Fireworks
“This is it, she thought in that split second. We’re going to die now.”
[originally written in 2019]
Malia focused her attention on the night sky above her, attempting to locate any constellations she could. Orion’s Belt was always too easy, but it still counted. And here, stopped at the very top of the Ferris wheel, Malia felt like she could reach out and touch the stars. Without thinking, her arm began to slowly lift off the metal bar in front of her —
“Are you trying to wave that worker guy down?” the voice beside her asked. It belonged to her classmate, Donnie. He leaned over the edge of their gondola, craning his neck to search for the operator, and caused it to rock forward dangerously.
“Donnie, stop moving!” Malia grabbed onto his shirt and pulled him back into the seat.
“Sorry.” Donnie said, quietly. He gulped and Malia rolled her eyes at the sound. She knew that Donnie was acutely aware of her hand on his shoulder; she could feel his skin warming up, his heart beating faster —
Malia quickly let go his shirt, leaving the wrinkled material to settle back into its original state. She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. How had Donnie managed to push his way to the front of the line and hop into the little metal gondola with her just before the Ferris wheel started to turn was beyond Malia. His triumphant grin was met with her pointed glare, and they rode together in silence. Until now.
Malia started to wonder if the conductor stopped the Ferris wheel at this exact moment, with her and Donnie at the peak, because he was trying to do them a favor; set up a romantic situation for the lovely couple. Except they weren’t a couple. They weren’t even really friends.
Donnie cleared his throat, and Malia could practically hear him count to three in his head before saying, “Malia…I have to tell you something.”
“Don’t.”
“I have to, I’m sorry.”
Malia kept her eyes forward. “I already know what you want to say so there’s no need to do all of this.”
“I know you know,” Donnie sighed. “But I still have to say it or else I may never get another opportunity like this.”
“It’s bad luck to talk on rides,” Malia deadpanned.
“Really?”
Donnie waited for a response but was met with silence. He sighed again, louder and shakier this time. “Malia Thomas, I’m in love with you.”
“I know, Donnie,” Malia said.
She resisted the urge to grimace, knowing that Donnie was still staring right at her with those sad puppy dog eyes. Judging by the way he was sitting there, frozen in disbelief, Malia knew the answer she’d just given was not what Donnie dreamt up in his head. Or perhaps it was the way she said it — the way you say something when you have other issues on your mind.
“I am in love with you!” Donnie cried out suddenly, as if a switch had been turned back on. “I have been since freshman year!”
Malia looked over at him with wide eyes. “What are you doing?! Shut up!”
“I don’t care who hears me, the whole school should know!”
“I’m getting off,” Malia waved her arms over her head wildly. “Hello! Turn it back on, I’m feeling sick! Let me off!”
Donnie took hold of Malia’s arms and turned her to face him. She was forced to look into his eyes and all she could see was his blind love for her. Or maybe it was the adrenaline he was getting from having made his confession. The Ferris wheel groaned as it began to turn again, and Malia glanced at the people in the gondola above her, who were now staring at Donnie.
She blocked out the rest of whatever Donnie was spewing because of the overwhelming embarrassment. When they finally reached the platform, Malia unhooked the safety bar before the conductor could help and breezed past the line of waiting students. A few of them giggled behind their hands.
“Malia, wait!” Donnie called after her.
He hopped out of the gondola and started toward the ramp to follow Malia. But before he did, Donnie shoved his hand into his pocket and fished out a ten-dollar bill. “Here’s the rest!” he said to the conductor.
“Don’t sweat it, man,” the conductor chuckled. “Doesn’t seem like it worked anyway…”
Up ahead, Malia broke into a light jog, weaving around clusters of people and cutting past game booths. Soon, she couldn’t hear Donnie’s voice calling out to her. But everything else quickly became overwhelming — the sound of music and laughter, the noise, the lights. Malia began to regret coming to this “Farewell Fair” in the first place, but with the way things were looking for mankind, she was obligated to be a part of the celebration.
