A Drop In The Lake

he hit her

Alessa

    "Ale!" Comes Brook's voice as I wade through the tough terrain of the Jersey Shore.

    "Yeah, Ale, come on, it'll be loads of fun." Echoes Dani's voice.

    "You realize asking me a hundred times isn't going to make me want to go any more. Right?" I return, kicking up sand as I head towards my friends.

    It's ten o'clock on a Friday night, and I'm at the beach with my friends. Don't question our antics. For the last hour Dani and Brook have been trying to convince me to go to Tony's party and while I could usually use the excuse of 'We have classes tomorrow', headmaster Boxer gave us the day off.

    It may sound ridiculous, but Saturday classes are actually quite normal for a preparatory school. At Harvey Cedars High School we get half days on Wednesdays and Saturdays, but our class and work load is jading.

   "Ale. You said you wanted to get out there more. Yah know? Loosen up a bit. And it's our senior year." Retorts Brook as she begins collecting her towel.

    "Oof, using the 'senior year' excuse, that's a low blow Brooky." I jibe, lumbering over to my own balled up towel to dry off.

    "She's not wrong." Adds Mary.

    I throw my hands up in defeat.

    "Does that mean yes?" Questions Brook, eagerly.

    "Fine," I concede.

    It takes us less than a minute to return to my house, where we all rinse off in the makeshift outdoor shower. On weekends, I usually stay at school so that I can concentrate on getting work done and use the gym. But I live relatively close to campus, so whenever we are given time off I make it a point to go home, plus it's only the third week of classes and many of my teachers are still trying to figure out their lesson plans.

    Me, Brook, Dani, Mary and Dana all lumber up the stairs on the side of the house and into the main set of glass doors, taking us right into the aproperitally aquatic themed living room.

    "Brook, you can take Millie and Amanda's room, Dani and Dana, you can take the guest bedroom, and Mary, you can use my room. I'm gonna go upstairs and tell Alex what's going on." I shout, running up the stairs to the third floor landing.

   "Is there a party going on in our house?" Questions Alex as I swerve around the back of the couch that Alex is relaxing on.

    "No, not at our house, at Tony's. We're gonna head over to his parents house in Beach Haven, and I just wanted to let you know." I clip, running into my parents bedroom to grab a spare set of keys for my mother's car.

    Both of my parents are out of town this weekend, enjoying their anniversary in Key Biscayne Florida, so it's just my brother and I.

    As I rear back out of my parent's bedroom, Alex greets me with a blank expression. "You can come too if you want to." I relent, knowing my brother too well.

    "Actually, I was thinking of staying in and inviting Emmy over tonight. You guys cool with taking up residence in Millie and Amanda's room in case she winds up staying over?"

    Millie and Amanda are our two younger cousins, and while they technically don't live here, they visit a lot, and whenever they do, they always stay in the completely pink room with the bunk beds.

    "Yeah sure, though it's not like you guys are gonna wind up needing the guest bedroom." I return, a cheeky smile playing at the corner of my lips.

    "It's a formality thing." Retorts my brother.

    "Sure it is." I tease as I walk back down the stairs to get ready.

    Thirty minutes later we're all dressed and crammed into my mother's Tesla model x.

    My family are huge environmentalists, my mom loves gardening and picking up trash, and my dad loves volunteering at wildlife protection centers, so having an electric car makes sense. Although, I think my mom is really just a huge Elon Musk fan because not only does she have the car, she won't stop talking about Bitcoin and the stock market fluctuations whenever Elon tweets. It's cute, she's got nothing much to do except tend to the garden and keep the house tidy, since retiring, so whenever she comes to me about the latest thing she's been reading up on, it makes me really happy.

    "So, not to be a buzz kill, but why are you so pumped to go to Tony's party? I thought you guys broke up." I question ten minutes into our thirty minute car ride.

    "I mean. We had a rough patch but we're all good now." Replies Brook, gleefully.

    "You guys got back together?" Chimes Dana, looking back and forth between Brook and I. "After everything that happened Monday night?"

    Monday night Cameron showed up at my door with a silky sensitive Brook in tow. I, of course, thought at first that Cameron had done something, but when he told me about her being outside of Tony's door, I knew it had to have been because of another one of their fights. When I went in to console Brook she told me that he hit her and that's why she was crying. Yes, they've gotten into fights before, but she has never told me that he hit her. It broke my heart, and to hear now that they are back together, I am only more frightened for my best friend.

    "Do you think that's a good idea Brooklyn?" I ask softly so that the rest of our friends in the back seat can't hear over the summer time essentials playlist I have blaring from the speakers.

    "It's fine. We talked about it. Maybe you and I can talk about it later tonight, okay?" Brook whispers back.

    "Yeah. Sure." I settle.

    "Now, why don't you tell me about how things have been going with you and Mr. Earthling." Demands Brook, louder so the rest of our friends can hear her.

    "What do you mean?" I question shyly.

    "What do you mean, what do I mean? You know exactly who I'm talking about. Mr. six-two. Mr. one-V stroke." She prods.

    "It's nothing." I whisper, heat running up my cheeks like an out of control forest fire.

    "Alessa Inez Klein, you better tell me right now what happened with Mr. Cameron, because I know you guys went on a run together Tuesday morning, so you can't hide shit from me." Retorts Brook confidently.

    "How'd you know we went on a run together?" I ask.

    "Cameron basically bombarded me after science and all but begged me to tell him what was wrong with you. Actually, he did beg me." Reveals Brook.

    "It was nothing. He just caught me at a bad time." I supply, not wanting to tell her the real reason for my breakdown even though I'm sure she already knows why.

    As if hearing my plea for help, the Gods grace me with Tony's house being down the street after my next left.

    The street is crammed with cars, some I recognize as belonging to my classmates and some I have no clue as to where they came from.
    When we all saunter out of my car and into the house, it is abnormally quiet, but the bumping base outside points a bright red arrow at where the party is really happening. Before getting too comfortable, I head into the fisherman inspired kitchen and grab a cup of water. I'm the designated driver, so no drinking for me tonight.

    That's when I see it. Or should I say him. As I'm pouring tap water into a red solo cup, he comes up behind me.

    "Alessa?"

    "Hi Cameron."