Cherry Pop Magazine || Issue I || October

Sweet Short Story

Friday Nights

Vanessa is lonely. Vanessa is a mess. Vanessa is sitting all alone on a Friday night, in the library- studying! She knows this is the epitome of having no-social life, but she has an exam on Monday, and she's not going to let her grades slip anymore than they already have. So she tries to study, she does, she really tries- but her brain is having none of that. Maybe that's due to the fact that it's 9:37 at night and she's had classes all day and she only got 5 hours of sleep last night. Still, Vanessa is determined to study. But as she stares at the papers and glances over the vocab, her brain just can't take it- and her head lies on the scattered papers as she regrets taking so many classes. Really, most of the classes were unnecessary, yet she had decided to get a good education and be ahead and...

Jones hates Emma right now. Jones had been watching tv, buried in a pile of blankets- the perfect Friday night, as far as he was concerned. Then his phone had buzzed, and Emma had requested he meet her at the library to "study". And Jones knows she just wants to hang out-Emma never studies, yet still aces all her exams-but he goes anyway, because he's a good best friend. At least that's how he justifies it in his head. So he drives to the library, and goes into the library. He walks in through the automatic doors, and his eyes scan the room, looking for Emma. He doesn't see her, so he figures maybe she's farther in, buried by bookshelves. Or maybe just on the second floor. Either way. But before Jones can make his next move towards his destination, his eyes happen upon the girl. The girl is asleep, surrounded in abandoned homework sheets. Jones isn't quite sure what to do- is there an etiquette for this situation? What if she falls asleep and misses something? But what if she meant to doze off? He wants to wake her, but he has to justify it- he's nice to strangers. Yes, that'll do.

Vanessa's mind is elsewhere. Combing through the clouds, soaring through silver sunsets. But there's a hand on her shoulder, shaking her. And the clouds scatter, the sunsets fade to pale white skies. And Vanessa opens her eyes. There's a boy in front of her. A boy! Vanessa's mind races, trying to determine why on earth this boy is standing above her.

"I thought... I'd wake you up... In case it was an accident... If not... Then I'm sorry." The boy has brown hair that falls in his face and his eyes are like the walnut walls of her stepdad's house. His words come out in scattered sentences. Then Vanessa registers that he said something to her, and she should respond.

"Yes! It was an accident, thank you. Thank you. I have an exam tomorrow, and I was supposed to be studying, but I only got 5 hours of sleep because I couldn't stop thinking about this new show I started watching-It's called Retreat, it's on Netflix, you should check it out, it's great!-and then I had classes all day. Why did I take so many classes? Only god knows, cause I sure don't. So overworked! But I cannot let my grades keep slipping, I have to study! So, yes, thank you for waking me up."

Jones likes how the girl can't stop rambling, he likes how her sentences spill together and how she talks so fast as if she's stuffed with words. An idea pops into his head, and he decides to run with it.

"Well... Maybe I could help you study... Though at my house... It's softer there... If you want, of course. You don't have to."

Vanessa's head flashes though the possibilities. He could be a rapist, he could want in her pants, he could be trying to steal something from her... But she needs to study, and maybe he would help. So she nods-holding back the words threatening to tumble out-and they go. And as they study the night away on his space-patterned bedspread, Vanessa thinks there couldn't be a better way to spend a Friday night.

(and emma? she made out with the librarian at the desk. then they talked about pencils. it was the start of something, surely.)