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I don’t know if I agree with that. Things could have been handled so much better than they were, and I had plenty of time to fix my mistakes. Maybe I’m just too much of a coward to face what I did.
“Well, whatever happened, you can’t let them get to you now. You’re a lot older and wiser than you were when you were sixteen, and they need to move on.” She ate the french fry with purpose. “Speaking of moving on, what are you doing this weekend?”
My shoulders droop in relief at the subject change. “Actually, there's a class down at the dance studio I was planning on crashing. The new owner wants to test me out and see if I’m good enough to be an instructor. That’ll probably take up at least half of my Saturday.”
Kennedy’s eyes light up. “You talking about Landy? She’s such a kick-ass lady. My mom does real estate and sold her the building. How about I go with you for moral support and afterward, you come down to the beach with me. There's a bonfire Saturday night and I heard some of the guys are bringing their jet skis. Might take your mind off of whatever the fuck just happened here.”
Actually, it’s not a half bad idea. I came here wanting to start over in the place I've loved my whole life, and even if that plan doesn't include the boys…men…I used to love, it can't stop me from making the best out of my own life. “That sounds awesome, yeah I’m down.”
“Cool! We can take my car if you want. I have a board rack on top so we can get a little surfing in if you’re into that.” She sticks out her knuckles and I pound it in agreement, relieved that this girl isn’t judging me for all of the drama I just laid on her during our first hangout. I can tell right away that Kennedy is a real friend, and I’m going to make sure it stays that way. “We’ll show those asswipes how badass the new Nora really is,” she adds as she slurps her drink.
“Hell, yeah,” I laugh, starting in on my own rapidly-cooling french fries. My mind is suddenly miles away, looking forward to my first beach party back home.
Nora
“Did you just sneak out of your own house?” Kennedy asks as I slip into her powder-blue VW Bug. I just strapped my surfboard to the roof, but I can’t help but glance nervously at Carson’s house...myhouse.
It’s hard to think of this place as my home yet, but it’s only day five, so there’s still time for me to settle in and get a grip. Hopefully, sooner rather than later. But Kennedy’s right, I totally just snuck out of the house. I’m a big girl and can do what I want, but I really don’t want Luca to know where I’m off to. He’s been home for the entire day making me walk on eggshells around the house. His presence there makes me feel like some kind of intruder—like I have no right to move about his personal space.
I glance at Kennedy guiltily. “So, uh… You remember when I told you that you didn’t have the whole story?” It was going to come up eventually, so I might as well just bite the bullet.
“Mmhmm,” she murmurs, waiting patiently for me to continue. We still haven't left the driveway, though, so I motion for her to get a move on. She huffs but pulls onto the street.
“I live with Luca Perry.” She hits the brakes suddenly, sending me slamming forward but luckily my seatbelt catches me. “Uncool!” I screech, clasping my hand to my chest and trying to catch my breath. “You good?” I look at her like she’s a crazy person but she just clears her throat and goes back to driving normally.
“Sorry ‘bout that.” She visibly cringes. “You gotta warn a girl before dropping a bomb like that. Youlivewith Luca fucking Perry? Is this some kind of weird incest thing?”
I snort, shaking my head. “His uncle or whatever is marrying my mom in a few weeks. He’s living with us until his studio is ready in town. Basically, we’re stuck living like fucking roommates, and he literally can’t even stand the sight of me.”
“Well, shit, that's a pile of suck right there.”
“Pretty much. The only time I see him is in the morning when he leaves to surf with River, according to Carson, and even then he barely glances at me. It’s like I’m a fucking ghost in my own home. I don’t even think he’s told Cason what’s wrong, so they probably think we’re acting like fucking idiots or something. Mom’s suspicious, though.”
Kennedy frowns as we wind our way down to the parking lot that leads to a flat expanse of grass. There's a park and a jungle gym on a ridge that separates more expensive homes from the sandy beach below. “You realize how fucked up this is, right? He’s acting like you left yesterday, not seven whole years ago. That’s plenty of time to put shit in the past and start acting like an adult. The very least he could do is have a conversation about it.”
I shrug my shoulders helplessly. “You’re preaching to the choir, my friend. I feel like a stranger here and it's all my fault. I even thought about cornering him in his room where he can’t physically get away but that almost seems worse than the silent treatment. Every time I picture it, I chicken out.”
We come to a stop and Kennedy turns the car off before turning to me. She places a slender hand on my arm and squeezes softly. “You can’t beat yourself up for something that happened years ago. Shit happens and we all make mistakes, but nobody deserves to be treated like trash.” Her eyes flicker over my face. “Especially by people you've known pretty much your whole life.”
I know in a way she’s right. What I did sucked majorly, but I was also still just a kid, and it wasn’t like I didn’t sort of have a reason. I was a sixteen-year-old girl in love with two different boys who only thought of me as a close friend. It was a setup for heartbreak and I played right into fate's hands. I can’t help it when my mind flashes back to Luca as he’d stood in the doorway at the restaurant, staring at me like some sort of specter. Those glaring, rage-filled eyes haunt me even now and my stomach fills with butterflies.
We remain silent for a beat, but Kennedy smacks my thigh before unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out of the car. I follow behind, grabbing my new board off the rack above. The sun is still high in the sky and the end of summer heat lingers in the air. I didn’t bother to shower after my trial at the dance studio because I knew the ocean water would wash it all away anyway.
Landy had been awesome earlier. I danced one of my familiar routines for her alone in the studio and that was all it took to convince her I knew what I was doing. She’s decided to bring me on a trial run for the month, letting me aid her while she teaches high schoolers after school.
After dancing for half the day, my limbs are already stretched out nicely and my energy levels are high. I can hear the low thumping of music in the distance and my eyes track several people around our age as they make their way over to a set of stone stairs just past the playground. We follow after them, taking the stairs down to the bottom where the sand meets the steps.
I slip my cheap flip flops off and toss them to the side, not caring if they end up being stolen. In the distance is a huge bonfire surrounded by a few dozen people wearing their beachwear and sunglasses. Several coolers are strewn about and the smell of bbq wafts through the air mingling with the brine of the Pacific Ocean. Words cannot accurately describe how much I missed this.
“Let's eat after. I can’t surf on a full stomach,” Kennedy suggests, pulling her huge bag over her shoulder and setting it in the sand. I nod before following her lead.
We peel off our shorts and t-shirts and exchange them for our black wetsuits that she stashed along with a few bottles of water and some sunscreen. I don’t really need the sunscreen because my Portuguese heritage gave me a natural golden tan that never seems to burn too badly. Kennedy, however, is white as Casper the Friendly Ghost and proceeds to slather herself with the stuff while I laugh.
“Yeah, yeah, yuk it up. We’ll see who’s laughing when you come out tomorrow looking like a tomato.” She nudges me with her arm while I have one leg in the wetsuit, causing me to topple over sideways and land in the sand. I’m laughing too hard to care.
“Better call animal control. I found some beached whales that need saving!” Laughter follows the familiar, taunting voice and I can’t help the tightness in my stomach.Is it sad that I already recognize her voice?
Casey, aka Thin Lips, aka River’s new witch of a girlfriend and a posse of Casey clones stroll by in their little bathing suits that may as well be lingerie. Not that I'm hating, because they look awesome, but I might just be a little bitter, so whatever. Her short, brown hair flips in the wind and her white teeth gleam in the sun as she throws her head back and laughs at her dumbass joke. Meanwhile, Kennedy and I glance at one another and roll our eyes, choosing not to engage. This isn’t highschool, and we are grown women. If she’s threatened by me, then that’s her problem, not mine. Maybe she should talk to River instead.
