Lifeguard

seventeen

"Sage, what happened?" Gabby asks in concern, after I've calmed down.

"He came to apologize. That's all he wanted." I stare past my friends and out to the ocean, "And I just shut him down."

"Well, you have every right to be upset you know?" Hayley says, "He was an asshole to you!"

I nod, "I know, I know! That's not even why I'm upset though! I started really liking a guy for the first time in forever, and of course, he turns out just like everyone else!"

"No." Jasmine sighs.

My eyes shoot to her, "What?"

She sighs and takes my hand in hers, "S, he's crazy about you. For God's sake! He came all the way here to apologize, and respected you when you said you wanted him to leave. That's more than most guys will do. He's a good guy who let his feelings get the better of him. Especially with what you told us about his ex. He just got scared."

She looks like she wants to add something, but stops talking.

"And?" I raise my eyebrows.

She smiles slightly, "And, he hasn't stopped staring at you for the past half an hour."

"What?!" I nearly jump out of my seat, "Where even is he?!"

She chuckles and nods at the lifeguard tower.

I look over to see Wesley sitting on the balcony of his lifeguard tower, looking directly at me. Right when he sees me looking back at him, he turns his head away.

I turn and look at all of my friends.

"You should go talk to him S." Gabby puts her hand on my shoulder.

Hayley lets out a long breath before agreeing, "Yeah. Go give that dick a chance to prove that he's actually a good guy."

I bite my lip, "Are you sure? I mean, he's on duty right now and the beach is full."

"Yeah, and there's two other lifeguards on duty as well." Gabby points out.

"Alright. I guess I can go out there." I look down at the ground.

"Hey," Jasmine places her hand under my chin and lifts it up softly, "Everything will be alright. You two have more of a connection than most people get in a whole lifetime."

I feel a small grin creeping up on me, but I push it down as I stand up, "Okay. I'll go talk to him. But I'm bringing this blanket."

They all chuckle and Jasmine gives me a hug.

"Remember. He made a mistake. Don't hold it against him forever. This guy really likes you."

I nod, "Thank you. I'll be back. Be ready with either hugs of sympathy or hugs of congratulations when I'm finished."

They all share a laugh once again before I walk out.

****

*Wes' POV*

I walk my tear-stained face back over to the lifeguard tower. As I walk inside, my two friends turn to me, their expressions immediately softening when they see me.

"Yo dude..." Tanner trails off.

"So I'm guessing it didn't go too well?" Daniel tries to avoid eye contact.