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It was mostly deserted.

The beach normally draws the teens away from the air conditioned malls like flies on honey. It wasn't chilly but the sea breeze drifted around me, making my hair float around my face.

I hugged my legs to my chest and nestled my chin on top of my knees before closing my eyes and letting the soft sound of the water lapping against my toes, the wind, the warmth, everything, just overtake me. I hushed my mind and tried to calm myself.

After sitting there for what seemed like hours, I felt a lone tear wet my cheek, followed by many more. They fell into the ocean in front of me and no matter how hard I tried to stop them, they just kept coming.

I shouldn't have come to the beach, for two reasons:
One, it reminded me of him. Two, because I knew that this is exactly where he would come looking for me. And that's just what happened.

I heard his feet padding along the wet sand before I saw him; he sat down next to me and inhaled the salty air.

“Nice day,” he said casually.

I just barely nodded. Suddenly he smiled and nudged me.

“You’ve got some explaining to do, Blondie.”

I didn’t smile like I usually did when he called me by my nickname.

He frowned. “Rora?” When I didn’t respond he continued, “Where’d you go last night?”

“Home,” I replied stiffly.

“Why?”

I shrugged.

“I could have taken you.”

“You were too busy,” as hard as I tried, the tears just kept coming, even worse than before.

He sighed and stared out at the ocean. “Now I’m really confused.”

“I got a ride with someone else,” I said blankly.

“And who was that?”

“Why do you care?”

He looked taken aback. “Why wouldn’t I care?”

I turned to look at him and raised my eyebrows for a split second. “Just this really nice guy, you probably don’t know him.”

His lips pursed when I said that. “Try me.”

“Dan... I don’t know his last name.”

“Oh, Dan, quarterback Dan?”

“Yeah, must be, he said he played football.”

“He’s an ass.”

“Well, he was nice to me last night, nicer than anyone else at that stupid party,” I said, getting defensive.

I could feel him staring at me, but I just gazed out at the ocean.

“What’s going on with you today?”

“Nothing is going on with me,” I replied through gritted teeth.

“That’s a lie and we both know it.”

“Look, I just want to be alone, okay?” I muttered harshly.

“Okay,” he assured me, with a smile. “But then who am I going to hang out with?”

“... Kaelyn,” I whispered.

I was afraid to look at his face, but I just had to, to see the damage I’d done. He looked perplexed at first, thinking, trying to remember. And then, his face dropped to a frown and he looked down. “So you saw that?”

“I don’t care,” I said casually.

“Yes, you do-”

“I don’t care,” I said once more.

“Why would you be acting like this to me if it didn’t bother you?”

“It doesn’t bother me.”

He sighed, “Gosh, you’re a terrible liar.”

I rolled my eyes.

He scoffed at me before standing up, “Call me when you’re over this and you’ve matured a little.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” I called as he started to walk away. “Have fun kissing Kaelyn!”

“Maybe I will!” he yelled back at me, “Maybe I’ll ask her out!”

“Oh, she’ll love that,” I drawled.

“I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with you right now, and I don’t know if it’s PMS or something but call me when you’re being yourself again!”

I flipped him off and he stormed away.

In the movies and the books, this would be when he would come running back to me and kissed me passionately and told me that he loved me and we would live happily ever after. Unfortunately, that wasn’t me. That wasn’t him. And this wasn’t a fairytale.

How can you tell your best friend that you love him?