Calming the Sea, Drifting Away

Two

When I was feeling both physically and emotionally better, I went to the beach. Why? I don't know. I didn't even like the beach at the time. I guess I just wanted change.

I got change.

I dug my feet into the dry sand on the shore of the Pacific Ocean as I watched the golden sun sink into the cold, dark water along the horizon. I didn't notice the boy staring at me.

Bright stars started puncturing the sky as it got darker and darker, reflecting on every little wave in the sea.

Little bursts of light in a sea of darkness.

Little bursts of happiness in a sea of sorrow.

The boy came up to me.

"Hey," he said.

I didn't know what to say. It was nighttime, I was out in public, I was alone, and some strange person was trying to talk to me.

"Uh... Hey?"

"I'm Liam. What's your name."

"Cara," I said, "Why are you talking to me?"

"We're both teenagers. We're both sitting at the beach in the middle of the night, doing nothing. I thought that we could maybe be friends."

"Oh. Maybe."

I wasn't in love with this boy or anything. He was nice, but all I wanted to be was his friend. Nothing more than that, and that was okay.

We talked for a while. I finally went home at about two in the morning. We had exchanged phone numbers, and we promised to stay in contact.

When I got home, I found my parents standing in the doorway, both looking at me angrily.

"What?"

"What?!" my dad said, "I'll tell you what. We were worried sick. We both thought you had jumped off a bridge or something. Why didn't you call us?"

"I was busy."

"Doing what?" my mom said.

I didn't answer them. I knew that if I told them what I was doing, I would be in even more trouble than I already was in.

"Sorry," I said, walking up to the stairs, heading to my room.

I lost my phone for a week. No talking to Liam. No talking to my other friends. No social media. That was a tough week.