Sequel: Palm Trees ›
Seashells
gotta improve my aim
July 29th, 2006
I had to leave early that year. My dad's cousin or something was getting married and he had to be there. So he decided that our whole family should just go back home to make things easier.
Nothing particularly interesting had happened after the day with the mold, but that doesn't mean I was happy to go. We still could have had two weeks to do crazy shit. I could hang out with my friends at home, but it wouldn't the same.
All of our friends came to say goodbye to me. You all showed up to my house when I was still sleeping and I almost had a heart attack when everyone screamed. Luckily for me, I don't have anything embarrassing in my bedroom (unlike someone).
"Cassie!" Sim said. "Come on, let's go!"
"Wait, what?" I said. "Where? When? What's going on?"
"It's time to party, duh," Des said.
"Uhh... okay," I said. Then realized I had terrible morning breath so I hid under the covers a bit. "What time is it?"
Halden looked at his watch, the white one he always wore (remember?) "It's almost six-thirty."
I processed that information and then asked why the hell you were all in my house at that time. You all laughed and told me to get dressed.
"Well, you guys can go now," I said.
"Nope."
"I'm not letting you watch me get dressed."
"It was worth a try," Matt muttered as you all went into my living room. I wondered who let you in and why someone would be awake at this time to even let you in the house. Unless you snuck in, but I didn't know how that was possible.
I put my clothes on, brushed my teeth, washed my face, all that. Then I went out to the living room to see everyone sitting there, silent. It was really weird because you all tended to be extremely loud. I knew that meant that my family was still sleeping. So you guys did sneak in, but to this day I still don't know how because no one ever told me.
As soon as I walked into the room, I was dragged out of it into the kitchen and out the back door. "No breakfast?" I asked.
"You'll see," Karen said. I didn't even notice she was there because she was so quiet.
We walked for a really long time. Seriously. Maybe it just seemed longer because it was so early and I was so hungry. At one point we stopped on a hill and watched the sunrise. It was nice, and we were all quiet for once. I was glad because that meant a chance to rest.
Then we had to keep walking and I was wondering if this was a kind of torture ritual or something. I had never been to this part of the island before. It was the part where tourists usually go. There were small bed and breakfast inns along with restaurants.
"Teresa's," Karen said, pointing to the diner. We went in and little bells signaled our entrance.
"Karen, you're here," a short woman said. "These are your friends?"
"Yeah, mom," Karen said, and then I noticed the family resemblance. I had never known that her mom owned a diner. Or that she named it after herself. Now that I think of it, I should have gotten to know Karen better back then. Maybe I would have liked her more.
Sometimes, as I'm writing these letters, I see so many things that I wish I could have changed. I'm tempted to cross out the letters and rewrite what I want, wishing that changing my words would change the past. Maybe that would have been better for us, huh? But all I'm writing is the truth, Aden.
We had pancakes that morning, and they were fucking delicious. I wish that diner was still there, because I would go every single morning. You wouldn't know because you hated pancakes and decided not to eat instead. If I could, I would rewrite you too, making sure you were in love with these delightful things.
After eating, we went to the beach. Sim brought me a swimsuit already so I didn't have to go back home. I saw my parents at the beach and told them how I was kidnapped, but they didn't even care. There's really not much trouble you can get into on the island anyway.
It was the typical beach day. Karen said she didn't want to go swimming with us because she didn't feel well (she was totally on her period) so she just took pictures. I wish I knew where the pictures were.
We then got ice cream. You bought ice cream for me, to make up for breaking our tradition, you said. That went pretty well, and there were more pictures taken. Then there were a lot of hugs and "see you next year"s.
When Sim hugged me, she whispered something in my ear. Then it struck me that it was the same exact thing she did when she hugged you last year. I didn't catch what she said the first time.
"What?" I said. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy and talking to myself because they obviously couldn't hear her whispering.
She hugged me again and said, "Remember when Aden kissed you last year? I think you should return the favor."
I was hesitant at first. But I wasn't going to see you again until next year, so what did it matter? I went through another round of hugs, then I got to you. I wrapped my arms around you, hesitated, then kissed you right on the cheek, kind of close to your lips. Not a big deal, right?
