Learning to Fall

The sand is cold on my toes when I dig them in, but I expected it to be. It’s December. Of course it’s cold. Alex sits down beside me and then lies on his back, staring up at the sky.

We stay quiet for a few minutes, just being near each other. Then he sits up and he’s wearing a small smile on his face. “You know Jack Barakat?”

“The guy who Tara’s been seeing?”

“Yeah. Me and Zack… we tormented that kid so bad…We came here like a week before he died – mainly so Zack could find some hot girl to stalk – and Jack works at the food stand here, right?”

“He does?”

“Yeah. Anyway, apparently he’s really, really smart, which you can’t tell by looking at him, and he wants to go to Brown University. But he’s only a junior at our school. Zack and I made a fake letter from Brown telling this poor kid that he got into their school early.”

“Alex! Oh my God, that’s terrible!”

“And then we come back here the next day, and he’s running around showing all his co-workers the letter, and me and Alex just sit there laughing at him.”

“Does he know it’s not real?”

“We sent another letter telling him that Brown doesn’t accept people who brag about their acceptance to others.”

“Are you trying to make me not like you?”

“Do you not like me anymore? Be honest, darling.”

I roll my eyes and don’t answer. He laughs.

“So, after today’s events, would you ever consider being my girlfriend?” he asks.

He picks up a handful of sand and drops it on my thigh.

“Is there a reason for that?” I ask.

“Answer my question,” he demands and puts more sand on me.

“Yeah… I’m considering it. I just have one little issue.”

“Oh… is it because I was mean to Jack? Because -”

“No. That’s not it. I just… feel weird because like, Zack wasn’t very fond of this idea, was he?”

Alex frowns and looks down at the sand. “Well, no… But I feel like he would be okay with this… But right now, we’re under completely different circumstances. Zack’s not here anymore.”

“Just because he’s not here doesn’t mean I don’t want to do what would make him happy.”

“That’s not what I meant at all. But, I really think you should do what makes you happy, Stella.”

“You make me happy.”

“So wouldn’t it make sense to be together? I feel like Zack would be alright with this. As long as you’re happy…”

He drops one last handful of sand before getting up from the ground. He holds his hands out to me, offering to help me up.

“Where are we going?”

I place my hands in his and he pulls me up easily. He drops one of my hands, but holds onto my other one tightly.

“I guess I’ll just take you home if you don’t want to be my girlfriend.”

“Wait, what? I never said that!”

“Well,-”

“You didn’t ask! You have to ask me!”

“Suddenly, you sound very excited about this.” His laugh attracts the eyes of a few people wandering along the boardwalk. They see that it’s just two teenagers and go back to ignoring us. “Okay, here it goes. Will you be my girlfriend?”

“Sure,” I decide. “I’ll be your girlfriend.”

With you I dance in a storm in my best dress, Fearless.