tidal wave | rafe cameron

seven

midsummers.  every year seemed more extravagant than the last.  this marked the third midsummers without my mom.  i missed getting ready with her; her teaching me how to curl my hair and do my makeup.  i missed her extra during events like this.

sarah asked if she could come over so we could get ready together and i agreed.  after seeing her with john b earlier in the week, i was unsettled at first.  now, i've pushed it to the back of my mind because tonight, all i cared about was drinking champagne and looking good.

rafe and i hadn't talked since he came over.  no texts, no calls, nothing.  i didn't reach out first.  i was the one who had been shutting him down all this time, what would i look like if i started begging for his attention now?

music blasted from my speaker as we got ready.  my vanity was littered with makeup, perfume, jewelry, and hairspray. 

as i spray my freshly curled hair, my phone buzzes.  it's a text from kie.

i look ridiculous

i laugh slightly, imagining kiara all uncomfortable in her dress and heels.

i'm sure u look great

i go back to getting ready and singing before she replies.

i look like i wipe my ass with hundred dollar bills.

i knew i would look like that too and so would sarah.  everyone at midsummers looked like that. 

isn't that the goal?

she stopped responding after that.  i was nervous for a second that she didn't understand that i was joking.

lmaooo for sure

she finally replied and i exhaled like i had been holding my breath that entire time.

after hours of hair, makeup, and taking pictures, we were finally ready. sarah decided she wanted to arrive at midsummers with me and my dad and i was okay with that.

pulling up to the event for the first time in 365 days made me realize how nerve wracking it was for me. it was filled with small talk, so much small talk, and enough douchey trust-fund kids to last a lifetime.

"i'm nervous," i whisper.

sarah grabs my hand and looks at me, her lips pulling into a slight smile. "we'll get some champagne and everything will be fine."

i smile too, "ugh, i can't wait."

at midsummers, the adults didn't really care if their kids had a glass or two. it was a sophisticated environment. the kind that played classical music and smelled like every designer perfume on the market.

as we step out of the car, i rub my hands against my dress. partially to smooth it, partially because i was worried my hands were sweating. my dress was baby blue and silky with an open back. it clung tight enough to my body to show off my figure while still being just slightly loose. it was a midi dress, which meant that my heels were on display and i wouldn't be able to take them off like i did last year.

"where's topper?" i ask without thinking.

sarah looks around, "i don't know, he said he wanted this to be like, our big reveal as a couple but we got in a fight yesterday so i'm not really sure."

i hold my arm out for her to grab, "we're a couple now."

she giggles and we go in together. my dad is laughing in front of us to himself, i can tell because his shoulders shake ever so slightly as he listens in on our conversation.

"sarah, is your family here yet?" he asks.

"mr. reese, you know rose is super anal about being on time," she replies jokingly.

he laughs, "sarah, how many times do i have to tell you that you can call me danny."

he really did say it constantly. sarah was like a second daughter to him, that's how much she was around. but she always said she liked to call him mr. reese. she thought it was funny being so serious.

as we walk farther, we spot ward and he waves us over. rafe is standing next to him and i feel his eyes on me without even having to look.

"hi, callie," ward smiles.

"hi," i greet.

"okay let's go," sarah says as she begins to drag me by the arm away from her family.

"thank god. i can't stand one more second of their secretive business talk," i say as we walk.

"i know, right? what the hell do they even do anyway?"

"lord knows," i shrug.

sarah ended up wrapping in a conversation with a girl that i didn't really know, so i wandered off by myself to find kie. i found champagne on the way to her, which immediately made me happy.

"oh my god, cal!" kie grins.

"you look stunning," i stare at her with my jaw dropped. her dress was purple, like she had told me. her curly hair was pinned up and a crown of purple flowers rested on her head.

"shut up, look at you," she twirls me around.

she then focuses on the glass in my hand, "where did you get that?"

i point in the direction of the last person i saw carrying a tray of glasses. i quickly down the rest of the sparkling liquid as we head to get more.

we sip and stick out pinkies out jokingly.  we laugh and laugh and laugh.  there was no doubt in my mind that we were having more fun than anybody else here.  as we talked and laughed, i thought about the rest of our friends.  i thought about jj, how he would love to be here and make fun of rose's headpiece that made her look like lady liberty.  i thought about pope, who would love to talk about smart things with smart people.  i thought about john b, too.  i wondered if him and sarah texted or if they called.  if he knew what she was wearing.

what do they know about each other? at what point did their mutual hatred for each other turn into something different?

i guess there was no time to be thinking about that.  because now, i'm in the moment and i am here.  i am drinking champagne with one of my best friends in a pretty dress while the guy i kinda like stares and regrets his decision to leave me.

these are the moments that we take for granted.