James
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"Heads, I stay home. Tails, I go," I said to myself quietly.
Please land on heads, I prayed.
I was trying to decide whether or not to show up at the Fourth of July bonfire.
It was only a few hours away, and part of me just wanted to stay home and spend the holiday night with Mom and Lizzie.
Dad would be coming home the following day, and we'd be leaving for our two-week vacation to Florida the next night. I'd be having my second birthday celebration there as well.
Mom, Lizzie, and I had spent my actual birthday at one of my favorite restaurants, and they had taken me to see a new movie at the theater. We'd spent the day of the Fourth of July with some of Mom's friends across town. So it wasn't like I was in desperate need to get out of the house.
But another part of me knew Harlee would be there.
And that was the reason I wanted to show up.
School would be starting in late July, and I'd be away for half of July.
Maybe, we would never be best friends again; maybe, we'd only be strangers with memories, but if nothing else, I needed to tell Harlee the truth.
Fate seemed to agree with that because as I lifted my palm off of the penny I'd tossed, I saw it had landed on tails.
Best two out of three, I decided and tried again.
It landed on heads that time.
I flipped the coin once more, and my decision was made.
The tails side was facing me.
I hurried out of my room to go ask Lizzie for a ride.
I was going to the bonfire.
We ended up going as a family to the celebration.
Lizzie had wanted to meet Karissa there, and Mom had volunteered to help out with the picnics, so the bonfire turned into a family affair.
Our SUV pulled up to the Winnington park at the beginning of sunset.
The sky was dyed with bright pink and tangerine colors as the sun started hiding behind the horizon. Daylight lingered, but it wouldn't be long before it dimmed out as well. Once it did, fireworks would commence.
Throughout the park, picnic blankets were laid out seating families that were playing, eating, and lounging. It was all a familiar sight, seeing as I attended it on a yearly basis.
One thing was different, though.
Normally, my best friend would be attending it with me.
Not with my nemesis.
Mom parked in the parking lot and shut off the car. She and Lizzie were talkative and excited as we got out, but I was still feeling hesitant.
"I'll be over in just a sec," I told them.
Worried looks appeared on both of their faces.
"Is everything alright?" Mom asked.
I still had yet to tell her about the drama with Harlee. And Dad too, since he'd been curious. As far as they knew, Harlee and I had made amends.
Well, who knows, I thought optimistically.
Maybe, by the time I tell them about all this, she and I will have reconciled.
At the thought of that, I smiled.
"Yeah, I'm alright. I just am going to go look for my friends," I said.
What friends? my mind said, All you have left is Evan.
I ignored it.
Mom nodded her head and said, "Okay, I'll be at the food tents helping with potato salad." She was carrying a bowl of some already prepared in her hand; it was covered with a thin sheet of plastic wrapping.
"Shoot me a text if you guys need me, okay?"
"Kay," Lizzie and I replied in unison.
Mom headed towards the food tents, and Lizzie turned toward me.
"Are you going to tell Harlee you're in love with her tonight?" she asked.
My eyes widened at how direct she was being.
Not to mention how loud.
Even though the parking lot was empty of people, I worried someone would hear her. I put a finger to my lips and said, "Shhh, Lizzie, you can't just say stuff like that out in public."
She shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry."
"I'm going to try," I told her. "She's here with Jasper, though, so I'm not sure if I'll get the chance to."
"Okay, well, good luck then," she said, patting my shoulder.
"Thanks, Lizzie, for everything," I said with genuine gratitude.
The corners of her mouth formed a brilliant smile. I could tell she was pleased with herself. "No problem," she replied.
"Lizzie!" a female voice called out from across the parking lot.
We turned around to see Evan and Karissa getting out of the Smiths' family car. Karissa was waving to Lizzie.
"Hey!" Lizzie greeted her friend.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith gave Lizzie and me a wave then started talking with the people in the car next to them. They all started heading into the park as Evan and Karissa hurried over to us. Karissa and Lizzie grabbed each other in a hug and started chatting like they hadn't seen each other in decades.
