Don't Listen to a Word I Say
Follow Away
Leighann arrived in San Diego with three of her friends for spring break. They’d been driving for two days now, only stopping at a hotel in Texas, about 14 hours into the journey. She was a student at Auburn University, and she, along with her roommates Michelle, Rayna, and Kim, had booked their freshman spring break in the heat of California. Leighann had never been to the pacific coast before now, and excitement bubbled in her chest. She was tired, though, and as soon as they reached the Bay Inn, she took the elevator to her room and slept.
It was almost midnight when she woke up, and she couldn’t get back to sleep. Her friends still had not come back to the hotel room they were sharing. Leighann assumed they were still out partying, so she got dressed in a tank top and shorts, and went down to the lobby. To her right was a bar that was empty except for a middle-aged couple at the far left side. They were laughing and chatting with the bartender, looking all happy as if they were on spring break as well. She approached the bar, not really wanting to interrupt but thirsting for a martini. It was warm outside and the air flowed into the bar through the open windows. Leighann was at peace, and, once she’d had her martini, her mind was at a slowed ease. Beside her, a man sat down and ordered vodka on the rocks. She looked at him, who wasn’t actually so much a man as a college-age boy, perhaps a bit older than herself. He was looking at the couple too, saying “They look so happy.” She agreed. They did look happy, but the cynic in her said that it was a façade.
“Nobody’s that happy.”
“I don’t know. It seems pretty genuine to me.”
“Yeah, well.” She took a sip of her drink and removed her gaze from the two lovers.
“No, really. I think they’re actually a happy couple.”
“Whatever you say.” The alcohol smoothly hit the back of her throat like butterscotch.
“What makes you think they aren’t?” He was starting to get on her nerves.
“Like I said, nobody’s that happy.”
“You’re telling me you’ve never been that happy.”
“Of course I’ve been happy, just not that happy. Its nauseating.” She didn’t know why she felt so negative all of a sudden. Just a moment ago she’d been admiring their smiles from afar.
“You want to know something,” Not particularly.”I think you’re jealous.”
“Of what?”
“Their happiness.”
“Please.” Who was this guy anyway?
“No, seriously. I think you don’t want to believe that people are that happy, because you can’t be.”
“Why can’t I be happy?”
“You tell me.” She finished her drink and started walking away from the bar, her peacefulness slightly stirred. “Wait.” He said, and she was tempted to stop, but didn’t. He caught up to her grabbing her arm from behing.
“What do you want?”
“Take a walk with me.”
“What?”
“Take a walk with me.”
“Why? I don’t know you.”
“Well I guess that’s true.” He said, extending his arm to her, “I’m Brian, and I think you should come for a walk with me. Who knows? You might have a good time.”
“Leighann,” She replied.
“Well, will you come with me?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know you.”
“I’m Brian, you’re Leighann, what else is there to know?”
“A lot.” She began to interrupt him but he kept talking.
“What else are you going to do right now that’s beats walking with me on the beach.” She was beginning to see his point. “I won’t force you, but I just don’t see why not.”
“Fine.”
“Plus a southern girl like you had probably never seen San Diego with a California boy.”
“I said fine.”
“Well, alright. After you.” He pointed to the doorway and allowed her to exit in front of him. It really was beautiful, and Leighann took off her sandals, enjoying the feel of sand between her toes. She was watching the waves come in and out, walking towards them.
“So you live out here?”
“Yeah, I go to UC Berkeley, but this is home.”
“Really? What year?”
“Sophomore.”
“Oh, I’m a freshman at Auburn”
“All the way in Alabama?”
“Yes, indeed.”
“Well. Then what brings you all the way here?”
“Spring break.”
“Makes sense.”
“Yeah.” They walked in silence for a moment. “It really is beautiful out here.”
“Sure is. Plus your smile looks much more beautiful in the moonlight than in the fluorescent bar lights.” She looked at him for a moment. To be quite honest, she hadn’t yet realized she was smiling.
“So,” She avoided his complement. “What’s this ‘good time you’re going to show me?”
“Ok. So I want you to walk in the water so that it’s barely touching the top of your feet.”
“Ok?” She did as he said.
“Now close your eyes and just feel the water and the sand on your toes. Just relax.” She laughed.
“Ok then.” Suddenly, his hands were on the back of her shoulders.
“Now turn around.” She did, and suddenly he pushed against her front. She was falling into the water and felt it splash around her, and then she felt him next to her. She jumped up.
“What the hell!?” Leighann was practically screaming. “What was that for!?”
“Nothing, I just thought it might make you feel…I don’t know, free.” He got up himself.
“What kind of free is that? You pushed me.”
“So? You’ve got to admit, that was fun.”
“You’re insane.”
“You had fun.”
“Not at all.”
“Oh, you dirty little liar.”
“I’m not kidding.”
“You look sexy.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“Why am I the asshole?”
“You got me wet!”
“That’s what she said.”
“Oh, real mature.”
“I know you are but what am I?”
“A two year old. Grow up!” She began to storm away.
“Come on! It was funny! You know you had fun.”
“No, I didn’t” Her feet stomped in rhythm with her speech.
“Oh, yes you did.” He ran after her.
“It wasn’t fun. I didn’t want to get wet. I didn’t want to get pushed.”
“Oh, really?”
“Really.”
“Then why do you want to kiss me right now.”
“I don’t! Pompous ass.”
“Yes you do, you lying vixen.”
“I’m not a liar.”
“Oh screw it.” He turned away from her and began walking in the opposite direction. He just wanted to have a little fun, thought she was up to it. She continued her walk to, until she realized he was no longer following her.
“Wait!”
“What?” He looked back, rubbing his neck dejectedly.
