The window was wide open, letting cool air flow freely into the stuffy room on the first night of summer. Due to a raging thunderstorm outside, Cora had been shut up in her bedroom all day. But now, in the silence of midnight, the cool air wrapped itself around every surface, freeing her and her belongings of their misery and spreading that incomparable smell of a summer storm.
Her upper body leaned against the window, her elbows digging into the grainy wood as she wistfully stared out at the sky. For the time, which was half past midnight, the sky was clear and surprisingly light, making the gnarled black trees stand out against the grey-blue backdrop. Everything was still, save for the slight rattling of branches and bushes in the wind. Cora felt comfortable alone, the night completely encompassing, hiding her away from the troubles the day never fails to bring. She was by herself in this great, infinite universe. No more war or troubles or death. No more teasing and crying and hurting. No one to dictate how she could live, act, feel. But of course that was just a daydream. Soon she would return to her bed and the beckoning bundle of blankets, messily pushed to the side from where she’d got up. And when she woke up? Nothing would be different. All the problems that had presented themselves to her throughout her life would appear once again. For now though, the night was all hers.
Sighing, she turned and prepared to return to her feeble attempts at sleep. But, right as she moved her head, she glimpsed something that caused her blood to freeze. A person was standing in the middle of the road. He, or maybe she, seemed utterly at peace, staring up into the sky without a care in the world. Cora, however, didn’t care how serene the person was; she just wanted to know why the hell this boy (she had decided by staring at his physique that he was, in fact, a boy) was standing in the middle of the street in the middle of the night. .
She pulled a loose fitting sweatshirt over her tank top and slid her feet into the first pair of flip-flops she came across. Go figure, she thought, the first night of this summer is already more exciting than the entirety of last summer. She briefly debated on swinging her door open fast, like ripping off a bandage, or slowly prying it open, which could possibly lead it to creak. Not wanting to waste any time, she went with the former and ran across the hallway and down the stairs to the front door. She opened this one a little slower and pushed through the screen, probably too loudly. She raced to the edge of her lawn, convincing herself she was ready to question this midnight stranger. In reality though, part of her hoped he was gone just to preserve the mystery.
But, to her inexplicable pleasure and inherent wariness, there he was. His back was facing her, but she could see the top of his face from where his head was tilted back toward the sky.
“Who the hell are you? What are you doing out here?”
He didn’t jump or seem the slightest bit afraid. Without turning around he said “Sometimes, I wish I was a star. And one day I could have a supernova and be completely obliterated, my body changing into these tiny, infinitesimal particles. And I wish I could send all those little pieces of me out to every corner of the world. That way, I wouldn’t ever have to worry about not being able to see and experience everything I want to, because part of me would always be there.”
He moved to face her, eyes alight and full of wonderment like a child. “My name is Camden. Who the hell are you?”
“You didn’t answer my question. What are you doing in the middle of the street?”
Camden smiled amusedly and said, “You didn’t answer my question either. But, if you must know, I’m breathing, standing, observing other simple necessities of life. And I’m also talking to you.”
“Do you even realize what time it is?”
“If I had to guess, maybe around eleven? Eleven thirty?”
“It’s quarter to one. You really shouldn’t be standing in the street at a time like this, people may think you’re planning something. A break-in, or a murder.”
“You caught me. I decided to stand here, in the road, to stealthily begin a home invasion. And now that I’ve revealed my master plan, you have no choice but to be my accomplice,” he said, slightly smiling. “You know, you also shouldn’t speak with strangers, yet you came outside to talk to me. I guess we’re both bending the rules tonight.”
Cora stared at this boy, utterly confused. “I’ve never seen you before; do you live around here?”
“Well, kind of. My parents apparently thought the best way to deal with me was to send me to my aunt’s for the summer. So, here I am,” he laughed. “And go figure, my first night and I’m already being interrogated by a total stranger.”
“Cora. My name is Cora. It’s nice to  meet you.”
Camden smiled and grabbed her hand to shake it, “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

