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When Aubrey showed up at Kel’s house at 9:30 pm and demanded he follow her, he only asked once where they would be going. Aubrey decided not to answer him right then and there. “You’ll know soon enough,” was all she had said in response. And when Kel asked what they were going to do, Aubrey told him to stop asking so many questions. He grumbled but complied.
Just as Aubrey promised, the walk to their destination was not too long. She took Kel to the park, past the thicket of trees and clusters of bushes, and to their ex-secret hideout. She quietly led Kel to the lake, and he followed. Aubrey sat at the very edge of the pier, her feet dangling over the water. Kel went after her, sitting right next to her.
For a long moment, the two teenagers sat in silence. Their newly rekindled friendship was something that they needed to work on. Both were happy to be in each others’ lives again, but navigating their new dynamic after everything that had happened was hard.
Neither of them were the same kids they were years ago, and yet so much remained the same. Kel was still a sweaty, smelly jock. Aubrey was still an emotional wreck. But they needed to learn how to be around each other again. What things worked for New Kel and what things worked for New Aubrey?
Aubrey is the one who breaks the silence first. As she does, she finally reveals to Kel the reason she’d called him out. “There’s supposed to be shooting stars tonight. I thought they’d be nice to see,” she explains, quiet and strangely shy.
“Okay,” Kel says, slowly bobbing his head. “Why did you bring me though?” he asks. Aubrey has plenty of friends who surely would have loved to join her. Kel wonders why she decided to bring him instead of one of them.
Aubrey huffs indignantly as she looks at the starry sky overhead. “You’re asking way too many questions.”
“I only asked one!” Kel protests.
“Yeah, one too many,” Aubrey shoots back. “I mean, come on. A girl asks you to hang out and this is how you respond? No wonder you don’t have girlfriend. Or a boyfriend.”
“Hey,” Kel exclaims with a pout. “Well, it’s not like you’re seeing anyone.”
The pink-haired girl scoffs. She turns to glare at Kel. “Whatever! Obviously, I wanted to spend time with you ‘cause that’s what friends do. If you don’t want to be here, you can leave,” Aubrey replies. She’s very clearly upset, but Kel can’t figure out why. She’s the one who started arguing with him anyway, isn’t she?
Well, whatever. Kel just knows that he would rather her be happy. “That’s not even close to what I said, Aubrey,” Kel assures her. “I’m glad you asked me to hang out and all, I just figured you have other choices.”
Aubrey mumbles something in response that Kel doesn’t quite catch. He doesn’t have a chance to ask about it either when a flash of light darts across the sky. It catches both of their attentions. Their argument goes forgotten as a shower of shooting stars flies across the sky.
Aubrey’s green eyes brighten at the sight. Her lips part slightly but no words come out. They settle on forming a small smile, and one of the most genuine ones she’s mustered so far. The path of her gazes lines up with that of the stars, and there is nothing that could take this experience from her.
Kel is in a very similar state. His eyes sparkle at the celestial bodies as they fly through Earth’s atmosphere. They are there for mere seconds before they are gone, just like the sound of awe he lets out. But unlike Aubrey, his gaze strays from the stars to the person by his side.
It’s been a long time since he’s seen her so relaxed and simply at peace. It’s like there is nothing bad in the world, like they’ve gone back in time to when they were innocent kids who played together every day.
But of course, they’re not. Because it’s just the two of them now, and they know better than to make wishes on meteors. Even still, when all is said and done, Aubrey turns to Kel. She draws her knees up to her chest and rests her cheek against them. And she asks him, “If you could make a wish, just one wish, what would it be?”
Kel took a moment to ponder the question. He kicks his legs as he thinks, his eyes trained on the starry sky’s reflection in the lake. All things considered, Kel is happy with his life. If he could go back, there are definitely a lot of things he would change. But somehow, none of those things seem as important as preserving this moment, the serenity of it all.
None of those things seem as important as Aubrey and her smile.
Ever the type to speak his mind, Kel says just as much. “I would wish for you to be happy. You’ve gone through a lot that wasn’t fair already. So I would wish for you to have to good future where you’re always happy and surrounded by people who love you,” Kel tells her.
Aubrey’s eyes widen for the briefest of moments. But then her whole entire demeanor softens. “Oh…,” she mumbles, caught off guard by Kel’s sweet sincerity. “Do you really mean that? If you had one single wish, you would use it on me?”
“Well, yeah, of course,” Kel answers. And at first, that’s all he plans to say. But he quickly feels as though he needs to give some explanation. “I know we had a rough few years, but I care about you a lot. We’re friends, and you’ll always be someone special to me. I won’t make the same mistake of abandoning you, or anyone else, again. If I can do anything to make you happy, then I will.”
Aubrey’s face flushes, and she’s glad that it’s dark so Kel can’t see. She is sure he’d tease her for it, just like how she’s about to tease him for saying something so sweet. “You’re a sap,” Aubrey says with a huff.
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I can’t tell if you’re insulting me or not,” Kel replies unsurely. Aubrey does note that his tone becomes a little defensive after her statement. Probably, he is preparing himself to retaliate, she thinks.
It’s not an insult. But Aubrey is not as good at being transparent as Kel is. “Take it how you will,” she answers with a shrug.
Kel contemplates that. It’s not hard for him to come up with an answer. “Alright! Then I’ll take it as a compliment. Thanks, Aubrey!” he exclaims with a toothy grin.
Aubrey, despite herself, giggles at his contagious enthusiasm. “Never change, Kel,” she mutters, not sure if she is saying it to him or to herself.
Kel does not hear either way. “Huh? What did you say?”
“Nothing. Just that we should to go home.”
“Oh. Yeah, okay.”
It’s not long before they reach Kel’s house and part ways. But both Kel and Aubrey know that although things have changed, they’ll be alright as long as they stick together.