After a long and eventful morning, both Tanner and Jesse arrived at the parking across from the seaside. Tanner pulled into the space nearest to his life guarding house and got out of the car. Jesse, who still was wearing his pajamas, climbed over into the backseat and grabbed his swim shorts and towel. Tanner was already changed and wearing bright red lifeguard swim trunks and white sleeveless tee shirt. Jesse finally managed to get himself out of the car and Tanner turned and locked the doors behind him. Just as they were heading down to the beach a group of guys around Tanner's age approached them.
"Damn it, not them again." Tanner said nervously under his breath. Jesse looked perplexed.
"What's up? Do you know them or something?" he asked
"These guys are trouble, do not talk to them or even look at them. Forget about whatever they say to you okay?"
"But…"
Before Jesse was able to finish a black haired surfer walked up to Tanner and pushed him.
"Well, well, looks like Tanner's back in town guys. Welcome home buddy so who's the little tag along?" he teased. Tanner stared angrily at back at him.
"Trevor…aren't you supposed to be in…I don't know… summer school?" he snapped. Trevor looked at him menacingly.
"Tanner, my man, there's no need for any hard feelings bro, I was thinkin' that we should….start over this summer, you know hang out…it'll be just like old times. Sound fun?" Trevor put his arm around Tanner who impulsively shoved it away. "Back off Trevor, I'm done with you losers. Let's go Jess." Tanner instructed then stormed off in the direction of the beach.
Trevor reached out and stopped Jesse before he could walk away.
"You're Jess right?" he said smirking.
"Yea do you want something?" Jesse said defensively.
"Nah, it just looks like your brothers' got you on a leash that's all…" Trevor's friends snickered at the disgusted look on Jesse's face.
"…Anyways if you wanna hang out with people other then Tanner we know how to have good time, so whenever you want some real friends, we'll be around." Trevor reached into his pocket and handed Jesse a small business card. "You should check this place out, shit gets pretty crazy over there, so when you get tired of being your brothers pet you should swing by. Catch ya later." The group turned and headed over to a red pick up parked farther down the lot.
Jesse looked down at the card that Trevor had given him. "Fletcher's Bar" was written across the top in gold letters, and beneath it was a silhouette of an attractive young girl with a beer bottle pressed up against her lips. Jesse stood in silence for a minute, staring blankly at the piece of paper. His fingers trembled slightly as flash backs of Friday night drinking parties back home raced across his conscience. This strange, longing feeling…was far too familiar…he couldn't shake it, no matter what he did. It stayed in his mind just long enough for him to recognize exactly what it was...This sudden desire to turn back into the high school hardcore party goer he was left an rotten feeling in his stomach. At that moment there was nothing else he wanted more then to crush that small white card beneath his fingers. The sight of it disgusted him, the content only further reminding him of who and what he used to be. He hated everything about it, the flirtatiousness of it, how for only a mere second, it attracted his attention and then left him wishing he had never seen it in the first place. This bittersweet reintroduction to his former passion for intoxication caused him a great deal of pain and discomfort. But, what he hated most, were the words, the way the card flaunted those seemingly "golden" words that brought back memories, which he had tried for so long to forget. From a distance, it almost appeared as if he were looking into a small mirror at his own reflection. Even though he had convinced himself that he had greatly changed as a person, to this mirror he simply appeared as though he were no different then the monster he had been 6 weeks before. Jesse crumpled up the card and squeezed it tightly in his fist, then threw the small piece of paper towards the azure blue waves of the ocean..
"…You can take it all away, I don't need it, Its not me …"( from Ryan Cabrera's Take it all away) Jesse sung softly to himself as he started walking towards Tanner's lifeguard house. He stopped and looked out at the ocean as a soft summer breeze blew by.
"I can't be the same…"