A Year Around the Sun

e i g h t - i wouldn't want to interrupt

let's take things fast,
what's there to l o s e . . .

🌊🌊🌊

"Hey Lena, you wanna take a half hour break soon?" Beverly popped up at the window of my booth at almost 12 o'clock on the dot. She nearly scared me at first, busting her way through the massive line of customers waiting for their tickets and waving those off who sneered at her.

"Yes, please," I begged, nodding my head vigorously.

"Alright," she nodded too and scanned the area with narrowed eyes. It took a moment for her to come back to me, then she pursed her lips and spoke lowly. "Finish up this line and then you can go. People are so out of hand today – just 'cause it's America's birthday doesn't mean y'all can act like a bunch of hooligans."

"Tell me about it," I rolled my eyes in agreement. She did the same, chuckling a bit before slapping the counter top with her hand and sauntering away.

Saturday morning didn't disappoint when it arrived. We always expect the Fourth of July to be a hectic day, but it seemed extra hectic this year. I'd been locked in my booth since 10 AM and I'll be here until 6. Until then, I have lines, lines, and more lines to look forward to.

If I had the day off, I'd much rather be on the beach or at a backyard barbecue than at WonderPier. But work is work.

When the eternal line in front of my window withered away and no one else was there, I put up a sign that said I'd be back in thirty minutes and hurriedly left the pier. I wasn't too hungry since I had a big, late breakfast before I came here, but I still needed something in my stomach. As I walked down the boardwalk, I saw the line for Polish Water Ice wasn't that long, so I hopped in and ordered a medium cup of the mango flavor.

Waiting in line and meandering back to the pier only served as more time for me to think. And there's only been one thing on my mind for the past couple of days.

Brody.

It's been four days since I last hung out with him, and I couldn't help but wonder if he'd stop by again, looking for the bathroom. Or just looking for me – but he didn't.

I kept wondering if I did something wrong, but I realized that overthinking this new friendship is stupid. I mean, I don't even like him, like him, right? I barely know the kid.

Well, scratch that. I know him. I know enough about him to realize that I maybe have a tiny crush on him. But there's no way in hell that he likes me back in that way. I'm just "a cool girl".

Either way, he was on my mind from the minute we bumped into each other on the beach two weeks ago. There's something so captivating and homey about Brody and to me, he's so much more than that seductive stare and sexy smile. I think the fact that I literally could not stop thinking about him was enough to tell me that I have a crush on him.

Why are boys so confusing?

In the midst of my daydreaming and overthinking of the littlest things as I approached my booth in the pier, someone slammed into my shoulder. My body jolted, almost causing me to lose my cup of half-empty water ice, a quiet gasp escaping my mouth.

I carefully tilted my head up to see who had nearly knocked me over, and my heart lurched in my chest at the pair of eyes I came across.

Brody's ocean eyes were looking at me in horror, probably because he almost took me to the ground. I couldn't help but laugh out of embarrassment, and a little bit of irony.