I used to wonder why they always acted that way when they saw one another since they hung out together so often. But after all that happened between Harlee and me, I didn't wonder it anymore.
I'd feel over the moon to be standing there with her in the parking lot too.
Evan made a confused face at their embrace and gestured for me to follow him. "They'll talk so long we'll miss the bonfire; let's go on without them," he remarked.
I laughed. "Facts. So, your text said, you're meeting Rachel here tonight?" I asked him.
"Rachel and...two other people," he said quietly.
I sighed. There was no point in beating around the bush. I already knew the two other people he was talking about.
"Two other people as in Jasper and Harlee," I said.
He mumbled, "Yeah, those two." He lowered his eyes, and I could tell he was feeling sorry for me. That was the last thing I wanted.
"Don't feel bad, Evan," I told him. "I caused this mess, and now it's up
to me to make things right."
"How?" he asked.
"By finally being honest about how I feel."
We made our way to the bonfire in the middle of the park. Little kids were making s' mores with their parents by the fire as the older kids formed the usual circle further away from the crowd, but just close enough to the fire to make s' mores of their own. The volunteers in charge of the fire were keeping it going and gave Evan and me a warm welcome as we approached.
Pop music was blaring from the speakers, so we had to elevate our voices to greet them. My eyes searched around to try and find Harlee. She was usually the first person I noticed anywhere, but I didn't see her.
My eyes landed on Farrah, Amy, and Hyland instead.
They were sitting on a log together dressed identically in matching sundresses in Independence Day colors. Hyland's was blue, Farrah's was white, and Amy was in red. It puzzled me why they always got so dressed up even for casual events.
"Should we go say hi?" Evan asked, having noticed them too.
I knew he was still afraid to approach Farrah.
After he had started hanging out with Rachel, Farrah hadn't exactly been friendly to him. In fact, he told me she had blocked his number and his social media altogether.
I thought that was a bit extreme, but then again, this was Farrah Harrington. She was always extreme.
Before I could answer, Hyland spotted me and waved us over.
"I guess so," I said, feeling we didn't have a choice now.
I started walking over towards them. Evan was reluctant but followed behind me.
"Hey, everyone," Evan greeted.
Hyland was the only one that said "hi" back.
"Hey, Farrah," Evan said politely.
A murderous glare was all she gave him in reply; then, she turned toward Amy. "Did you hear something, Amy?" she asked her.
"Nope, I didn't hear anything at all. The music is too loud," Amy played along.
Evan deflated, and I could tell he felt really bad.
I knew it hadn't been his intention to hurt Farrah in the slightest. It wasn't his fault that she had been so pushy to not only kiss him but drag him on dates with her afterward.
But I also knew how terrible it felt to have someone you cared for replace you with someone else. So I couldn't be too hard on Farrah.
"Hey, Farrah." I waved at her.
To my surprise, she waved back.
I supposed Hyland had set the record straight and told her she didn't have to mistreat me anymore.
"Hey, James," Farrah said, "If you're looking for Harlee, she's probably somewhere off with Jasper and Rachel plotting more ways to backstab the two of us. You sure were right to cut things off with her."
My eyes widened in disbelief at what she'd said.
Farrah and Harlee are no longer friends?
When did this happen? I wondered.
"Rachel isn't a backstabber," Evan said, quick to defend her name.
No one answered him.
"You and Harlee had a fight?" I asked incredulously.
"Technically, it was Harlee and me that had a fight," Amy said, pointing toward herself. "It was so bad that she left crying; she'll never mess with me again." She tossed her midnight black ponytail over her shoulder, and I narrowed my eyes skeptically.
The confusion on Hyland's countenance confirmed for me what Amy had said couldn't have been further from the truth.
"What are you talking about? Jasper had to pull Harlee off of you." Hyland stated. "You were screaming for your life like she was murdering you when all she did was push you to the ground and grab your hair."
