Sequel: Palm Trees ›
Seashells
guess you like g.i.r.l.s
August 7th, 2005
I really didn't see you at all after that day. I didn't see you at the ice cream parlor, where you always were. Maybe it was because your cousin stopped working there, though. But I didn't even see you on the beach once. That kind of thing never happens on the island.
Sim and I were at the beach, like always. Most people had already left for home, but we always leave late. The only other person still left on the island that was around our age was you. We were going to call you, but we didn't have our phones on us. Though it wasn't like anyone even used cell phones on the island at all. We all lived pretty close to each other, and since we went to the beach so much, it was kind of annoying to have to shake the sand out of the buttons every time.
"Do you know where Aden lives?" Sim asked me. I thought she would have known, since she's the type of person to know other people's life stories, but I guess not.
"No," I said. But then I thought about it. I thought back to the time when you showed up at my door to ask for some eggs. "Well, maybe. I think he lives near me."
"Like, how close?"
"Like... on my street. Or at least the next one over."
"And you never told me?" she rolls her eyes. "Some best friend."
"Yeah, whatever."
We decided, since we had nothing better to do, to walk to your house. Since I lived pretty close to the beach (well, everyone lived close to the beach - I was just closer) it wasn't so bad. Except for the part where the hot asphalt burned our feet because we forgot our flip-flops in the sand. At least that made us walk faster.
We got to my house and immediately ran inside to get shoes. Sim was lucky she had extras at my house, or she would have had to squeeze her size ten feet into my size seven shoes.
We went back outside and tried to figure out which house you lived in. We walked up and down the street, trying to look as non-creeperish as possible. We accomplished nothing.
"I'm just gonna go ask my mom," I said.
"Great idea, Cass," Sim said. "It would have been better if you thought of that an hour ago."
"Whatever," I muttered. We then went back to my house. My mom told us to take a left at the end of the street and look for the blue house with a tire swing in the front.
"Cute," Sim said, pointing to the tire swing. "Just like in the movies."
"Yeah," I said. "Until someone falls off. Do you know how hard it is to swing on one of those things without falling off and breaking your head open?"
"No, but I'm sure you do." That shut me up.
We knocked on your front door. Your mom answered with a smile and told me to just go to your room. We hesitated, wondering what kind of embarrassing things were waiting for us. Pictures of your mom all over the wall? My Little Pony sheets?
We counted to three and then burst into your room. Sadly, there was nothing terribly embarrassing that we could hold against you. However, you did jump at the sudden noise and you fell out of your chair.
Sim saw you were on the computer. "Aden, the sun is shining and summer is almost over. And here you are, just sitting inside and doing what? Nothing!"
"Uhh..." you said, not exactly sure how to respond to that.
"What are you doing that could be so interesting anyway?" she asked, and walked over to your desk. You quickly closed windows on your computer.
"Hiding something?" I said.
"No."
"It's definitely porn," Sim said, and I couldn't help but smirk at that.
"No, it's not!"
"Lies."
"No, really."
"Then what have you been doing?"
"Okay, I've just been talking to someone," you admitted.
"Oh. Girlfriend from home?" Sim asked, and I swear I heard some disappointment in her voice. I can't lie - I was a bit disappointed when she asked, since I thought you were going to say yes.
"No, she's not from home. I kinda... met her online."
"So this is what you've been ditching us for?" I asked. Yeah, you were such a cool kid back then.
"Maybe."
Sim and I looked at each other, and then we said in perfect unison (it was a bit creepy actually), "She's probably a G.I.R.L."
"A what?"
"A Guy In Real Life."
I really didn't see you at all after that day. I didn't see you at the ice cream parlor, where you always were. Maybe it was because your cousin stopped working there, though. But I didn't even see you on the beach once. That kind of thing never happens on the island.
Sim and I were at the beach, like always. Most people had already left for home, but we always leave late. The only other person still left on the island that was around our age was you. We were going to call you, but we didn't have our phones on us. Though it wasn't like anyone even used cell phones on the island at all. We all lived pretty close to each other, and since we went to the beach so much, it was kind of annoying to have to shake the sand out of the buttons every time.
"Do you know where Aden lives?" Sim asked me. I thought she would have known, since she's the type of person to know other people's life stories, but I guess not.
"No," I said. But then I thought about it. I thought back to the time when you showed up at my door to ask for some eggs. "Well, maybe. I think he lives near me."
"Like, how close?"
"Like... on my street. Or at least the next one over."
"And you never told me?" she rolls her eyes. "Some best friend."
"Yeah, whatever."
We decided, since we had nothing better to do, to walk to your house. Since I lived pretty close to the beach (well, everyone lived close to the beach - I was just closer) it wasn't so bad. Except for the part where the hot asphalt burned our feet because we forgot our flip-flops in the sand. At least that made us walk faster.
We got to my house and immediately ran inside to get shoes. Sim was lucky she had extras at my house, or she would have had to squeeze her size ten feet into my size seven shoes.
We went back outside and tried to figure out which house you lived in. We walked up and down the street, trying to look as non-creeperish as possible. We accomplished nothing.
"I'm just gonna go ask my mom," I said.
"Great idea, Cass," Sim said. "It would have been better if you thought of that an hour ago."
"Whatever," I muttered. We then went back to my house. My mom told us to take a left at the end of the street and look for the blue house with a tire swing in the front.
"Cute," Sim said, pointing to the tire swing. "Just like in the movies."
"Yeah," I said. "Until someone falls off. Do you know how hard it is to swing on one of those things without falling off and breaking your head open?"
"No, but I'm sure you do." That shut me up.
We knocked on your front door. Your mom answered with a smile and told me to just go to your room. We hesitated, wondering what kind of embarrassing things were waiting for us. Pictures of your mom all over the wall? My Little Pony sheets?
We counted to three and then burst into your room. Sadly, there was nothing terribly embarrassing that we could hold against you. However, you did jump at the sudden noise and you fell out of your chair.
Sim saw you were on the computer. "Aden, the sun is shining and summer is almost over. And here you are, just sitting inside and doing what? Nothing!"
"Uhh..." you said, not exactly sure how to respond to that.
"What are you doing that could be so interesting anyway?" she asked, and walked over to your desk. You quickly closed windows on your computer.
"Hiding something?" I said.
"No."
"It's definitely porn," Sim said, and I couldn't help but smirk at that.
"No, it's not!"
"Lies."
"No, really."
"Then what have you been doing?"
"Okay, I've just been talking to someone," you admitted.
"Oh. Girlfriend from home?" Sim asked, and I swear I heard some disappointment in her voice. I can't lie - I was a bit disappointed when she asked, since I thought you were going to say yes.
"No, she's not from home. I kinda... met her online."
"So this is what you've been ditching us for?" I asked. Yeah, you were such a cool kid back then.
"Maybe."
Sim and I looked at each other, and then we said in perfect unison (it was a bit creepy actually), "She's probably a G.I.R.L."
"A what?"
"A Guy In Real Life."