Rewrite The Stars

Chapter 14

The next twelve days passed better than I expected it to be. I spent my days in the dorm, practicing and getting myself ready for the audition. I joined Lauren and her friends on the campus for lunch. But the evenings were the best, because I could spend them with Zach Walter.

     I can never erase the image of Lauren doing a victory-dance from my mind, after I told her that Zach was now officially my boyfriend; even though we had both agreed that it was going to be just for a month.

     Two days after the party, after doing our daily routine of practicing for hours, Lauren and I decided to buy fried chickens from KFC and go for a picnic at the central park, despite the cold weather. It was the perfect combination for the diet of our souls, as Lauren liked to call it.

     We had also called Zach and he agreed to meet us there. Lauren and I walked down the area, taking in anything that was even a little memorable. She had the big bag of food in her hands while I carried a blanket to see on in my backpack.

     After taking it off my shoulders, I unzipped it and placed the blanket down on the ground.

     Lauren and I then sat down on it, watching kids ice-skating on the lake before us. Passing people would throw a glance at us every now and then, probably thinking, what kind of idiots comes for a picnic here in such awful weather? Well, the answer to that is: us.

     We were those kind of idiots who would do anything, anywhere, under any condition, ever. And the weather could not stop us in any way.

     Just then, my phone rang and on the screen, Zach's name was written.

      “It's Zach. He must be here, looking for us now.” I then handed my phone to Lauren. “I've never been here. Can you give him directions?”

      “Sure.” She took my phone and answered it. “What's up, Walter? Yeah... Where are you right now...? Can you see the bridge over the lake– no there are two bridges. We're by the large one... Look just ask someone where the ice-skating area is. They'll show you the way... okay, see you... bye.” She then handed me back my phone.

     After long minutes of waiting, we finally saw none other than Zach Walter walking toward us, his hands in his jacket's pockets as he smiled goofily at our direction.

      “You know,” Zach started without introductions the moment he reached us and sat down. “When I was a kid, I thought that ballerinas only ate salads. Growing up, I figured I was wrong. But you two are showing me a whole new diet known to the humankind.”

      “Don't sass your way through the conversation, Walter.” Said Lauren, reaching for the sodas and the splitting the chicken boxes afterwards. “You suck.”

     We ate in silence until Zach came up with yet another pointless subject to talk about. “Do you know what I think is the most boring job in the world?”

      “Let me guess. Listening to you?” leave it to Lauren to come up with the cruelest comeback.

      “That's not a job. Do you see me paying you for that?” said Zach.

      “You don't? Well, you really should.” Lauren smirked. “I'm doing an extremely hard job here.”

      “And you're doing an extremely horrible job.”

      “Please stop.” I groaned, taking a bite of my chicken.

      “Sorry.” Lauren laughed. “So what's the most boring job?”

      “The lifeguards of the Olympian swimmers.” Said Zach, glancing at us. “Like someone with a gold medal for swimming can actually drown in a swimming pool.” He shook his head, taking a sip from his soda.

      “I think you would've become a genius if you hadn't filled your brain with stuff like this.” I said.

      “Hey, trust me on this one,” said Zach. “No brain, no pain.” We laughed.

***

When the Time dyed New York City the color of night, Lauren took a cab to go back to school, saying that she had to sleep early seeing as she had classes tomorrow. But Zach insisted on staying out for a few more hours and so I stayed with him. Zach had not brought his uncle's car, so we took a yellow taxi and sat in.

      “Where to?” asked the cab driver uninterestedly.

      “Times Square, please.” I said and so we went on. It had always been a fantasy to me and one of the items on my bucket list to listen to the Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys as I passed the streets of New York. So when it started playing on the car's radio, you could only imagine the excitement that rushed through me.

      “Oh, my God! Turn it up! Turn it up!” I squealed. I think I even scared the driver, to which Zach laughed at shamelessly. And so we pulled down the windows and sang to it as loud as we could, the wind blowing into our hair.

     Although, I have got to say that it was such a buzzkill when we got stuck in the traffic again in the middle of the song, the excitement slowing down with it. We were too full of food that I nearly puked every time we passed a restaurant. The Times Square looked nothing like it did in movies and it was nowhere near as exciting as New Year. But it was great to look around and see different people walking around in a rush, and it sure as hell looked magnificent; no matter if you'd looked forward or if you had looked up.

      “Who first came up with the idea of making this place?” Zach wondered, looking around him in awe.

      “Why don't you just search it up?” I suggested.

      “Nah. I'm too lazy.” He said. “And I feel like my body's tiredness is killing my soul.”

      “Too bad you can't fix that problem in a hospital.”

      “Yeah. I wish there was a hospital for souls.”