Tracks on the Beach

Mine Forever

Seventy two hours. It felt like an eternity for Breeze while she had to wait for Gauge's release from the psyche ward of Coastal Beachton General Hospital. It also didn't help that Aunt Vanessa rubbed it in her face by seeing Uncle B every evening that she waited. This was all her fault. Breeze wouldn't past her to have called 911 on poor Gauge and claim he was trying to kill himself and then threaten Cash with bodily harm to take the blame. Also, how was it fair that she was dating Uncle B? She majorly disrespected him the night of her summer party and he had major issues with the fact she liked his son. Nothing made sense to Breeze anymore. No one understood her and the only person that did, was locked away in a psyche ward. It's not fair.
The first day, leaving the hospital was really hard, knowing Gauge would stay behind. Cash and Ariella had taken her to bid him farewell, but his room was locked. They tried to comfort her, but Breeze wouldn't have any of it. Ariella was just the girl next door and Cash was just the best friend. How would they know how she felt?
The second day, Breeze moped around THE peer. She was suspicious when Ariella showed up with Cash, claiming they had been searching for her, and Cash still had a little what looked like Ariella's lipstick around his mouth. Gross! She thought, but that would need to be how things were, once Gauge returned. Ariella gave her an update, by telling her there was no update.
The third and final day, Breeze moped around the shelter where Aunt Vanessa had thrown her party. 

"Waiting is hard!" Breeze whined most of the day.

The next day, the day Gauge was released, Breeze sat by her window, staring at her phone, waiting for a call or a text, anything from Gauge. Her phone was silent. She looked up from it to find Ariella, sitting across the house in her bedroom, with a sign that read, "Oh, hey Girl!" Breeze sighed and picked up her sign that read, "hey." Ariella held up another one that asked, "Anything yet?" Breeze sighed and picked up her sign that read "nothing." Ariella's next sign, much to Breeze's surprise read "Cash is hott!" When Breeze's eyes widen at what she suspected all along, but never had proof of, Ariella looked down in horror to see what she had done. She tossed the sign and away and picked up another one, that read what she had actually intended. "Hang in there, girl." Breeze sighed, yet again and picked up another sign. Ariella made a face and held about a sign that read, "Girl, go take care of you business. That is nasty." A puzzled Breeze looked down to see that she had nothing other than a poop emoji on hers. She flings the sign back in horror as she picks up her real one that says she hears Aunt Vanessa coming and must go." Ariella shrugs and laves her window.
The truth was, she did hear Aunt Vanessa, but not coming towards her room, getting ready to leave for yet another date with Uncle B. She hears their laughs from downstairs.
"Maybe tonight, we can act out some of those scenes in your book," she hears Uncle B tell her aunt. Aunt Vanessa's laugh fills the house. Breeze thought it sounded more like a cackle.
"Oh, Uncle B, stop," Aunt Vanessa laughs, then calls upstairs, "Breeze, we'll back this evening."
"Leave me alone!" Breeze shouts, laying back on her bed.
"There's a chocolate chip pound cake on the counter if you want any," Aunt Vanessa calls out before leaving.
"No one understands me!" Breeze screams. As she continues to scream in a high pitched tone, there is a knock on the door. Breeze becomes silent as the knock is heard again. What has Breeze's summer come to? First she nearly died when Ariella shoved her off the peer, then her boyfriend gets locked away for what feels like forever, and now she must be a slave to her aunt again. Breeze clomps downstairs and swings the door open.
"WHAT?" she asks, nearly yelling.
"Hey," Gauge grunts, much to Breeze's surprise and delight. She quickly changes her tone.
"Gauge, oh my God, come in," she invites him in, "you're out!"
"I want to take you out," he grunts.
"Oh, Gauge, yes I'll go out with you," Breeze shrieks, she practically pulls him out of the door. Moments later she stomps back in. "Just a moment, Gaugey-poo," Breeze calls out, the glares at the chocolate ship pound cake, giving it side eye. She stomps over to it and picks it up. She throws it as hard as she can in the trash can, then happily walks out.

******

Gauge leads Breeze to a picnic that he had set up on the beach earlier.
"Oh, Gauge," Breeze swoons, "a picnic on the beach!" The blanket has blown over the food as it has been set up earlier, and a lot of it is covered with sand. They sit on the sandy blanket.
"I wanted to take you the cliff, but I'm not allowed to go there anymore for personal safety reasons," Gauge tells her in a low tone, "I made it all myself."
"I'm sure it's delicious," Breeze smiles. Gauge pours them both some sparking cider.
"To us," Breeze makes a toast and they clink glasses. They both drink and as they lower their glasses, and Breeze pulls her from her lips, smacking them. "Beachy," she replies.
"I made these sandwiches myself," Gauge tells her as he lifts half of one for her to take a bite of. Breeze does and her chewing is heard because it's crunchy.
"Sandy," she replies, after chewing it, "here, let me feed you." She reaches over and feeds him. His crunches his on his sandwich too.
"Tastes like Coastal Beachton," he replies. As they take turns feeding each other, Ariella and Cash watch from above on THE peer.
"I guess they do look kind of cute together," Cash comments, as he wears his sunglasses.
"Yeah, now onward to part two, boy," Ariella announces.
A musical montage starts, showing the rest of Breeze and Gauge's day. After the lunch, they kiss and then roll onto the beach until the roll into the waves. Breeze let's out a scream and runs out of the ocean with a grab attached to her butt. They later walk down to the boardwalk, pointing out various things like tourists, but no one else around them knows what they are pointing at. As the song winds down, it is night time and Gauge and Breeze have walked to THE peer, hand in hand.
"Oh, Gauge, it's so beautiful," Breeze gasps at the sight of beach lit up in lights, like she has always wanted, the way she has always wanted, with the love of her life.
"If you look hard enough, all the way down the beach," Gauge points out, "you see the lady of of Coastal Beachton all lit up." Breeze peers into the night.

Down the beach on another, less significant peer, Ariella stands on a small podium, in a pose, all decked out with yellow Christmas lights.
"Are you sure this is safe?" she asks Cash, who is still wearing his sunglasses and watches a cat video on his cell phone.
"Perfectly," Cash tells her. All of the Christmas lights are tethered together by one extension cord, that sparks. Soon a shock is sent to Ariella who screams.

"Oh Guage, I see her, I see her," Breeze says, turning just in time to miss the lights on Ariella going out.
"Nothing is as beautiful as your eyes," Gauge tells her.
"I love it when you use your words," Breeze says and they kiss.

*****

Breeze creeps into Aunt Vanessa's beach home, expecting Aunt Vanessa to be waiting for her, but Aunt Vanessa hasn't come home yet.
"Hey, girl," Ariella greets her, from behind, prompting Breeze to scream. She is then relieved to see it's only Ariella.
"So, how was your day?" Ariella asks her.
"It was the best day of my life," Breeze gushes, falling onto the sofa, "Gauge and I are going to be together forever. He's forever mine and I'm forever his."
"I'm so happy for you girl," Ariella smiles.
"He even said he'd come to Aunt Vanessa's 4th of July celebration," Breeze sits up.
"I cannot wait," Ariella replies, then hands her an envelope, "this was taped to your front door." Breeze crumples the envelope up and tosses it backwards.
"Nothing can be as important as today was," Breeze tells her, "and as tomorrow's fourth of July party will be." Her and Breeze carry on, going up the stairs and to Breeze's room. The crumpled paper that no one looked at was really a warning to evacuate for a hurricane, bigger than any before, is set to hit Coast Beachton, the night of the 4th of July!