Sequel: Palm Trees ›
Seashells
she's a computer game
July 4th, 2005
So I didn't see you again until the fourth.
What happened? Well, I ran. It was pretty pathetic, actually. I got up, dragging Simoya with me. We ran all the way to her house (well, I ran, she... dragged). Luckily, her house was nearby.
For the next few days, she kept pestering me about you, and all I gave were vague answers. It was all just a matter of time until she found you herself. So my answers wouldn't have helped at all, really. At least, that's the excuse I used in my head.
The fourth came around. And just like every year, everyone went to the beach. I knew you would be there. Even if things had changed, you would still be there. It was an unspoken rule on the island.
Sim knew it too. She was looking for you from the moment we got there. I was, too, but I wasn't about to admit that.
Eventually, you showed up with your mom. When we saw you, you leaned over and picked up a seashell.
"Hey!" Sim yelled to you. You jumped and the shell fell out of your hand, landing in the water with a splash. It was understandable. Sim had a tendency to be... loud.
You looked up. Your eyes first went to Sim, then rested on me. "Hi... Cassidy."
"You two know each other?" she asked with feigned surprise, as if it wasn't already obvious.
"Yeah," I said. "Hi Aden."
There was an awkward silence. You started kicking at the sand around your feet. I just kept staring at you. Sim looked back and forth from us, trying to figure out our relationship. You looked up at me. "Well..."
"This is Simoya," I blurted, cutting you off. "But she goes by Sim."
"Sim?" you said, smiling for the first time since I'd seen you again. "Like that game, The Sims?"
"Yeah," she said, smiling back. I thought that was weird, since she usually punches people in the face after they make that reference (not a lie). Her action made sense later, though.
"That's cool." Another silence.
"So, Cass has never said anything about you, Aden," she said, exaggerating your name. "How do you guys know each other?"
"We knew each other when we were younger," we both said at the same time. I mean, we didn't say exactly the same thing, but it was something along those lines.
After that we just made small talk. Nothing really interesting happened. Sim whispered something in your ear, though. And then it started to rain, just like that time we wrote our names in the sand.
"Aden, let's go!" your mom shouted when it really started to pour.
"Coming," you shouted back. "Bye, guys."
"Aden," Sim said. She didn't say anything else. She just looked at you, her eyes wide. I remember being extremely confused. She then gave you a hug while I awkwardly stood there. I didn't know it at the time, but she again whispered something in your ear.
"Bye, Cass," you said. Then, you leaned over and gave me a kiss right on the cheek before running to your mother. I was astonished, and Sim just looked at me, smiling. Looking back on it now, it was a sweet gesture, sort of.
But back then, I actually thought it was kind of gross.
So I didn't see you again until the fourth.
What happened? Well, I ran. It was pretty pathetic, actually. I got up, dragging Simoya with me. We ran all the way to her house (well, I ran, she... dragged). Luckily, her house was nearby.
For the next few days, she kept pestering me about you, and all I gave were vague answers. It was all just a matter of time until she found you herself. So my answers wouldn't have helped at all, really. At least, that's the excuse I used in my head.
The fourth came around. And just like every year, everyone went to the beach. I knew you would be there. Even if things had changed, you would still be there. It was an unspoken rule on the island.
Sim knew it too. She was looking for you from the moment we got there. I was, too, but I wasn't about to admit that.
Eventually, you showed up with your mom. When we saw you, you leaned over and picked up a seashell.
"Hey!" Sim yelled to you. You jumped and the shell fell out of your hand, landing in the water with a splash. It was understandable. Sim had a tendency to be... loud.
You looked up. Your eyes first went to Sim, then rested on me. "Hi... Cassidy."
"You two know each other?" she asked with feigned surprise, as if it wasn't already obvious.
"Yeah," I said. "Hi Aden."
There was an awkward silence. You started kicking at the sand around your feet. I just kept staring at you. Sim looked back and forth from us, trying to figure out our relationship. You looked up at me. "Well..."
"This is Simoya," I blurted, cutting you off. "But she goes by Sim."
"Sim?" you said, smiling for the first time since I'd seen you again. "Like that game, The Sims?"
"Yeah," she said, smiling back. I thought that was weird, since she usually punches people in the face after they make that reference (not a lie). Her action made sense later, though.
"That's cool." Another silence.
"So, Cass has never said anything about you, Aden," she said, exaggerating your name. "How do you guys know each other?"
"We knew each other when we were younger," we both said at the same time. I mean, we didn't say exactly the same thing, but it was something along those lines.
After that we just made small talk. Nothing really interesting happened. Sim whispered something in your ear, though. And then it started to rain, just like that time we wrote our names in the sand.
"Aden, let's go!" your mom shouted when it really started to pour.
"Coming," you shouted back. "Bye, guys."
"Aden," Sim said. She didn't say anything else. She just looked at you, her eyes wide. I remember being extremely confused. She then gave you a hug while I awkwardly stood there. I didn't know it at the time, but she again whispered something in your ear.
"Bye, Cass," you said. Then, you leaned over and gave me a kiss right on the cheek before running to your mother. I was astonished, and Sim just looked at me, smiling. Looking back on it now, it was a sweet gesture, sort of.
But back then, I actually thought it was kind of gross.