"Michigan, I will bring you back to, well, Michigan!" mom threatened.
Michigan barked, tail wagging and body ready to take off at a run. He bit down harder on half of an orange he'd stolen off the table.
"Is that bad for dogs?" dad asked me.
"I doubt it. Let's let her struggle," I signed to him. He grinned and pat my shoulder.
"Fine! Eat the orange! You're worse than Garrett, I swear," mom said, giving up as he darted past her.
"Hey, I'm not bad," I said, frowning.
"Don't play innocent. Ray said you and Jack were climbing that tree in the backyard the other day. I told you not to climb trees, Garrett," mom said, crossing her arms. "You're going to get hurt." She nudged dad. "Tell your son he's going to get hurt."
"You're going to get hurt," dad said. "But...how high did you climb?"
"I'm leaving the country," mom said, throwing her hands up in defeat.
Dad stood up, putting one arm around mom and one arm around me. "Don't leave the country. We agreed to hike and have a picnic next weekend. I wanted to show Garrett the flowers on the trail."
"Fine, I'm leaving the country after our family hike," mom said.
"I'll pick you a flower," dad offered.
"I'll bring it with me to France. Or Italy. I haven't actually decided where I'm going yet," mom said.
"I'll pick you two flowers," dad said.
"You've won me over, I'll stay in America," mom said. "Make them really nice flowers, and make it three."
"One for each of us?" I said.
"Sometimes I love my family," mom said, reaching out to lightly ruffle my hair. "Aren't you leaving soon?"
"Yea," I said, checking my phone. "I've got to pick Silas up in a few minutes. I doubt I'll be home tonight, but I'll text you. We're probably going to stay at Akira's."
"Have fun and don't climb anymore trees," she said.
"But if you do, send me a picture. I like the view," dad said. At mom's glare, he hastily added, "But don't climb trees."
I laughed and grabbed my bag off the table. "I won't climb trees. Maybe. Bye guys!"
"Bye Garrett," they called as I left the house.
I got in my car and rolled the windows down, knowing that with summer nearing its end, the temperature would start to drop. I was already getting excited for all the fall activities, and the snow that would be here in a few months. I'd already promised to take Silas snowboarding with me and my friends.
I reached Silas's house and got out of the car, going up and knocking on the door. Ray answered and let me into the house.
"Si!" he called. "Garrett is here."
"You told my mom I was climbing the tree in Jack's yard," I said. "I thought I could trust you, Ray."
"I had to get Jack out of that damn tree when he was a little kid. If you airheads got stuck up there, I was leaving you to your fate," he said with a shrug.
"Then leave me to my fate without tell my mom!" I whined.
"What're you whining about?" Silas asked as he came down the stairs.
"Oh, did Ray cut your hair again? It was starting to get longer," I said as I looked at him with his neatly cut hair.
"He never gives a damn about haircuts. He looks older, more handsome, and more mature with his hair like that," Ray said.
Silas rolled his eyes. "Yea, Ray made me cut it. I guess I don't mind it."
"It does look good like that," I said, holding my hand out to him. "Ready to go?"
"Yea, I'm ready," he said, taking my hand. "I'll text you if I ain't coming back, Ray."
"Sure. Just don't get into any trouble, you punk ass kid," Ray said.
"Trouble? Me? Nah," Silas said, grinning a little. "Never."
"Get out of here, both of you. At least if I'm not there, it's not my problem," Ray said, giving Silas a light shove. "Have fun."
We left Ray's house and got in my car. Silas started up his music as I rolled the windows down and backed out of the driveway.
"I'm so excited to watch horror movies outside tonight," I said eagerly. We were having a bonfire at Akira's house, with everyone joining to watch horror movies and sleep outside. Akira had invited his cousins Emi and Sara to come too, so we had a good sized group for it.
"You and your horror movies," Silas said, shaking his head. "My favorite is Halloween. I also liked that one you showed me with the, you know, the cat. The one that died and came back."
"Pet Sematary?" I said.
"Yea, that's the one," he said. "It was creepy. I liked it."
"Well, I'm glad you liked a film based on a book that Stephen King himself thought was too dark and bleak to be published," I said, laughing.
A few minutes later, I parked in the driveway. We got out of the car and went around the back of the house, where Akira, Jack, Kaito, and Jill were gathered.
"Where are Emi and Sara?" I asked.
"On their way. Sara was helping my Uncle do some paperwork," Akira said.
"You need help with that fire?" Jack asked.
Jill shot him a look. "Please do not come anywhere near the fire. I've got it under control."
