By The Seaside

The sweet summer breeze caressed her soft skin and made her long, dirty-blonde hair dance with it as she stepped out of her cousin’s new jeep. Camille hadn’t been in the same state as her cousins since they moved to California with their mother after her uncle passed away when she was eleven. Finally, after six long years, Camille’s mother had let her stay at her Aunt Leila’s house on Hope Beach. The seventeen year old couldn’t have been more excited. Truthfully, she was most of all glad she didn’t have to spend three weeks with her mother.

“Cam, you coming inside or what?” Jayden said to his cousin while standing on the back porch. Aunt Leila was a well known painter and she had enough money to buy a huge house that had an exit to the beach. When Jayden turned seventeen she gave him the awesome bluish-grey jeep they had just stepped out of, which was perfect for him in Camille’s eyes since its color matched his lovely eyes. Camille loved having the same eyes as her cousin, for some reason it made her feel more close to him.

“Yeah.” She turned around and ran towards the tall boy standing a few feet from her and attacking him with a bear hug. “I’ve missed you so much, Jay Jay,” she said, calling him by his nickname from when they were younger. The one thing she had missed the most about Jayden were his comforting hugs.

“Yeah, I know,” he said smiling. “It’s like the hundredth time you’ve told me. I sure did miss you a lot too, Mimi. Now let’s go inside and eat because I’m starving.”

“God, you’re always hungry!” she said while following the tall boy inside his house. She was only five four, while he was probably in between five ten and five eleven.

Both of them had changed so much during the six years they had been apart, but thankfully a wise man invented the internet and gave them the possibility to stay connected. They didn’t write to each other every single day, but every once in a while they would occasionally share thoughts and feelings through cyberspace.

“Cam, Cam, Cam!” shouted fifteen-year-old Leilani when she saw her older brother and cousin making their way towards the kitchen.

“What’s up, Lei?” Camille asked her younger cousin.

“Not much, only that a super hot guy called me today and asked me out,” Leilani told her cousin with a smirk. Camille knew she was lying only to piss off Jayden.

“What?!” was the only word that came out of Jay’s mouth, which was full with a piece of a pop-tart he had just taken out of the package. Both girls began laughing really hard while Jayden just stared at them in disbelief. “What’s so funny? Leilani, you are only fifteen! There’s no need to be going out with any guy. So you go call him now and tell him that if he ever tries something on you I’m going to kick his ass.” His anger was beginning to show, which only made the girls laugh harder. “What’s so funny?!”

“Dude, chill out. We were just messing with you,” Lei said after she was able to stop her laughter.

“You better be! I don’t want a boy hurting my little sister,” he said placing another piece of food inside his mouth. He had always been very protective of Lei.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Jay,” Leilani said as she walked outside the kitchen. “I’m going to call Mel, she’s coming over to spend the night here so don’t bother us. You can join us if you want, Camille”

“I would –,” Camille was cut off by Jayden.

“Don’t worry, Lei. There’s a party at Gabriel’s tonight. I’m taking Cam so she can meet a few people our age.”

“Oh, well,” Leilani said. “We are going to stay up super late so if you get back and we’re still awake you are welcome to join us,” she said talking to her cousin now.

“Yeah, sure, whatever you guys said.” Camille was utterly confused. “You know, she’s getting older, Jayden. You can’t protect her forever from heartbreak,” she told him after Leilani had made her way outside the kitchen.

“I know, but I just don’t want some dumbass hurting her,” he said looking into Camille’s bluish-grey orbs. “Last year, when you called me and told me about that Mark guy, you sounded so hurt and destroyed. You have no idea how much I wanted to break that guy’s face for hurting you. It felt horrible not to be able to give you a hug and comfort you. I don’t want Lei to go through that too.”

“Nobody wants to get their heart broken, Jayden. Sadly it’s a part of life, and everyone has to go through it at some point.”

“God, Cam. I hate that you’re right,” he said placing the last piece of the pop-tart inside of his mouth. He thought of his heart, broken seven months before without anyone knowing, not even the brown eyed girl he still loved.

“So what were you talking about earlier? You said something about a party,” Camille questioned him.

“Oh, yeah. My friend Gabriel is throwing a huge party tonight as his house. I thought it would be great if you went with me and I’ll introduce you to some people.”

“Jay, I’m only going to stay here for three more weeks and then my carriage turns back into a pumpkin and I’ll go back to the middle of nowhere,” she said dramatically. “I don’t want to meet new people. I want to spend my time with my cousins I haven’t seen in six long years.”

“Cam, Cam, Cam,” he said shaking his head from side to side slowly. “If only you knew,” a small smile was plastered on his thin lips.

“What is it that I don’t know?” she asked him curiously. What could have anything to do with that guy’s party and her wanting to spend some time with her family?

