a few short hours left—there was no way to save her life.
“S’up…? Got room for two more?” I looked up. Mandy and Matt stood beside me, striped towels draped around their necks.
I exhaled, words flinging out in a rush. “Thank goodness. Sure, sit down.” Now Brian could get lost.
Brian’s head spun toward me. “What? Sorry, didn’t realize you were talking to me.”
“I wasn’t.” I pushed on his chair. “Matt and Mandy are here, and they want to sit by me.”
A confused look crept across his face. “They are? Where…oh, over there? I see them now.”
His gaze wandered in the wrong direction, but I let him believe that the people he was looking at were Matt and Mandy.
I cleared my throat. “Uh-hum, if you could please leave, now, I’d like to be alone with them.”
“Sure thing.” His cheery face reversed into a solemn stone, and his lips frowned. He picked up his lounge chair and moved away. “I’ll talk to you later, when you’re alone again.”
Mental note…make sure I’m never left here alone again. “Promise me you won’t leave me alone out here, Mandy.” I shuddered. “That guy won’t leave me alone.”
Mandy pulled up a lounge chair and sank down with her towel. “Dibs…just kidding…he is kind of a creeper, isn’t he? Sure doesn’t take the hint well.” Matt sat down next to her. “He does have cute sneakers and glasses, though.” She giggled and put her finger in her mouth as if to gag herself.
I rolled my eyes and shivered. “Yuck…nice, aren’t they? But, no, he doesn’t take the hint. Please, protect me from that geek. Oh, also, sorry for leaving you guys this morning. Wanted to get an early start.”
Mandy’s face hardened and became serious. “Did you find him?”
“Nope, nothing.” I shook my head. “It’s just all so strange. What coulda happened? I’m worried about Symphony.”
Matt threw me a sidelong glance. “Maybe he just doesn’t come to the beach every day. He could be working, you never know. I mean, it isn’t like you know the guy real well.”
I blew out a puff of stale air, exasperated. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I just kinda hoped I’d know him so much better by now.”
Chapter 7
F or the next nine days we came back to the beach. My hope waned. Symphony was gone, and I couldn’t save her. I begged and pleaded with the pound to give me more time, but they wouldn’t concede.
I spent every day searching for Tate, but never did find him. It was as though he had just vanished from the earth. My chest ached, laden with sadness. I missed him so much. He’d be crushed about his dog, too.
Mandy picked at a fingernail, then turned to face me one steamy afternoon while we sat on our lounge chairs. “Why don’t you just give up, Sophia? You’re ruining your vacation over some guy you don’t even know and who you’ll probably never see again, anyway.”
I sighed. “Maybe you’re right.” I looked away, my eyes still searching for him by force of habit. The words scratched and bit, eating their way through my insides. They were so hard to say. “I do need to forget about him.”
----
A t Mandy’s house that night the three of us sat around the table and talked about our junior-high days. Some of the quirky things we did were hilarious, and some…not so funny. Sometimes we hurt each other, and sometimes we couldn’t love each other more if we tried.
“Remember that time we hid Dane Jackson’s homework in the bathroom stool?” Mandy laughed so hard she could barely talk.
“Yeah…about that…I told my parents it was all you….” I grimaced, getting ready for a swat.
We laughed until our stomachs hurt and our cheeks froze. The two of them managed to pull out a fleeting string of laughter, even for the deep state of sadness consuming me. I needed this grief-bender…just to get Tate and Symphony off my mind. If only for a little while.
The clock struck midnight by the time we found our bedrooms. Matt trudged
“S’up…? Got room for two more?” I looked up. Mandy and Matt stood beside me, striped towels draped around their necks.
I exhaled, words flinging out in a rush. “Thank goodness. Sure, sit down.” Now Brian could get lost.
Brian’s head spun toward me. “What? Sorry, didn’t realize you were talking to me.”
“I wasn’t.” I pushed on his chair. “Matt and Mandy are here, and they want to sit by me.”
A confused look crept across his face. “They are? Where…oh, over there? I see them now.”
His gaze wandered in the wrong direction, but I let him believe that the people he was looking at were Matt and Mandy.
I cleared my throat. “Uh-hum, if you could please leave, now, I’d like to be alone with them.”
“Sure thing.” His cheery face reversed into a solemn stone, and his lips frowned. He picked up his lounge chair and moved away. “I’ll talk to you later, when you’re alone again.”
Mental note…make sure I’m never left here alone again. “Promise me you won’t leave me alone out here, Mandy.” I shuddered. “That guy won’t leave me alone.”
Mandy pulled up a lounge chair and sank down with her towel. “Dibs…just kidding…he is kind of a creeper, isn’t he? Sure doesn’t take the hint well.” Matt sat down next to her. “He does have cute sneakers and glasses, though.” She giggled and put her finger in her mouth as if to gag herself.
I rolled my eyes and shivered. “Yuck…nice, aren’t they? But, no, he doesn’t take the hint. Please, protect me from that geek. Oh, also, sorry for leaving you guys this morning. Wanted to get an early start.”
Mandy’s face hardened and became serious. “Did you find him?”
“Nope, nothing.” I shook my head. “It’s just all so strange. What coulda happened? I’m worried about Symphony.”
Matt threw me a sidelong glance. “Maybe he just doesn’t come to the beach every day. He could be working, you never know. I mean, it isn’t like you know the guy real well.”
I blew out a puff of stale air, exasperated. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I just kinda hoped I’d know him so much better by now.”
Chapter 7
F or the next nine days we came back to the beach. My hope waned. Symphony was gone, and I couldn’t save her. I begged and pleaded with the pound to give me more time, but they wouldn’t concede.
I spent every day searching for Tate, but never did find him. It was as though he had just vanished from the earth. My chest ached, laden with sadness. I missed him so much. He’d be crushed about his dog, too.
Mandy picked at a fingernail, then turned to face me one steamy afternoon while we sat on our lounge chairs. “Why don’t you just give up, Sophia? You’re ruining your vacation over some guy you don’t even know and who you’ll probably never see again, anyway.”
I sighed. “Maybe you’re right.” I looked away, my eyes still searching for him by force of habit. The words scratched and bit, eating their way through my insides. They were so hard to say. “I do need to forget about him.”
----
A t Mandy’s house that night the three of us sat around the table and talked about our junior-high days. Some of the quirky things we did were hilarious, and some…not so funny. Sometimes we hurt each other, and sometimes we couldn’t love each other more if we tried.
“Remember that time we hid Dane Jackson’s homework in the bathroom stool?” Mandy laughed so hard she could barely talk.
“Yeah…about that…I told my parents it was all you….” I grimaced, getting ready for a swat.
We laughed until our stomachs hurt and our cheeks froze. The two of them managed to pull out a fleeting string of laughter, even for the deep state of sadness consuming me. I needed this grief-bender…just to get Tate and Symphony off my mind. If only for a little while.
The clock struck midnight by the time we found our bedrooms. Matt trudged
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