[hr][center][img]http://i.imgur.com/AHXqrGC.png[/img][/center][hr][hider=Phil Phillips - Home][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9SIQx7PDZc[/youtube][/hider][hr][hr]

Dexter was at the cliff's face when the lights had shown once again for the first time in eighteen years.

It had started off as a relatively normal evening, all things considered. A cherry read Mazda drove lackadaisically along the dirt road and pulled up a few dozen feet from the cliff's edge at 8:28PM on the dot. By 8:30 Dexter had taken the foldable chair out of his trunk, set out said chair, and was drinking his IBC cream soda while reading [u]The Last Lecture[/u] by Randy Pausch to the sunset. The sun began setting at around 8:50, and as night began taking hold his lingering thoughts were drawn away from the book and Alexandra, captured instead by a uniquely beautiful light show that split the sky like a brilliant shining fault line. He sat alone in the dark, leaning into his chair and enjoying the aurora of lights that he had never seen before in his life.

His watch beeped, and he looked down at the lightly illuminated numbers. 9:30PM. He cast his eyes up at the sky once more and noticed small clouds were beginning to roll in. Just more Oregon weather, he had mused. So he finished his soda, packed up his chair, put the convertible roof up, and drove home. He was home by 9:45, hugged his mother (who was tapping away on her computer) goodnight, and went to sleep just as he had since his 6th grade.

[hr]

"And god please help me enjoy this, life is more than a sequence of waiting for things to be done." Dexter said, repeating the words on the posted her was positioning on the wall of his room. He stepped back a few paces, nearly tripping over his backpack as he did so (which he still hadn't unpacked). When he steadied himself, he turned his attention back to the poster and closed one eye. He stuck his hand out, making an 'L' with his thumb and index finger as if he was trying to judge how centered the frame was.

"It's off to the left some," His mother said, leaning against the doorway to his room. Dexter jumped, startled by her sudden voice, and whipped around. This time he actually [i]did[/i] trip on his backpack. His mother laughed, and Dexter mumbled something about [i]school[/i] and how it was [i]still trying to kill him[/i] as he got up. He turned his eyes to his mother, his brown eyes clashing against her blue ones in a glare. He narrowed his eyes and waved her off, walking toward the poster and trying to center it again. It stayed for about half a second before sliding back into it's original uneven position.

"Looks like someone's gonna have to make a trip to the convenience store." His mother sing song-ed, walking away from the doorway and back into the living room. Dex furrowed his brow and followed after her.

"Uh, why?"

His mother, who was now on the couch and had pulled up an episode of [i]Keeping Up With The Kardashians[/i] hummed in response, throwing her thumb behind her in general direction of the garage. "Yeah, preeetty sure we're out of nails."

If possible, Dexter's brows furrowed even more, and he walked into the garage and to the tool box. Sure enough, they were in fact out of nails. And super glue. He looked to his car, which was sitting pretty in the garage, freshly waxed and serviced by Springer Automotive. He popped into the laundry room and grabbed his keys off of the key hooks.

"Gonna go to the convenience store!" he called into the house. "Do we need anything?"

"Just some nails. Pick me up a coffee while you're there!" his mother called back. "Oh, and take an umbrella with you! Weather says it might rain today!"

And so, with that, Dexter was off to the convenience store. It was a short drive, as it was a small town after all.

With such a short shopping list, it wasn't exactly a time consuming venture. A little box of nails, two cheap convenience store coffees, some windshield wiper fluid for his car since he was running low, and a banana because he still hadn't eaten. He paid the Arabian man, who had given Dexter a friendly but incredulous look once he was presented with the items Dexter had wanted to purchase. Dexter had simply shrugged and smiled in response. As he walked outside, he noticed that light rain was beginning to fall on the parking lot pavement. He sighed, and rushed into his car, putting the coffee in the cup holders and his items of choice into the passenger seat. He pulled his keys out of his pocket was about to start the car when he noticed an old classmate of his smoking under the overhang of the convenience store roof. He hesitated in starting his car, and his eyes drifted down to his umbrella. His features softened into a small smile, and he grabbed umbrella. He opened the door of his car and opened the umbrella to shield him from the rain, which wasn't getting stronger but showed no signs of lulling any time soon.

"Hey, Zoey!" He said, recounting her name without seemingly any thought. They weren't close friends, and for most people remembering a name could be hard. However, Dexter wasn't most people. He showed her his yellow umbrella, as if signaling that he didn't want to leave her to getting wet. Just in case though, he tacked on, "Didn't want to leave you to the rain."

He sucked in a breath of the humid air and looked out at the rain, then back at her. "Uh.. how've you been?"