World of Make-Believe: Khirsten's Story

It's A Promise

She pushed her way over the dunes, creeping over the sand like a predator.

"Ah." She whispered, "there it is."

Along a line of five or six veritable shacks was the one she was looking for. The back porch softly sloped into the sand, the blue paint was peeling off due to the extreme conditions of being so near the salty water, the back door was crooked on its hinges, held in place by a chain lock. Bean bags, Christmas light, cigarette butts and liquor bottles littered the way to the entrance. She shifted her eyes next door to the softly gray, in slightly better condition shack. She evaluated the young man lying on a beach chair beside a slightly older, mildly overweight woman.

For a moment she crouched down behind a dune, weighing her options. Either force her way through the debris while remaining unseen or sneak around to the front while attempting to remain unseen. She closed her eyes and sighed. She couldn't think through this hangover.

"Oh fuck it." She hissed, standing, stumbling over the sand.

She noticed her neighbors curious glances, the guy stood and began walking over. Khirsten stopped short. Joe was her heartthrob, first love crush. Real crush. She had been in love with him since she was 8. He was gorgeous, walking shirtless through the sand, coming closer. She could see the outline of his muscles, the riddle of tattoos that splayed over his torso, peeking from below his swim shorts. She forced her gaze back up to his face. Warm brown eyes, dark, sandy blonde hair, sun kissed skin only found from the beach bums.

"Khrissy." He greeted, his eyes narrowed.

She rolled her eyes, "Joseph." She added an extra dash of sarcasm, just for him.

"The hell were you doing?" He leaned closer and sniffed. "Drinking again?"

She shrugged off his reproachful tone, "You're off duty, Captain Square."

He sighed, his face flattening out even more as he crossed his arms over his chest. She watched him examine her. She felt suddenly embarrassed. She must have been a mess; hung over, she hadn't showered, still wearing the clothes she fell asleep in and wore the night before. She looked at his face as he took her in. She felt it, something darker growing in him.

"Stop judging me." She watched his eyes snap to hers, she felt a flare of guilt well up in him.

Yeah... uh, well... Lisa wanted to talk to you today." He waited for Khirsten to fall into step beside him before continuing his conversation, "It's not like I'd arrest you even if I were on duty."

"Yeah right, like you haven't done it before." She could see the concern growing on Lisa's face, though the older woman didn't bother moving from her seat.

"That was a mistake." He replied, "I'm sorry. I was way too gung-ho about getting into this line of work."

Khirsten shuddered thinking of that night. It had been about a year ago, right around the time her dad had split for New Mexico in a mobile trailer he had bought with the last of their money to go find his 'true love'. A woman he had met through the internet. She had filled out the paperwork for emancipation, then went out with her friends. They were originally just looking for innocent fun before she had run into Joe pre-shift chatting it up with some other girl. She had wanted him to notice her so badly but she was convinced he wouldn't see past the age gap of six years. So she acted older or how she thought older people acted.

"God that was stupid." Khirsten sighed. Though in a way she was grateful. If he hadn't arrested her that night she never would have been able to speak to Lisa, Joe's older sister and, consequently, her court ordered therapist turned mother figure. "Funny how life works out." she turned and smiled at Joe, then walked ahead, leaving him behind her, obviously lost in thought.