Our Kind of Love (9 page)

Stopping to catch my breath, I take off my
flip-flops and slowly walk into the sand, collapsing into it. I bring my knees
up to my chest, lock my arms around them, and sit for a while, staring at the
dark ocean. Voices echo all around me as couples stroll up and down the beach,
hand in hand, smiling, laughing together and seeming utterly happy. No one notices
me, or they choose not to. No one sees the lonely girl on the sand, fighting
back tears, overcome by guilt. I let my sister drown. I let her die.

After a while, I suck back in the pain and
stabilize it there in my heart once more. It’s locked away enough to get me
through the rest of the night. Then I stand, brush sand off my clothes, and
start back up the beach.

Briskly, I walk home. By the time I get back,
Mom’s car is in the driveway. My parents are sitting in the dark, snuggled up
together on the couch when I enter the front door. The black and white lights
of the movie shine on their faces. They look over at me as I start up the
stairs.

“You okay, honey?” Mom calls out.

My throat feels dry and it burns from all the
internal fighting I did back on the beach, trying to suppress my cries. I have
to clear my throat before answering, “I’m fine.”

Then I continue up the stairs to avoid her
coming out of the living room to check on me, to see if I’m really fine. I slip
into my room and shut the door, not even bothering to turn on the light as I
get out of my clothes and hop in the shower, washing off whatever grains of
sand is left on me.

I dry off and crawl into bed naked, pulling the
covers over me. Moments later, I remember I have a cellphone and haven’t spoken
to my best friend all day. That’s odd for us.

When I reach down to my jeans shorts on the
floor that I just took off, I pull my phone out of the pocket. I have two
missed calls and three text messages, all from Nate, telling me to come to
Ryan’s party tomorrow night after work, and that I have to wear a bikini even
if I don’t want to go in the pool. His messages are demanding, but I let it
slide. I want to be a good girlfriend. I want us to have a fun summer. I want
us to work.

ELEVEN

Micah

“WANNA COME with us to a party?” Claudia asks me
the moment I walk out of the restaurant to head home.

Slowing down, I reach my hand behind my neck and
massage it, considering whether or not I should. “I don’t know.” I’m hesitant
about hanging out at a party with a bunch of kids I don’t know. Even if I’m
interested in making friends here, there are certain things I don’t want to
join in on.

Claudia leans her head to one side and does the
puppy-dog face as she pleads, “Please come, it’ll be fun.” She slants and looks
over her shoulder at Reign, standing by the passenger door of the jeep. “Won’t
it?” Claudia asks her.

Reign straightens as she glances across at me,
unsure whether she should help her friend lure me to this party. She chips at
her nail polish and twists her mouth, looking from Claudia to me. “Um…I guess
it’ll be fun.”

There’s something about her demeanor. She’s been
kinda off all day too. I wonder what’s up.

“See?” Claudia perks up, bringing her attention
back to me—her eyes lighting up with excitement. “We
both
want you to
come.”

Honestly, I’m not ready for the night to end as
yet. Like Wednesday, I want to hang out with Reign a bit more, even if her
friend’s around. And Claudia is all right, I guess.

“Come on, Micah,” she begs. “It’s Friday.”

“Um…okay,” I say.

We pile into the jeep and take off from the
restaurant. Several minutes later, we approach a waterfront property by
Easton’s Beach. Claudia drives inside the black iron gates and parks alongside
a ton of fancy looking cars. She hops out first. I notice Reign sighs before
getting out as well.

I follow the girls down a stoned path that loops
around to the back of the house and to steps that continue down to the beach.
The second I see the crowd, I regret coming. Most of the guys seem to be
wasted, spraying beer all over the girls and pushing them into the pool. I
didn’t know this was going to be a late night pool party.

Claudia quickly hauls off her cover-up and
reveals her dark red bikini with some triangle-looking tie on top. She doesn’t
look half bad, but I’m more interested in what Reign has on. Only, she doesn’t
take off her t-shirt or slide out of her jeans shorts. She just plays with her
pockets and rocks back and forth in her slippers, appearing shy all of a sudden.
I wonder why she even bothered to come when she doesn’t seem to like parties.

Then her cocky boyfriend pops out of the crowd.
I assume she forced herself to show up because of him. The things girls do for
their so-called love.

“Hey, babe!” he yells, smothering her face with
his mouth the moment he reaches her. He glides his hands all over her arms and
pushes into her so much it makes me cringe.  

I clench my fist as he feels around her chest
and tries to take off her top. She politely moves his hands away.

“C’mon, let’s see it!” he blurts out, a
perverted grin masking his face.

I take a step forward to say something to Reign,
tell her she doesn’t have to do anything she doesn’t feel comfortable with.
Before I can, Claudia hooks her arm around mine and wrenches me away, leading
me toward the sliding doors to enter the house. “Let’s get some drinks,” she
says.

I keep my eyes on Reign, just in case she needs
help with that boyfriend of hers. She finally gives in and heaves her top over
her head, then takes off her shorts. She’s wearing a blue one-piece bathing
suit that emphasizes her curvy frame. I can’t help but gawk at her. Damn! She’s
sexy.

The bewildered look on Nate’s face as he eyes
her from the chest down tells me he’s not as impressed as I am. Are you kidding
me? Talk about inappreciative.

