A Drop In The Lake

Mr. six-two-six-pack-green-eyes god

Alessa

At 5:30 in the morning my alarm goes off, reminding me of the pledge I made to myself to get ahead of the curve when it comes to rowing. Although we've only been back on campus for two weeks and the stress of our workload hasn't completely set in — the temperature is still in the high eighties — and we have our first scrimmage against Surf City High this weekend. While I'm not really worried about it, I am worried about the scouts that will, undoubtedly, be watching the race from the sidelines, at the neighboring park.

I wipe the crusty flakes of mucus buildup from the corners of my eyes and stretch to the foot of my bed, turning my alarm off. As I roll myself out of my tangled sheets, I look over to Dana to be sure she is still asleep and, not surprisingly, she's knocked out.

I huff to my feet, feeling the drum of soreness play through my legs and the wisps of sleep cloud my head. Last night's runin with Cameron was unexpected, but the sight of Brook sobbing next to him was astronomical. I wanted to rip his head off, assuming he had done something to her, but the second he opened his mouth about her being in Willing I knew it had everything to do with her and Tony's "relationship".

Unrelenting to the thoughts zooming around my head like a car on the highway, I remain completely silent as I methodically put on my Nike Pros and a sweatshirt, because even though it's still summer, the morning chill hits hard here in LBI. I quietly grab my keys off the hook and lock our dorm room door behind me, stuffing my phone and my fob into my sweatshirt pocket. I carefully slide on my running shoes, not wanting to wake any of the other girls on my floor, and then head down the stairs and out the front doors of our dorm.

The second my feet hit the pavement a flood of relief rushes through me, fueling my desire to run fast and hard. I don't turn my music on because the sound of my feet hitting the ground and the world coming alive around me is enough to keep my rhythm quick.

I take the familiar path, southbound, towards Surf City and the bridge that leads to the mainland.

Fact: the greatest thing about LBI — aside from its beaches — is the straight road that trails down the length of the island. It's perfect for running and biking and gives the island an eternal feeling, one where experiences and life is everlasting. It's so... Freeing.

I'm halfway through my run, just passing Bayview Park when I hear a voice calling my name from behind me.

"Alessa!"

Turning around, I come face to face with Mr. six-two-six-pack-green-eyes god.

"Are you following me?" I blurt out, stumbling on my own two feet.

Cameron gives me an inquisitive look, to which I reply with an even more accusatory gaze.

"Okay, you caught me." He concedes.

"Wait, really?"

"No, I'm messing with you." He adds chuckling.

My whole body relaxes at his show of lightheartedness. Cameron walks towards me, and it isn't until he says something that I realize I'm gawking. I mean how couldn't I? He's just strolling up to me lookin' like a whole meal while I'm a starving woman. There should be a warning sign that alerts everyone when Cameron's not wearing a shirt, cause damn.