That day we exchanged numbers and decided to meet at an ice cream parlor to fill each other in. Theo was certain that this was a date so he let me take his truck while he went surfing. He didn't want to feel like a third wheel. I parked his truck and hopped out. I opened the door to my favorite ice cream parlor. I scanned the room for Sophia. Our eyes locked and she waved. I smiled at her, she looked very pretty today. I slid into the seat across from her.
"Hey," she said, her voice smooth.
"Hey, you look beautiful" I said, so quietly that only she could hear me.
She blushed, then smiled.
"Thanks," she paused "so what happened after you moved to California?"
I sighed "My dad left me on my own just as we got settled. I found a new place to live. The beach was only minutes away. I went surfing like everyday after work and this group of guys saw me and befriended me. For the longest time, we were all so close."
She stared at me. I felt self conscious with her eyes on me.
"Why did your dad leave you on your own? And what happened to the guys?" She asked.
"Well, dad and I kept getting in big fights and he told me to go find somewhere else to live, so I did. But when the guys found me they took me in...but like last week they came into the house and we got into a fight. A physical fight."
"Is that what that is from?" She pointed to the bandage on my head.
"Um no, that was a surfing incident" I said.
"Oh"
I intentionally left out the part about my smoking addiction.
"So tell me about you" I pressed.
She sat back in her seat.
"After you left, my parents got divorced and I stayed with my dad because he owns the beach. I got bullied for not being able to swim since my dad owned the beach."
"Jerks" I mumbled.
I may have not seen her in years but I'm still protective over her.
She just shrugged
"I got use to it after awhile...I didn't have you with me to actually do anything about it,"
I felt bad for that. I felt bad that I couldn't be there for Sophia. I didn't like that I had to leave her. She was my best friend. She is my best friend.
"Yeah. So from there I moved to a private school. That's when I met Cory and Violet. I used the bullies to fuel myself to learn to swim and surf. Now I work as a lifegaurd at my dads beach." She continued.
"So anyway...now that I know how to swim you have to tell me when you learned to surf. I never saw you take lessons or anything, and I was with you all the time," she mumbled.
I laughed just a bit "alright...I knew that I was moving soon. I didn't tell anyone not even you about it. But I wanted to surprise you with something. Give you something to remember me for when I left. So I asked your dad to give me lessons that summer while you were in town with your mom every week," I told her. She kind of just stared at me for a moment. It was weird.
"Well...I certainly remember it...remember it very clearly" she said with a soft smile.
"That was my goal" I said "and look at that, years later we meet each other at the same beach"
She laughed a little "who would've guessed?"
Her laugh was like silk; so smooth and flowing. It made me smile.
"Why are you smiling at me like that?" She asked.
"It's nothing" I dismissed.
"What ever you say" she murmured, a little smile tugging at her lips.
Great. Now I was beginning to crush on my best friend. I wanted to punch myself in the face. I just re-met her yesterday!
