The World Beyond Me.

“Am I what?” Jesse snorted.

Matt rested his hands on his broad hips and stared at his best friend weirdly. The green eyed boy stared back, deadly serious and completely insulted that his friend had insinuated that he’d been doing all this to get in a girl’s underwear. He had the wrong end of the stick. Or did he?

“You heard me.” Matt raised a brow.

By now the boxes were almost completely inside the garage aside from one or two still lingering on the lawn. The sunshine was beginning to fade beyond the white faced houses surrounding them. The shadows played along the floor menacingly, the sound of humming coming from the kitchen beyond the white door.

A loud bang was heard and a bright smile seen as Adelaide stepped down the rickety staircase towards the lads with a tray. On the shiny silver tray sat a large jug of yellow lemonade – a slice of lemon lounging on the edge of the jug – with ice cubs jingling like car keys inside. A plate of cookies sat next to it, surrounded by glasses.

Once at the bottom, she placed the tray neatly down on one of the boxes, smiling. Her brown hair flicked away from her face when she straightened out, hands on her hips.

“A reward for my heroes.”

Jesse smiled at her and flicked her chin with a curved finger in an affectionate manner. The other boys crowded around the make-shift table and sipped their freshly made lemonade – each making a satisfactory sound of approval.

For once in her life after Wales, Adelaide felt accepted. She smiled around her glass held between her two small hands to hide her mouth. A cool breeze began to whistle around the small room.

“Thanks for the help.” Adelaide put her empty glass down.

“Not a problem, was it guys?” Jesse turned to glare.

A chorus of “no ma’ams” rung around the men as they each smiled gratefully. Their glasses hit the metal tray with a musical twang.

Jesse stared deep into Adelaide’s eyes for a long moment. But he looked away once he realised what was happening. He was starting to fall for a Princeton Snob. He was attaching himself to something in Huntington, something that could ground him to the small town he wanted to escape from.

Gulping the last of his drink, Jesse put the glass down on the tray and started to say his goodbyes. He shuffled everyone outside the garage slowly, reluctant to leave her yet needing to process his thoughts alone for a long while.

Adelaide frowned.

“Going so soon?”

“Yes. We have band business to attend to,” Jesse replied, cold.

Adelaide wanted to beg him to stay. She wanted to hang on his wrist and pull so hard he fell on top of her, crushing into her for ever – leaving a permanent dent on her cracking heart.

But that didn’t happen. She watched him leave, not looking back at her as he wandered deliberately slow down the road – away from her. Sighing, she closed the garage door and hid the vinyl player, destroying their memories.

The hours seemed to drag on without him. She lay on her bed, facing the window with her eyes lost amongst the beauty. She listened to the caw of the seagulls hovering, the swish of the waves cascading onto the golden sands, the sound of the children giggling outside on the pavement beyond her home.

A long drag of air in. A slew of inconceivable words out.

After a moment, she decided that exercise would be the best remedy. Back home in Wales, she played for the local women’s rugby team. Well, her father coached and founded it so she always had to show up, rain or shine, sickness or health. She even played with a broken wrist once.

Standing from the bed, Adelaide adorned a pair of baggy shorts and slipped a fresh shirt on. Careful to leave her layers hanging, she knotted her hair away from her face and tugged on her running shoes. She stretched out her muscles as she wandered down the staircase, almost knocking over a photo.

Her quick reflexes meant she caught it in her hands, the pointed corners spiking her flesh as she twisted it around to see what it was. The ugly sight made her want to throw it down the stairs.

Annie was smiling at the camera with her father’s arms wrapped loosely around her thick waist. His burly features didn’t fit in with the clean-cut Annie. His salt and pepper hair was a mess on his leathery face, thick side burns framing the sides and a crooked smile with broken teeth. He wasn’t the nicest to look at, but a kind soul once resided inside. Once.

A growl pushed from her lips as she rested the frame on the side.

Warm Californian sunshine made her forget. It glazed her body and warmed her anger to the point where it boiled into power as she pounded the tarmac pavement with her small feet. She ran to the edge of the street, grinned at seeing how far she’d managed, touched the ground and sprinted back towards the house.

She did this repeatedly. Again and again, circling the same pattern over and over again until she began to pant.

She reached the house and leaned on her bent thighs, head leaning forwards with sweat dripping from her clammy flesh. Her hair fell into her face, sticking the every contour when she lifted her face to look up at the sky.

“Why don’t you run on the beach, Adie?”

With shock, she turned her head to look towards the figure sat on the front lawn of the house next door. His chocolate brown, shining eyes glistened in the afternoon light. His muscles were spectacular to see, curved and arced into big bubbles across his arms and exposed legs. He grinned at her with a crooked smile, scratching his head.

“Why? You get sand in your shoes.” Adelaide crossed her arms defensively.

“Well, the scenery’s nicer for a start.” His thick hand moved to rest on the grass.

Adelaide pondered this. “Come on then, smart-ass. Show me.”

“Gladly.”

He stood from his grassy perch and gestured for Adelaide to follow him. His eyes smiled down on her as they made their way down the dunes where the contrast of green and gold were seen. Suddenly, Adelaide realised something.

“How do you know my name?”

“We go to school together, I’m Connor. The guy in your English class, remember?”

Adelaide laughed and slapped a hand to her forehead. Her legs wobbled with tiredness, causing her to lose her footing and almost topple over onto the sands beneath her. Connor caught her floundering frame and held her up carefully, as though she were a porcelain doll.

“Sit.” His command was friendly.

Quietly, the pair sat and admired the beauty of the waves rolling against the carpet of gold. The sun was officially setting now, disappearing beyond the darkening-blue ocean and spreading its pink and orange arms far off into the horizons. Black figures of birds fluttered amongst the water-colour sky, like the helicopters that fly from dying dandelions.

“It’s beautiful,” Adelaide murmured.

“Yes. So much better when shared.” Connor smiled at her.