Honestly Fine

In her father's opinion, it simply wouldn't do for a well-bred young lady of her status, in her expertly-tailored finery, to be seen sitting on some clammy, dirty, massive rock by the sea. She could already feel the gigantic damp spot forming on the rear of her lilac skirts, as well as the grit that she would have to wipe off her dress. At least it had been scraped clean of seaweed and slime.

Still, Sabrina Regison didn't mind terribly - it was therapeutic, her soul at one with the beauty of nature. The sound of the waves calmed her heart; the stunning blues and greens of water and sky draping across the November horizon filled her with a sense of wonder; and the cool, salty kiss of the sea breeze lifted her spirits, letting her long, silky black hair whip about.

It was just the spot she needed to go to think, to... get away from all the...

All of that.

She knew she wouldn't be alone long - soon, Denny Spencer would be waking up in his shack, starting a delicious-smelling breakfast, and heading out to sea. He would spare Sabrina a broad grin and a wave, which she would politely return, before he shoved off for another adventure. The children in town would totter out onto the sand to gather shells, and hermit crabs, and all manner of wonderful gifts washed ashore; the hustle and bustle of the lovely island town would begin anew, and the world would turn for another day...

And I'm being silly about it, getting so troubled, Sabrina mused, with a little self-deprecating chuckle as she removed her spectacles and rubbed a smudge off one of the lenses with the edge of her pink cashmere cardigan. What would Mother think? Oh, I wish I'd brought my art supplies... that would really help clear my mind...

"G for your thoughts?"

With a gasp, Sabrina jolted up, spinning around on the rock, getting her long legs tangled in her skirts and nearly toppling off in the process. "J-Julia!" she gasped, as the curvy blonde girl grabbed her hand to help her up. "Th-thank you... oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't hear you coming..."

Julia Evans waved it off with a friendly smile, sitting down next to Sabrina on the rock as the younger girl smoothed out her skirts and held a hand over her heart to calm it down. "Hey, it's fine - who's gonna hear these in the sand?" She clicked her white leather boots together, causing both girls to giggle, before her expression sobered a bit. "Besides, I know you've got a lot on your mind recently... that's actually why I came out here."

Sabrina nodded quietly, hands folded between her knees as she closed her eyes and breathed in the sea air. Everyone knew what was going on... but, she reasoned as she felt her cheeks heat up in shame, there was no reason for her to drag others into her issues. How had she wound up doing that, anyway...? "I'm afraid I have been... moping a fair deal lately. I'm sorry," she added sincerely, giving Julia an apologetic look. "I'm handling it fine..."

Julia shook her head, folding her arms over her tight white t-shirt. "No apologies necessary, girl. Look, I get how you're feeling... or I'm trying to, anyway." She blew a curly, blonde lock of hair out of her eyes and flipped it behind her ear, looking troubled. "Geez... I can't imagine what you're going through right now. I mean, the wedding's next Saturday..."

"And I'm making my peace with it," Sabrina responded gently, turning her gaze back out to sea. A gull squawked in the distance, and she followed its flight path with her eyes, watching as it gracefully dove into the water to feed - only to burst out out again, empty-beaked. Silently, she found herself rooting for the bird. "After all, Chelsea is a wonderful girl... she's such a hard worker! And she's so smart, and she can take care of herself... I know she'll make him very happy."

"I know," Julia agreed. "I mean, she's a great kid, don't get me wrong. Both of you are like sisters to me, you know? It's - it's just... yikes."

Gathering up her nerve, Sabrina took a deep breath and looked Julia in the eye - something she rarely did with anyone. "Julia, I know you're concerned about me, but... you really don't need to be, I promise you. I... I can't be selfish about this, I just can't." Seeing her friend relax visibly and give an understanding nod, Sabrina turned her gaze back out to the water. "You know, they... they truly love each other... I can see it whenever they talk to each other, about each other... it's beautiful," she murmured wistfully, tangling her fingers in her hair and stroking it. "I just feel bad that it's taken me so long to accept it..."

"I'm amazed you even have," Julia sighed heavily, rolling her eyes and tapping her well-manicured nails on the rock, the surface coarse and chilly against her bare legs. The younger girl was almost disturbingly accepting of the whole thing. "Bri, you're a freaking saint, you know that?"

Sabrina shrugged, a wry smile gracing her thin lips. "Hmm, I don't believe I'd go quite that far... oh, but did Chelsea tell you, though?" Turning her head to see Julia's puzzled expression, she went on: "I, well... oh, dear. Th-this is quite embarrassing..."

