The Shadow That Smiled At Me

Chapter eight

The parents decided to spend New Year's Eve in Paris. My mother adores the city, but she never took me there. Most of the time, my parents didn't take me on vacations with them, they went alone and left me at home in LA, in the care of others. Now that I'm older, I have the whole house to myself. Due to my family's wealth and passion for travel, I saw little of the world - London, New York, Hawaii and Rome. I'd rather go sightseeing than hang out on the beach all day.

This summer my mother planned to spend a whole month in Paris and promised to take me with her. She said she would show me her favorite places, which would be boutiques and cafes as I know her. However, I will have enough time to explore the streets of the city and its surroundings in my own way. I'm sure I'll like it there.

It's time for the long-awaited New Year's Eve party, or New Year's Eve bonfire on the beach, to be more precise. I went to Jessica's house, where we got ready together. Jess had been rummaging through her wardrobe for hours, but nothing seemed good enough. She has already chosen an outfit and changed it again about five times. A leather miniskirt, no. Sparkly dress, no. Ripped jeans, way too ordinary. Nothing was perfect for her, and what could have been, I had to talk her out of it, because she wanted to wear ten-centimeter heels, to the sand, to the beach, and she refused to wear sneakers.

Finally, I climbed into the closet myself and took out her black shorts, a white tank top with a cut-out skull on the back, and knee-high lace-up sandals. She didn't protest. She seemed to like it, so I urged her to get dressed before she changed her mind. When we walked out the door, I took a deep breath.

I have Vincent, so I don't need to pack or impress anyone. All in black, I put on ripped jeans, a simple loose t-shirt with short sleeves that exposed my midriff, and high-top canvas sneakers that I'm probably going to take off anyway because I hate sand in my shoes. I wore my hair in an exceptionally high ponytail and decided not to overdo it with makeup today and opted for naturalness.

While we were getting ready, Vincent arrived. He had to wait in the living room because he wasn't allowed in Jessica's room—for two reasons: The first, of course, was that she didn't like him, and the second was that she didn't want to be seen in her underwear. However, it was mainly the first reason.

We drove to a small private beach, surrounded by rocks, on the outskirts of town. Entry was possible only by passing through the villa of one of the graduates, from the football team. For this reason, uninvited guests cannot get there.

As soon as we got out of the car, the bass of the music could be heard vibrating the air. Cars stood in crowds on the street, taking up all the free space on the sides of the road. People flocked to the entrance. We went inside. We went down the stairs attached to the rock from the garden to the beach. There was a big fire in the middle. Tongues of fire reaching up to the heights licked the dark skies. Sparks, shining like fireflies, flew up to the stars and fell to the ground into oblivion. The wood cracked with the heat. In the background sounded crashing waves hitting the rocks. The sound of the sea mingled with the joyful and drunken shouts of those present. People I knew from school and through Vincent, but also those I didn't know, were having fun together, pushing each other, wrapping their bodies around each other, jumping to the rhythms of the music. Some frolicked in the cold waters, others occupied the space by the beer barrel.

Immediately after arriving, Jessica disappeared into the crowd. Vincent went to meet his teammates from the football team, that had stolen him for themselves. I took a glass of beer and sat down on a cool, damp stone sticking out of the sand. I watched the celebration from behind. I examined the individual faces illuminated by the flames.

I saw Henry burning marshmallows with his friends by the fire. He noticed me too. He waved to me and I to him.

A moment later he came to keep me company.