Risky Business

The sun's blistering hot rays were pounding on Marissa's exposed back as she laid across the pier's railing, watching the waves crash into one another. She had been laying in the same spot for a little over an hour, and even though she knew she'd end up with a ridiculous tan line and a couple splinters, Marissa refused to move. She had come to the beach in hopes of clearing her head, and while that proved to be completely impossible, Marissa decided that she wasn't going to leave until she had at least gotten rid of her foul mood. She knew that if her best friend was here with her, he would've known just what to say and do to make her feel better. But considering he was hundreds of miles away on some mysterious vacation with his parents, she'd just have to find something else to distract her.

Sighing, Marissa stared down at the ocean, noticing dozens of minnows darting through the water and disappearing into the bubbles. As her attention was focused solely on the fish, Marissa didn't notice the tall, lanky boy that had come up behind her until he had grabbed her shoulders as if to push her off the railing. Screaming, Marissa thrashed her arms and legs until she came in contact with the stranger. Muttering a curse, he let her go and took a few steps back. Only then did Marissa look up and recognize just who she had been attacking.

“Brett! You jerk,” she fumed, sliding off the railing onto the wooden planks of the pier. She began pounding her tiny fists on his chest as hard as she could.

Brett caught her hands midair and pulled her into a hug, laughter erupting from his body. “I was expecting a more welcoming greeting, but then again, you always do seem to surprise me,” he said, a huge grin already spreading across his face. At first, Marissa struggled against his hold, but his arms were too strong to break away from. “Come on, Riss,” Brett murmured against her forehead, holding her tighter.

Marissa knew what he was trying to do for he had done it on numerous occasions before this. She shook her head, letting him know that he wasn't gonna get off the hook that easily. Brett had abandoned her at the start of the summer without any reasons why. He had ignored her texts and sent her calls straight to voice mail, he even told his parents not to answer her. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but Marissa was hurt by it. She didn't know what she had done to deserve that, but she wasn't gonna let him get away with it without an explanation.

This time when she pulled back, Brett let her go although not very far. He still had his hands on her shoulders, but there was a few inches of space between the two. Looking up at him, Marissa noticed subtle changes that hadn't been there a few weeks earlier. Brett's heart-breaker blue eyes were duller than they normally were with small bags under them, his cheeks were more hollow than ever, and his lips were pale and chapped unlike their usual smoothness. He had also grown a bit of stubble down his jawline to his chin. His baby face was no more.

Marissa wanted to ask him where he had been and why he had ignored her, why didn't he look the same as before and if she had had anything to do with it, but she knew Brett. She knew that he didn't want to answer those questions and that just asking would only push him away. He'd talk when he wanted to, but now wasn't the time. Still, she couldn't ignore the fact that he had unknowingly broken her heart.

“Look, before you start yelling and freaking out on me, lemme say something,” Brett pleaded. Marissa only stared at him, so he took that as his cue to continue. “I know I should have called you and explained why I just up and left, but I couldn't. I still can't, and I know that that doesn't make much sense, but it's all I can say. Just know that I missed you so much, Riss, more than you can imagine and I'm so sorry.” Brett's hands were now on the sides of her face, and instead of being strong and not forgiving him, Marissa just nodded and fell back into his arms.

“I missed you too,” she whispered into his chest. “So much.” Brett only let out a sigh of relief and hugged her even closer. They stood like that for awhile before finally letting their arms drop and stepping back. “Ya know, since we've never been apart like that before, you've got a lot of making up to do,” Marissa joked, breaking the serious tension. “Especially since you missed the Summer Festival.”

“I was thinking we could have our own little festival,” Brett said, grinning slyly at his best friend.

Marissa's eyes widened and she started shaking her head. She didn't know what was on Brett's mind, but whenever he had that look, it could only mean trouble. “Nuh uh. No way. I'm not letting you drag me into whatever mess you're planning.” Marissa continued to shake her head, but Brett's grin only got wider. He took a step forward and in one swift motion, had her flipped over his shoulder.

Shrieking, Marissa kicked her arms and legs, trying to free herself from Brett's grip even if it meant a long fall to the ground. Brett, however, had no intention of letting her go. “Riss, will you please chill out?” he asked her still squirming body. Sighing out of resignation, Marissa stopped struggling. Instead of imagining what kind of trouble Brett had planned, Marissa focused on the people walking around town.

There were men standing against the railings of the pier with a fishing pole in one hand and a beer in the other; women walked down the sidewalks, shopping bags in hand; kids danced in the fountain in their swim suits; teenagers lined the beach, some swimming, some playing frisbee, and some just tanning; older couples sat on benches throwing pieces of food for the seagulls. None of them so much as batted an eyelash when Marissa attacked Brett or at the sight of her over his shoulder. Everyone was used to the pair doing odd things.

Brett finally stopped and dropped Marissa back onto the ground. The two were standing in front of the only ice-cream parlor in town. Sweet 'N Sticky had been owned by the same little old man ever since the late 1920's and although it looked as if he were going to kick the can at any moment, Walter Remington was always working the counter with a sly grin on his face. He was known to be the town gossiper, though no one ever called him out on it. Walter always eavesdropped on people's conversations and while he usually told everyone what he had heard, he was great at giving advice if you dared ask him for it.

