Page 70 of We Thought We Were Invincible
He kept an arm around my waist as we clambered over the rocks onto the beach. The waves were kicking today, but their call in my life had been lost back with a broken board and shaken confidence. I was content to stay on dry land.
We walked halfway down the beach before plopping down in the sand, watching the seagulls fight over something a few yards away.
We didn't have much to say to each other, the silence acting as a merciful cloak rather than a demanding burden. My mind was with Morgan. With Troy. Heck, even with Seth.
The fading sun hung on the distant edge of the water, a golden beacon about to disappear into darkness, but not before silhouetting the final surfer who'd finally bid goodnight to the sea. He ran by us, heading up the beach to his spot closer to the rocks.
I looked out on the now rider-less ocean, feeling as if it had abandoned me. It was the first haven to be destroyed; the first to fall in my eyes, soon to be followed by others.
This was the new normal—this brokenness.
“Kat said I'd find you guys here,” someone said, walking up behind us. I turned toward Jay. He aimed a sad smile at me, then looked at both his brother and Colby in turn.
“I told you, you didn't have to come,” I protested, glad he didn't listen to me.
He chuckled, but it was forced. False. “When have I ever obeyed you?”
I shrugged off Jamie's arm and stood to hug Jay. Probably not a good move, but I didn't care. I just needed my best friend. He'd been with me through everything bad in my life, and now he was here, once again. Beside me.
“Thanks for ignoring me.” I finally released him.
“I'd have been here that night, but I had exams. I came as soon as I could. If you'd asked me to though, I'd have skipped them.”
Too many emotions were tugging at my ribcage and I sent my gaze to the water, blinking at the setting sun. “I know.”
Jay watched me as I sat back down and leaned into Jamie once more. He gripped Colby's shoulder in silent camaraderie before sitting beside him. The four of us had been through so much together; we'd grown apart, only to find each other once again.
Now, as the world darkened around us, we held onto one another.
Colby took my hand in his, a gesture reminiscent of when we were kids. Only this time, he wasn't just protecting his sister; he was holding onto me, taking comfort.
The sun finally sank below the ocean, leaving satin strands of orange and pink to remain and play against the velvet night. It was an unreachable beauty that I knew, now, was only an illusion.
The beach was lonely, with only the four of us left; the silence deafening as we waited. And waited.
Finally, Colby's phone rang, breaking the tension that threatened to choke us all. He pulled it from his pocket with trembling fingers, the glow lighting up his face. Answering it, he held it to his ear.
“Parker,” he breathed.
We all watched him take in the news that none of us could hear.
“So, she's-”
He listened again.
“Thanks for calling. And Parker, we're all thinking about your family.”
Colby put his phone away and looked to me. “Surgery went well.”
And there they were. The words that made my heart beat again.
“She's awake.”
I lunged toward my brother and he caught me as he fell back into the sand, a relieved smile plastered across his lips. A true, genuine smile. It felt like ages since I'd seen one of those.
I rolled off him onto the sand and lay there, feeling the cracks in my heart mend just the tiniest bit.
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