"Are
you sure you don't want to come in?" Alex asked. "The band is
supposed to be really good."
Marissa shook her head. "No."
She smiled. "Besides, those dishes aren't going to wash
themselves, right?"
They kissed good-bye and Alex waited for her
to leave before digging into her purse for her pack of cigarettes. It
wasn't that she hid the habit from her. That was nearly impossible
to do. She just knew that if she lit up in front of the other girl,
she would be forced to share. And Alex preferred to smoke alone. It
was calming for her.
She blindly felt around at the bottom of her
bag until she found her lighter and lit the end of the cigarette. She
leaned against the doorframe and took a long drag, then stared out at
the rain. She loved rainy days. It rarely rained in Orange County, so
she always made a point to enjoy it whenever it did.
Something in
the distance caught her eye. Someone was standing by the edge of the
boardwalk. She took another hit off her cigarette and squinted
through the rain, trying to get a better look. It was Ryan.
Her
curiosity getting the best of her, she pulled her jacket up over her
head and walked over to where he was standing. He didn't
acknowledge her at first. He just kept staring straight ahead, as if
oblivious to the rain pouring down around him.
"Ryan? What are
you doing out here?" she asked.
Ryan didn't answer. He
continued to watch the waves crashing onto the beach. He looked
miserable, like a little boy whose puppy had run away.
"Are you
okay?"
He turned to look at her and nodded, but he didn't look
so sure.
Alex took another drag on her cigarette and noticed him
watching her intently. She held it out to him and he took it from
her, putting it to his lips and inhaling deeply. Instead of handing
it back to her, he held on to it, taking another hit off it. Alex was
surprised. She didn't know Ryan smoked. But then again, there were
a lot of things she didn't know about Ryan. Like why he was
standing out here in the rain all by himself.
Ryan finished off
the cigarette and put it out, tossing the butt down onto the beach.
"Thanks," he said, his voice raspy. "I needed that."
Alex
pulled the coat more tightly around herself. She was starting to get
cold. "Do you want to go inside and dry off? Maybe warm up a
little?"
He glanced up at The Bait House hesitantly. "I don't
really feel like being around people right now," he told
her.
"Okay." Alex could take a hint. She started to leave,
then turned back to him. "But if you ever want to talk, about
anything…"
He nodded appreciatively and she smiled.
"Take
care, Ryan." With that, she turned and headed up the walkway
leading to The Bait Shop.
