Use Somebody [Gabriel]

[Noralei Harris]

*outfit
*song

Sneaking out of the house was something that only teenagers that went to parties or took drugs were supposed to do. Nice kids didn’t sneak out, they were supposed to go to bed at a reasonable hour and wake up at decent hours of the morning. But Nora had been corrupted by her sister, and she knew how to sneak out of the house when she wanted to. Her sister was one of the aforementioned teens- she didn’t take drugs (at least, she never told Nora if she did) but she did go to tons of parties with her lacrosse buddies. She learned how to sneak out her freshman year- and Nora was close behind.

Of course, she was never invited to the parties, and even when Nora could have gone, Marilee never brought her. Despite their good relationship at home, Marilee just didn’t have the time to babysit Nora at high school parties. If she didn’t they both knew what would happen- ‘Nerdy Nora’ would have meat thrown at her, beer dumped over her head, toilet paper wrapped around her before getting pushed into the pool, or something else equally horrifying. No, she stayed home and made sure her parents didn’t wake up, then let Marilee in if the back door was locked and she forgot her key.

But when her sister left, Nora was given the spare key and the instructions on which steps were to be avoided because of the squeaking. She didn’t turn into her sister and run off to parties, of course. But there were nights when the nights were calm and cool, and she would glance up at the sky from her window and find it was perfectly clear. That was when the worm of mischief planted in the back of her head from Marilee and Ethan would start making itself known. Before she knew it, she was slipping into her clothes, braiding her hair, looping her key necklace around her neck, and climbing out the window.

Getting off of the roof was the hard part. She had to do it backward, letting herself slide down until she was hanging by her fingertips. Letting herself drop was easy- she couldn’t hang there forever, and the fall to the ground was only about three feet. Once that was done, she scampered off to the garage and pulled her bike out from behind it, ignoring the clucking of her chickens from across the yard. She picked up the bike and ran it to the end of the driveway so the clicking of the chain wouldn’t wake up her parents, and then she walked it to the end of the block before looking back to make sure no lights had turned on. She checked her phone. It was just past one in the morning. With a smile, she realized how clear the sky was, and she couldn’t help but shoot a text out.

It is 1:06 A.M., EST. I’m at the end of my block with my bike. I bet I can beat you to the lake.

Meaning to send it to Ethan, Nora didn’t realize her phone had slipped down a contact and directed it to Gabriel Raines instead. With a smile, she waited a moment before hopping on her bike, sitting herself squarely in the middle of the road before leaning on one leg and looking at the sky for a moment, admiring the view as she took a deep breath of the cool night air. She’d let Ethan get a few seconds of a head start.

Then, with a clicking of her bicycle chain.... she was off.

Flying down the streets at a pace only she could set, Nora rounded every turn with precise accuracy. She cruised down every street without a single car blocking her way. She flew down hills and rode the curves of every path, grinning as the wind kissed her skin. Her hands gripped the handlebars tightly as she passed Ethan’s street. Seeing no headlights, she wondered if he was already en route or if he was even out the door. Not stopping to look, she rode on, passing through the back alleys downtown, not wanting the police to catch her out past curfew. The last time it had happened, explaining herself took far too long. After heading through downtown, she turned the corner, pushing herself off the window of Blue & Gold to help her gain speed, leaving their windowpane with a lovely handprint.

When she was in sight of the lake, she grinned and thrust her fist up into the air before realizing there was a car already there. Gasping, she realized that if Ethan was there already, he’d know what spot to head for- the designated ‘Winner’s Spot’. The old tire swing by the docks that hung out over the lake! She had to get there before he did! Angling her bike down the hill, she swooped down over the grass and got on the path, making it there in seconds. She didn’t even wait for her bike to stop before she took off running for dock. Her purse hit the ground and she hopped from one foot to another as she flung her shoes off. With a whoop she leapt onto the tire swing, soaring out over the water before swaying back again, giggling as she realized she had beaten Ethan to the lake this time, rather than the other way around.

“I won! I won!” She laughed, twirling in circles as she waited, looking out to the sky. “Oh cor... It’s beautiful.” She muttered, her new British slang sounding strange on her tongue. She rocked the swing and looked out over the silent landscape, smiling as the moon and fireflies illuminated the trees and the water.