Where I Lay My Head

I awoke later when my head slammed into the back of Sebastian's seat, an impact resulting from the van coming to a stop.

"We're here!" Snake rejoiced.

It wasn't until I sat upright and Rachel pulled his hand away that I realized it had remained at the crook of my neck all while I slept. Considering I was expecting to see dunes of sand and the colossal ocean, whatever that looked like, I was sorely disappointed to find that we were parked in a crumbling alleyway.

"What?" I whimpered quietly, looking ahead to see nothing but a vacant street and behind to see a chain-link fence barricaded with mountains of card-board boxes and ply-wood skids.

"We're just dropping Cecil off before we go to the beach."

"Why?"

"This is where the gig is..." Snake slowly spoke, as if I was supposed to know this.

I sighed, a bit annoyed but too polite to flaunt that; Someone forgot to fill me in again. "What gig?"

"The band's gig!"

"Cecil's in a band?" I asked, confusion melting my words.

They all chuckled and I watched Cecil digging in a white trailer outside. Where did that come from?

"No, Addie." Snake sighed. "We're in a band. Cecil is our roadie." He realized I didn't know what the term "roadie" meant just as I decided to ask. "He helps the band out, kinda like our assistant; Look, don't worry about it. We'll come back later."

They all decided to leave it at that while filing out of the van but I wasn't satisfied. I trailed closely behind as they left the alleyway.

"Bye, Addie! Have fun! And be safe!" Cecil called from behind, and I waved goodbye before turning to the street.

"You're in a band? So you play music?"

Snake groaned and nodded, waving for me to cross the street with him after the others had. Not caring enough to notice that he was obstructing traffic, Sebastian dampened his pace to wait for me. I contemplated stopping in my tracks until he proceeded but, quite contrare to Baz, I was aware of my surroundings.

"Don't tell her that, man. Then all she'll want to do is fuck us!" Sebastian warned sarcastically, marching beside me as I passed.

My cheeks burnt bright and my stomach churn with insecurity on that subject. He had successfully closed my end of that conversation.

We traveled farther down that side of the street for a minute until the lengthy strip of buildings we had followed came to an opening, too wide to be an ally-way but too narrow to fit another business in. The first couple yards of concrete ground in that opening supported a few cast iron benches but beyond that the cement under your feet into stairs.

After that? Sand, a vast sandy beach of gold folded with wind that eventually turned into the most breathtaking image I had ever laid eyes on. Mile after mile of nothing, just the sky with its floor of murky teal current and white caps.

Once I was standing directly on the shoreline, frothy waves toppling over my feet and shyly retreating to infinity again, I felt weightless and free, staring at mile after mile of something that didn't need to be swept, washed, cooked for, or anything of the sort; I didn't need to do anything but marvel.