Serendipity & the Serpent

Confrontation

You ran until you reached a group of kids your age. Letting yourself fall into a brisk paced walk, you joined them anonymously.

Secretly, you had hoped that none of them would see you. Maybe the boys on the hill would see the massive crowd below and not know which person they were looking for. They could easily turn around and give up.

But as you approached the group some more, you turned to see their bikes flying down the hill one by one. With your heart in your throat, you forced yourself to turn away from the sight.

And ran right into one of the other teenagers.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!" You exclaimed.

The girl you had accidentally ran into laughed as she fixed her sweater. She smiled up at you genuinely. "You're alright!"

Your heart began to pound as some of her friends turned around to look at you. Quickly averting your gaze to the ground, you tried to walk away before anyone could speak. Now was really not the time to make friends.

Your trek down toward the water came to an abrupt stop when you started to shiver. The sun had disappeared completely behind the ocean, leaving nothing but a harsh wind and chilly air. Suddenly, you heard a sweet laugh from behind you and footsteps growing closer in the sand.

"You're dressed for a California day on the beach, not for a night on the beach."

You turned to find that girl approaching you again with something in her hands. Smiling awkwardly, you let her catch up to where you were standing along the shore.

"Here," she said, extending her full hand. "I don't have a blanket but I brought you a beach towel." She smiled as you reached for it. "I figured you might need it."

You took it reluctantly. It was a very sweet gesture, and perhaps if you weren't currently on the run, maybe you would've let your guard down with her a little. But the anxiety and adrenaline of the night was too high for your liking. The crowd wasn't exactly your scene.

"Thank you." You spoke to her softly as you wrapped the towel over your shoulders. An awkward silence weighed heavily in the air for a moment before she took a deep breath.

"I haven't seen you around before... you must be new!"

You smiled, "yeah, I actually just moved in today."

Her eyes widened. "No way! My friend Daniel over there moved here today too!" She pointed to a boy not too far away, wearing a red sweatshirt. As you looked to him, you couldn't help but let your eyes drift to the group of familiar boys walking past him, directly toward the two of you. Swallowing your nerves, you pretended to feel comfortable for both of your sakes.

"That's so crazy that you both moved here today! Are you related to him by any chance?"

"No, I actually don't know anybody here."

You watched a wide smile spread on her lips before she stuck out her hand. "Well you know someone now. I'm Ali."

Her atmosphere was contagious. You knew the boys from the record shop were walking in your direction, but you didn't pay them any attention in that moment. Ali made you feel calm, like you belonged. Outstretching your hand, you shook her's firmly and introduced yourself.

She smiled brightly and told you she loved your name. You were about to thank her when a boy came jogging in your direction.

Your heart began to race, but luckily it was only Ali's friend, Daniel. He was carrying two cans of Coca-Cola.

"Hey Ali, I brought you something."

"Aw thanks Daniel, but I just had one." She took the can from him anyway and turned to face you, "do you want it?"