What Did You Do, Captain?

Memories || Part One || Like I Know You

There was an old factory out in the woods just outside of town. It was made out of bricks, covered in graffiti and the roof had caved in perfectly to show the night sky. This was the perfect location for the meteor party the kids planned. They had even gone so far as to contact the owners, raise money to rent it for the night, get event permits, and clean it up enough to eliminate hazards.

This was all coordinated by Izzy and her best friend. Izzy was a beautiful redhead with a bright future ahead of her. She seemed perfect in every way. Great grades in school and friends with everyone. She barely ever lost her temper and she enjoyed life to its fullest.

That was why everyone was so surprised at her best friend. They were into drinking and skipping school. They were quiet and a little grumpy, but Izzy loved them all the same.

Noone realized how much alike the two actually were. Izzy was so active and had so many friends because she was depressed and keeping herself busy, but only her best friend knew how she really felt, and her best friend was quiet and depressed because they were unmotivated and apathetic about everything BUT Izzy.

There was one more thing that the two had in common that noone else knew about. They both loved outer space. When Izzy told her friend about the party, the friend actually did most of the cleaning themselves, not even waiting for the permits to finalize. Once they had the rental secured, they prepared the spot.

They cleared away debri, swept and mopped the cement floors, cleared out any animals, made sure the stairs that weren't safe were blocked off and they made sure to clear the areas of the roof that were collapsing so there were holes to see the sky but that nothing was going to fall.

Izzy got permission to buy small fire pits to put around the property, and the owners gave her specific instructions where they could go, since it would be cold during this time of year in Ohio.

There were a few fires upstairs under a few of the roof holes and three down in the yard of the factory, but they were small and they didnt block the view of the sky even a little bit.

"It's perfect." Izzy squealed, hugging her best friend tightly. They smiled softly, surprising those around them. They never smiled.

"My cousin is going to be here with his friend soon." Izzy's boyfriend Eric said, pointing with his thumb to the parkinglot,"Remember you wanted him to meet your friend?"

"You're right!" Izzy said loudly, grabbing their friends hand,"I think you will adore him."

"Fine." They whispered, running a hand through their short hair nervously, "Don't expect much, Izzy. People don't like me."

"People like you when they give you a chance, and he will give you a chance." Eric protested,"He really is a great guy."

"How old is he?" They asked Eric, tugging their sleeves down  over their palms.

"Sixteen, a year older than you. Actually a month older." Eric said,"Come on."

They rolled their eyes and followed, hugging themselves as they watched their feet, kicking a few stones out of the way. They only glanced up as the others got close but dropped their eyes instantly as everyone started talking and hugging. Izzy was introduced to the new guy and the guy said a soft hello before Izzy dragged her friend over by the arm.

"This is my best friend, Nyx. Nyx, this is Mark." Izzy introduced.

Nyx looked up at the most handsome face and the softest eyes they had ever seen. When he smiled it was so genuine. Mark ran a hand through his hair at the same time they did and they both laughed. They offered their hand at the same time as him, laughing with him again. Finally they shook hands.

"Nice to meet you, Nyx." He said in a deep, silky voice.

"Nice to meet you, Mark." Nyx muttered. They pulled their hand away very slowly, only dragging their eyes away from Mark when Izzy grabbed their arm, looping hers into theirs.

"Come on, we have to get to our spot. I left us all dinner there." Izzy said with a grin, pulling Nyx along.

As they walked, Mark casually walked up beside them, his hands in his pockets.

"So, you both put this together?" He asked, looking at Nyx.

"It was mostly Izzy." Nyx deflected.

"You did ALL of the cleaning, Nyx." They walked briskly, pulling closer to one another as they left the cover of the trees and headed to the building. With the sun down. The wind was starting.

"I did what I always do, a. It of cleaning to help you get to do what you like to do. You do all the rest of it." Nyx muttered, their face turning red.

"You wanted this too." Izzy said in almost a whisper.

"So, how did you find out about the meteor shower?" Mark asked.

"Nyx is in a special program. They love space." Izzy leaned around Nyx to smile at Mark,"They have always loved space."

"We both do." Nyx said with a sigh, pulling Izzy to keep her from tripping on a rock.

"Do you drink, Mark?" Izzy asked, waving at a friend near a fire they were passing.

"I can't, it'll make me sick enough i could die." He answered in a joking tone," but I don't mind if others do around me."

"Nyx is the same!" Izzy added, nudging Nyx with her elbow.

"It's different. I'm not supposed to drink because I cant control myself. It's different. " Nyx argued, glancing at Mark. That was a mistake. He was looking at them with a soft smile, his eyes sparking in the distant firelight. Nyx looked away fast.

"What's the program?" Mark asked.

"Huh?" Nyx asked.

"What space program are you in?" He asked.

"Oh... actually my grades got too bad so I'm not in any programs anymore." Nyx stated.

"Oh man. I thought it might be the same one I'm in." Mark fell a sfew steps behind them so he was walking behind Nyx and beside Eric who was behind Izzy. They started up the stairs, iz still holding Nyx by the arm.

"Is Nyx a nickname?" Mark asked. There was conversation going on with others that were on the stairs woth them, there was commotion of people in the room above them, but Nyx only heard Mark, even as they came to the second floor with all the music.

"I chose it when I came out as nonbinary." Nyx said,"It has meaning to me."

"I like it." Mark muttered as they pushed through the crowd. He managed to get next to Nyx again.
"You look amazing tonight, Nyx." He complimented. They met his eyes again, returning his smile.

"Thank you." They answered, making their way to the next set of stairs and up.

{{Note: I feel like this is getting close to the end but I don't want it to end 😭 hope everyone is enjoying this as much as me!
I also edited this to change the ages of everyone. I made them too old at the start of the chapter. They are high schoolers. }}