Evangeline Lawrence has a secret. A big secret. One involving her birthday, the player, August Griffin, who's (almost) like a brother to her, and a kiss the night before he ran away. No one else knows about it, aside from August, of course, and Evan...
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POV: August
I stand up, wobbling slightly as I do. It's been about two hours and the only reason I'm getting up is because I need to check out of this motel. I throw on my shirt and pull on my pants. I go into the bathroom to wash my face, see the travel sized bottle of mouthwash I bought at that CVS yesterday, and use it. I'm about to leave the bathroom when I notice the empty toothbrush container in the trash. Shortly before going out to find a motel she had popped back in the pharmacy and came out with a bag. I guess she's a lot smarter than me. I didn't even think to buy a toothbrush.
I walk to the car turn on the radio, plug in my phone, and start to drive. There's only three radio stations around here, I soon find out, and all of them sound like crap from the '40s.
I've been driving for about five minutes when I discover that I've been going in circles. I don't know why I didn't occur to me earlier that I don't have a destination. Okay. Now, what? I don't think I want to go track Ann down because she hurt me, and I know I don't want to go back to Nathan's because he'll have questions.
An image of the beach from last night pops into my head. I try to shake it away, but it won't go. I guess part of me really wants to see the water, even if it isn't the Pacific ocean.
You see, when I was younger, I thought that the ocean was my friend. Before I knew Nathan, I was lonely. Really lonely. I would go to the ocean every day and I could play with it. I would run and jump in the waves, daring it to catch me. Some days, if I was tired, I would simply lie down on the sand. Even now, though I've never told anyone, I swear I can hear it speak to me. I don't know what it said, but I could always hear it.
POV: Evangeline
"How...?" I don't have to turn to know it's him.
"I swear, I didn't know you were here this time."
"This time,"
"Yeah," he coughs.
"I, um, I can go. I mean, my family probably wants me back so..." I stand up and brush the sand of my legs.
"Wait." I turn back to him.
"Ann, I," he swallows. "I mean, last night...this morning..."
"Look, August, I got to go and you have to get back to your own life, so..."
"Ann, wait. I need to tell you something." My breath catches in my throat.
"Please, no. I can't, I mean, look, August. This is hard for me. I mean, I thought you lo-liked me and then you told me I was nothing more than some annoying little girl, and now, you're back in my life and you're telling me that you're here for me. I just can't deal with this."
"Just shut up and listen. Last night you told me to let you go and I told you I can't. I wasn't lying."
"Aug-"
"Ann," he grins down at me. "Did anyone ever teach you that 'shut up' means 'be quiet'?"
"I believe I might have heard that somewhere."
"Than shut it or else you won't get to hear this. Now, as I was saying, I wasn't lying, then. But I did lie to you. Look, I know what I did was wrong, but Nathan's comments got into my head and I believed them. I was so pissed at myself for letting you get so close to me when I knew I could hurt you. So, I guess I stopped things to make sure that I couldn't hurt you."
I want to hug him but the look on his face stops me. It's pained but stubborn. That's not good.
"I'm guessing that's not an apology." He nods.
"I'm just giving you an explanation. I'm not going to let you back in. I'm sorry. It's for your own good."
"Fuçk you, Griffin. You mess with my feelings and make me fall for you, only to tell me that you can't commit to anything 'for my own good.' You're not even a player! You're just a coward who's afraid of his own feelings."
"That hurt." He appears to be joking, but I hope he's not.
"It should. And I don't even know why I'm apologized to you this morning. You're not the one who deserves an apology. This is goodbye, Griffin. And I know I've said that a lot, but this really is it."
"A-"
"I know my type, Griffin. It isn't boys who drive me around in circles like you and it isn't boys who control everything I do like M-" I stop, aware that I just gave something huge away.
"Who?" His face is stiff and serous. It's funny how his expression can change just like that.
"It doesn't concern you anymore. I'm leaving and if you try to fuçking follow me, I will punch you right where your heart should be."
With that, I turn and leave him standing alone on the beach.
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