Rayonnante - Paul Lahote

Chapter 2

It was Friday afternoon and school had ended early. Surprisingly, it was very sunny outside, which was probably why their calculus teacher had taken pity on them and told them they could go home only twenty minutes after the beginning of his class. Lena had rushed to the beach without even stopping home, hoping to enjoy the last few hours of sunlight. Her favorite place on the entire reservation was First Beach, with its massive tree trunks and soothing waves. She liked to just sit there and listen to the water, enjoying the fresh air.

The beach was quite empty save for a few people she could see in the distance, apparently playing soccer. She was surprised. Usually, on sunny days, most people would be hanging out here. She guessed that some had decided to go for a walk at the docks in Port Angeles, or were having a barbecue. Those were some of the other favorite activities of the residents of La Push on sunny days. She herself didn't have a barbecue at home, but she was often invited to the Black residence when they were grilling stuff. She loved those kind of meals, the ones where lots of people were invited and chaos reigned.

She walked a few meters down the beach towards one of her favorite spots, right in front of the small islands covered in pine trees. Since she didn't bring a towel, she took her windbreaker and sat on it, hoping that it wouldn't get ruined in the process. While Lena always tried her best to dress for the weather, she enjoyed wearing nice clothes. It was always a challenge not to dirty them since she also loved to take nature walks and sit on the grass. One of her favorite blue sundress now had a big green stain on the back and no matter how many tricks she tried, she'd never managed to completely erase it. Since she wasn't exactly rolling in money, that had made her very sad, knowing she probably wouldn't buy a new one soon. She'd had a few summer jobs here and there, working at the reservation's gift shop with Mrs Call and at the school library. She also tutored younger students sometimes. She tried her best to save enough money for a few outings at restaurants, or one or two shopping sprees a year. Luckily she didn't usually have to pay the groceries. While her aunt Hellen was far from responsible, she still made sure that the bills were paid and left a bit of money on a bank account destined to be used for transactions relating to their house. Lena mostly used it for grocery shopping but she also once had to pay for a plumber while her aunt was out of town, so it did come in handy.

She stretched her denim covered legs in front of her, leaning back on her arms which were on either side of her, palms towards the ground. She could hear birds chirping and the waves crashing. It truly was a beautiful day. She felt so incredibly happy, sighing as she soaked up the sunlight.

"Lena!"

She jumped. She hadn't heard anyone coming her way. Turning towards the noise, she grinned as she recognized Kim, one of her favorite classmates.

"Hi, Kim!"

Lena had always liked the young girl. They sometimes worked together on school projects and struggled to get the work done, joking about stupid stuff and getting distracted. Kim was stunning in an unconventional way. Her dark eyes were full of mischief. She had gorgeous, pouty lips that were always stretched into a smile. Her long, dark hair flowed down her back and caught the light just right. She also had a wider nose and a rounder shaped face that somehow just seemed to fit her perfectly. She was a quiet person, but ounce you gained her trust, she got out of her shelf and became incredibly funny and lively. Lena wished they spent more time together, but for the past few months, Kim was always flanked by her adoring boyfriend Jared Cameron. She always observed their relationship with a bit of envy. They just seemed so perfect for each other. They were synched to one another. When Kim smiled, so did Jared. When he moved, so did she. Lena was very happy that her friend had found someone that made her feel so cherished.

"Enjoying the sunlight?", Kim asked before sitting down next to her.

"Yes, it's just such a nice day! What about you?"