"Fine, struggle," Jack said. "I can't even be nice without you all being suspicious."
"Hey, do you have it all ready?" I asked.
He grinned widely. "Hell yea I do! You going to help me, pal?"
"You know it. Akira actually agreed?" I said.
"I did. If it goes horribly wrong, I'll just pretend I didn't," Akira said.
"It'll be great, I promise," Jack said in excitement. "I hope Emi and Sara get here soon."
"Kira, help me set up the cushions and blankets," Kaito said, standing up.
Akira got up and followed his brother. They returned with cushions and mattresses, which they set up along the ground, a safe distance from the fire and right in front of the outdoor movie screen.
As they were finishing that up, Emi and Sara came around to join us. They set down some soda and snacks on the table we had set up.
"Sorry we're late. I had to finish stuff up with my dad, and Emiko couldn't find her hoodie," Sara said.
"I needed this hoodie," Emi argued. "Akira let me borrow it and I forgot to give it back."
"You know you're just going to forget again," Akira said.
"But I'm making a good effort," she pointed out.
"Fair enough. Take a seat," he said.
The girls sat down with us. I nudged Jack and he got up, slipping away to get set up.
"Silas, will you spot me at the gym on Wednesday? No one else can go with me, and I know Ray gets busy," Emi said.
"Sure, I can spot you. Just remind me to be there," Silas said.
"Thanks! Hey, Garrett, I saw your dad walking Michigan the other day. He's so cute! The dog, not your dad. Well, your dad has a really cute personality. But he's also way older than me, so you know," Emi said. "Anyways, where I was going with this was: Can you bring your dog next time we walk the trail together?"
"Of course. Michigan loves walking the trail!" I said. "He gets impatient with me, though. Silas jogs with him, and now he thinks I'm not good enough."
"Dogs like to run," Silas said, shrugging.
"Where is Jack?" Sara said, looking around.
"He'll be back," Akira said. "Kaito, do you have all the movies?"
"They're all on my drive," Kaito said, nodding towards where his computer was set up. "Jill, how's the fire?"
"I got it to catch on the bigger logs, so it should be steady burning for a while," Jill said, blowing on the fire a little. "Your dad brought out plenty of wood, so if it starts to die down, I'll get it going again."
It was a few minutes before Jack reappeared, so eager he couldn't keep still. The grin seemed a permanent addition to his face.
"Hey, hey, it's all set up," he said.
"What's all set up?" Kaito asked suspiciously.
"I trust him this time, Kai," Akira said, getting up. "Come on, everyone."
"Come on Garrett," Jack said, grabbing my arm and pulling me with him.
We all followed him towards the edge of the backyard, where he had set up several fireworks at various angles. Silas groaned as soon as he saw it.
"Fuck," he said.
"It's not your yard, so you can just shut your mouth," Jack said, handing me a lighter.
"This is a horrible idea," Kaito said.
"Let them do it. You'll be surprised," Akira said, nodding at us with the smallest smile. "This isn't the worst idea you two idiots have ever had."
Jack nodded at me and began lighting the fireworks, just like we had practiced. When we were done, we stepped away from them just as they started shooting off.
Everyone watched as they shot through the air in a pattern, going off with little pops and hisses, lighting up the night with a surprisingly fascinating display of lights and sparks. The others watched in wonder as the sparks rained down over some of the patterns lingering in the air.
It was a short display, but it was captivating, and nothing caught on fire. When it fell dark again, Jack threw a fist in the air.
"I did it!" he cried triumphantly. "It worked!"
I slapped him on the back, sharing his grin. "All that work. Great job, Jack."
Akira clapped, the others joining in. Silas didn't clap, but he wasn't glaring anymore.
We'd been practicing in the fields since they fight between Ray and Mr. Waymire. Jack had been trying to design smaller spectacles so he could work his way up, and this was the first one he'd managed to fully pull off. Akira had helped us with some of it, but the work was all Jack's. We just lit the fuses and helped stop the damage when it went wrong.
"Nice job, Jack," Akira said, slapping a high five with him.
"I can't believe you did it without starting a fire!" Emi said, clapping again. "That was great, Jack!"
"Just keep it outta my yard," Silas said, crossing his arms. "Ain't as bad as it used to be."
I went over and nudged him. "You thought it was cool, don't lie."
"I didn't think it was cool. I got my arm burned for that shit," he grumbled.
"Yes, but he hasn't terrorized your yard in weeks," I said.
"Oh, wow, yea, greatest neighbor in the fuckin' world. Ain't set my lawn on fire in weeks," Silas said. "You're right as always, Gar."
