Soulmates

Our teacher explained it to me on the first day of 3rd grade. As two kids introduced themselves, we all saw the words appear on their arms. It was uncommon for it to happen to kids so young, so our parents hadn’t prepared us for it. We were told that the universe worked in a special way to help us find our true love. Whenever two soulmates spoke to each other for the first time, the first words they said would appear on the other’s arm. Of course, as children, we spent the next two weeks talking to random people and checking our arms to see if they were our soulmates. We all lost interest and forgot about it when it didn't happen immediately.

As we got older and kids came and left, we watched as more people found their soulmates. Sometimes, it was a simple introduction between students; others included fights that got abandoned once the words appeared. Some of us watched from afar as others found love while we did not. 

High school was a lost cause now that I had graduated. It seemed the one I was destined to be with would be harder for me to find, but that was okay. Instead of letting the idea consume me like some did, I decided to go with the flow. I would find him eventually, might as well have fun while I looked. A week after graduation, I went to the beach alone, just wanting some time to soak in the sun.

I laid out my towel and placed my glasses in my bag before walking toward the ocean. As my feet hit the water, I stopped and took in the moment.  I couldn’t see perfectly without my glasses, but I wasn’t totally blind. I could see the water and the people playing around, but none of the details were clear. I closed my eyes and breathed in the salty air, finally feeling at peace after weeks of final tests and papers.

“Watch out!”

Someone shoved me from behind, ramming me over. I fell into the water, landing hard on my knees before face-planting into the waves. I felt a sharp pain in my leg and a new ache in my back as I pushed myself up.

I felt a hand grab my arm gently, trying to help me to my feet. “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” 

I let the random boy help me to my feet as I took stock of how I felt, making sure I didn’t seriously hurt myself. I felt no new pain once standing, so I knew I was okay. I turned to face the boy, seeing a blurry blob in front of me. “What the hell! Watch what you’re doing!”

“I’m sorry,” he told me. “My friend threw the ball, and he’s kind of a jerk, and,” his voice trailed off, not finishing his thought.

“What?” I asked, not understanding what was happening.

He looked down at his arm and up at me. “Can you see right now?” he asked me gently.

“No,” I answered, shifting my weight. “I can’t see clearly without my glasses, which are on my towel. Why?”

He looked down. He looked up. “I think I might want to follow you there. Make sure you get there safely.”

I paused, having a feeling I knew what was happening. “Do you have the words ‘What the hell’ written on your arm right now?” 

“Yes.”

“Of course you do,” I mumbled, not believing this was how we met. “We should probably go find my glasses.”

The two of us walked silently as I led us to the colorful blanket I had left my stuff on. I quickly opened my bag and grabbed my glasses, putting them on. I looked down at my forearm, where the words ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?’ were as clear as day.

I turned around to face the unknown boy, my attention drawn to the words written on his forearm. I cringed slightly, knowing those were harsh words to have written on you forever. “Sorry,” I told him, finally looking at his face.

“It’s okay.” He ran a hand through his red, shaggy hair. “I kind of deserved it after tackling you into the water. I’m Steven.”

“Isabell,” I told him, smiling in greeting. “Maybe we should get to know each other a little better.”

“Maybe we should start with stopping your bleeding leg.” He gestured to my legs.

I looked down to see my knees bright red and a cut on my leg that was bleeding. “Oh, that doesn’t look great.”

“Yeah, not really.” He frowned. “My friends are just over there, and we have a first aid kit we can use.”

“You brought a first aid kit to the beach?”

He shrugged. “I’m prone to injuries, so I always bring one. It’s not a real trip if I’m not somehow injured. It’s better to be overprepared than under.”

“Then, lead the way, I guess.”

He led me to a group of teenagers, all hanging out. They were about my age, all either at the end of high school or the beginning of college. Most of them were lying down, sunbathing, oblivious to the world.

One of the guys looked over as we approached but didn’t move. “What happened?” 

“You threw the ball too far, and I knocked her over, Trevor,” Steven answered. “The least I could do was help her out. Here, sit down.”

I followed his lead, sitting on an empty blanket as he rummaged through a bag. I straightened my leg gently. As the adrenaline from the whole situation slowly wore off, the pain started to worsen. I gripped my calf, trying to get rid of the stinging.

“Don’t mess with it,” he said, pulling out a first aid kit. 

Trevor spoke up again. “Well, how was I supposed to know that? You disappeared after I threw it.”

“I was kind of dealing with something.” Steven got closer, opening the kit. “I’m going to disinfect it before bandaging it. I can’t tell how big the cut is.”

I nodded, not trusting my voice. 

Steven did as he said, slowly wiping down my leg to reveal a small cut below my knee. He grabbed a cotton pad and tape, creating a more secure covering than a simple bandaid. “You’re all good.”

“Thanks.” I smiled. 

“So, do we get to meet this injured girl or what?” Trevor asked.

“Knock it off!” Steven grabbed a towel, hitting him without a second thought.

Trevor sat up quickly, pulling the towel away. “Ow! Why would you—” his voice cut out. He got quiet before saying, “Oh shit. She’s your soulmate.” He looked from Steven to me, then back to Steven. “Look at that! I helped you find your soulmate. Problem solved.”

Steven scoffed. “Problem solved? Since when was I having a problem?”

“Since you were the last one to find their soulmate,” Trevor answered. He turned to me. “I’m Trevor. Nice to meet you. Sorry about the cut on your leg.”

“I’m Isabell, and it’s okay. Guess something good came out of it anyway.”

“See, she agrees with me,” Trevor said excitedly.

Steven shook his head, laughing. “Whatever.”