Us, Colliding

CHAPTER FIVE

It's red hot here but it's a nice sort of heat, summer in Oasis Springs is blistering. Literally.
I spend most of my time indoors, otherwise I burn to a crisp. Here the sun is hot but nowhere near as oppressive, the sea breeze helps with that.

I traipse down to the beach the following day, I slept ok, I don't know what was said between my dad and mum but when I woke my phone was on charge next to my bed and dad had changed my phone background to a picture of a dolphin wearing a pair of shades with 'just chill out!' Written underneath. I assume it's a reference to mum and I kind of love it.

I'm hoping to bump into Neri and go beach combing but as I approach the shore I see only the teens I spied yesterday, they're playing ball and I do my best to appear insignificant as I pass them.

'Hey! Could you throw us that ball?' One of them shouts as their ball rolls past me.

Typical.

I scoop it up and throw it over to a tall, broad boy with thick, dark curls and a wide smile.

'Thanks,' he says, tucking his hair behind his ear, 'You here on holiday?' he fiddles with the ball, throwing it lightly from one hand to the other.

'I'm staying with my dad,' I say, folding my arms across my chest.

The boy looks over my shoulder, back the way I came.

'You're Dr. Dove's daughter?'

It sounds so weird to hear him called that, I almost wonder what this stranger is talking about, it's easy to forget my dad is has a doctorate in veterinary medicine when all I've know him as is a scumbag loser, thanks to mum's references.

'I guess so,' I shrug.

The boy narrows his brown eyes and takes me in.

My straggly brown hair and protruding ears. My lilac tank top and stone-wash shorts. I feel like a cow at market but I don't meet his gaze, I just let him size me up.

I hate myself for it a little.

'I'm Hanu,' he states, tucking the orange ball under his arm and extending his other hand.

'Myra,' I manage, his hand is sandy and warm, his grip is light and easy.

Hanu smiles broadly, 'fancy a game of ball?'

I glance over his shoulder at the teens he's with. They all look around my age but with extra coolness and zero awkwardness.

One of the girls waves over at me, her light brown curls are piled either side of her head in space-buns and she's wearing cut off shorts and a pink bikini top. I weakly raise my hand in return.

'Yeah, I said I'd meet someone so... maybe another time?' I don't meet his eyes.

'Sure,' Hanu says with a smile, 'we're down here most days so... if you're passing,'

I nod slowly.

'Myra!'

I turn to see Neri skidding down the bank onto the beach, a skitter of pebbles in her wake.

'I've been looking for you,' she dusts off her bottom and walks towards us. Her hair is loose but held back by a floral pink and white head scarf, she wears a white, lace and cotton side-tied skirt with a black swimming costume underneath and her feet are bare.

'Nerida,' Hanu lazily chucks the ball from side to side again, 'what brings you down to our side of the beach?'

Neri cocks an eyebrow at him and blinks slowly, 'I wasn't aware we even had sides of the beach, Hanu,' she states, her eyes don't leave his face and I watch intently to see who will break contact first.

'Well,' Hanu turns to me, 'it's been a pleasure meeting you, Myra,' he begins to walk backwards, away from us and back toward his friends. 'If you change your mind at any point, you know where we are, yeah?'

I nod, lips pursed, 'sure,' I reply.

'See you around.' Hanu glances over at Neri and gives her this weird sort of smirk, like he doesn't actually want to acknowledge her at all.

'See you soon!' Neri calls at his departing back before looping her arm through mine and dragging me down the beach.

As we pass the group of teens I hear someone mumble something and although I can't make out what it is they're saying but I get the intention and in no way is it good.

I feel so out of place as Neri drags me up the beach, she chatters aimlessly with what appears to be her standard cheerful air but all I can think is that I've been unwittingly dragged into some conflict situation and I've only been in Sulani 24 hrs.

There's something inherent to my nature which draws conflict. I think it's pretty much all I know now. I don't like it but it's kind of all I truly have to hang on to, if things were peaceful I'm not sure I'd know how to deal.

I have my glorious upbringing to thank for that, I suppose.

Traipsing clumsily over the uneven ground Neri is telling me of her favourite beach-combing spot, a tiny cove a small trek from the main beach, the sand is hot between my bare toes and the warm breeze blows the loose tendrils from my ponytail and causes them to tickle my cheeks playfully.

Everything feels so dream like, unnatural and hazy. I feel a little lost - a little overwhelmed, but Neri's endless chatter puts me at ease.

I wonder, not for the first time, what life would have been like if I'd had a sibling to share my woes. Would we have banded together and shared our feelings? Would I still feel so out of touch? Like the rug is always going to be pulled out from under my feet?

I had an 'almost' sibling once - Darren.

Darren was two years older than me, 13 when we met. He was cool. I liked him a lot. His dad, though, well, his dad was the usual jerk my mum went for.

Their relationship lasted about 3 months.

For 12 whole weeks I wasn't quite so alone.
It was nice, like I finally met someone who got it.

Like all good things, it ended.

I never saw Darren again.