Swept Away

8 - Colby

I think it's good to be friends with someone before you start dating.

Those words have echoed through my brain for the last 20 minutes. The party's pretty much over, the only people left here being Danny, Ren, and Elle. As we clean up, all I can think about is Juillet. She's gorgeous, but we've covered that. But she's also interesting. And I'm interested.

I learned things about her tonight that I didn't know or expect. Like how she plays the piano and she doesn't know what she wants to major in at college. But also surface things like how she has freckles all over her nose and her ears have 4 piercings each.

"Yo," Ren pulls me out of my daydream, "dude, are you going to help clean up?"

I look around at the beach. For a bunch of people who walk around with shirts that say Save the Turtles they sure did litter a lot. "Yeah, yeah, hey, where the fuck is Tan?"

Danny is throwing red plastic cups into a garbage bag, "His dad found out he was here and was pissed. He had to go home."

"Was he shaking?" Elle asks. We all are aware that Tanner's dad is pretty abusive towards him although it's not clear if it's physical or verbal.

Danny drops the bag and nods, "Like he was freezing cold."

"Not a good sign," I walk over to Elle and drop a cup in her bag.

"Speaking of," she says, "what's going on with you and Ashlyn's friend?"

A grin spreads onto my face, "Nothing, I guess."

Elle pushes my arm, "Nothing? That was not nothing!"

"I don't know," I shrug, "I thought it was something, and I gave her my number right before she left, but she hasn't messaged me."

"She'll text you," Elle sighs, "If she knows how to express her feelings, she'll tell you." She looks over towards Ren, who has wandered closer to the water, as she says it.

"You still haven't told him?" I stare at him and whisper.

She drops her head and shakes it, "I just don't know how. How do you tell your favorite person that you love them?"

I stutter, "I- I wouldn't know."

I've never been in love with someone. I don't really know what love is. I don't know if I know anyone who is truly in love. My parents are great, but I don't know if they love each other. Not in the way that matters. They don't ever fight, but I think that might be the problem. They don't challenge each other. It's just boring. It's just comfortable. Tanner's parents don't love each other. Tanner's dad doesn't love anything, but baseball. Danny's parents can't go a day without fighting. Paige's parents have been divorced forever. Elle's dad split when she was little. So it's not like I'm surrounded by happy people in love.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do," she goes back to cleaning up, "I mean, I guess I have to move on."

"Move on from what?" Ren interrupts.

"Oh nothing," Elle looks down and starts shoving stuff into her garbage bag.

She tucks her hair behind her ear before looking up, tears welling in her eyes. "Whats wrong?" Ren asks her.