The music gets louder as we move past the DJ so
I can’t even hear what he says to her. From the expression on Reign’s face,
it’s obvious he must have hurt her feelings.

Claudia leads me through the doors and into the
living room. We stroll down a red-painted passage, passing wasted kids making
out in every corner, until we reach the kitchen.

She opens the fridge and glances over her
shoulder at me.
“Budweiser, Coors Light, or Heineken?”

“Coke,” I tell her.

She snorts.
“Really?
It’s Friday night. Live a little.”

I ignore her remark and say, “Coke’s fine.
Thanks.”

Reaching inside the fridge, she takes out a can
for me and a Budweiser for herself. Then she walks over to the island and
gestures for us to sit down on the stools.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be drinking,” I advise
after taking the soda from her. “I mean, you’re gonna drive Reign home, too.”

She angles her head to the side and stares at me
suspiciously over her bottle. “Are you worried about me, or her?”

“Both,” I reply fast, resting my elbows on top
of the island.

A flirty grin stretches across her face as she
settles the bottle down. “So, Micah, you got a girlfriend back in Colorado,
or…anywhere?”

I drink before answering, “No.”

“Would you like one?” She takes her time
bringing the bottle to her lips and winks at me as she chugs it.

I reach over and touch her hand. “Slow down, and
no, I’m too busy.”

“Oh, I see. You’re not looking for any
attachments.”

Just then two girls come into the kitchen and
one of them opens the fridge to get beer. The one with dark brown hair flashes
Claudia a dirty look and whispers something to the blond holding the bottles.
She glances over at us and they both giggle with each other as they walk out of
the kitchen.

“What was that about?” I ask. “You know them?”

Her smile fades. “Yeah, Kimberly, the blond,
she’s dating my ex now.”

“So, why are we even at this party then?”

“Mutual friends.
Anyways,” She shifts on the stool and faces me, “back to you and me.”

I lift a brow.
“You and me?”

Claudia grins widely, showing off her perfect
white teeth. She places her hand on my thigh and gently trails her index finger
back and forth. “About that no attachment thing, I totally agree with it.”

Looking at her clearly now, Claudia is
beautiful. And if this was Illinois, where I was sleeping with a different girl
every week, she’d be the kind of girl I’d have some fun with. But my mind keeps
drifting to Reign—the girl who clearly has a boyfriend.

Suddenly, I’m over this party and want to get
out of here. I ease her hand away and apologize to Claudia as I stand. “Sorry,
but I gotta go. Like I said it’s been a long day and I’m tired.”

“Wait.” She hops off the stool. Edging closer to
me, she rests her hand on my chest and dips her head back as if she wants me to
kiss her, or rather, like she’s going to reach up and take it. After all, she
seems like the kind of girl to take charge.

“Why don’t I drive you home, and then we
can…hang out?” she offers.

“Listen, Claudia, you seem like a nice girl, but
I can’t. Sorry.” I gently move her hand away and start out of the kitchen. I
cross the living room, almost expecting her to follow me as I step out the
front door. She doesn’t.

Walking down the stoned entrance towards the
front gate, the music fades a bit and I hear the sound of waves crashing. I
make a U-turn and decide to check it out before heading home. It’s not too far
a walk from my house, anyway.

Taking off my sneakers and holding them in one
hand, I stride barefoot in the sand down the beach, far enough that I can’t
hear any music or loud voices coming from the beach house.

It’s nice being alone out here with nothing but
the sound of the ocean. It drowns out everything. Not even my memories
interrupt this moment of peace.

After some time, I turn to head back. The
instant I twirl around, I notice someone coming towards me. Her appearance is
hidden by the night at first, but in no time I recognize the long hair blowing
in the breeze and the protective way she hugs herself.

Reign.

She’s wearing her t-shirt and shorts again.
“Hey,” she says with a slight curve of the lips as she reaches me.

“Hey yourself.”

She nods behind at the house. “You don’t like
parties?”

“Not really. You don’t either, huh?”

Reign unfolds her arms and tucks her hair behind
her ears. Facing the ocean, she looks down at her toes digging into the grainy
sand and watches as water washes up to her tiny feet. I notice she flinches a
tad when it touches her.

“No,” she finally breathes out. “I just came ‘
cause
Nate wanted me to. And Claudia wants to hang out with
you so…that’s why.”

Ignoring the last part, I step closer to stand
beside her. “What would you like to do instead?” No idea where that question
came from.

She tilts her head back and peers up at the full
moon, its blue light barely visible amidst the dark clouds. Reign stays quiet
for a moment before whispering, “I’d really like to go swimming.”

I lean forward a bit and study her face. Once
again she’s in deep thought.

“Let’s go then,” I say, tossing my sneakers into
the sand and hauling my shirt over my head. Reign widens her eyes in
astonishment, watching me take off my jeans.

“What?”

“Coming?” I urge, ecstatic by the fact that I’m
about to rush into the ocean with her.
At night.
Alone.
We’ll probably be touching, and that’s the best part
to know.

My smile falters as she shakes her head and
backs up. I stop from walking into the ocean, staring at the frightened
expression on her face.

“I…I can’t,” she says, her voice a near whisper.

I look at her while creasing my forehead,
baffled. “But, you just said you’d like to go swimming. So let’s go—”