A/N: I'm not really sure what this is going to turn into, if anything… It strikes me as a little short, and something that's not really strong enough to stand on its own, but… give it a shot? And please let me know what you think (especially what to improve); I'd really appreciate it. Thanks for reading. (By the way, the title's drawn from the song "You Could Be Happy" by Snow Patrol. I highly recommend it.)
Carefully, she swept her hand over the bag, brushing off the sand that had collecting after two hours on the sandy beach. As the sun set, she gently lowered herself onto a rock, basking in the sounds of the Pacific crashing against the shore.
After a few minutes alone in the dusk, she heard footsteps approaching. She didn't turn as she became aware of a person sitting down next to her.
"Hey Lilly." No response. He cleared his throat. "How are you?"
"Great," she replied, distracted. She continued gazing out at the water, though the sun had sunk below the horizon a while ago.
"Um," Jackson considered, running his hand through his recently trimmed hair uncomfortably. He looked out in the same direction as she, then turned back to face the dim outline of her profile. "It, well, it doesn't really sound like it," he ventured finally.
Lilly sighed, folding her legs and placing her chin carefully on her salty knees. She rolled her eyes internally at his over-eager concern. "No, don't worry. Seriously, it's not even a big deal. I mean-" she stopped herself. As she faced Jackson, she could see the confusion in his eyes even in the semi-darkness. She started over.
"Okay, it's not like I'm unhappy or anything. Just... unsatisfied. It seems like the world is so big, and me? I'm just Lilly, my plain old self, sitting in my own little corner of it, not really doing anything." She looked over and continued when he nodded slightly.
"Jackson, I'm sixteen, and I'm going nowhere. I have no idea what I want to do with my life."
At this, Jackson spoke up. "Why do you need to know what you want to do with your life? You're sixteen. That's the point of being sixteen. That's the point of being a kid. Hell, even through college. I don't have anything figured out, either - and why should I?"
"But, well, no," she stumbled. "It's, it's just not the same," she finished lamely.
A mild look of incredulity spread across Jackson's face. "And why the hell not?"
"Come on. You graduated last week. You're going to college."
"Last I checked," Jackson drawled. "You were graduating, too. And planning on going to college. Honestly, Lilly. It's not like your some crack whore on the streets or something."
"Well, fine, point taken," Lilly smiled. "But... still, I'm not doing anything now. I don't need anything big or glamorous like Miley, but... What am I doing?"
Jackson lay back on the beach, letting out a sigh. "Didn't we just have this discussion? You're being young, doing stuff that's fun. You're surfing, skateboarding, sitting on the beach with some guy on a summer evening. What's wrong with that?" he asked with a grin.
"Skateboarding, surfing. Sure, I love them, but I'm not good enough to get anywhere with them. I can't make a life out of them. Besides, I want to make an impact on the world. I want to change it, or affect it, at least. I want to change someone's life."
"Jesus, Lilly. For a supposedly smart girl, you can be pretty stupid." He looked at her with a sparkle in his eyes. "What are you doing here, sitting around being all angsty and teenager-ish. You do know what you want to do with your life." Lilly stared at him.
"You just don't know how to do it. And, for the record, loving something is reason enough to do it." Jackson sat up. "Your life is now, too. Don't sit around waiting for it to begin - it's already started."
"That's deep," Lilly breathed. Jackson burst out laughing. Lilly stared at his convulsing form, her arms crossed defensively. "What?"
"Nothing," Jackson finally got out. "It's just hilarious how you can be so intense one minute and utterly dazed the next." She slapped him. "You ass!"
"Whatever." The coastal breeze began to pick up, and Lilly shivered slightly in the damp shorts and tee shirt she wore over her swimsuit. "Are you cold?" Jackson asked suddenly. "Damn it, Truscott, is your hair wet?"
"Maybe," she replied, blushing slightly.
"Girls," Jackson muttered, as he slipped off his jacket. "Here," he said, handing it to Lilly. "Put this on."
She murmured her thanks and shrugged into the jacket, breathing in the familiar smell of the unfamiliar and appreciating the layer between herself and the wind. "You know," she commented, "you aren't just 'some guy.' Some guy would never give me his jacket and sit in 55 degree weather in only a tee shirt. You're crazy," Lilly laughed.
For a few minutes, the two sat in silence in the darkness, breathing in the salty air, and thinking about the time that stretched before them.
"It's magical," Lilly sighed.
"What is?"
"Summer." It was intoxicating. It always had been, and so far it seemed this year was no different.