I helped Jack clean up before we all went back to the fire. Jack was ecstatic over his successful firework display, growing even more excited when he found out Akira had recorded the whole thing on his phone. It made me so happy to see. He'd worked so long and so hard on this, and he'd just shown it to people who'd doubted him.
Kaito started up a movie, and as the opening credits started, I tugged on Silas's arm. He looked at me curiously, getting up when I gestured at him.
The two of us went around the side of the house together and we sat along the side. Silas looked over at me.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
"Yea. Look at the stars tonight," I said.
I rested my head on his shoulder as he looked up at the sky. I had one of his hoodies on, a newer one since I'd traded in the other one for one with his scent fresh on it.
"It's beautiful," he said, a word he'd used more often.
"I have a present for you," I said, picking my head up and reaching in my pocket. I took out the small, wrapped box and handed it to him.
"A present?" He furrowed his brow. "What for?"
"Just open it," I said.
He unwrapped the box and carefully pulled the top off. He reached in and took out the keychain inside, looking at the pattern on it.
"That's the sky the night we first sat and looked at the stars together. Those are the stars that night. We were here. You were smoking and I had woken up in the night and found you here," I said as he looked it over.
That amazed expression lit his face, an expression I cherished. He clutched the keychain tightly, looking speechless.
"I know you collect keychains. I thought this would be a nice one to add to the collection. I didn't take a picture that night," I said, leaning over to kiss his cheek.
But he turned his head and kissed my lips. He pulled me closer, kissing me with an ease that warmed me. I put my arms around his neck and kissed him back, overjoyed at the comfort he'd gotten in our relationship.
"Thank you," he whispered.
I hugged him close, kissing him again. "I was hoping you'd like it."
"I love it," he said, looking at the keychain. "Thank you, Garrett. Thanks." He laughed, a breathless sound. "Shit, I'm glad you bothered me that night. I thought the stars were just there before I met you. Didn't care what patterns they formed."
I twined our fingers together, squeezing his hand. "There's a lot of hidden beauty in the world. Look at you. You were there for years and it took me a while to realize how much I loved the sight of you."
He was blushing. "Shut it. I can't get used to the shit you say."
"You love it." I kissed his cheek.
"It ain't all bad," he admitted.
"One for the photo album?" I said, taking out my phone.
"You're gonna run out of room in it," he said, but moved closer so we'd both fit on the screen.
"Then I'll buy another," I said simply, and took the picture of us. I'd been printing out all the photos I took of us, compiling them into a photo album of our time together. Just one more photo in a sea of memories, a moment in time we could forever look back on and cherish, even when the memory itself slipped from our minds.
We sat together and watched the stars, cuddled up with each other. Silas kept looking from the sky to the keychain in his hand. He held it gingerly, those hands so used to harming now protecting a little keychain with the stars on it.
After a while, we both got up, keeping our hands linked together. Silas carefully set the keychain back in the box and tucked the box into his pocket. He kissed me again before we went around the house and joined the others.
"He liked it?" Akira guessed quietly.
I smiled. "He said he loved it."
"Who knew a guy that can beat the shit out of people is such a sap," Jack said.
I laid down next to my friends, Silas on my other side with his friends next to him. The movie played out in front of us, but when I looked over, Silas had taken the keychain back out to look at it again, a small smile on his lips.
I curled closer to him and he released my hand to wrap his arm around me. I kissed his cheek, resting my head on his shoulder and watching the movie.
"I'm glad you showed me the stars," he mumbled in my ear.
"I'm glad you let me," I said.
There was so much beauty out there we hadn't seen yet. But when I thought about my future, Silas and I were side by side, experiencing it all together, that amazed look on Silas's face.
My eyes drifted from the screen up to the sky, where the stars were scattered about. It all looked so random, so incomprehensible. But when I focused on a small section, I could see the shapes they formed, and it started to make sense.
Silas's body was warm against my side, a familiar sensation. I wanted to watch the sky with him from all over. I wanted to experience the world with his hand held in mine. And he looked determined to do the same as he hugged me close and kissed my head.
We'd have plenty more beautiful, fascinating nights in our future together. But nothing would compare to the stars that first night.
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A.N.- Thank you all so much for reading this story. It was refreshing to write something so soft for once, and I hope I can do more stories like it in the future. This story never really gained much attention, but I'm so grateful for everyone who did read it because I got some of the sweetest comments on here, so thank you guys for that!
As always, if you want to see more of the characters from this story, you can head on over to my prompt account "promptingskenekidz" and send me requests for them!
I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please let me know what you thought!