Olette lounged on the musty couch, her foot twitching. Back and forth. Pence perched on a crate, swinging his legs. Back and forth. His sneakers tapped against the crate. Thump. Thump. Thump. The sunlight fell down on them in thin strips, catching the dust that hung lazily in the air. Once in awhile a cloud drifted in front of the sun, softening the golden streamers.
Hayner sat silently, watching. He didn't even need to open his eyes, though. He knew the rhythm of their lazy days. Today, they were doing what they had always done. Nothing at all. It seemed as if they were planning on wasting their summer on absolutely nothing. They had to do something. He was starting to realize that they didn't have that many summers left. Time was running out and it was really starting to bug him. Time had stolen the years away from them. Hayner felt cheated. Time was unfair. Life was unfair. He'd figured out there was nothing at all that could change that.
That was why they had to make the best out of this summer. They could not just sit around, dumb and idle, wasting another summer. This summer was a clean slate, a blank canvas, waiting to be filled with color. They would fill it. Every last inch. Every last centimeter. This summer would be one that they would all remember forever. The memories would not become stale and lifeless as the summers that had faded like the potted flowers outside his door.
Hayner knew that they could not be together forever. Pence and Olette would pretend that things wouldn't change. But Hayner knew they would, because he himself had already changed. He looked up at the stars at night with dull eyes, knowing that those balls of gas millions of miles away did not care at all about how he wished he could stay with his friends forever. The satisfying snap of a wishbone and the smooth feel of the larger end of the bone against his fingers could not give him what he wanted. Pixie dust and the snapping of a genie's fingers were long-lost fairy tales that he had already forgotten.
"Why don't we get some ice cream?" Hayner suggested, slapping his fist into his palm.
Pence's eyes shone and Olette sat up straight. He had forgotten that they could move so quickly. Soon the three were seated at the top of the station tower overlooking the entire town. Sand-colored buildings tapered off into an emerald sea.
Hayner sat still, watching as his ice cream began to melt slowly in the setting sun.
Drip. Drip. Drip. Melting like his childhood. Falling away from his outstretched fingers. Spiralling deep down into darkness. Lost in oblivion. Time always lost, never returned. Only photographs with fake smiles to mark the passage of time.
He brought the popsicle to his lips, taking a rough bite. Something sad and sweet melted onto his tongue. He licked his lips, slowly savoring the lingering flavor.
"You're so quiet, Hayner. That's not like you at all." Olette laughed, though there was the softest hint of concern in her green eyes.
"I've just been...thinkin'." Hayner spoke tentatively.
"About what?" Pence asked. His eyes were half-closed and a small, content smile lit his face.
"About how we're wasting all of our time! Think about it. We don't have that many summers left. And what are we doing? Sitting around doing nothing." Hayner half-shouted passionately.
"Well, what do you want to do, Hayner?" Olette prodded after a moment of silence.
"Make more memories! We need to do as much as we can!" He responded.
"Isn't this a good memory?" Pence said quietly, then his voice grew louder. "Sitting here, eating ice cream. Feels like nothing could ever go wrong."
"Maybe it is," Hayner admitted, "But we've got to do something else."
Hayner stayed quiet afterward. He stared up at the sunset. The red fireball sunk slowly to meet the horizon line, brushing the clouds and setting them on fire. The clouds stretched across the sky. He'd never really dreamed of flying, but it was nice to just stare up at the sky.
It was in those quiet moments that he became aware of a strange ache that ate at his heart. He was haunted by the feeling that something was missing. He disregarded the feeling as the lingering presence of a long-forgotten imaginary friend that would fade entirely with age.
All things, he feared, would fade with age. The time they could spend together would never be as long or as leisurely. The enchantment of summer would grow dim and long, lazy days would become an old treasure. He knew they could not live like this forever.
They would fall apart with age and all that would be left would be the memories of the time when they laughed at the future that seemed as distant as stars, but not nearly as magical.
Hayner pulled a small, red orb from his pocket. He squeezed the little crystal orb, then rolled it around between his fingers. He lifted it up. The light from the setting sun made it glow softly. The town glowed red in its endless depths. A ruby sun bled into a red sky. He would have called it magic, but he didn't believe in magic anymore.
Writer's woes: This was originally part of my centric collection, but it didn't really fit there. So I moved it. :D