Running for My Undead Life

Chapter 3: Mission Accomplished

I drove to the nearest beach and found a secluded spot to sit in the sand and watch the ocean. The beach has always been my happy place and it's where I go when I really need to reflect on life. My phone buzzed in my pocket for the tenth time. I took it out to see Jasmine's picture on the screen as she called. I hit ignore and turned the phone off. I knew it would only be a matter of time before Nikki was calling too and I really just needed to be alone at the moment. I kicked off my boots and pulled my knees up to my face and rested my chin on them. I watched the water wash onto shore and then recede back. All I could see when I closed my eyes was Sydney crying and a room full of people watching as Jessica screamed about how toxic I am. I rubbed my hands over my face to get rid of my own tears. I didn't have the right to be the one crying right now. Sure, what just happened was humiliating, but Jessica wasn't wrong. I've been leading Sydney on for quite a while and using her when it suits me and my needs. I deserve everything that was said to me and probably more. I laid back in the sand as I tried to stop myself from wallowing in self-pity. I had it coming, and I just needed to accept it and move on.

As I lay there with my eyes closed, the sun suddenly stopped burning into my eyelids. I peeked my eyes open to see someone standing over me. I stood up quickly and turned around, ready to defend myself if need be. I relaxed when I realized Lena was the one standing before me. I no longer had the energy to feel emotions over her presence. I sat back down in my spot and attempted to pretend that she wasn't there. No doubt she saw me laying there and came over to gloat over the fact that she was spot on with her assumptions about me. I saw her sit next to me out of my peripheral vision, but I refused to look at her. For a while neither of us said anything. Finally, I looked towards her and said, "What are you doing here? Did you follow me?" She rolled her eyes. "Of course you would think that." "What else am I supposed to think?" I retorted angrily. "I've been coming to the beach every day since I moved here. I didn't follow you. It's just the only part about moving here that I actually like. It's beautiful and peaceful. I didn't have anything like this back home." I sighed, feeling like the world's biggest jerk once again and also a bit surprised at her openness. "I'm sorry. I'm a little on edge right now. Where are you from?" "Utah," she replied. "Why'd you move?" I asked. "Long story," she said rather shortly. "Sorry, it's none of my business." I let the conversation die off, feeling a bit awkward about pushing her and being shut down.

"Look, I saw you laying over here and thought you might want some company. I can just go though, this is kind of awkward," Lena said as she started to stand. "Wait," I started, "could we just sit? We don't have to talk, but I don't think I want to be alone right now." "What about your friends?" she asked, though she sat back down. "They'll want to talk. I can't talk about what happened, yet." I looked away in shame. Not wanting her to see me in such a vulnerable state. Neither of us said anything else. We sat there for a while just staring at the water or people who would randomly walk by. Eventually, Lena's phone rang, and she answered after sighing. "Hey mom," I could hear a woman talking on the other line, "yeah I'll be there in ten minutes. Bye." Lena looked over at me as I watched the ocean, pretending like I wasn't listening. My head whipped towards her as I felt her hand on my shoulder. "It'll be okay, that girl was kind of harsh on you. Lots of people seemed upset with her after you left. Especially the girl that was crying. I have to believe that if that many people disagreed with her, maybe I was wrong about you." She offered me a small smile, which I returned to the best of my ability. It came out as more of a grimace, but she seemed to understand. With that, she got up and walked away. I watched her until she drove off and then decided I should get back to reality too. I turned on my phone and waited for all of the messages and missed calls to come in.

Five minutes later I was driving to Nikki's house where her and Jasmine were waiting for me. I got there and Jasmine immediately pulled me into a tight hug. "She was so out of line. I will be saying some choice words to her the next time I see her." "Forget that," Nikki chimed in, "I'm gonna pound her stupid face in. She was way off base with all of that shit." "Guys it's fine. She was right. I need to treat people better, especially Syd." "Don't defend her Art," Jasmine said, "what happens between you and Sydney is no one else's business. At the very least, she could have pulled you aside." "Just promise me the two of you will stay out of it. It's my business after all, right?" The two of them shared a look but nodded their heads in agreement to stay out of it. We spent the rest of the night watching movies and eating junk food. We talked about why Todd was being a tool and the best way for Jasmine to get with Charlie. I don't know why, but I didn't tell them about Lena being at the beach. I've always told them everything, but this felt different. Like it was something that was really private and vulnerable and needed to be protected. As I drifted off to sleep that night, I dreamed of beaches, dark, wavy hair, and emerald green eyes.