Amy gave her a death glare.
Hyland just shrugged.
"Whatever," Amy muttered, her cheeks going scarlet.
I turned my attention back to Farrah. "Why did you guys have a fight, though?" I asked her.
Farrah folded her arms and became tearful as she spoke,
"Because she helped Rachel steal Evan from me."
"No one stole me from you, Farrah. I was never yours!" Evan argued back.
"Then why did you kiss me at your birthday party?" Farrah yelled back at him.
"You kissed me!" he shouted.
Farrah stood to her feet, angrily.
Luckily, the loud music was drowning out their screaming. Therefore, no one (besides those in our circle) was really paying the argument attention.
"But, you hugged me later, and you took me on dates!" Farrah exclaimed.
"I hugged you from excitement!" he explained at the top of his voice.
"And I went because you forced me to go! And for the last time, they weren't dates! You just kept calling them that!" Evan ran a hand through his hair then lowered his voice. "I'm sorry, Farrah. I really am. But I don't want to be your boyfriend."
Dejection and hurt filled Farrah's sky-colored orbs, and my heart sank
for her. She had really liked Evan, and it seemed to devastate her that he didn't feel the same way. Unrequited love was a feeling I knew all too well, so I could empathize tremendously.
"Yeah, well, that's just fine because I don't want to be your girlfriend either," she said softly before walking off.
Amy followed after her but not before giving Evan a forceful shove. "You're a jerk, Evan!" she shouted angrily.
"Farrah! Farrah, wait!" she called out, hurrying after her friend.
Hyland was quick to reassure Evan. "Evan, you aren't a jerk; you were honest," she said.
"Agreed," I smiled at her gratefully.
"But I think you two could learn a valuable lesson from all this." She stood to her feet, grabbing her friends' phones and purses they'd left behind on the log.
"Us two?" I raised my eyebrows, unsure what she meant by that.
Hyland nodded and pulled a purse strap over her shoulder.
"Yeah, you did the same thing to me as Evan did to Farrah," she pointed out.
I nodded my head in shame.
I had, in fact, caused her the same pain he'd caused Farrah.
Neither of us had been very fair to them nor ourselves.
"If you don't like someone romantically, don't date them, and be honest that you aren't interested in that way," she said to us.
"And even if you do like someone," she continued. "just 'cause you're a teenager doesn't mean you have to be in a relationship. To be honest, I think we're all better off waiting until we're older...and more mature."
"That's probably true," Evan replied.
He sounded distracted, and I glanced over to see what he was gawking at. Harlee and Rachel were sitting on a log, roasting marshmallows, and talking with one another; Jasper was on the other side of Harlee staring down at his phone.
Both girls looked gorgeous with their hair in spiral curls. Rachel was a bit dressed up, wearing the pink dress she'd worn to Evan's party and white ballet flats. Harlee was dressed casually, as usual, in a blue graphic t-shirt I'd never seen her in before, white Daisy dukes, and navy blue hightop sneakers. But sitting there by the fire, the light of the flames reflecting on her face as she smiled, she looked as beautiful as ever to me.
Hyland noticed our distraction and giggled,
"Or just do what you want; it's up to you; I gotta go check on my friends."
I realized I was being rude and turned back towards her.
"No, you have a good point, Hyland. And you're always a good friend.
Thank you for being so understanding," I said, feeling thankful to her for always being so kind to everyone.
Hyland's snow-white smile returned due to the compliments.
"Thanks, James. You're a good friend too," she said.
"Uh, thanks for the advice, Hyland," Evan said, seeming to have just remembered she was there.
"No problem. See you guys around," she bid in farewell then hurried off in the direction Amy and Farrah had gone in.
Evan nudged me in the arm and nodded toward Harlee, Rachel, and Jasper. "Come on, let's go join them," he said, then started towards the three without waiting for my reply.
"Yeah, let's," I said and reluctantly followed.