Blue Sky

Blue Sky

It ended with a short handshake against the backdrop of a bright blue sky. A weeks worth of ridiculously cheesy frolicking down the pier, riding two seater bikes, eating ice creams, holding hands, and committing a few petty crimes, ended in that short exchange of palm sweat. As she walked away, the familiar view of the back of her head gave me a pang of nostalgia - she always liked to walk in front. No, it’s too early to miss her. She messed with you, fucked up your morals, made you do everything you knew that your parents would absolutely disapprove of. Stop missing her I tell myself. Her footsteps faded away. How did this all even start? It’s crazy how you can lead a life of absolutely no excitement, just the most normal and plain life you could imagine, mind-numbingly dull, and suddenly be caught up in a whirlwind without even comprehending how it all started, the inciting incident. But no, this isn’t something I want to forget. I refuse to forget, yet the details are melting together already. Still standing under the beating California sun, with the sounds of the waves crashing firmly in my awareness, I close my eyes… -

“That’s my chair.”

I looked up from the plastic hotel pool lounge chair I was about to lay my towel on and saw her for the first time. Her hair was wet. She wore a pink and black bikini swimsuit.

“Oh, sorry” I said. I backed up.

She just pointed. I turned and saw a hair elastic resting on the corner of the chair.

“My stuff is here” she said. 

“Alrighty.” I hate confrontation. I turn and walk to the other side of the pool to look for an empty seat, timidly dodging a fat man in a speedo diving into the deep end. Once I settle down I sit for a minute, not quite sure if I want to actually get in the water. Go to the pool, my parents said. Be with the other kids. I knew they were off doing some boring adult shit, like going to the spa or at a wine tasting. “Kid” they said. They still think of me as a kid, treat me like a kid. I’m no kid though, I’m thirteen. 

Suddenly, I become aware of the fact this this girl was pouring a mini bottle of minibar alcohol into her coke cup. What I think to myself, staring in disbelief. Her eyes met mine, and I threw my head against the backrest, clasped my hands together, and pretended like I had been asleep the whole time. When the world is dark it opens up limitless possibilities. My best memories have been created in my imagination, since I don’t spend much time living in the real world. Life is better with your eyes closed.

“What were you looking at.”

I jump up and see her standing behind me. I guess this is what I could label as the inciting incident. She made the first move.

“Nothing.”

“Sure.”

She drops the empty bottle in my lap. I turn my head slowly to look her in the eye, and there is a moment where some connection is made. Why do I suddenly trust this girl?

“Do you like chicken?” she says.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The wooden bench was sticky. I am sitting across from her at the picnic table at a small shack of a restaurant. 

“You know, if you write something down and believe it’s gonna happen, it will” she says. She drops her chicken leg.

“What?” 

“You’re bored, I can tell.”

“I am bored most of the time.” I say.

She passes me a napkin. “What do you want to happen?” She says. She slides a pen across the table. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“We’re not gonna get caught,” she laughed. 

I sigh, and give in. 

Time goes faster sometimes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m running, the sun is bright, I am following her, we are the only people. All the others are just part of the crowd, extras. I don’t even get winded.

I didn't know it could be like this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“It’s good to see you smile.” She says. The smoke clouds my vision. 

I cough. 

No hesitations. 

“I feel new” I say.

She laughed like air. 

“Me too.”

I kiss her. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When she smiled, there was just something about her. Indescribable. The way her eyes squinted, the tiny chip on her front tooth. 

She smiles at me, into me, and reaches out her hand. I take it. We jump.

We crash into the water.

The footsteps on the pier above us are a faint rumble that are drowned out by her laugh. 

Her laugh runs circles around my brain, seeps into my every cell, overcomes my every sense.

I blink out the salt. 

Her hair is wet.

“You make me feel more at home than I have ever felt, more alive.” 

"Life can be a dream sometimes."

Not much time passes, but a week has gone by. We are standing on the pier. I look into her eyes, and a heaviness wells up from the bottom of my stomach and drips out of my pores. An indescribable combination of sadness, euphoria, and nostalgia. Everything we did, everything we could have done, and everything we will never get to do races with the clouds. We shake hands.

“Goodbye” she says. 

That's all. Everything happens so fast.

She turns and walks away. I stare at the back of her head. I miss her already. The sky creeps around me.

I close my eyes.

I felt the plastic chair against my back. I opened my eyes. The sun stung my retina. My parents aren’t back yet. I unclasped my hands, and sat up. I saw her. She was sitting across the pool with her coke cup, polishing off the last sip, the little bottle on the floor beside her. Her hair was wet. She wore a pink and black bikini swimsuit. The man in the speedo walked past, seeminglly tired from the short swim he just completed. She turns her head away from me. Life really is better with your eyes closed. I wiped my sweaty palms on my t-shirt then got up and walked towards her. This time I know what to do. 

It began with a handshake...