Break, break, break, On thy cold gray stones, O sea! And I would that my tongue could utter The thoughts that arise in me
Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
"That feeling of regret after ever bad decision comes creeping up my spine ever time. Every fucking time. It is as if I could be falling apart forever, and then out of nowhere- it just stops. That is how I feel."
This is Elizabeth's side of the story. If there is one side, Reader, understand there are others but don't worry about the shape it makes, I guess we can figure that out when the story ends.
She lives in Cantucket, North Carolina, and listens to Yelle in her bedroom while she texts her friends. Just picture a girl with potential to be gorgeous, but cannot understand how to fit into the "gorgeous" equation. Her soft tan accents her dark, long curls, which of course accent her small chest and of course the rest of her body.
It is May, 2009, and she is a freshman at James I. Zimmerman High School "where everyone is treated with equality and expected their utmost best," and home of the Marlin. She has her best friends, and her close friends, then the people she wishes she could call her close friends. So when does she come in? How about now.
"Get out. Like seriously, I'm not dealing with your bull shit tonight." Elizabeth says, giving a hard gaze to John who is, sadly, leaning into her window and begging her to sneak out with him tonight.
"Out of the six hundred people in this town, I'd rather be with my best friend. Now please. Get up and come on out."
"No." He was used to her stubbornness, but he was right- the small town would not accept the new kid with crazy hair and fly kicks. So he tried a new approach: climbing into her bedroom, pulling her out of bed, and finally succeeding.
"Don't- no no no no!" She sighed finally, giving in to his arms.
"There there, we're going to the Cove tonight." Then they were off; no refutes and no retaliation, of course, because he always got his way.
There were many people out at the Cove that night. There were the people from the only other high school in the area (which was unnecessary with the small amount of people in the town, but of course Reader, I hope you know John was exaggerating when he said six hundred, more around thirteen hundred...or well more, but who knows, not I). This high school was Christopher U. Madison High School, the school of excellence mainly because of the rich kids but also the sexy ones, and most of them were out tonight.
"There's Leon and James...you should say hey." John said with a smirk and Elizabeth smacked him. "Ow! OK, sorry. It's been almost a year, I thought you'd be over it, sorry again. Just don't hit me again. But, let's go over and talk to Chey, she said she wanted to talk to you."
"Is that why you got me out? You could have just texted me." John ignored her and pushed her on, once again, without retaliation. The Cove is made up of natural hot springs that sit on a hill sloping down towards the ocean, more like a dream than reality. The higher up the spring, the warmer the water and not to mention the view and the secrecy of the trees, therefore it was imperative to gain a good one before they were all gone. Luckily for Elizabeth and her friends, they have a secret one a ways down from the beach and they don't mind the long walk because at the end is a pool of relaxation. The only way to go in, of course, is nude.
"Hey hey hey hey! Liz, I need to talk to you."
"I heard." Cheyenne got up, bare naked, and ran over to her best friend of four years now. They met in fifth grade when Cheyenne moved to Cantucket. The first thought going through Elizabeth's head was "What a goody goody," and oh have the times changed.
"So, you know how I screwed you over and shit, well I'm making it up now." With a smile she pulled her friend closer, yet Elizabeth was not thinking about the "make-up" but the fact that Cheyenne's perfect, beautiful breasts were in her face.
"Go ahead..."
"Well, I love you, first of all, and second I won't mess with Leon anymore, because he's a douche. And finally," She covered Elizabeth's eyes and turned her around, she instructed her to keep her eyes covered while she fumbled with something in the tree branch above them. Suddenly a cool, thin wire was settled on Elizabeth's neck.
"Open your eyes."
Elizabeth lifted the cool stone from her chest and to her surprise it was a ruby, but not in its casing, only in its natural chipped state. She held the stone and felt the shivering feeling of relief and began to raise goosebumps because it seemed to be the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
"Thank you, it's really gorgeous."
"Really? You like it," Cheyenne sighed a sigh of instant relief, for the anxiety of rejection ran through her veins. "I'm glad you like it, you have ruby and I have aquamarine, ya know, for our birthdays."
"Yeah, I got that."
"I'm sorry, I really am."
"No, it's fine. We've had worse moments. I'm not letting a stupid bitch get in the way of us."
Cheyenne smiled then went back to the pool. It was rare that they had moments like this, and that is probably why they have been friends so long. Yet, if they let go of each other, in due time they would replace each other then turn against each other. The sharpest bonds are masked by the acceptance of growth, like vines on a rotting tree.
"Why is she just standing there? I'm gonna ask her to get in," John was about to get out of the pool, but Cheyenne pulled him down.
"Let her be alone, I'm sure that's all she wants anyway." John let go of his intentions quickly as he felt the resonating reason mix in with the steam curling up into the night sky.
"That girl is so distant and mild mannered, I wouldn't believe she has ever felt an ounce of spontaneity. She just needs to let go."
"That girl, Nicole, is an intelligent and well-rounded individual."
"Oh so you're her mother now Cheyenne?"
"I'm just making a fucking point. Chill."
There are people that stick-up for others and people that let an opinion be an opinion, neither group is right or wrong, it just depends on how well one can understand how much a person loves you and knows you. Cheyenne is an example of the primary while John is an example of the latter.
"Let's let the night close on happy standings please. I don't need to go home and feel like a part of my night was lost in a feud between the both of you." Lenae- the voice of reason.
"She's right, where's Daniel?" Lenae ignored John's question and went about enjoying the constellations above her.
Reader, I have introduced you to seven characters already if you have been paying attention. It will all unfold later, but these are a few of the main characters. From Elizabeth's memory, these are all I could produce, but maybe this is a good thing for other stories to come.
As the night sky turned, there was less noise and less chatter. It was a common thing for everyone, around three in the morning, to either leave or stay and sleep on the beach with their heads fixed to the stars. This is what Elizabeth enjoyed feeling, not the feeling of regret and restraint. She felt the sand in her hands and the wind from the ocean in her hair. As the coast silenced, so did her thoughts. Everything in that area died down to rejuvenate for the sun and the next day. As Elizabeth closed her eyes she could only wonder how she became who she was and if it was the right decision. She pushed it aside and watched the waves flow back and forth, then finally fell asleep.