“Aren’t you going to follow me?”
“Why should I?”
“Because you know that eventually you’re going to get me to say I was lying and then we’ll kiss and fall in love and be like one of those perfect couples from the movies.”
“Seriously? And I’m the immature one.” And almost suddenly, he was gone.
It was almost midnight when she woke up, and she couldn’t get back to sleep. Her friends still had not come back to the hotel room they were sharing. Leighann assumed they were still out partying, so she got dressed in a tank top and shorts, and went down to the lobby. To her right was a bar that was empty except for a middle-aged couple at the far left side. They were laughing and chatting with the bartender, looking all happy as if they were on spring break as well. She approached the bar, not really wanting to interrupt but thirsting for a martini. It was warm outside and the air flowed into the bar through the open windows. Leighann was at peace, and, once she’d had her martini, her mind was at a slowed ease. Beside her, a man sat down and ordered vodka on the rocks. She looked at him, who wasn’t actually so much a man as a college-age boy, perhaps a bit older than herself. He was looking at the couple too, saying “They look so happy.” She agreed. They did look happy, but the cynic in her said that it was a façade.
“Nobody’s that happy.”
“I don’t know. It seems pretty genuine to me.”
“Yeah, well.” She took a sip of her drink and removed her gaze from the two lovers.
“No, really. I think they’re actually a happy couple.”
“Whatever you say.” The alcohol smoothly hit the back of her throat like butterscotch.
“What makes you think they aren’t?” He was starting to get on her nerves.
“Like I said, nobody’s that happy.”
“You’re telling me you’ve never been that happy.”
“Of course I’ve been happy, just not that happy. Its nauseating.” She didn’t know why she felt so negative all of a sudden. Just a moment ago she’d been admiring their smiles from afar.
“You want to know something,” Not particularly.”I think you’re jealous.”
“Of what?”
“Their happiness.”
“Please.” Who was this guy anyway?
“No, seriously. I think you don’t want to believe that people are that happy, because you can’t be.”
“Why can’t I be happy?”
“You tell me.” She finished her drink and started walking away from the bar, her peacefulness slightly stirred. “Wait.” He said, and she was tempted to stop, but didn’t. He caught up to her grabbing her arm from behing.
“What do you want?”
“Take a walk with me.”
“What?”
“Take a walk with me.”
“Why? I don’t know you.”
“Well I guess that’s true.” He said, extending his arm to her, “I’m Brian, and I think you should come for a walk with me. Who knows? You might have a good time.”
“Leighann,” She replied.
“Well, will you come with me?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know you.”
“I’m Brian, you’re Leighann, what else is there to know?”
“A lot.” She began to interrupt him but he kept talking.
“What else are you going to do right now that’s beats walking with me on the beach.” She was beginning to see his point. “I won’t force you, but I just don’t see why not.”
“Fine.”
“Plus a southern girl like you had probably never seen San Diego with a California boy.”
“I said fine.”
“Well, alright. After you.” He pointed to the doorway and allowed her to exit in front of him. It really was beautiful, and Leighann took off her sandals, enjoying the feel of sand between her toes. She was watching the waves come in and out, walking towards them.
“So you live out here?”
“Yeah, I go to UC Berkeley, but this is home.”
“Really? What year?”
“Sophomore.”
“Oh, I’m a freshman at Auburn”
“All the way in Alabama?”
“Yes, indeed.”
“Well. Then what brings you all the way here?”
“Spring break.”
“Makes sense.”
“Yeah.” They walked in silence for a moment. “It really is beautiful out here.”
“Sure is. Plus your smile looks much more beautiful in the moonlight than in the fluorescent bar lights.” She looked at him for a moment. To be quite honest, she hadn’t yet realized she was smiling.
“So,” She avoided his complement. “What’s this ‘good time you’re going to show me?”
“Ok. So I want you to walk in the water so that it’s barely touching the top of your feet.”
“Ok?” She did as he said.
“Now close your eyes and just feel the water and the sand on your toes. Just relax.” She laughed.
“Ok then.” Suddenly, his hands were on the back of her shoulders.
“Now turn around.” She did, and suddenly he pushed against her front. She was falling into the water and felt it splash around her, and then she felt him next to her. She jumped up.
“What the hell!?” Leighann was practically screaming. “What was that for!?”
“Nothing, I just thought it might make you feel…I don’t know, free.” He got up himself.
“What kind of free is that? You pushed me.”
“So? You’ve got to admit, that was fun.”
“You’re insane.”
“You had fun.”
“Not at all.”
“Oh, you dirty little liar.”
“I’m not kidding.”
“You look sexy.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“Why am I the asshole?”
“You got me wet!”
“That’s what she said.”
“Oh, real mature.”
“I know you are but what am I?”
“A two year old. Grow up!” She began to storm away.
“Come on! It was funny! You know you had fun.”
“No, I didn’t” Her feet stomped in rhythm with her speech.
“Oh, yes you did.” He ran after her.
“It wasn’t fun. I didn’t want to get wet. I didn’t want to get pushed.”
“Oh, really?”
“Really.”
“Then why do you want to kiss me right now.”
“I don’t! Pompous ass.”
“Yes you do, you lying vixen.”
“I’m not a liar.”
“Oh screw it.” He turned away from her and began walking in the opposite direction. He just wanted to have a little fun, thought she was up to it. She continued her walk to, until she realized he was no longer following her.
“Wait!”
“What?” He looked back, rubbing his neck dejectedly.
“Aren’t you going to follow me?”
“Why should I?”
“Because you know that eventually you’re going to get me to say I was lying and then we’ll kiss and fall in love and be like one of those perfect couples from the movies.”
“Seriously? And I’m the immature one.” And almost suddenly, he was gone.