Pretty Girl - Steven Conklin (Under Water)

1

The waves rolled in, soft and slow against the shore, but for Delilah, the sea had lost its calm. Cousins Beach, once her safe haven, was now a landscape painted in shades of gray. It felt like nothing would ever look bright again.

It had only been three weeks since JJ's death. Three weeks since her whole world had shifted. And while everyone around her seemed to grieve in ways that looked normal, she was left suspended between anger, sorrow, and emptiness. Her mom, Susannah, had passed shortly afterward, and though they'd seen it coming, it still felt like a double punch. She knew Susannah's death was taking a toll on everyone, but Delilah's own grief for JJ remained the one thing she couldn't share. She feared if she did, it would swallow her whole.

That morning, she sat on the beach alone, watching the waves crash against the shore. She came out here most days, sometimes joined by her brothers or Steven, but today she'd managed to find a rare moment to herself. She hugged her knees to her chest, feeling small and numb.

The crunch of sand behind her caught her attention. She turned, seeing a tall figure approaching. Nate, JJ's older brother. He'd come into town a few days after the funeral, but they hadn't had a real conversation yet. There was a certain comfort in seeing him, someone who'd known JJ just as she had, who could understand her in ways no one else here could.

"Hey, Dee," Nate said quietly, settling down beside her on the sand. They didn't look at each other for a while, both just staring out at the waves.

"Hey," she replied, barely above a whisper. She wasn't sure what to say; the weight of the past few weeks felt too heavy to put into words.

"He loved this place, you know?" Nate finally said, his voice thick with emotion. "The beach, the bonfires. He used to say Cousins Beach was where he felt the most free."

Delilah nodded, feeling her chest tighten. "Yeah, he did."

They sat in silence for a few moments, the only sound the steady rhythm of the waves. Then, Nate reached over and took her hand, his grip firm but gentle.

"I miss him, Dee," he said, his voice breaking. "I keep thinking he's gonna come walking around the corner any minute now, with that stupid grin of his."

Delilah felt tears prick at her eyes. "Me too," she whispered, gripping his hand like it was the only thing keeping her anchored. They sat like that, two people sharing the same hollow ache, the same void that JJ had left behind.

The funeral for Susannah had been beautiful but heartbreaking. They'd returned to Cousins Beach afterward, all of them trying to fill the house with laughter and memories, as Susannah would have wanted. But Delilah felt out of place. Belly had latched onto Conrad, trying to comfort him, while Jeremiah mostly kept to himself. Delilah tried to step up, tried to be there for her family, but every time she opened her mouth, she felt her grief turn into something unsteady and raw. She couldn't bring herself to add to everyone's sorrow. So she stayed quiet.