Malia remembered first hearing about the impending doom one morning with her parents. Her dad turned up the volume on their TV and through her mom’s clattering in the kitchen, Malia caught bits of a physicist from NASA giving his report to the public.
“…first detected this particular asteroid about a year ago, as we do with most asteroids, but it wasn’t expected to pose a threat…”
Malia’s mom clanged the pots around in the cabinet, searching for her good non-stick pan.
“…efforts to intercept and push it off course were unsuccessful, and the asteroid’s velocity increased…”
Cabinet doors slammed shut, the faucet water was turned on high, and Malia’s dad muted the news channel in defeat. He walked into the kitchen with his plate cleared of his breakfast and shook his head at Malia’s mom.
“I’m glad you are so blissfully unaware of what’s going on right now.”
Malia’s mom crossed the kitchen to get eggs from the fridge. “I am aware, but guess what? I have things to take care of, like making my breakfast and getting to work on time to help pay our bills.”
“There won’t be any bills to pay once this asteroid destroys us all!” Malia’s dad tossed his plate into the sink, distressed. Her mom shot him a pointed look.
“Is that what they said?” Malia asked, putting her phone down. “It’s actually happening?”
“No — ”
“Yes!”
“Charles…” Malia’s mom warned.
“Malia,” her dad said. “You can stay home from school today. I’ll need your help packing up our things.”
He hurried out of the kitchen and ran up the stairs with a speed Malia hadn’t seen from him since she’d been alive.
Malia’s mom made her go to school that day, assuring her that asteroids-turned-meteors burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere all the time, and this one would be no different. Anyone who has taken a fifth-grade science class would know that. But despite her mom’s sensible logic, everyone at school seemed as unhinged as her dad.
Teachers had trouble quieting the students for classes and the halls were buzzing with a sort of anxious excitement. Malia’s lunch period, however, was oddly quiet. By that point, more people were talking to each other in hushed tones, or crying, even. Malia was at the end of a table alone and barely eating.
“Hey, Malia,” A lunch tray smacked the table and Donnie sat down in front of her. “Where’s Jackie?”
It wasn’t unusual for Donnie to stop and talk to Malia before bouncing over to his table of friends. If Jackie were there, she would’ve shooed him away as if he were a puppy. Malia checked her phone for any new messages from her only friend, but there was nothing. “She said she’s not coming today…or tomorrow. Too freaked out.”
Donnie started talking through a mouthful of food. “Are you freaked out?”
“I don’t know,” Malia shrugged. “I’m kind of in shock, I think.”
“People are saying there’s only two months until it hits. Can you believe that?”
Malia’s gaze turned elsewhere. “No. I don’t want to.”
The school’s Farewell Fair was planned long before the news of the asteroid came to light. It was their high school’s tradition to host a fair for departing seniors, complete with rides and other attractions. The students on the event planning committee insisted that they go through with their plans since it might be the last time everyone would be together like this. Somehow, the principal allowed it. Now, with the world possibly ending in a matter of weeks, the Farewell Fair had gained a new meaning.
Donnie had even asked Malia to go with him a few times. “Like, on a date.” he’d said. But she turned him down, as she was busy spiraling into a quiet state of anger and panic. Even so, Malia couldn’t stay locked up in her room forever, not on her mom’s watch.
“We may not know what’s going to happen,” her mom had said. “But this shouldn’t stop you from enjoying your senior year. You’re going to that fair, and you’re going to have fun.”
And since Malia couldn’t argue with her mom, she was taken to the Farewell Fair and stranded there for the rest of the night. Jackie wasn’t answering her texts or calls, so Malia was left to wander around by herself. When she did finally decide to get on the Ferris wheel, that’s when her alone time ended.
Malia’s run slowed to a shuffle. She heard a bell ringing and looked over to see a group of football players cheering in front of the high striker game, with one of them waving the hammer over his head. Malia turned to get away from the commotion when she collided with a lanky figure coming right at her.
“Donnie!” Malia exclaimed as she staggered.
“Jesus, Malia, you’re fast…” Donnie said, catching his breath.
“Why did you have to say that?” Malia huffed. “Why here?”
