Summer Nights (A Work On/In Hold/Progress)

Summer Nights
By: Shaire Blythe

Pass a bottle over here.
Let’s dance the night away.
We’re full of sweet beer and high on ecstasy.
Our minds are in the clouds.
We’re light and careless.
Reckless.

Dare me to drive?
I can barely walk.

The beach is soothing - the perfect place to lay and play.
Light a fire, sing the night away.
Pick a spot, no ones watching.
Do whatever the hell you want.
Now this is really sex on the beach - way better than the drink.

We’re wild teenagers, what can we say?
We just want to party all night.

We love Summer Nights.
-By Shaire Blythe


Sounding Like A Jersey Girl

She was making me go to the store for her. I’d woke up, ate breakfast, took a shower, and was lounging in my room when she asked me to. Usually she had someone else to run errands for her and do chores around the house, but since I was here there was no use in having ‘em around - she had explained to me. But of course, I didn’t say no. It was merely my first morning here in L.A. Not only that, but she was my Grandma. What type of granddaughter would she think of me if I refused her command?

“Here, take my car.” Grandma Carol held keys out to me as I got to the bottom of the steps. I took them with a faint smile. “And here’s the money and list.” She gave each to me too. “There’s a small grocery store up the road. It’s not far. You can go to it if you want. They should have everything.”

“Okay.” I was about to walk out the door when she called me back. “Yes,” I answered.

“If you get lost - which you shouldn’t - but if you do, just ask for directions.”

I nodded my head understandingly and walked out, stuffing the list and money in my pocket. The sun was the first thing I saw once I was away from underneath the veranda. It was as striking and bright as it had been when I’d arrived yesterday. I loved it. It made me feel liberated and at peace. But that soon all changed as fast as it had came.

Grandma Carol’s vehicle was literally a piece of crap. It was an old model of a Honda Camry. It took me about six turns to get the ignition running right. I was sure Grandma Carol and the whole neighborhood had heard my failed attempts, but not one person had came to ask if I needed help. But it was cool. After the fact that I got it running, I felt the more happier that I’d done the job without anyone’s assistance. It served them right.

I took off from the rocky driveway and headed up the street. I went slow, keeping my eyes out for the grocery store Grandma Carol had referred me to. Now thinking of it, if it was as close as she’d made it sound, I could’ve simply walked instead of drove this stupid car. I was beginning to learn that every time I put pressure on the brake, the car would squeal as if I’d run over an animal. To say the least, it was embarrassing.

“C’mon stupid store. Where the hell are you at?” I mumbled to myself, feeling the stares of people as I rolled by them. I imagined them staring at me in awestruck instead of at the rusted red exterior of the car. God, this was so torturing. I made a note to myself to never ever drive Grandma Carol’s car again. Hell, I would walk.

After driving five blocks down, to the left, was a place called Rudy’s Grocery. I quickly turned on my blinker - though there were, momentarily, no other cars in sight - and dashed into the vacant parking lot. I parked not far from the door and turned the car off. I hoped it wouldn’t give me trouble starting back up like earlier. Though it seemed as if I was the only customer here, I still didn’t want to have to go through cruel déjà vu.

Bells rang as I entered the store. A wave of cold air tingled my skin, sparking slight goosebumps on my arms. I was grateful. Anything felt better than the heat outside. Only one window in Grandma Carol’s car - which was in the back on the left side - partially came down. I would’ve used the air condition, but it blew hot air out instead of cold. Her car was just a hot mess.

“Wassup…” A male voice greeted, far from welcoming.

I turned towards the cash register and saw him sitting behind the counter, his legs propped up on top of it. He had a comic book in his hands, his dark eyes scanning over the pages intently through his long emo-ish hair. Rude much?

I took in a breath before nicely saying, “Hi” back. Just because he was acting like an ass, didn’t mean I had to return the act.

My feet took me down the nearest aisle to get out of the pathway of the door. I fumbled in my pocket to retrieve the list. Looking at it for the first time, I was glad to see that it wasn’t very long. I didn’t want to spend forever in here. Then again, upon entering, I noticed the store wasn’t real big like Grandma Carol had said.

Milk was the first item on the list. I glanced over the short racks and perceived the freezers way on the other side of the wall. I started to make my way towards them, but came to a stop, realizing that I needed a cart or something to carry everything. There was no way I could carry it all in my hands.

I turned my head every which direction and not, attempting to spot one of those plastic handheld baskets. I was certain they had them somewhere around here.

The hushed pop song that played throughout the store became more clearer as my senses got clever. Thank god I was the only customer in here and the clerk was too intrigued by his comic book. I must’ve looked so stupid - cause I sure felt it - looking for something in a small store. I mean, how the hell could I not find a basket?

I was nearing the end of an aisle when a door that might as well had been invisible to my eyes burst opened. I jumped, startled.

“I hate this fucking job!” The girl that had exited out of it complained. Her head was tilted back, up to ceiling. She had no clue that I was staring at her, my heart beating out of my chest.

She had to be an employee, since I noticed the door did have an Employees Only sign on it when it swung close. I really hadn’t thought anyone else was here.

