Footprints In The Sand - Michelle Horst Page 0,3

been taking a lot of walks lately, some in the middle of the night. He’s either taking a walk or he’s in the room working on his latest story. I don’t really care what he does, as long as it keeps him busy and out of my life.

Marcus is giving me an update on his date the night before, when I notice a girl at the bus stop. I shoot her a quick smile but don’t actually take in anything, accept that her clothes are baggy and that she’s wearing the same chucks as me. At least she has good taste in shoes.

I don’t wait long for the bus. “You better hurry, I just got on the bus,” I interrupt Marcus.

“Oh shit!” he groans. I laugh as he panics and I can picture him running all over the place.

As the bus nears his stop I start to laugh harder. “Man, you’re going to walk to school!”

“Shut up and don’t let it leave without me!” I watch Marcus’ house as we drive by. The bus always stops at the corner. Marcus lives in a nice area. His dad works at the local accounting firm and his mom is a receptionist for our dentist. I spend a lot of time at their house. They remind me of how our family used to be before Mom left.

“Bro, we just passed your house. Get a move on!” I warn him.

“Coming, I’m coming!” he yells and then I see him burst out of his house. He runs in a full sprint to beat the bus to the stop. As he gets on, I burst out laughing again. This shit is funny. Marcus is my daily entertainment. He flips me off as he nears our seat. “Screw you,” he laughs back at me.

“Why do you do this to yourself? Just get up early,” I choke out, my eyes watering from all the laughing.

“I set the alarm but somehow I put it off in my sleep. I can’t help it man.”

“At least it’s the last day of school,” I say.

“Hallelujah! It’s about time. Check this out,” he says, as he pulls out his phone and we get lost in funny YouTube videos for the rest of ride.

~*~

The best thing about summer break is I get to spend all my time on the beach. When I’m not on duty as a lifeguard, I’m goofing around with the guys. I shower and dress in shorts and a tank. I open the fridge and scour for something to eat on the way. The fridge is pretty empty. I grab an apple and as I leave the house, Dad comes in.

“Where are you going?” he asks as he takes off his muddy boots.

“The beach,” I say and slip by him. “Oh, we need food,” I call back before walking in the direction of the beach.

As I walk down the dock to the beach, I notice some of our group is already here. I spot Marcus and Hayden where they’re busy putting up a volleyball net.

It doesn’t take long for the rest of the group to arrive and we split into two teams. It’s game on. Losers buy the winners burgers tonight.

Halfway through the game, sweat is pouring down my body. I yank the tank off and use it to wipe my brow. The game gets intense and I put everything into my next serve. The ball flies clear over Hayden’s head and keeps going. It slams into someone over by the dock and my heart stops for a second. That was a hard hit to the face. I could see it all the way from here.

Hayden jogs to where the ball is and I follow behind to see if the person is alright. Just as I reach them I hear Hayden say, “Girl,” he bursts out laughing, and then gestures in her direction, “who the hell wears jeans to the beach? You’re so fucking white I need sunglasses so I don’t burn my eyes just looking at you.”

I’ll admit, wearing jeans to the beach is a bit weird, but Hayden is being an ass. I look at the girl and the first thing I notice is the pink tinge on her cheeks, then I meet a pair of hazel eyes. There is something so expressive about them that it feels like she can look right to the heart of me. I quickly step forward to stop Hayden from bullying her anymore. He’s the ass in our circle of friends. He thinks