Then you looked at me, and you said, "You missed."
I had to leave early that year. My dad's cousin or something was getting married and he had to be there. So he decided that our whole family should just go back home to make things easier.
Nothing particularly interesting had happened after the day with the mold, but that doesn't mean I was happy to go. We still could have had two weeks to do crazy shit. I could hang out with my friends at home, but it wouldn't the same.
All of our friends came to say goodbye to me. You all showed up to my house when I was still sleeping and I almost had a heart attack when everyone screamed. Luckily for me, I don't have anything embarrassing in my bedroom (unlike someone).
"Cassie!" Sim said. "Come on, let's go!"
"Wait, what?" I said. "Where? When? What's going on?"
"It's time to party, duh," Des said.
"Uhh... okay," I said. Then realized I had terrible morning breath so I hid under the covers a bit. "What time is it?"
Halden looked at his watch, the white one he always wore (remember?) "It's almost six-thirty."
I processed that information and then asked why the hell you were all in my house at that time. You all laughed and told me to get dressed.
"Well, you guys can go now," I said.
"Nope."
"I'm not letting you watch me get dressed."
"It was worth a try," Matt muttered as you all went into my living room. I wondered who let you in and why someone would be awake at this time to even let you in the house. Unless you snuck in, but I didn't know how that was possible.
I put my clothes on, brushed my teeth, washed my face, all that. Then I went out to the living room to see everyone sitting there, silent. It was really weird because you all tended to be extremely loud. I knew that meant that my family was still sleeping. So you guys did sneak in, but to this day I still don't know how because no one ever told me.
As soon as I walked into the room, I was dragged out of it into the kitchen and out the back door. "No breakfast?" I asked.
"You'll see," Karen said. I didn't even notice she was there because she was so quiet.
We walked for a really long time. Seriously. Maybe it just seemed longer because it was so early and I was so hungry. At one point we stopped on a hill and watched the sunrise. It was nice, and we were all quiet for once. I was glad because that meant a chance to rest.
Then we had to keep walking and I was wondering if this was a kind of torture ritual or something. I had never been to this part of the island before. It was the part where tourists usually go. There were small bed and breakfast inns along with restaurants.
"Teresa's," Karen said, pointing to the diner. We went in and little bells signaled our entrance.
"Karen, you're here," a short woman said. "These are your friends?"
"Yeah, mom," Karen said, and then I noticed the family resemblance. I had never known that her mom owned a diner. Or that she named it after herself. Now that I think of it, I should have gotten to know Karen better back then. Maybe I would have liked her more.
Sometimes, as I'm writing these letters, I see so many things that I wish I could have changed. I'm tempted to cross out the letters and rewrite what I want, wishing that changing my words would change the past. Maybe that would have been better for us, huh? But all I'm writing is the truth, Aden.
We had pancakes that morning, and they were fucking delicious. I wish that diner was still there, because I would go every single morning. You wouldn't know because you hated pancakes and decided not to eat instead. If I could, I would rewrite you too, making sure you were in love with these delightful things.
After eating, we went to the beach. Sim brought me a swimsuit already so I didn't have to go back home. I saw my parents at the beach and told them how I was kidnapped, but they didn't even care. There's really not much trouble you can get into on the island anyway.
It was the typical beach day. Karen said she didn't want to go swimming with us because she didn't feel well (she was totally on her period) so she just took pictures. I wish I knew where the pictures were.
We then got ice cream. You bought ice cream for me, to make up for breaking our tradition, you said. That went pretty well, and there were more pictures taken. Then there were a lot of hugs and "see you next year"s.
When Sim hugged me, she whispered something in my ear. Then it struck me that it was the same exact thing she did when she hugged you last year. I didn't catch what she said the first time.
"What?" I said. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy and talking to myself because they obviously couldn't hear her whispering.
She hugged me again and said, "Remember when Aden kissed you last year? I think you should return the favor."
I was hesitant at first. But I wasn't going to see you again until next year, so what did it matter? I went through another round of hugs, then I got to you. I wrapped my arms around you, hesitated, then kissed you right on the cheek, kind of close to your lips. Not a big deal, right?
Then you looked at me, and you said, "You missed."