“No? Okay then. Leave my girl out of it, and you and I have no problem. Are we good?”
No response.
I took a step forward and repeated myself. “Are we good?”
His shoulders slumped. “Yeah, man. I don’t know what your problem is.”
Just what I thought. Nothing to show for it.
Gripping James’s shoulder, I smiled. “Thanks for talking me down.”
“Dude, always.” Screensaver nodded his bobblehead before lowering his voice. “And, uh, just for the record – she’s hot. I’d totally hit that.”
It was meant as a compliment, albeit a backwards one, so I let it slide because this was Screensaver, the guy who still made bunny ears when tying his shoes.
As I strode off, Valentine called out. “Where are you going?”
“Where I should have gone five years ago. See you around, Valentine.”
Each step I took away brought with it renewed vigor, and crossing the threshold of Utopia, I breathed in the fresh air. Finally, I knew just where I was headed.
Sam and Shannon watched my approach open-mouthed in awe. I came to a halt at their table, the eyes of those around us burning into my back.
“Hey, Shannon.” I nodded my head in her direction, smiling. “I’m Keith.”
“Yes, you are.” She giggled, the flush only multiplying her endearing freckles. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
I made a show of cringing. “Any of it good?”
“A very, very tiny bit.” She used her fingers to emphasis the point.
Sam slapped her arm and they laughed. There were no pretenses here, no one-upping each other. It was this type of friendship I needed to aspire to.
“It’s nice seeing you around these parts, Keith,” Shannon said, glancing behind me. “But you might want to get back before your friends stage an intervention.”
My eyes now locked on Sam’s, I didn’t bother to turn around. I knew what I’d find – lots of spectator eyes straining in my direction. Who cared? Let them stare. I wasn’t going back. Ever.
“Can I sit?”
Sam nodded, smiling as she held my gaze with her warm, honey-hued eyes. “What took you so long?”
12
Samantha: The Turtle Roll
6:30 Saturday morning. That’s what he’d said. I glanced at my watch. 6:32. Yep, he wasn’t coming. I should have confirmed with him last night. Best case scenario, he just forgot. Worst, he’d decided I wasn’t worth the effort. I mean, what did I expect? One day at my lunch table and suddenly I was trust falling into his arms.
I should go. In fact, I never should’ve come in the first place. Stepping into that ocean would be my nightmare come true. Something about the unchartered depths of the unknown terrified me. My fear had only grown over the years, and I somehow associated the ocean with death – my death. And since Sully’s suicide, I stayed clear of danger, preferring to exist in a bubble wrapped world.
I checked my watch again. 6:33.Screw you, Keith McKallister – making me sit on a bench, next to a garbage can, in the parking lot of your choice!If he thought I was going to tutor him after leaving me here to be dive-bombed by his shitty memorial seagulls, he’d better think again.Good luck passing geometry now, you jerk. I mean, good lord, everyone knows parallel lines don’t intersect!
As I sat humiliated on a park bench at 6:34 in the morning, my body began to rebel. I tightened the sweatshirt around me as a wave of shivers swept through me. I wasn’t sure if the reaction was due to the cold or if I were quivering with fear. I lifted my head and looked around at the fine layer of mist. The sunshine we enjoyed on a daily basis had yet to burn through the coastal fog, making the air extra chilly today.
My teeth were chattering. How had I even considered submerging my body in the unruly Pacific Ocean? Tourists tended to believe the California coast sported nice, lukewarm waters to frolic in. Um…no. This was not the Caribbean. The Pacific was too deep, too wild, and too inhabited by dangerous creatures to give off that warm, fuzzy feeling.
The revving of an engine in the distance caught my attention, and I froze in anticipation.Please be him. Please save my faith in humanity.
“Sam! Hey, Sam!” Keith yelled my name out the window, adding a horn to his noisy entrance. And just like that, I forgot how much I’d despised him. Or how cold I was. Or how terrified I was. He’d come for me, and that was all that mattered.
