Right Next To Me

Chapter 13 Always You

This chapter is dedicated to MsPurpleLulu16 for her support and her comments that encouraged me to write on. Thank you.

Chapter 13 ~ Always You

I was sitting on the bench with my chin resting on my hands.  I was watching the other girls play hopscotch. I felt someone sit beside me.

“What are you doing here alone? Why don’t you join them?”, the boy asked me, nodding towards the girls’ direction.

I pouted, almost at the verge of tears. “They wouldn’t let me join.”

The boy wrapped his arms around me. “Don’t cry.” He said and dried the tears that fell on my cheeks. “Those girls are playing a lame game anyway.” He comforted me. “Do you want to walk to the beach with me?” I eagerly nodded.

He held my hand as we walked toward the beach.

We passed by a young couple who were making out. We looked at each other and said, “Eww gross...” ,at the same time. We laughed and continued walking.

 “Look! A bottle.” I pointed excitedly toward the sea.

“I’ll get it!” The boy said. “Stay here. Don’t go near the water. I’ll be right back.” He proceeded to approach the water.

“Be careful!” I shouted, cupping my hands. He looked back at me and smiled. I was getting tensed because the bottle was drifting away. The waves got up to the tip of his beach shorts. I was afraid he will be taken away by the waves.

“Got it!” he shouted, waving the bottle and hurriedly walking back to the shore.

“Yay!” I was clapping and jumping up and down.

We walked by the pier and hid under its shade. We studied the bottle carefully. It just looks like a clear liquor bottle except it is shaped differently.  It has a cork and at the lip of the bottle, there is a twine tied around it with a small seashell pendant. Inside the bottle was some sand and seashells. There is also a rolled up sheet of paper inside.

“Do you think there is a genie inside? I want to make three wishes.” I asked the boy. 

He wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “I don’t think genies are real. They are just in the books.”

“If they are in the books, shouldn’t they be real?” I asked, furrowing my brow.

He shook his head again. “I don’t think so.” He was carefully examining the bottle.

“Let’s open it.” I urged him. “I want to make my wishes.”

“OK.” He finally said and he lifted off the cork “What do you wish for?”

I closed my eyes. “I wish for my family to have a home, I don’t want to keep moving anymore. I wish for people to be happy…” I was counting off the number of wishes thru my fingers.

“Wait…” He stopped me. I opened my eyes.

“What if we only get three wishes and not three each?” He asked furrowing his brow. I cocked my head to the side and snickered.

“I thought you said genies aren’t real?” I teased him, narrowing my eyes.

“Well, who knows…” He shrugged and chuckled.

 “OK. I will let you have the last wish since I already made two.” I told him. 

He closed his eyes and then opened them after a while. “What’s your wish?” I nudged him.