After that first night, during which they talked about everything from the stars in the sky to their family dynamics, Cora and Camden met every night. At approximately twelve, Camden would appear in the middle of the street, standing or sitting, or even lying back to gaze at the stars. And Cora would always stand or sit or lay with him. Because Cora stayed inside and read all day and Camden helped his aunt at her workplace, they never saw each during the day. But at night, they would meet and talk for hours. She told him about her books and new movies she had seen. She played him new songs by new bands that she had discovered and loved. He talked about his family and friends back home. He liked to point out constellations, describing what each one is and where it got it’s name. Cora felt as though there was never enough time for them to talk about everything, but they tried.
Cora no longer feared sneaking out, even just to sit in the road, and she didn’t even mind staying up until three, sometimes four, in the morning. As much as she hated it and tried to deny it, she was falling for Camden. He loved traveling nearly as much as he loved the stars, and he would never fail to enchant her with his beautiful stories of faraway places that Cora could only dream of. He talked in magical tones and she spent her entire day, every day, waiting to be with him just to listen more. And Camden was the same. He always looked forward to hearing her talk about books and movies and other things she was truly passionate about. He claimed his time with her was the only thing that got him through the long, hot, never ending days at work.
They both knew things between them couldn’t work out. Camden had only one summer, and he didn’t want it to end with heartbreak. But at night, when it was just the two of them, it was like time didn’t matter. So what they went to different schools? Long distance works just fine, and it’ll only be for a year, Cora thought, waiting once again at her window for a glance of Camden in the street. But she knew it really wouldn’t work. He’d move on and find someone better, prettier, and what about college? They didn’t have similar aspirations, and Camden was so bent on travelling and not settling. A thousand worries ran through her head, but as soon as she saw him, they vanished. Because whatever spell the night casted hid Cora and Camden in the stars and in the moon, away from the real world with real thoughts. The spell kept them safe.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” Cora’s younger sister, Morgan, asked one day at breakfast. Cora choked on her cereal, eyes wide.
Still coughing, she spluttered out, “What are you talking about?”
“I hear you, you know. I’m not stupid. Every night you wake up and go outside and don’t come back for hours. And I know you haven’t told Mom or Dad about it. So I think you have a secret boyfriend.”
“Don’t be stupid. I stay inside all night, Morgan. There’s no boy.”
“Girlfriend, then?”
“Jesus Christ, Morgan, no! There’s no one at all, okay?”
“And if there were, would you tell me?”
“Obviously. You’d be the first person I would tell.”
Cora hated lying to Morgan, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell the truth. Camden was special, he was all hers. That’s what she pretended at least. But if Cora told Morgan then he wouldn’t be just hers, and Morgan would no doubt tell their parents, and then Cora would never see Camden. She loved her sister, irritating as she could sometimes be, but Camden was hers. And Cora would do anything to keep it that way.

Eventually, June gave way to July, which would turn into August soon enough. And still, Cora and Camden had not missed a single night together. They loved each other, Cora was sure. She grew more and more distant from her family and friends, convinced that Camden was the only one she needed. Cora believed she would only ever be happy, truly happy, with Camden by her side. Everything about the night reminded her of him. She couldn’t watch movies with mentions of midnight without blushing, an uncontrollable smile stuck to her face. When she read Macbeth for her summer reading for the next school year, she nearly screamed at all the mentions of midnight. And Cora completely latched onto lyrics from a song by The Killers that go, “Is there still magic in that midnight sun?” She had never heard anything more truthful; at night the moon was like a sun, shining on her and Camden and keeping them together. She was completely and totally enamored. They loved each other so much, but neither felt the need to waste time making it “official.” They both knew how they felt, and to Cora, that was all that mattered.
The only person she ever wanted to talk to or see was Camden. She shut out her parents, her sister, screaming at them for no reason whenever they tried to talk to her. But Camden? She could listen to him talk all night, every night, for the entire summer. And she would have. But, like any other pair of star-crossed lovers before them, things couldn’t continue forever.

Cora was never outside before Camden. Never. But tonight, he was nowhere to be found. Cora had been outside for at least twenty five minutes, and she was starting to grow tired. She could physically feel her eyelids closing, and she was just so exhausted. Cora sat down in the road, confident that no one would drive down their dead-end street so late. And if they did, it would probably be Camden. Where was he anyway? Surely he would have mentioned that he had plans the previous night? Maybe he forgot? But Camden would never forget her, he couldn’t. He loved her. His aunt’s car probably broke down, or they had to stay late at work for some trivial reason. He would come soon. Camden always came.
Camden, Camden, Camden. He was the only thing on her mind. She had nearly filled an entire diary with her thoughts about him; and she had a lot of thoughts about him. But mostly she would write how much she loved him, too embarrassed even to try to explain it to him in person. She wished she had a notebook with her now, as she drowsily sat in the middle of the road on the last night of July. At least writing would help her form a coherent thought or two. But she really was tired, and surely Camden wouldn’t mind if she fell asleep; he was the one who was late, after all. Cora curled up in the middle of the street, too lazy to move to her yard, and leaned her head against her arm. Just a quick power nap, so I can be ready for Camden when he comes…

Cora’s peaceful sleeping form didn’t stand a chance. Only one other person had been on the street that night. Michael was his name, a college student home for the summer. He was returning home from a party, absolutely trashed, and had confused himself with which turns to take. He flew down Cora’s road around 60 miles per hour. By the time he saw her lying in the road, it was too late. All that commotion, and still no Camden. 

Months later, Cora’s family was preparing to move. All of the house had been packed away, except for their eldest daughter’s room. Morgan was the first one in, hardly able to contain her tears. They tried not to think of Cora as they set to work. But when the girls’ mom came across Cora’s diaries, she couldn’t hold it in anymore. Her daughter’s beautiful handwriting explaining her innermost thoughts on a few simple pieces of paper. And what if, what if, what if… What if the autopsy had been correct, and Cora’s death was a suicide? The police noted Cora’s reportedly odd behavior in the summer and felt there was no other explanation for why a teenage girl would just lay down in the middle of the road. Her family thought otherwise, but how could they tell? It felt immoral to her parents, rifling through their child’s belongings, but if it had been planned then this must tell why…

That’s how they learned of Camden. Immediately, Morgan and her parents went to the house that Camden had lived in with his aunt, a Mrs.Jacobs, to ask about him. But, to their horror, there was no Camden.
“My husband and I are only children; we haven’t got any nieces or nephews,” she had said, warily eyeing them with pity etched into her kind face.