“Nothing, don’t worry about it,” he said, flashing her a smile.

“Whatever, I’ll go get ready.” She stood up and made her way towards the guest room without even bothering to ask more. She knew getting a secret out of Jayden’s system was as impossible as slamming a revolving door.

“Cam, you coming inside or what?” Jayden said to his cousin while standing on the back porch. Aunt Leila was a well known painter and she had enough money to buy a huge house that had an exit to the beach. When Jayden turned seventeen she gave him the awesome bluish-grey jeep they had just stepped out of, which was perfect for him in Camille’s eyes since its color matched his lovely eyes. Camille loved having the same eyes as her cousin, for some reason it made her feel more close to him.

“Yeah.” She turned around and ran towards the tall boy standing a few feet from her and attacking him with a bear hug. “I’ve missed you so much, Jay Jay,” she said, calling him by his nickname from when they were younger. The one thing she had missed the most about Jayden were his comforting hugs.

“Yeah, I know,” he said smiling. “It’s like the hundredth time you’ve told me. I sure did miss you a lot too, Mimi. Now let’s go inside and eat because I’m starving.”

“God, you’re always hungry!” she said while following the tall boy inside his house. She was only five four, while he was probably in between five ten and five eleven.

Both of them had changed so much during the six years they had been apart, but thankfully a wise man invented the internet and gave them the possibility to stay connected. They didn’t write to each other every single day, but every once in a while they would occasionally share thoughts and feelings through cyberspace.

“Cam, Cam, Cam!” shouted fifteen-year-old Leilani when she saw her older brother and cousin making their way towards the kitchen.

“What’s up, Lei?” Camille asked her younger cousin.

“Not much, only that a super hot guy called me today and asked me out,” Leilani told her cousin with a smirk. Camille knew she was lying only to piss off Jayden.

“What?!” was the only word that came out of Jay’s mouth, which was full with a piece of a pop-tart he had just taken out of the package. Both girls began laughing really hard while Jayden just stared at them in disbelief. “What’s so funny? Leilani, you are only fifteen! There’s no need to be going out with any guy. So you go call him now and tell him that if he ever tries something on you I’m going to kick his ass.” His anger was beginning to show, which only made the girls laugh harder. “What’s so funny?!”

“Dude, chill out. We were just messing with you,” Lei said after she was able to stop her laughter.

“You better be! I don’t want a boy hurting my little sister,” he said placing another piece of food inside his mouth. He had always been very protective of Lei.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Jay,” Leilani said as she walked outside the kitchen. “I’m going to call Mel, she’s coming over to spend the night here so don’t bother us. You can join us if you want, Camille”

“I would –,” Camille was cut off by Jayden.

“Don’t worry, Lei. There’s a party at Gabriel’s tonight. I’m taking Cam so she can meet a few people our age.”

“Oh, well,” Leilani said. “We are going to stay up super late so if you get back and we’re still awake you are welcome to join us,” she said talking to her cousin now.

“Yeah, sure, whatever you guys said.” Camille was utterly confused. “You know, she’s getting older, Jayden. You can’t protect her forever from heartbreak,” she told him after Leilani had made her way outside the kitchen.

“I know, but I just don’t want some dumb-ass hurting her,” he said looking into Camille’s bluish-grey orbs. “Last year, when you called me and told me about that Mark guy, you sounded so hurt and destroyed. You have no idea how much I wanted to break that guy’s face for hurting you. It felt horrible not to be able to give you a hug and comfort you. I don’t want Lei to go through that too.”

“Nobody wants to get their heart broken, Jayden. Sadly it’s a part of life, and everyone has to go through it at some point.”

“God, Cam. I hate that you’re right,” he said placing the last piece of the pop-tart inside of his mouth.

“So what were you talking about earlier? You said something about a party,” Camille questioned him.

“Oh, yeah. My friend Gabriel is throwing a huge party tonight as his house. I thought it would be great if you went with me and I’ll introduce you to some people.”

“Jay, I’m only going to stay here for three more weeks on then my carriage turns back into a pumpkin and I’ll go back to the middle of nowhere,” she said dramatically. “I don’t want to meet new people. I want to spend my time with my cousins I haven’t seen in six long years.”

“Cam, Cam, Cam,” he said shaking his head from side to side slowly. “If only you knew,” a small smile was plastered on his thin lips.

“What is it that I don’t know?” she asked him curiously. What could have anything to do with that guy’s party and her wanting to spend some time with her family?

“Nothing, don’t worry about it,” he said flashing he a smile.

“Whatever, I’ll go get ready.” She stood up and made her way towards the guest room without even bothering to ask more. She knew getting a secret out of Jayden’s system was as impossible as slamming a revolving door.