Looking up at Brett with her eyebrows scrunched together, Marissa was confused as to why the two were here, especially since they both hated ice-cream. Brett only grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. It was decorated with light pink wallpaper and spinning red and white columns. There were only six tables and two booths, all of which were being occupied, though that wasn't surprising considering how hot it was outside. The bar, however, made up for the lack of room. It made an L shape as it wrapped around half of the shop. It was blue and shiny and always packed. There were twelve spinning chair stools on each half, and all were occupied except for three of them.

Marissa caught the eye of her friend, Alyssa. She had her blonde hair in a bun on the top of her head and she was wearing a cute summer dress with flowers on it, but the frown on her face was evident. Next to her was Jordan, her boyfriend of two years, who was eagerly spooning in mouthfuls of vanilla ice-cream, oblivious to the fact that his girlfriend was upset. Marissa smiled and waved before being drug in the opposite direction by Brett.

He pulled her behind the counter and Marissa gasped. No one was allowed to go behind the counter; Walter had made that particularly clear. “Brett! What are you doing?” she asked. “You know we're not supposed to be back here!” Marissa tried pulling Brett back, but it was impossible.

“Riss, will you just trust me?” Brett blew out a breath causing his bangs to lift up slightly. Marissa glanced around expecting to see Walter coming to scold them or at least someone to be pointing at them and whispering, but no one even glanced their way. Marissa sighed, knowing that Brett must have traded something with Walter in order to gain access back here.

Brett kept walking, pausing only to grab a tub of gummy bears from the kitchen, until he reached the back door. He pushed open the door that Marissa had always assumed to be locked, and pulled her outside, handing her the small tub. “Stay here,” was all he said as he walked around the corner of the building. Marissa huffed in aggravation. He couldn't just leave her here without any idea of what he was doing or where he was going.

Marissa leaned against the wall and stared at the gummy bears for a moment before deciding she might as well eat some. She had just peeled off the lid and popped a bear in her mouth when Brett came back. She jumped in surprise at the sound of his voice. “You can't be trusted around those, can you?” he joked. Marissa shook her head but put the lid back on. “Come on. You're gonna love this.” Brett didn't wait for Marissa to follow him and instead walked off. She hurried after him and almost barreled into him when he came to a sudden stop.

Brett turned around and covered Marissa's eyes. He directed her in front of him and after stumbling a few steps, he stopped, pulled his hands away, and said, “Okay, open your eyes.” Marissa did just that and her breath got caught in her throat. They stood before the empty field that lay on the edge of town that had a random wildflowers sprouting up here and there. Marissa saw that there was a spot that had been cleared for a picnic. An old quilt had been laid down and a picnic basket was sitting on top of it. A bottle of sparkling cider was beside the basket and two glasses were already filled. Various snacks had also been set out, ranging from cookies to sandwiches to more gummy bears.

Marissa turned to Brett with a confused look. “What is all of this?” she asked.

“Do you not like it?” he questioned, ignoring what she had asked.

“Of course I like it!” she said, a grin appearing on her face causing Brett to mirror it. “But why?”

Brett scratched the back of his neck and shrugged. “I'm making things up to you,” he said. Marissa nodded and turned back to the picnic. “We can eat now, if you want.” Brett knelt down on the blanket and Marissa followed his lead. She crossed her legs and waited for him to hand her a glass of cider.

The two ate for a few minutes and chatted about random things, mostly about what Marissa had done while Brett was gone. “So,” Marissa started, “Are you gonna tell me where you were?” She knew she was pushing the boundaries, but she was curious as to what made him disappear for so long. Brett sat there for a minute, trying to put his answer into words. “Ya know what? Just forget it.” Marissa smiled as she said it, trying to show that his non-responsiveness didn't bother her.

Brett looked like he wanted to say something, but Marissa threw a gummy bear at him to ease the mood. She smirked when it registered on his face what she had just done, and soon they were engaged in an all out food fight. Calling a truce, Brett stood up and walked a few feet into the flowers and pulled out his guitar that he had purposely hidden to surprise Marissa. He knew she loved hearing him play. He walked back to the blanket and sat down. Marissa's eyes instantly lit up and she laid down on her stomach, resting her chin on her hands. Brett smiled down at his best friend and began strumming the instrument. Within minutes all of the animals hiding in the field were silent and listened as he sang.

"I never thought that I was so blind,
I could finally see the truth:
it's me for you.
Tonight, you can't imagine
that I'm by your side,
because it's never gonna be the truth,
too far, for you.
But can you hear me say,
“Don't throw me away.”
And there's no way out,
I gotta hold you somehow."

Brett stopped singing before the chorus came and instead placed the guitar beside him. He looked expectantly at Marissa but she was staring past him at the setting sun. He cleared his throat, and Marissa jumped a little, remembering where she was. “You're done, already?” she asked, clearly coming back from a daydream. Brett nodded and Marissa smiled at him. “You sounded great.”

Brett didn't say anything but laid down on his back beside her. Marissa rolled over, and together, they looked up at the pink and orange sky. “I'm sorry for leaving you, Riss. I really am. I never meant to hurt you. You know that, don't you?” Marissa nodded and Brett knew that he was fully forgiven. The pair had never really argued about anything serious, and it was rare that they were ever mad at each other, so it was a big deal for Brett that Marissa forgave him.

Marissa and Brett were truly happy at that moment, and they both knew how hard happiness was to come by, so the two laid like that for what felt like hours, staring at the darkening sky and making jokes. They laughed about the silliest things, yet it was a feeling that neither of them ever wanted to let go of.