“Hey, excuse me,” the words spilled out of me before I knew what I was saying. I just needed some help, and was getting tired of trying to find the basket with no luck. I was getting nowhere and wasting my time.

The girl stopped, snapping her head in my direction, her golden strawberry waves falling around her face. Light freckles ran across her upper cheeks, and her hazel eyes gleamed with this interest, as if I was a savior to her annoyance.

“Yea?” She asked, stuffing her hands into the pouch of her thick gray hoodie. “How can I help you?”

“Um, do you have some sort of basket? Like the ones you carry around?” I questioned, toying with the list in my hand. I was sure I sounded like some retard. What only made it worse was that she looked my age. It was different sounding like a retard in front of elders than in front of your own age group.

She stared at me, not uttering a word. I bit the inside of my cheek, happy to have a row full of canned goods between us, but self-conscious for my face to still be seen. Did I have something on it? Maybe toothpaste that I hadn’t quite noticed?

Slowly, she turned her head and looked at the guy who was still engrossed into his comic. Possibly this was why no one else was here, and I just hadn’t got the heads up about the freaky employees that ‘worked’ here.

“Ay, Emo! The girl needs a basket,” she informed him.

He muttered some obscenities under his breath, reaching down to plunk a metal basket on the counter, right next to his black shoes. It didn’t amaze me how he never once pried his eyes from his comic.

Seriously, what type of store did Grandma Carol have me going to? Not unless I went to the wrong one…

“Okay. Thanks.” I faintly lifted my hand at her and started to go get the basket.

“Hey, wait.” She spoke. I stopped and gradually faced her. I was starting to become aware of how much of a gravelly voice she had. It was almost like she had something caught in her throat. But something told me it was how she really talked - nothing more. “You’re not from here, are you?” She continued, her eyes full of curiosity.

I shook my head. “N--”

“She sounds like a Jersey girl,” the guy behind the counter interrupted me. I looked at him to see his eyes nailing right into mine. I took in the bleakness of his whole face and demeanor. He had dark bags under each of his eyes. I couldn’t tell if it was from lack of sleep or makeup. What I did know was that it made him look like he’d been through hell and back.

“Actually Boston,” I politely set him straight.

“Jersey, Boston…what’s the difference?” He intoned.

My eyes widened at his offensiveness. Was he serious?

“Stop being an ass.” The girl rolled her eyes. “Ignore him,” she directed at me. “He’s only jealous of your accent. He’s been wanting one for the longest.”

The guy laughed and shook his head in disbelief, turning his focus back to his comic. The girl gently leaned on the top of the canned food and reached her hand over to me. “I’m Stephanie,” she said.

“Leenah,” I shook her hand uncertain.

“Cool name,” she said. “So did you just move here?”

“I’m here for two months…The, uh, summer. I’m staying with my Grandma.”

“Oh, how nice,” Stephanie smiled. Her face completely glowed when she smiled, as if her radiant tan skintone wasn’t enough. Whatever type of bronzer or amount of sun she was getting, I needed it. My skin was so fair.

“Oh, yea. How nice,” the guy behind the counter sarcastically mocked Stephanie. He was a true asshole. Him, alone, probably scared all of their customers away.

Stephanie scoffed. “And again, he’s jealous. His grandma disowned him, as did the rest of his family.”

“Ha ha,” he faked a laugh, finally setting his comic down. He removed his feet from the counter and snatched up the basket. He walked down the aisle Stephanie was on and stopped near her.

Staring at him up close gave me the chills. He wore a black tee with a bleeding heart on his chest, and black skinnies. His black hair was draped into his pale face and over his eyes. I wondered how he could see where he was walking.

“So what’s a Boston girl like yourself doing here in the ‘City of Angels’?” He asked, but purposely gave me no time to answer. “Oh, wait. I forgot. You’re here for the summer…living with your Grandma…for two months? D-Did I get that right?” He furrowed his eyebrows, already knowing what the answer was. To me, he was making a great fool of himself. He’d simply recited everything that had been said. What was with the cynicism and - what it seemed like to me - hostility?

Stephanie punched the guy in his chest. For his body to be slender and lacking muscle, it was a surprise that he didn’t flinch. Stephanie had hit pretty hard, almost like a boy.

“Can you lay off on the bitchiness?” Stephanie scowled at him. She gave me a look as if to say sorry and said, “You should hang with us. I mean, there’s more than just me and this jerk,” she pointed her thumb towards the guy. He was looking elsewhere with an uninterested expression. “We can show you around and just show you a great time. You can hang with us and all of that. So what do you say?”

“Um…” I thought of how friendless I was and how nice it would be to hang with other teenagers, and get to know L.A. Grandma Carol sure wasn’t going to want to hang with me or take me to the beach. She seemed more like an indoor elder, and not one who loved to get out and just enjoy the rest of life. “Yea. Sure,” I decided.

“That’s awesome,” Stephanie smiled. Again, her face glowed.

The guy lifted the basket up and held it to me to take. I cautiously did.

“By the way, I’m Ro,” he spoke. “And you’re not in Boston anymore, Leenah.”