Donnie shrugged lamely. “I just thought…I don’t know, it seemed romantic? I thought you’d like it. And given the circumstances — ”
“ — which are complete chaos!” Malia slapped her hand over her eyes, as if to keep any oncoming tears from spilling out. “How could you even think about love when the world is about to…”
Malia let the words trail off. Donnie stepped closer and awkwardly brought his arms around her shoulders in an attempt at a hug. When she noticed what he was doing, Malia swatted his arms away and walked off, grumbling.
“I don’t need a hug right now.”
“You really do…” Donnie mumbled.
He followed her until they ended up in front of the carousel. Malia stood there, watching a few students hang off the sides of their respective horses, as a teacher shouted at them to ride properly. She couldn’t wrap her head around how they were still able to have fun like this. There wasn’t a single soul who didn’t know about the life-threatening asteroid on track to crash into Earth. Weren’t they as afraid as Malia was?
Donnie shuffled over so that he stood right beside her, and they both watched the carousel spin, its accordion melody adding to the hypnotizing effect.
“I wanted to tell you that I love you because it’s all I can think about. Even now, with everything that’s happening.”
“That’s…so stupid,” Malia said.
Donnie sighed dreamily. “Yea. And if that thing really hits us, I’ll probably still be thinking about you.”
“You’re unbelievable,” she turned to look at him. “But it’s not like I hate you or anything. It’s just that we’re running out of time and I keep thinking about how insignificant my life has been. I wanna do the important things before it’s too late.”
“Falling in love is the important thing,” Donnie said. “To me…”
Malia laughed in spite of herself. “But what about getting out of this town — this country — and seeing the world? Starting over in a new place and becoming a completely different person? What about that?”
“Are you gonna travel the world in fourteen days?” Now it was Donnie’s turn to laugh. “You’re not superhuman, Malia.”
“So, I’m supposed to give up my dreams? Because of some fucking — ” Malia waved her hand toward the sky. “ — rock?!”
Donnie simply nodded. “I think so, yea.”
“That’s not fair,” Malia locked eyes with Donnie for a moment before turning her gaze to the carousel. The tears were welling up again.
“I want people to know I was here.” she said, more to herself than to Donnie. He watched her hurriedly wipe a tear from her cheek.
“I’ll know you were here,” Donnie said, too quiet for Malia to hear through the carousel’s music. Malia took a deep, shaky breath. When she turned to face Donnie again, she gave him a tight-lipped smile. Her eyes were watery from all the crying she should have done.
“I don’t even know why the school let us do any of this,” Malia gestured toward the fair bustling around them. “We should all be with our families…I should be with my family. I think I’m gonna go home.”
Donnie nodded and tried to give her a reassuring smile. “Yea, yea! You should do that. I guess I’ll see you around? Maybe? Maybe not, though — ”
“Bye, Donnie.”
Malia turned to walk away, and in that moment, she saw a bright flash of light appear in the sky. A swift streak of white cutting through the darkness. Her heart sank into her stomach. Time slowed down. And before Malia could stop herself, she squeezed her eyes shut and reached out to grab onto Donnie.
This is it, she thought in that split second. We’re going to die now.
But the moment sped up again, and suddenly the streak of light cracked and separated with a loud pop! The sound made Malia’s eyes fly open and she looked up. Hundreds of stars poured down from the sky, and as they did, the students cheered. What she thought was a meteor hurtling down onto them from the atmosphere, was really the first of many fireworks shooting up into it.
Malia could see Donnie looking at her, his mouth moving to tell her that it was only fireworks, but she couldn’t hear him. She couldn’t hear anything. Releasing Donnie’s arm from her grasp, Malia took off running through the crowd. A specific instinct that lay dormant inside her told Malia to run for her life, and she did, even though she knew it was ridiculous. It wasn’t the end of the world yet.
Donnie started to go after her, but he stopped himself. He knew that nothing he said would get Malia to stay with him. Not even ‘I love you’. Maybe he should’ve run away, too. But the sky just looked so beautiful, all lit up like this.
