Sea Salt.

The Season Before Autumn.

One: The Season Before Autumn.

There was always something about summer that made me smile. By just saying the word, made me feel warm. The word summed up for many others. Whenever I smoothed sunscreen onto my skin, or whenever I took a nice bite of a perfectly sweet watermelon. Whenever an annoying bite from a mosquito itched like hell, or the smell of chlorine from the pool. Whenever...

I could keep going on and on, but it would take forever. I didn't want to waste my precious summer by listing all the things that I love about it, can I?

Though, most of the time I had spent my past few summers trapped in my bedroom, listening to cheery music, and searching up the most pointless things on my laptop. My eyes have observed the millions of photos of white sand and clear blue water. People laying out on the beach, tanning themselves in the hot summer sun. How people would jog by the water or even take a stroll barefooted, letting their feet sink in the wet sand. Kids building sandcastles that were practically made to be destroyed. Dogs, and large towels, beach volleyball, and surfing.

It was surprising enough that I had lived only a few blocks away from the Pacific Coast for a few years now, but I, Emery Brown, had never even laid my eyes on "where the Sky and Ocean meet". I never had the chance to for four years. I never saw and I never touched.

Gosh, that kind sounded weird.

My group of  "good" friends decided to celebrate the ending of junior year by taking me to Hermosa Beach. I dared not to tell them that this was actually the first time I would go to our local coastline. By using my resources, I gathered necessary items for the walk to the beach. Faded jean shorts with studs, a red band tee,  a white cross-body messenger bag, and a pair of $30 sunglasses.

I was so excited. Too excited. The last time I had gone out was last summer.

I was the last one to arrive at Amy's porch. Savannah, and Trinity were giggling on the porch swing as I approached to them. 

"Oh hey, Emery!" Savannah and Trinity smiled. and waved. I greeted them back and returned a simple wave.  I smiled at them; my teeth were not revealed at all. The two girls turned away and started to giggle again. I sighed and stood awkwardly waiting for Amy.. Where was she? Probably inside. DUH.

Amy finally exited her own home. Her long dark brown curls flew behind her. She gave a smile to the two "high" girls on the porch swing, and then to, of course, me. She opened her mouth and asked, "When did you get here?"

"Just now," I shrugged.

"Oh. Well let's go! To the beach!" Amy walked down the steps and continued to walk on the sidewalk. Trinity and Savannah followed her, leaving me the last one on the porch. I sighed and inhaled the warm air. I hummed my way toward them. My friends walked side by side, all three of them. I was left out. My eyes were focused onto the pale cement below me. Did my friends forget that I was here?

They had just made a joke without me. They laughed like there was no tomorrow. I want to laugh like that.

Yes, they did forget.

I didn't consider this hate or them being mean to me. I guess it was my fault for being boring. Maybe they didn't get my humor. Maybe they didn't get my personality. Maybe they didn't get me.

But this? This was normal. My friends weren't the best. I just had them if I needed a partner for a Physics lab or they were someone who would call 911 if I had accidentally stabbed myself with a steak knife. They were just friends. At school, I sat quietly during lunchtime while the three girls laughed about the last time they took silly photos on their Mac-book at the mall.