Page 27 of Don't Think

We step out of the car, and I take a deep breath, the salty air hitting me in the face in the best way. I already feel a little lighter while hearing the waves crashing against the shore. They sound exactly like they used to, and for a second, I swear I’m transported to a different lifetime—back when things actually made sense.

I haven’t been to the beach since I was Charlotte’s age. Back then, my mom and I would dance along the shore and build sandcastles for hours before I tried feeding the seagulls. Thatwas until Mom would shoo them away, calling them “dirty birds.”

But now? There’s something different about this place. Something big is missing.

It’s July. So it should be packed, right? Yet the parking lot is basically a ghost town.

I glance at Ana, squinting against the sun and shielding my eyes with one hand.

“Why is there no one here?” I ask, nodding toward the empty lot.

Ana lets out a short laugh as she grabs a folding chair from the back of the car. “Girl, do you not watch the news?”

I shake my head, a crooked smile pulling at my lips. “Nope. I already know the world is crap. I don’t need some TV anchor reminding me.”

She laughs again, placing her hands on her hips. “There’s a storm coming. A big one, apparently. They’re saying high winds, maybe some thunder. The whole shebang.”

“Yeah, but it’s the Fourth of July tomorrow. You’d think people would still be out,” Nora says, wrestling a towel free from the trunk.

Wait—tomorrow’s the Fourth?

One would think everyone would brave the storm for the holiday, but what do I know? Trevor and I never really made a thing of it, so it always just… passed by. The only reason I ever remembered was because I’d be stuck at work treating someone who set their arm on fire with homemade fireworks. But now that I’mnotat work? It didn’t even register.

If I had remembered, I wouldn’t have planned a beach day, assuming it’d be packed.

But this? Quiet and nearly deserted? That’s my kind of heaven. Crowds and chaos? Hard pass.

My feet sink into the hot, grainy sand as we make our way toward the water. It slips between my toes, and for the first time all day, I feel a real smile tug at my mouth.

I’m at thebeach. With my two best friends. The sun’s out, the place is basically empty, and for once, I’m not running around yellingDon’t touch thatorLeave the dirty birds alonelike I would if the girls were here.

“I think right here’s perfect!” Nora shouts, stopping just short of the water. She throws her arm out like she’s claiming land, not just picking a spot to lay out our towels.

Ana and I finally catch up, and I give my towel a lazy shake before laying it out on the sand.

Nora, of course, just drops everything she packed onto hers in a heap.

“I’m going in the water!” she announces, already running off without waiting for a response.

I sink onto my towel and dig through my bag until I find my book. A good old romance novel. My happy place. One where love is messy but worth fighting for. These books? They help give me something to believe in, even if it’s just pretend.

Not that I ever finish them. I always swear I’m going to, and then I read one page before bed. But maybe today will finally be different.

Ana peels off her shorts and tosses them down beside me.

“You’re not coming in?” she asks, squinting at me under the sun.

“Maybe in a few,” I say, holding up my book like proof.

She grins. “Okay. Holler if you need anything,” she says, then jogs off to catch up with Nora.

Before I crack it open, I take a second to just...be.

I can’t imagine how crowded this place must get when all the shops are open. But today? It’s just us and a handful of scattered strangers.

There’s a couple walking hand in hand along the shoreline, totally lost in their own little world. Then farther out, a group of guys toss a football back and forth, laughing and yelling until one of them throws it way too far, and someone has to dive into the water to chase it down.

That’s about it. Everyone’s basically accounted for.