"Oh, but that just intrigues me more," Julia pressed with a sly grin, twirling the end of her ponytail between her fingers and kicking her boots eagerly against the rock. "C'mon, I've gotta hear this!" She felt a bit bad for prying - Sabrina was a sweet soul, one of the sweetest she knew - but... what friends didn't spill juicy secrets to each other? After all, her closest friends certainly knew some embarrassing things about her...

"...Well, you see, I... I-I fainted when they announced the wedding," Sabrina confessed, going red and burying her face in her hands with a squeak.

Snorting behind her own hand, Julia's face reddened as she struggled to contain her laughter, shoulders shaking with the effort. Sabrina waited patiently as she uncovered her face, feeling half-mortified, but beginning to absorb some of Julia's infectious amusement. In hindsight, it was quite funny...

Having the decency to look slightly ashamed, Julia let out an exhilarated gasp, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. Her face was still mottled pink. "Okay, okay... oh, god, I'm so sorry for laughing about that!"

Giggling, Sabrina folded her hands between her knees, unconsciously pressing her skirt to the rock and swinging her feet a bit. "Oh, it's... it's fine... I didn't hurt myself or anything."

"Well, that's a relief..."

The two girls sat in companionable silence for a few moments longer, listening to the waves and the gulls, watching the sun rise sleepily as it dyed the sky in brilliant shades. A warm light suddenly pulsed from the windows of Denny's shack, and a tiny crab scuttled across the sugary sand, Sabrina watching with a small chuckle as its claws waved about.

Julia was the one to finally break the comfortable silence, tilting her head back and searching the sky, as if it would suddenly drop a solution to the whole situation from nowhere. "...I wonder what she saw in him, anyway...? No offense," she added quickly, looking at Sabrina - who, to her credit, didn't seem upset at all. She simply shrugged.

"Well... I know he can be a bit scary," she began thoughtfully, "but he's got a very caring heart beneath all of that, he truly does... they're both good people..."

"...Weird, weird, weird," Julia muttered, pulling a face and shuddering slightly - good lord, those two were probably going to do it, and maybe even pop out babies, and... she really didn't want to think about that. Hell no. Had Sabrina thought about it? Hopefully not, the poor thing... "Well... whatever floats their boat, huh?" She sounded uncertain, but if Sabrina was sure, then... Julia could be sure with her. It was what good friends did.

Sabrina nodded, a million thoughts running through her mind. Happy, happy, happy... she just wanted both of them to be happy. "Exactly..."

"But - you know... I mean, she's only two years older than you," Julia added in a troubled tone. "I mean, isn't it gonna be weird having a stepmother that's almost the same age as you?"

"...The thought had crossed my mind... but I'll be fine with it," Sabrina repeated, feeling a bit more at peace with the idea than she had been at the start of the day. It was still... bizarre, but this wasn't about how she felt... it would certainly affect her, no question. But she couldn't upset the man who had so lovingly raised and spoiled her. "After all, Father could've married someone far worse... I'm not quite sure who, but I'm glad it was someone he can trust."

With a half-hearted, affirming wiggle of her hand and a small "eh," Julia leaned back on the rock, letting out a loud yawn. She didn't get Chelsea's taste in men, not a damn bit, but... it wasn't her taste to understand. "Yeeeeah, good point, I guess... hey, are you hungry? My mom should be up soon to make breakfast - and she always makes extra, so you're not imposing," she interjected quickly, before Sabrina could protest.

"...That sounds lovely." The younger girl smiled warmly at her friend, getting a one-armed hug around the shoulder - which she returned, albeit with a slight bit of hesitance. "Thank you, Julia."

"Anytime, sweetie. Okay, c'mon, let's get off this rock now. It's so cold, my legs are breaking out in hives..."

As Sabrina stood up and brushed the grit off her damp skirts, she began following Julia back into town. "Oh, are you alright?"

"Ahhh, I'll live... maybe the weather's getting a little cold for short-shorts, anyway..."

Eyes flickering over to the looming form of her father's mansion on the other side of town, Sabrina nodded quietly, giving a slight shudder as another thought struck her:

She just hoped she didn't have to deal with him getting Chelsea pregnant. She would probably faint straight through the foundation of the mansion if that happened.

Author's Notes: I just had to get this idea out of my head. I just had to. It wouldn't go away. And I'm not sorry. (Granted, I'm probably not the first to have done this, either...) I don't normally write Island of Happiness, but... yeah, sometimes these things just happen. Hopefully I got Julia and Sabrina down alright. That is my primary concern.

On the plus side, I probably traumatized a few people, and my writer's block seems to be fading back into the shadows again. Victoly get! Feel free to leave a review. Feel free to hate my guts for the mental images. You go ahead and do you. Have a great Monday, folks!