No Strings Attached ; j.g

n i n e t e e n

When I woke up alone, I realized Sammy was still gone. I changed into white jeans and a comfy crop top and headed down to the camp.

"Hey Breezy," Misty welcomed me.

"Hey," I waved. "Have you guys seen Marley?" I asked being sure to say his new name.

"Oh uh- yeah he stayed here last night," she said as she fiddled with some beaded bracelets. Sam walked out of the van and looked at me.

"Our flights in an hour, we better go," he told me. Ziggy, Hash, and everyone else at the camp, including Doobie, looked at me.

"I don't wanna leave," I told him bluntly. I was mad at him for leaving.

"Well you have to, you told Jack you would. He's gonna be mad," he said back, bluntly. Everyone was looking back and forth between us.

"Well you're both going to make me pick, and that's something I'm not going to do. I didn't even wanna stay in Cali to begin with," I raised my eyebrows and stared at him.

"Hey, man. You could stay with us!" Koi said enthusiastically.

"Really?" I smiled. "Ziggy, are you cool with that?"

"Hell yeah," he said coolly.

"You're gonna stay?" Sam asked, he looked a little hurt now.

"Sa-" I stopped. "Marley, I love to travel, and I'm not ready to settle down yet," I gave a weak smile.

"Can we just, can we go on a walk?" he asks. I nod. We walk down the beach, our arms almost touching. "I know you wanna stay, but are you sure?"

"Sam, I'm positive. I mean, I got this phone. If you wanna talk, just call me or whatever," I say. "I know what you're trying to do. You want the same thing Jack wanted. You want me to stay, and I'm not gonna stay." I turned around and walked back to the camp.

He caught up with me, "okay, okay. Are we cool though?"

"Yeah, man."

-

All my things, which wasn't much, were now at the hippie camp. I was chilling under the tent thing. "It feels nice being free," I smiled.

"That's the right way to live," Ziggy smiled at me. "I think ya did the right thing, I mean love is great when it's peaceful, but being free, that's pretty great too."

"Hallelujah," Hash nods.

"WAYNES WORLD, WAYNES WORLD!" Koi yells from the van.

All of us outside yell back, "EXCELLAAANT!" We start laughing. We were doubled over from the stomach cramps we were getting from all the laughing.

After it was all quiet, things got more serious. "So, Ziggy," I started. "Do you have a family?"

He was concentrating on the necklace he'd been making earlier that day. "Never really liked em," he frowned. "They didn't like me, said I was a freak of nature with my dreadlocks. Didn't like that I didn't shave. Thought I was a dirtball."

"Hey," I said. "We're all dirt balls," everyone laughed, even Ziggy.

Doobie ran up to me and licked my face. "I think he likes you, Breeze," Misty says calmly. I smiled and petted him softly.

"Where'd you guys get him?" I asked as I paid attention to the big dog.

"I brought him," Ziggy said, smiling at the dog. "When I lived with my parents, I had his mom. When I left I brought her with me. She got old and died, but she had puppies. I kept him and sold the rest," he stared at Doobie, still smiling.

"Well, he's a great dog," I smiled and ruffled his ears. "Who's a good boy? You are!" I cooed. He licked my face and laid his head in my lap. "How old is he?" I asked.

"Seven," Ziggy said. "He's a labradoodle."

"He's gorgeous," I smiled at the dog, who looked like he'd smiled back.