Casey sat on the curb across the street in an oversized sweater and denim shorts, her pen hanging out of her mouth, journal in her lap. She quickly jotted something down then peered up. He was watching her again. She could never concentrate when he was near. She rolled her eyes and shut her pen in her book, turning to the bike rack a few feet away."Stop staring!" Bree harshly whispered, directed at Josh. He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut a few times before returning to reality."What?" He lazily replied, eyes still fixated in Casey's direction."You know very well what. You've been watching her for almost 10 minutes. If I were her, I think I'd file a report," She joked, lightly punching his arm at the last remark. "I have no idea what you're referring too, sweetheart," He joked back at his sister, pulling himself off the gravel he'd been sitting on.A few years younger than Josh, Bree thought she knew everything. Being fourteen pretty much puts you in that mindset directly on your birthday."Just talk to her," Bree took the hand Josh extended her way and pulled herself up next to him."Go find friends your own age, Bree." The annoyance was setting into his voice as he turned toward the pier, opposite Casey. As if on cue, Val, one of Bree's classmates ran toward her, screaming at the top of her lungs."Bree! Bree! Oh my god, Bree! You'll never guess who just asked me out-" Josh interrupted, being very fond of Val he loved to poke fun at her."Oh my god, Bree you will NEVER guess! I bet it's that cutie, Austin from the ice cream shop! Or maybe that total stud, Brandon from the surf shack! Please explain in explicit detail EVERYTHING." He put both hands on Bree's shoulder, slightly shaking her in faux-excitement. Val rolled her eyes, grinning ear-to-ear and replied,"Shut up, Josh. Just because he isn't a movie star doesn't mean he's any less of a person.""Not at all what I meant, darling," He shot back in a sing-song manner, lightly pinching one of her cheeks before turning back to the pier. As their voices faded into the background, he was faced with the ocean tide once more. He ran a hand through his almost black hair, creating a mess out of it before kicking off his shoes and taking a seat on the sandy pier. He lightly kicked his feet in the water as his thoughts drew back to Casey. She had gorgeous red/brown hair that reached the small of her back and reflected every ray of sun that came in contact with it's silky texture. She had a small frame and was almost always seen in her signature oversized sweater, casually tucked in the front of her belt that held up her denim shorts. Not his usual type, but the only girl that made the earth stop turning. The only girl that made the waves stop lapping the shore. The only girl who made his mouth slack open every time she walked past. The only girl worth a damn in his book. She'd never know, of course. She had no idea and if it were up to Josh it would stay that way. The second you tell a girl what she means to you, is the second you lose all hope of finding happiness with her. That's the moment where you lose the faint hope you had for her as she laughs in your face and turns the opposite direction to never cross your path again. To risk anything would be a stupid decision. Josh stayed put on the beach for what seemed like hours of uninterrupted silence. Only in his mind of course, as the beach was covered with people. But as far as he was concerned, he was alone with the sunset slowly drawing the day to a close. He tore his eyes away from the almond colored sky to the spot where his shoes had been. He debated leaving them there and spending the night lying on the beach, consumed with thoughts of things that would never be. But at the familiar scream of Val's goodbye, he realized it was time to go home. He slowly pulled his legs out of the water and lazily made his way to his trainers. He bent over to slip them on when he was unsuspectingly knocked over by the scratchy material of a knitted sweater. "Oh my god, I'm sorry. Here, let me help you up," She offered, half laughing, before she realized who it was. As soon as Josh turned his head her eyes grew wide, but her hand stayed extended in anticipation of helping him back to his feet. He sat in shock for a few seconds too long before finally slipping on his remaining shoe and grabbing her hand. As he was lifted to his feet he was in sudden realization of just how big of a height distance they had. She was about 5'3" and he was a towering 6'1". His mouth slightly agape, as it always was, he took in her beauty up close. He noticed her ocean-blue eyes dotted with faint orange spots encircling her pupil. They reminded him, very much in detail, of the shore. Her soft pink lips, mimicked his, in which they were slightly parted. Her nose and cheekbones were splattered with freckles and flakes of worn off mascara. Her hair, now a mess blowing in the wind, was put into a messy braid while her fringe was splayed all over her face. She reached up to correct it with her hand, leaving Josh's to fall back to his side. "Thanks," He replied gruffly, coughing once to clear his throat and then tried again, "Uh.. Thanks Cas-" He stopped himself. He wasn't supposed to know her name, they'd only ever spoken maybe three times his entire life. "Just... I have to go," The words flew out of his mouth before they registered with his brain and he took off in the the other direction completely mortified. Casey turned back to Angela, the friend who casually pushed her into the mess that was Josh. "Thanks," Casey said coldly while crossing her arms and cocking her head to the side in anticipation of an explanation. "He's cute." Was all she had to say before grabbing her bag and walking to her car. Casey rolled her eyes as she replied,"Why would he ever be into me?"