The universe and her, and I

A R R I V E D

"Wake up we're here," Thatcher said dropping my bag from the overhead storage on top of me. If I wasn't so sleep deprived I would have fought back but didn't have the energy. I've been to the outer banks a few times when I younger but I dont ever remember it being this exhausting.

We had to catch our flight from New York to North Carolina and then a cab to the docks to wait for the ferry and we couldn't take just any ferry it had to take the one that only traveled once a day to South Shore. It obviously wasn't a popular vacation destination because the woman at the ticket booth had a good laugh when we told her where we were traveling to but none less we sat outside the small station and waited.

I hopped off the ferry along with a few other passengers who went directly into the little wooden convenient mart for a bathroom break and snacks. The shack was connected to a pier and a small mom and pop restaurant that was probably popular with the locals.

I didn't have any clue where I was headed so I followed everyone into the shop and looked around.

"Phoebe said she would be picking us up here?" Thatcher asked grabbing a few candy bars for the rack. On the cab ride to the docks I gave Phoebes house phone a call hoping Rose would be there so I could surprise her and tell her I was on my way to South Shore but Phoebe picked up and told me she had a last minute business trip she needed to attended to in San Diego. I've only really been around phoebe when I was younger so I don't really have a strong relationship with her but she was extremely excited to hear about my surprise visit and couldn't wait to see me again, before I hung up the phone she have me directions to this shack and told me she would pick us up.

"Oh my god!" A loud piercing squeezed filled the shop making Thatcher drop his stash of candy. "How-How is this possible?."

We both slowly turned around to see a tall girl with unruly bright red curls and big bright blue eyes standing in the doorway of the shack.

"Tayla?" I said confused slowly approaching her. I knew it was her but I was just shocked she was actually wearing her hair naturally. Back in Brimwood, she wouldn't be caught dead without it bone straight.

"I know I know I cut my hair." She said pulling on one of her curls. I guess my shock over her curls made me completely miss the fact that she chopped off half of her hair.

"It looks so good!" I said reaching out to touch it.

"It's okay" She rolled her eyes. "My hair didn't stand a chance with this humidity it was too much work keeping it straight."

"I think it looks hot," Thatcher added pulling her into a hug.

"How-What- Sorry I am so confused. Why are you guys here?" Tayla said scratching the back of her head in confusion.

"You didn't tell her you were coming?" I shouted slapping Thatchers arm.

"I didn't think I needed too!" He shouted back rubbing his arm. "I just assumed we would eventually bump into her."

"Pay for those and meet me outside."I rolled my eyes laughing. "I'll look out for Phoebe."

After he finished up in the shack Thatcher met me outside with Tayla and we sat along a brick wall catching up and watching the cars pass.
None of them ever stopped until an old yellow two trunk wiped into the gravel parking lot and a tall thin blonde woman stumbled out of her truck.

"Sorry I'm late!" She yelled across the parking lot while lowering the door to the bed of her truck. "I needed to clean out the back the trunk to make space for some things."

"Let me help with that" Thatcher offered jumping to his feet. All three of us helped load her the bed of the truck with paint cans and long pieces of wood before we said our goodbyes to Tayla and made our way to Phoebes house. On the drive over she told us all about her bed in breakfast which also doubled as a surf academy and a little farm. She used the farm and the surf school as a source of income when the bed and breakfast wasn't doing too well and vice versa. She told us she never intended on making a living off of the B&B but she had a bunch of extra space and enjoyed meeting new people and it allowed her to do so. After a while, the conversation died down and we sat in comfortable silence for the remainder of the drive.