The day was unusually hot, even for Southern California in the middle of July; sun beamed down on the faded asphalt, casting shadows on anxious children and exasperated parents as they posed with ridiculous characters, and stood in long, winding lines, waiting to create memories. Delia, a curvaceous brunette, was a fresh eighteen: her bright green eyes portrayed that of happiness and content as she waited in the curving line for Splash Mountain with some of her closest friends. It was Summer Vacation before they all left for college and, in an attempt to get in one last hoorah, her friends Kai, Drew, Khloe and herself had booked a one-way ticket to Los Angeles, hoping to relish in their childish ways at the host of all fantasies: Disneyland.
“I wish we didn’t waste our fast-passes on Indiana Jones”, whined Khloe, wiping a bead of sweat off her face as it traveled slowly down her temples. “This line will never end.
“C’mon, babe”, assured her boyfriend Drew. He wrapped a tanned shoulder around her waste and pulled her in reassuringly. “We’re almost there; besides, it’ll be worth the wait!”
Khloe smuggled out from under his arm, and locked fingers with Delia: “What do you say we leave the boys here, and go and find some frozen lemonade?” She was giving off her this isn’t really a question, so don’t act like it’s a choice face, and, with a slight roll of her eyes, Delia agreed to follow her friend back through the throng of panting, perspiring Disneyland enthusiasts. She breathed a sigh of relief when they escaped the claustrophobic tunnels, and were welcomed with a relatively small line at the lemonade stand. As they took their place in line, Delia glanced suspiciously over at Khloe, who was twirling a red curl with her index finger and gazing at Delia with a smile protruding from the corner of her mouth, a smile she was infamous for.
“What is it this time? Do you have more exciting news to share about you and Drew? Or, wait, something to do with your fabulous apartment you’re renting near your fabulous college, a short drive from your fabulous internship?” Khloe’s gaze stayed fixed. “Well, I don’t want to hear it. I’m single, a-and headed for Community College; honestly, can I at least have one day of peace?”
“Calm down, Dee. I’m only thinking about lemonade, I promise”. She flitted her almond eyes and reached for the wad of ones hidden in her back pocket. “But, if I was going to say anything, it would only be to ask you what’s going on with you and Kai.”
“What do you mean?” Delia stammered. “We’re… f-friends, that’s all.” However, this sentence alone was hard for her to get out. Since the eighth grade, Delia had lusted after Kai. It was a hopeless, imaginary romance she would never pursue; Kai, unfortunately, had never thought of her as more than a friend.
Khloe pursed her lips and placed her hand on her hips, about to respond, when a sudden shriek echoed through the vast park:
“Oh my GAWD, Delia is that YOU?” Delia whipped around, catching the sweet whisp of wind through her hair as she came face to face with a friend she hadn’t seen since middle school.
“Jayde! W-wow, it’s been ages. How are you?” She hugged her friend, whose hair was newly streaked blonde, no doubt from the intense sun, and began prattling on about how much she has missed her. Once they had gathered their lemonade, the girls sat down, chatting mindlessly as the sun beamed, until the guys, slightly wet from the ride, shuffled over to their bench. Drew glanced at Jayde, but swiftly kissed his girlfriend on the cheek, taking his cue. However, at the sight of Jayde, Kai’s mouth fell and he nervously ran his hand through his hair. Delia watched as her worst nightmare, watching Kai fall in love, walk down the aisle, grow old with someone else, began right before her eyes: the chemistry that erupted between the two of them as they shook hands and locked eyes was heart-wrenching to Delia, who unsuccessfully tried to shield her heart-break. She felt the subtle embrace of Khloe’s hand beneath hers as the two continued talking.
“Hey, man, let’s grab a churro,” Drew said, nodding at Kai, who reluctantly followed his friend to a stand a few feet away.
“Day-ummm!” Jayde whispered, pinching Delia. “He’s a fox!”
“Y-yeah, if you’re into that type,” Delia murmured, attempting to mask her disapproval.
“Y’know, Delia, I dumped my boyfriend a few weeks ago; we’re going to different colleges and all and, y’know, it just wouldn’t work out. But Kai says he’s So Cal bound, like me, and I forsure felt something there. Can you talk me up a little bit, girl?”
Delia felt the sweat accumulating on her upper lip, and she knew the culprit wasn’t the glaring sun. She weighed options in her head: keeping the two apart would be cruel; telling her old friend how she truly felt despite the impossibility of it all would be humiliating; and saying she would set them up would be devastating. But with a hopeless sigh and a realization of the lesser of two evils, she breathed: “S-sure, I guess… I mean, if he says he’s into you and all.”
Her friend duplicated the squeal that filled the air mere minutes before.
“Thank you so much! Y’know, I think I’m cravin’ a churro…” And Jayde, swinging her hips flirtatiously, walked over to the boys, grazing the back of Kai’s shoulders as she joined them. Delia watched from afar as they smiled, their body language conveying more than it ever had between herself and Kai. She watched regretfully as the man she knew would never be hers flashed his dimples at someone else, and, in unison with the children on the rollercoasters surrounding her, her heart sank in her chest, and fear for what would happen next overtook her.
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