A/N: I honestly already got stuck on this, because all that was really in my head when I started writing was the beginning, and then basically the end and the climax, with absolutely no idea what to put in the middle. So basically, I'm just going to wing it. What I write is what pops into my head as I sit here, no plan at all.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I didn't own anything last chapter when I forgot a disclaimer either.

"So." He said, smirking at me again, "Want to go for a swim?"

"I don't have a bathing suit. I just got here." I told him. He leaned close to my ear and whispered, "Who says you need one?"

I laughed at this suggestion.

"Nice try, Eli." I told him, laughing at the forwardness, "Do I look that easy?" He stared at me for a minute, and I started to get up to leave.

"Oh come on, Clare!" He half whined, and I paused to hear him out. "I was only kidding... kind of." I rolled my eyes at him and made my way back down the jetty. He followed me silently.

"Are you going to follow me all the way home?" I asked him.

"Of course not. That would be creepy." He said. I just looked at him. He was the weirdest person I had met in a very long time, but something about him was holding my interest. A small part of me didn't want to walk away.

"I'll see you around." I said, walking away without waiting for an answer. I heard him mumble behind me, "I guess you will."

When I got back to the house, no one was around, but the door was unlocked. I let myself in and headed up to my room. I dug through my back and pulled out Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk, plopping myself in a chair and telling myself I could probably finish the book in day or two with this little going on.

Unfortunately, every few sentences, I found myself distracted. Instead of focusing on the story, I found myself thinking of Eli, the strange boy I had met at the beach. Something was just so strange about him. He seemed so confident and friendly, yet he was sitting alone out on the jetty. I just didn't get it.

I eventually gave up on my book, and decided to head back outside; there was no way I could concentrate on reading, and there wasn't a TV to be found in the house. I put on sneakers before I left, and grabbed some money to get something to eat.

I left the house and found that the temperature had cooled dramatically since I had arrived. There was a cool sea breeze that made the air very comfortable. I walked back toward the beach. The beach had cleared out with the dropping temperature; all you could find now was the scattered couple walking down the beach, hand in hand. I headed in the opposite direction of the jetty, toward the pier.

The pier was like something out of a romantic movie; small pizza places, beachy gift shops, people biking and riding skateboards in all directions. At the end of the pier, workers were setting up for a carnival. There were signs all over the place announcing it to be the following weekend. I watched for a while as the ferris wheel rotated, empty, in front of the sunset.

The smell of fried food on the pier was overwhelming, and I decided that it would be completely necessary to indulge. It was my first night, I could afford to eat something unhealthy to celebrate. I went into a pizza shop and got an order of french fries to go. As I waited for my order to be ready, I gazed out the window at passerby's, amazed by how different people were here than in the city. The environment was so much more relaxed. It felt like time didn't really matter, and that everything had slowed down.

I got my food and headed off the pier back to the beach. As I neared the street my aunt lived on, I sat down in the sand, staring at the ocean. I watched couples walking by, and wanted desperately to call KC, to beg him to admit he'd made a mistake. I knew it would be a bad idea, but this place kind of made you wish you had someone to share it with. Seeing happy couples everywhere didn't exactly help either.

"So I guess you weren't kidding about seeing me around." said a voice behind me. I turned around to see Eli, wearing the same clothes as earlier, shoes in his hand. "You must be stalking me."

"Don't flatter yourself." I retorted. This boy had quite the ego, maybe that's why he was alone, yet again.

"Ouch!" He gasped, feigning hurt feelings, "That hurts, woman!"

"Sorry, didn't mean to bruise your ego." I replied. He smirked at me, again.

"Want to walk?" He asked. I thought about it. It could be dangerous, walking on an empty beach with a stranger. He himself had warned me of this. There was just something about him telling me to go for it.

"Sure."

A/N: Not completely sure how I feel about that. I wrote it in about 20 minutes, and I was just kind of winging it. Promise future chapters will be longer, and probably poster more quickly. PLEASE REVIEW. And, leave suggestions for what to put in the story...what do you want to see? I'd like to challenge myself to put in other people's ideas, but still lead back to the ending I have in mind. Oh, and if you find spelling/grammar mistakes, tell me, I never proofread. Reviews would be amazing! Thanks :)