Broken Glass, Broken Hearts part 84

By the time everyone expected had arrived- plus some people who I either didn't recognize or hadn't been informed were invited- the weather had rocketed upwards, and all the body heat was no help. the windows were all pushed wide open and the air conditioner was blasting, but it was still hot. I was standing with Tyler by the fridge, ready to peel it open and stick my head it at any given moment if it became completely necessary. Just as I turned my head, hearing Selena call my name from somewhere in the room, I saw Trace. Surprised, I turned back and saw that he was indeed standing there, Lola pressed to his side. She was smiling widely, talking to someone as they laughed at whatever she was saying and he surveyed the crowd over her head. I caught his eye and gave a little wave, and he laughed and waved back in response. Shaking my head, I turned back to Tyler, pointing them out to him. He laughed and we drifted through the crowd to talk to them. "Long time no see," Trace said with a laugh. Lola nodded and also laughed. Her arm was hooked through his, and Tyler motioned to it and said, "So, has this sort-of relationship blossomed into a commitment?" Lola blushed and nodded quickly. Trace grinned and said, "Finally." Tyler laughed, wrapping his arm around my waste and drawing me closer, saying, "You and me both, pal." I grinned at them and their eyebrows shot up, and then we all laughed together at the sort of irony this little picture we formed was made of.

I never thought I would see those people again. They were nice, but the prospect of not meeting with them in the future hadn't particularly troubled me, seeing as our meeting had been particularly awkward. Now, though, it seemed that their appearance here, at Angela's beginning-of-summer celebration, thrown by Selena, could not be more appropriate. We soon lost them in the crowd, and Angela and I eventually gave up finding anywhere comfortable in the crowded house. We went into the backyard, where, other than a couple of girls sitting on the wooden lawn chairs, leaning towards each other in a secret-sharing sort of way, there was no one. It was still hot, and I felt sticky from sweat, but at least here the hot air had room to circulate. We sat in the grass and Angela swayed slightly to the song that started playing inside the house. I pretended to sing along, and she laughed before sighing and laying down, her hair spreading around her as if she were laying in water. I sat by her head and tilted my head to the sky, leaning on my hands. "It's weird," she started, "to sit here, in all this heat, with all these people here- with the loud music playing, and the conversation everywhere I look, and you standing beside me- it's strange to think about winter, to think about rain and quiet. It's difficult to recall the feeling of loneliness." I looked down at her for a moment before taking her hand in mine and looking back up at the sky. "It's nice," she continued after a moment, "to know that she's up there." I knew who she was talking about, she didn't have to explain. I smiled, "It is, isn't it?" and we watched the persistent but weak clouds as they moved quickly through the atmosphere.

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