folklore; conrad fisher

24: road trip

We'd just gotten off of the waves. Conrad shook the sea water out of his hair. He was in his blue swimming trunks. I was in a light pink one piece. We never surfed without our wetsuits, but we thought it'd be nice to just once before the Summer ended.

It was my last full day at Cousin's beach. The one I'd remember best.

As we treaded through the sand to get home, Conrad gave into the fatigue. He tossed his surfboard on the ground and threw himself on top of it, allowing himself to bask in the warmth of that early August morning. I followed suit, and lied down next to him. We breathed steadily. It was a lot, surfing and then making the walk home. We were tired after the session, and this felt right.

I carefully watched the way the lingering drops of water glistened on his back, as he laid beneath the sun. I used my finger to trace my name using the droplets.

He turned to me, with a smile "What're you doing?"

"I'm marking my territory." I joked.

His hair looked golden then, and his eyes were greener than ever. If you'd asked me then, I probably would have told you I loved him.

It was a thought I'd kept to myself, close to my chest––one I'd never even whisper out loud in the emptiest room. Maybe it wasn't even true. Perhaps the heat of the moment, and the intensity of that Summer had caused me to believe it. But back then I was so sure of what it was, and now none of it felt real.

I ruminated on that day on the bus to Brown University. It was a three hour long ride I narrowly convinced my mom to let me on. Leo was a blessing in disguise. If it weren't for the fact that my trip to Rhode Island gave them more alone time, I was sure she wouldn't hesitate to say no when I asked to go.

It occurred to me during that ride that I'd never even visited Brown, the school I was sure I would go to at the beginning of my Senior year. What if I'd fall in love with its campus and regret my decision to go to Berkeley? Surely I wouldn't have, considering the fact that Berkeley didn't have the boy I disdained most roaming around its campus. And yet, here I was on the morning bus, travelling for hours to find said boy.

The walk from the bus stop to Brown was around 20 minutes long, and by the time I arrived I was utterly exhausted. I asked a group of nearby students where their cafe was, and headed there first. It was just my luck that Belly had made a similar decision. When I walked in, I saw her speaking to the cashier before handing him a twenty dollar bill. She grabbed her change and turned to see me smiling at her.

Belly ran up to me and gave me a hug. She told me she had ordered three lattes for herself, Jeremiah and I. I wanted to pay her back, but she said it was her treat.

She looked miles better than the last time I'd seen her, granted it was at the funeral. In fact, she looked the best I'd ever seen her. Last Summer, she began blooming into a beautiful, young woman. Now, she'd become the most stunning version of herself. Her hair was long and soft, and her skin was glowing alongside a lacy lavender tank top, and bits of daisy-patterned gold jewelry that fell perfectly on her collarbone.

It was safe to say, this wasn't my Babybel anymore.

A barista called out 'Isabel,' and we took it as our cue to grab our drinks. She held onto her's and Jeremiah's, as I grabbed mine and began chugging it. I needed all the energy I could get to deal with the impossible situation ahead of us.

I'd finished my coffee before we met up with Jeremiah in the courtyard. It was a wide, green open space bustling with students who were chatting amicably or hurrying to their next class. It was a nice environment, I'd admit. Brown had all of the qualities of a classic college campus. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't anything special.