Float

The sand seeped through the tiny gaps between my toes. "Wait for me Sam!" I called out to my best friend as I looked up. She looked back at me. Running ahead, eyes sparkling, a smile growing on her lips. "Try and catch me!" I let out a small laugh. I dug my feet into the soft, cool, sand and thrust myself forward.

The two of us sprinted down the empty beach, waves gently sloshing and crashing on the mountains of charcoal grey rocks. The moon peeked from behind the horizon, a glowing semi circle slowly rising to give us some light. A cool breeze tossed my hair up around my face and sent a chill down my spine. It was like a scene in a movie. "It's getting cold! I wanna go into the water!" I called up to her. She slowed her sprint to a jog, and her jog to a walk. Sam whipped around. Her sloppy grin still plastered on her face. "Fine, fine. Toss your bag over there." She said pointing to a near by palm tree resting by the shore. "Take my stuff too." Slowly she unzipped her hoodie to unveil her curves in her maroon bikini, a little gold chain with a ballerina clasped around her neck. She threw her light grey hoodie at me, along with her beach bag. She gave me a stupid face and ran back to the water. I rolled my eyes and placed our things by the trunk of the tree. Quickly I slipped off my shorts to reveal my smooth thin legs my own bikini. I pulled my hair away from my eyes to see Sam already in the water. "C'mon slow poke! Get your ass in here!" she called. I stuck out my tongue and made a bee line for the ocean.

Once I was up to my waist, I plummeted down into the warm, salty water. I appeared by Sam's side and pulled my auburn hair back out of my face. "God finally." She mumbled. "Shut up." I retorted playfully shoving her. "Ah!" she cried flailing round dramatically. I rolled my eyes. "Good god Sam relax." She laughed a little and laid back in the water. Slowly her newly manicured toes peeked through the top of the water. She spread her arms to make her look like a giant life-sized star fish. I turned away from her to look at the moon "So, what are you doing this weekend? I want to make s-" when I looked back Sam was gone. "Sam?" I called out. "Jesus, don't you dare scare me! I don't need you grabbing my ankles like last time!" my eyes darted around the empty beach. The smile slightly fell from my face. All our stuff was still by the tree. "Sam?" I yelled. This time more frantically. All the possible scenarios flashed in my mind. "Sam?! C'mon this isn't funny!" silence. I dove down into the water, pushing my way through the green hands of seaweed grabbing at me. As soon as I opened my eyes to look for her, the water stung them. Little prickly jabs fogging my sight. I pushed off the ground and floated back up to the top. "Sam?!" I yelled out again breathlessly treading above the waves. Panic set in. She's on the swim team for god's sake! She has to be ok! I thought. I decided to head towards the beach and climb on one of the rocks to get a better view.

As I scoped the ocean, I noticed a little blonde dot bobbing in the waves an insane way out. "Sam?!" I hollered. Now I heard it. A faint "Chloe!"

"God damn it." I mumbled under my breath. I heaved a deep breath into my lungs and leaped off the rock.

It was odd. The water was so warm and fairly calm before, but now that Sam was gone, it seemed like the ocean was trying to stop me from getting to her. Cold harsh waves clapped on top of me, shoving me down under them as if trying to smother me. They weren't smooth and they didn't glide down onto you, it was a kind of wave that if you were facing it, you would brace yourself by squeezing your eyes tight, and clenching your fists. Then the water would just peel back your eyelids and your fingers would become Jell-O. Don't even think about trying to stand upright. "Sam I'm coming!" I yelled between gasps for air.

Suddenly the waves stopped, and everything went quiet. "Alright cut! We need to do that last bit again guys!" the director yelled to us. I rolled my eyes. "Again? This was like our 20th take."

"Again please." He said in a sing song voice. "Fine." I droned. I set myself up back at the rock and awaited my cue. "Action!" he bellowed from behind me. Here we go again.