finn
I found The Cove easily. I discovered it while Paddleboarding a few months ago and after I saw it I couldn't forget the water, no matter how hard I tried. My apartment is close, maybe a five-minute walk. I could see her from a distance, the second after I cleared the last set of dunes. She was walking the length of the beach, which is only about twenty meters or so, and wistfully glancing though the water. It was brighter than usual in the sunset, almost luminescent, but nothing could distract me from her. I have a light tread, and I planned to use it to my advantage. I snuck up behind her, and just as my lips formed the shape of what I would say, she turned at lightening speed, to face me.
"Before you say I am definitely the most attractive person on this beach, I'd like to point out I am the only person on this beach, except for you."
"How the hell..." I said, confused at how she knew I was there.
She smirked and moved so she stood next to me, so we both faced the sea. "You may have a light tread, but not light enough. I have excellent instinct."
"It seems you are extraordinarily modest, too" I said.
"Definitely. I'm gonna go for a swim. Do what you want." She turned, whipped off her shorts and jumper and placed them in a heap on then sand. But I can't swim. I can stay afloat, sure, and I know some strokes, but I can't swim. I don't know how she knew. Rubie took one look at my face and said, "I'll teach you."
This girl, honestly. How? How does she just magically know things? I want her instinct- she wasn't lying. It is excellent.
"You don't have to," I said, not really thinking. Who, in a city like Bonbeach, wants to know someone who can't swim?
"No, I want to. Really." The sincerity in her voice took me by surprise. She took my hand and led me to the waterline, where she dived perfectly into the water. The Cove has no shallows, just the waterline anda sharp descent to five feet deep. She bobbed up and smiled. The water seemed to make her into a softer person, as if the salt wore away her hard edges. I attempted to do the same, lining up my feet and arms, and executed a perfect bellyflop. I came up for air and laughed. Genuinely laughed. She did too, which filled me with a glorious warm sensation all over. "That wasn't too bad," she said. I laughed and shook my head. She receded. "Okay, maybe it was. The point is, you tried, and that's half the battle."
I laughed, embarrassed. I have blown it with Rubie. Screwed it up before it even began. I sighed in frustration and she said, "Come tomorrow, after school. You do go to school, right?" As ridiculous as this question seemed it was a fair one. Bonbeach parents aren't exactly known for their typical views on educating the young. "Okay. And yeah, I do. Year twelve." There was no asking which school she went to. Bonbeach has only two high schools. One specializes in academics, Bonbeach Grammar, and the other, Bonbeach Arts High, focuses on the arts. I go to Bonbeach Grammar and trust me when I say I would have noticed if Rubie went to my school. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then. Promise?"
"Promise."
