"Don't brood. Get on with living and loving. You don't have forever."
-Leo Buscaglia
——
MUTTERING OBSCENITIES UNDER her breath, Stacey stuffed her feet into her bunny slippers and dashed out of her room, not caring about the rest of her appearance, like her ill-fitting camisole and Spongebob Squarepants pajama bottoms.
Quicker than a flash of lightning, Stacey was at the bottom of the stairs and within seconds, she was out of the door. With adrenaline coursing in torrents through her veins, she set off in the direction that the boy had taken.
The morning sun reflected on her skin and her pace sent her hair flying behind her like a long, red cape. Stacey quickened it anyway, as she caught a glimpse of the boy that was currently in possession of her diary.
"Stop running!" She yelled, a light sheen of sweat appearing on her forehead.
He replied her with a hearty laugh and disappeared down a dirt road. Cursing, Stacey continued after him with the ferociousness of a bear, and just when she thought she was about to die of breathlessness, the boy slowed his pace before he stopped completely.
He turned to see Stacey panting with her hands on her knees as if she'd just raced round the continent. His grin widened at this as he spoke, "Your speed is amazing for a girl of your height," Tucking the diary under his arm, he clapped. "Bravo!"
"Are you out of your mind?" Stacey glared as soon as she was able to get some air rushing into her lungs again. "What the heck was that for?"
"To bring the color back to your cheeks, of course," The boy took a step forward and pulled at her cheeks the way grannies would. "Look, they're cherry and full of life now."
Stacey swat his hand away with an exasperated huff. "My diary," she held her out her hand for the purple book.
"This is your diary?" His bright eyes widened as if he had just come to a sudden realization and his face broke out in a grin. "Wow, there must be some juicy stuff in here," he flicked open a page and cleared his throat as he began reading. "Dear diary, you won't believe what happened-"
"That's an intrusion of my privacy!" Stacey snatched the book out of his grip and he pulled a face.
"Aw, come on, Little Red," He whined, the nickname referring to the color of her hair. "Don't be a killjoy."
Stacey stuck out her tongue at him and turned to go. Her feet sank into the sand and it was only then that she became aware of her surroundings.
The waves crashed against the shore of the beach and seagulls flew high above their heads, cawing loudly. It took her only a second to realize that they were the only people on the beach - the folks of Brighton Bay weren't exactly early birds.
"What exactly about the beach has got you so pumped?" Stacey asked, turning back to face him, her arms folding across her chest.
"Well," he smiled at the invitation to delve into the many things of the beach that fascinated him. "There's the sound of the waves, the salty air, the blazing sun," he sighed with a goofy smile on his face as he stared out the blue horizon. "I could go on forever."
Stacey scoffed, rolling her eyes and turned to go again, but he called out to her and again, she couldn't help but halt her steps. "What?"
"You're leaving already?" He questioned.
"I wasn't even supposed to be here in the first place," she gave him a pointed look.
"But you're here now," he emphasized.
