Short Stories + Contest Entries

The Stealer

An edited version of the story, but not entirely revised. I hope it's worth the read!

What I'm about to share may not be what you're expecting, but it's a part of me that I need to get off my chest. What started as a normal day turned into a day of redemption. It's the day I finally became whole again. And it all started at the beach.

*

The law textbook on my lap weighs more than three dictionaries combined, its content crushes my boney legs. The sand piling on my beach towel itches my skin, as the repetitive crashing of the waves strikes a nerve. The laughter and chatter of people mingling about take me in and out of focus. I lean against the water cooler for comfort from this hellish weather. I haven't taken one step away from the shade, but sweat streaks down my face and sticks to me like slim.

My eyes reread the same sentence four times before I comprehend. As I regain my concentration again, a voice calls out to me. "Hey, Rose! You still up there, Rosy?"

Focus slips from my grasp again and I sigh seamlessly. Dakota makes her way under the umbrella.

"Back from the water already?" I ask. My hand fiddles with my bookmark and pokes in between the pages.

"You're still sitting here?" Dakota replies. Her body drips from the sea and her perfect sapphire eyes hover over me. Sand sticks to her wet feet like pasty glue. She makes her way to the cooler behind me and digs for her desired beverage. She crushes a water bottle in her hand and chugs half of it. Her eyes fall on my books and her nose wrinkles. Dakota wags her strawberry hair like a dog; clumps of droplets fire toward me like bullets.

"Yes, I'm still here. Now move, please. You're getting me wet!" I swipe my damp arms, the feel of the freezing ocean seeps into my skin and cools it for a second.

Dakota chuckles. "Honestly, I think I did you a favor." She sips her water bottle one more time and tosses it on the floral towel next to me. Dakota bends down. " So listen, I want you to come out to the water with me."

I huff. My fingers delicately caress the thin textbook pages. "Dakota, we've been through this. Even if I knew how to swim, I have studying to do."

Dakota's face levels with mine, and her drenched hair sags down her face like a veil. "First off, you don't need to know how to swim to dip your feet in the water." She says, mouth curving into a mischievous grin.

"Second, you're wearing a bathing suit, so don't just sit here and be bored. And third," my best friend's hands grip my shoulders and violently shake me as if I'm a broken vending machine that ate her dollar. "Take a stinking break!"

I grunt and playfully slap her hand. "The ocean is a dangerous place, and I don't feel like dying today, thank you very much." My teasing doesn't phase her. Dakota stands and rests her hand on her sun-kissed hip. The curve of her body is stunning, an hourglass figure with a red one-piece bathing suit that compliments her shape and reveals skin in just the right places. Jealousy twists in my stomach.

"You know you're going to ace this final exam, so why study more than you already have?" She rips the textbook from my grip, her damp hands wrinkling the top of the thin pages. She drops it on the towel next to her water bottle.

"Seriously! That towel is full of sand!" I say, rising from my spot. Dakota smiles and pokes my side. I twitch and slap her hand away. "Will you stop that?"

"Good, you're up," Dakota says. "Now all you need to do is smack a smile on your face, and sell yourself to the ocean water. You won't regret it, especially in this heat. You must be dying out here!" Dakota's hand fully wraps around my wrist, and she uses all her force to drag me away from the shade. I fight against her, struggling to return to my shady isolation.