“But you’re having fun, right?” Mom asks.
“Yeah, it’s cool. I like it anyway.”
“So do all thegirls,” I say, shoving a finger down my throat, pretending to gag.
Aaron wads up his dirty paper napkin and throws it at me. It hits my face, and it’s my turn to lunge at him, but Mike is there to hold me back as he presses a gentle hand on my chest. He shakes his head, rolls his eyes, and smiles. I instantly calm down.
“You’re just asking to get beat, Den.”Den.I love it when he calls me that, with a hint of fondness in his deep voice. It’s so much better than ‘squirt.’
Aaron and Mike are both bigger than me—by a lot—but they’re juniors and I’m only a freshman. “Well, one day I’ll be as big as Aaron, then I’ll kick his ass.”
“There will be no ass-kicking and no swearing, Dennis,” Dad admonishes.
I take the last bite of my chicken and toss the bone onto my plate.
“Mom, can you take me to Ecola State Park tomorrow? It’s supposed to be sunny and clear. I want to see the whales. It’s been rainy and cloudy forever.”
Aaron scoffs. “Dude, you see the whales like every weekend when they’re here.”
Mike gives my brother a playful punch in his arm. “Come on, man. You know Den loves them and likes to explore the tide pools. Don’t tease him.”
I swear, my heart burst just then.‘I’ve got you’plays in my head again. Mike always has my back, even against his best friend.
“I can’t, honey. I’ve got to close the shop tomorrow. We’re getting too close to the holidays,” Mom explains.
Dad works at his landscaping company every weekend until dark. Right after Thanksgiving, he’ll set up Christmas trees and hang lights on houses, so I can’t ask him. I want to ask Aaron, but he’s being a dick tonight. Still, I look at him. “Aaron?”
“Nope. I’m hanging out with Heidi, and then we have a date tomorrow night.”
My shoulders sag. I guess I can walk, but it takes about forty-five minutes to get there on foot. The temperature will be in the fifties, but with the wind coming off the ocean, it’ll feel like it’s in the forties.
“I can take you,” Mike says.
God, could I love a person more? Even better, we can hang out togetherwithoutmy brother.
I bite my bottom lip and smile. “Are you sure? You’re not working?” I’ve lost count of the number of jobs that Mike has, trying to help his mom so they can stay in their house.
“Sure, squirt.” He ruffles my hair, and I swat him away.
Ugh. There’s nothing worse than your crush treating you as a little kid still. My face burns at his childish nickname for me. I try to hide it as I stand, take my plate to the sink, and rinse it. “Thanks,” I mumble.
“What time?”
I turn on the water and rinse my plate off before putting it in the dishwasher. “Uhm, after lunch?”
“Just be back before dinner,” Mom says.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Mike and I get out of the car. The parking lot at Ecola State Park spits us out to an amazing view of the Pacific Ocean and the Misty Mountains, as we affectionately call them, since they’re always covered in a fine mist. We’re high up, looking out over the ocean and the ancient rock stacks that jut out of the water. We’ve been here countless times, but I never get tired of it. Maybe if I’d grown up in the city, I would love it there, but the ocean, mountains, and wildlife are my thing. And being next to my favorite person makes the day even more perfect.
The weather is sunny, but windy, with the temperature in the low forties, though the area can quickly turn foggy and rainy.
I zip up my hoodie and toss my waterproof jacket over it before tugging a beanie onto my head. Then I grab my DSLR camera that Mom and Dad got for me last Christmas, and I follow behind my sweet, quiet crush as we hike to a more secluded area to look at the whales. After that, we’ll go to Indian Beach to explore the tidepools.
This is my thing. No matter the season, I’ll be outdoors if I can get away with it. I love the briny smell of the ocean, the salt on my lips,and the earthy soil from the forests. I’ve been collecting books about Oregon’s nature since my first long hike three years ago, though I’ve been exploring the coast since I could walk. The coastal forest is so old and has so much growth. Everything is green and dense from spring to early fall. The forest looks like it was created millions of years ago, though it’s not actually that old. I read there are some cedar trees here that are between 800 and 1,000 years old. Now, most of the ground cover is brown and some trees are bare, but it’s still pretty as we hike our way from Ecola Point to Indian Beach.
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and see a bald eagle today,” I say, popping aFireballinto my mouth, the cinnamon quickly burning my tongue. I shove the wrapper in the pocket of my jeans, careful not to litter.
