“Okay then. When are we going?” I asked him, more than a little amused by the way he was taking control. I wasn’t used to this side of him and I kind of liked it.

“It’s two days until Saturday. We can stay for two nights,” he declared and I nodded.

“In two days then. I suppose we’d better figure out where we’re going,” I said, helping him put away his sculpting tools.

“In two days we can go to the beach and see the ocean. We’ll walk on the sand and I won’t cry this time when it gets between my toes,” Flynn smiled.

I laughed.

“You’re not laughing at me this time,” he said, seeming proud of himself for knowing the difference.

“No, I’m not laughing at you. I’m happy. Sometimes you laugh because you feel good,” I explained.

“Going to the beach makes you feel good?” he asked.

“Going anywhere with you makes me feel amazing,” I said.

23

-Ellie-

We found a hotel on the ocean near Sandbridge Beach, Virginia. It would take us over five hours to get there but Flynn had already started mapping out our journey. He had calculated the mileage and the rest stops along the way.

He planned our vacation completely, down to the colors of the shirts he was going to bring and the types of socks that were the most comfortable for the long car ride.

It was hard to tell if he was looking forward to the trip or not. I was excited. I was beyond ecstatic to be going. I had always dreamed of seeing the ocean. Of digging my toes in sun warmed sand and splashing in the waves. I wasn’t sure how much sea and sand Flynn would actually be up for but I was excited all the same.

I was in town loading up on supplies for our trip when I ran into Reggie. I hadn’t seen anyone from my old group in weeks. Even when I had my shifts at JAC’s no one came in like they normally did. I stopped going by Woolly’s and I didn’t take the occasional drive down to the river where I knew people liked to hang out.

In truth it was pretty sad that once I had stepped away from my old world, not a single person reached out to see where I had gone.

I had made it a point over the years to keep my friendships superficial. Even with Dania, there was only so much I allowed them to see; only so far I’d let them in. Not that they cared.

And that had worked for me. For a long time I was quite content with my seclusion. But now that I had Flynn in my life I realized how lonely I had truly been. How isolated I had allowed myself to be. I had existed, not lived, and there was a very big difference between the two.

Reggie and I had never been close by any means. She was a hanger on. Someone the rest of us tolerated because of what she could do for us. Her dad was a pharmacist and in high school her proximity to prescription meds had come in handy. The guys liked her because she had big boobs and zero inhibitions. She thought nothing of giving a blowjob or spreading her legs so long as they got her drunk first.

Dania detested her even as she used her for rides whenever she needed them. We would make fun of her behind her back and coyly to her face and then pretend we were only joking. We even gave her the nickname TFB, aka Tits for Brains.

We really were horrible people.

“Hey, Ellie!” she said in that overly exuberant way of hers.

“Hey Reggie, how’s it going?” I asked, feeling bad that I was already thinking of ways to conclude this conversation so I could get out of there.

“Ah, you know, a little of this, a little of that. Crazy shit that Stu’s back in the clink huh?” she asked, running her fingers through her greasy hair. Her eyes were a little bloodshot and she seemed twitchier than normal. My guess was she had been face first in a pile of meth not too long ago.

“Yeah, sucks for him,” I agreed, grabbing a bottle of shampoo and putting it in my basket.

“Shane’s having a party tonight. You should come. We haven’t seen you in a long time. Dania’s being a bitch about it too. Says you’re too good for us now that you’re screwing the ‘tard,” Reggie snickered.

I wanted to smack the drugged up grin off her face. Forget feeling bad about the way I treated her. She’s just lucky I never put a boot up her ass.

“You wanna watch how you talk about Flynn? I’d hate to make a scene by ripping that ugly shit you call hair out of your head.” I gave her a syrupy smile and turned back to my shopping, hoping she’d take a hint.

“Shit, I’m sorry, Ells. I didn’t mean anything by it. He’s nice. Really. And he’s cute too. I mean, I wouldn’t want to f**k the dude or anything. Because you know he’s a freak and all. But I’m sure he’s great.” Reggie was rambling and my patience was quickly running out.

“Shut up, Reggie,” I said through clenched teeth.

“Yeah, okay. I will. Um, wow, you’ve got a lot of stuff there. Why all the stuff, Ells?”

Tweakers were so freaking obnoxious.

“Because I’m going away for a few days,” I said, hoping she’d leave me alone.

I shouldn’t have told her the truth because now she wouldn’t shut up.

“You’re going somewhere? Where are you going?”

I sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

“Just going to the beach for a few days. Nothing big,” I was hoping by being uninformative, she’d let it go.

Today was not my lucky day.

“The beach? That’s so cool! I went to the beach once when I was a kid. Dad took us all to the Outer Banks. That’s in North Carolina. Have you ever been to North Carolina? It’s so pretty! I loved it. The ocean was cold because it was September. But it was so much fun. I made the biggest sand castle”