded pants on top of my dresser.

My walls are covered with posters from numerous fandoms; Star Wars, Marvel, Pokémon, D.C., Gravity Falls, and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. A lot of people who meet me say I’m a nerd, and they are definitely right. I’m the type of person who will reread the Kane Chronicles once a month.

I walk around my room, making sure everything's in order. “Clothes are picked...crap, need to pick out my shoes,” I realize. I like to make sure I have my outfit in order. I don’t want to be rushing out the door and accidentally pick out the wrong color shoes! I walk over to my closet and pick out a pair of black sneakers that match my shirt and place them next to my dresser. I continue my checklist, “Okay, clothes, shoes, backpack. I think that's it.” I made sure to pack a hoodie, pencils, and a notebook to write down materials I’d need for each class. You can never be too prepared!

I flick the light off and head to my bed. I settle under the light sheets and force myself to try to not think about school, even though that’s all I can think about. I take deep breaths, centering my focus on the air entering and leaving my lungs. The rush of nervous thoughts becomes white noise, and I fell my mind going blank, the darkness of sleep enveloping me.

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Marcus

I lay in my bed, scrolling through Tumblr. It’s 2:00 AM. Why is it 2:00 AM? More importantly, why am I still awake at 2:00 AM? Before my first day of high school? Oh well. That’s a question for later. Currently, I’m bored. I look out my bedroom window and see that it’s a perfect night for stargazing. No clouds out, and a full moon. It’s beautiful.

I pull the top sheet off my bed and ball it up so I can carry it easily under my arm. I’d normally grab a blanket or some sort of towel, but I don’t want to rummage through the unpacked boxes and risk waking up my parents. It’ll have to do.

I unlatch the locks on my window, and slowly push the pane upwards and it slides beautifully. I’m lucky the house is fairly new and I don’t have to deal with it getting stuck or not being able to open it. I hop through the opening and slide the panel back down.

I walk towards Alex’s house and place the sheet in between our properties. I plop down in the middle of it, and smooth out the wrinkles at the edges. This really wasn’t the best idea. My sheet is going to be covered in dirt and grass for at least a week.

My poor choices all become worth it the minute I lay down. The moon is effervescent in the night sky, outshining all the stars. And yet, they still twinkle brightly against the black abyss, begging to be wished upon. A warm gust of wind pushes through the trees surrounding me, causing the leaves to whisper with one another. A few land beside me, and I pick up one, twirl it between my fingers. It’s all so beautiful. I want to share this moment with someone.

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Alex

“Alex!”

I startle awake, faintly hearing someone tapping on my window and calling my name.

“Alex!”

I turn to my window. Who the hell would be up at...wait what time is it? I check my phone. 2:15 am! I’m trying to sleep! Phone in hand, I storm to the window and yank open the cloth curtains.

“Who the…” I start. The rest of my sentence gets stuck in my throat when I see who it is. It’s Marcus, and his face lights up with the goofiest grin (that may or may not make my heart skip a beat) when he see’s that I’m at the window.

“C’mere,” he whispers, gesturing for me to come closer, like the glass isn’t even there. I give an over exaggerated sigh and unlatch my window. He pushes up the pane and takes my hand. My stomach does a little flip as he helps me through. I shut the window behind me, and turn to Marcus.

“It's 2:00 AM! Why did you wake me up?” I whisper harshly. I'm angry that I'm loosing sleep, but the rush of adrenaline is waking me up. Marcus’ smile doesn’t falter as he pulls me away from my house. I immediately start to wonder if Marcus is insane, and if I’m being led to my death.

“Where are we going?” I ask, a bit louder this time. He turns back to me and points to a small clearing of grass.

“There,” he says. We enter the clearing, and I see a…

“A bed sheet? What?” I question, frustration creeping into my voice. Marcus rushes over to it and lies down in the middle. He pats a spot next to him.

“C’mere,” he says again, eyes focused on the stars above. I roll my eyes. I should go back to bed. I need to go back to bed. Despite my better judgement, I lie down next to him anyway.

It’s beautiful out. The moon is full, and I see the little craters that dot the surface. I never realized how many stars you could see out here. Everything here is bathed in pale moonlight, a blanket of pale blue resting over the Earth.

“I like to stargaze,” Marcus admits, and I can feel his eyes on me, “but nothing’s really unpacked yet so I just grabbed my top sheet instead. I thought it was really pretty out tonight...and I wanted to share it with someone,” he tells me, and I can hear his voice go tight. He rolls away. “Now that I’m saying it out loud it sounds so stupid. I’m sorry for dragging you out here,” he apologizes. I look around me, considering my answer.

“Why are you sorry? It’s beautiful out here,” I state. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him turn towards me.

“Really?” he asks, his voice full of hope. I turn towards him. We’re facing each other, and his eyes are wide. His face has turned a shade of blue because of the night sky, and hits his jaw line, defining it.

“Yeah,” I whisper back, “Really.”

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