Independence Day (Chapter 5)

After almost an hour, Andrea was spending time with her new friend on a bench far away from the crowd. All she did was persistently chat with him since they both seemed interested. Once Andrea looked at his attractive face with big, brown eyes and mesmerizing smile, Andrea knew that she didn't want to walk away from him.
"Where are you from?" the guy asked with a Jersey accent.
"New York but I was born in Puerto Rico."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I lived in New York for seven years before my family moved to Laguna."
"I knew I was getting a bit of a J-Lo vibe from you."
"Oh, stop it. I-- I don't-- I'm not anything like J-Lo. Besides, my mom is Mexican so..."
"Yeah and so was Selena."
"You got me there. You got me there, Marty. Thank you, though. So where are you from?"
"New Jersey."
"Oh, I guessed from the accent."
"That always gives it away."
Andrea giggled.
"You know, you got a great laugh."
"No, I don't. I mean I do but I don't."
"No, you do. It's really sexy."
"No, it's not. It is but it's not."
"Andrea!" a male voice called.
She turned around, only to see her ex-boyfriend, Kevin, approaching the two from ten feet.
Andrea turned back around. "Oh, Jesus..."
Kevin leaned against the bench from behind. "Hello, guys. What's up?"
"Nothing, Kevin," Andrea said through her teeth.
"Who are you?" he asked Marty.
"I'm Marty," he responded.
"Like the giraffe from Madagascar?"
"I guess."
"You know, you kinda look like him since you have a long neck and you're covered in splotches."
"Some people like to compare me to Gloria," spilled Andrea, "because if I sit on you, I'd be killing you." She stared hard and coldly at Kevin.
"You're not heavy enough."
"Kevin, why are you here?" Andrea stood up and faced him.
"Chrissy invited me."
"That doesn't mean you have to bug me."
"I'm not bugging you."
"Yes, you are! Look at me-- I'm bugged!"
"I just want you back."
"Kevin, you need to understand that I don't want you anymore."
"But I--"
"But nothing. Listen, I broke up with you the first time because you made me feel unwanted. And now that you want me, I don't feel the same way. Please, you'd be doing yourself a favor if you stop pursuing me. Plus, you're popular and good-looking; anyone would be lucky to have you. You just need to move on because I already have."
Kevin dropped his shoulders. "You're right. I'm sorry for bothering you. I'll leave you alone now."
"Thanks, Kevin."
Kevin shortly smiled before turning around and walking away, slow like a zombie. Andrea sat back down next to Marty who fully gave her his attention.          

An hour into the party, the teenagers barely budged. Yet their attention was paid towards something else when they all heard a high-pitched noise of something being shot up into the air. They looked up and gazed upon the electric green that burst within the black sky, causing an echoing pop sound. More colors exploded in the sky: aquamarine blue, fire orange, grape purple, Christmas red. The fireworks put a glow on the teens' attentive faces. Some of them cheered at the beauty that painted the night. And although the sky was covered in nothing but busted light, everybody at Chrissy's party felt that every firework came with different kinds of love which sprinkled upon the kids as each firework faded away. Madeline and Debra squeezed each other, reminding themselves the importance of their friendship. Skye shared her first kiss with her boyfriend, Jeffrey, as they wrapped their arms around each other. DeMarcus embraced Lizzie by the neck from behind and rocked her back and forth as he kissed her on the cheek. Lizzie softly gripped his arms while grinning like no other. And Marty offered to take Andrea away. So he held Andrea by the hand and led her to his car which was parked from afar.