Tamira

"Okay, people!" Tony announced in his prissy voice. "We ship out in an hour! If you have any last minute URGENCIES, do it now or forever hold your peace!"

Jimmy latched onto my arm. Both of us were standing on the deck, looking out at the beach. "TAMIRA!"

"Jimmy?"

"What if Sean doesn't come back in time?" he cried.

"We won't leave without him, Jimmy," I reminded him calmly. "There's roll call."

"I know, but what if he just doesn't come back? What if he decides that he's crossed over to the dark side?"

"The dark side?"

"Canada."

I gave him a look. "Must you create Star Wars analogies for everything?"

"It helps me grasp the situation."

"Sean will get here. Just give him some time."

I rested my chin on my arms, missing Sean.

Sean

"Cold! Cold! Cold!"

My outburst woke Zoey up. She stretched, hit me in the face, and recoiled, apparently not expecting to wake up on a beach with a guy behind her. "What the hell?"

"I'm cold and you hit me!" I informed her.

Groggily, she checked her watch. "CRAP on a stick, my mother is going to rip off my head and feed it to the beavers."

"I need to get back to the boat before they go to Chile without me," I said. That would be quite the story to have to explain to my mother. I didn't think "My high school on a boat left me behind because I was sleeping with some strange girl on a beach" would sit very well with her.

"Oh this is bad. Bad. Very bad."

I grinned at her, deliberately obnoxious. "Good morning, Sunshine."

She smiled back. "BAD morning. I already skipped school YESTERDAY for you and now I'm…three hours late for today."

"What time is it?"

"Eleven."

Zoey and I had slept together, on the beach of all places. Well, not SLEPT TOGETHER. Well, yes, slept together. But not nudge, nudge, wink, wink kinda slept together. We fell asleep. But imagine what you wish.

"I really have to go, Sean," she said, looking up at me with those big, liquid blue eyes. "I'm sorry."

"I have to go too, dollface."

We both stood up, holding hands loosely, unsure of what to say. I couldn't imagine never how her eyes lit up with laughter or how that smile that just made me melt completely. How do you say goodbye to someone like that?

"I never got your address or anything," I said softly.

Zoey grinned. "I know. That way, you have to come back here if you ever want to see me again."

I missed her. Leaning over, I kissed her cheek, and then slowly began to walk away. I called over my shoulder, "It's a date."

I got back to the boat, not quite as depressed as before.

Jimmy clobbered me, and my life flashed before my eyes as he cut off my oxygen supply.

"Little buddy, I missed you so much, I thought you were a goner! I thought the Canadian got you and I would never see you again and I was just so scared and I missed you so much, never do that to me again!"

"Woah, big daddy," I laughed, struggling out of his monstrous hug. "I'm happy to see you too."

Tamira smiled at me from behind Jimmy. "I was almost beginning to think that you wouldn't come back, myself."

I grinned at her, and threw my arms around her. "Who loves you, baby?!"

She giggled, hugging me back. "You do?"

"That was so awesome what you did for me, Tams," I said, genuine. "It was really cool."

Tucking her hair neatly behind her ears as I released her from the hug, she shrugged and said, "That's what friends are for, Sean." A sly look crossed her face. "So what did you two do all night?"

"Did you know," I laughed. "Canadians turn into werewolves when there's a full moon?"

"There wasn't a full moon last night, Sean."

"Yeah, I know, I slept outside."

Laughing, she just shook her head. "All right then. I'll take it you don't want to tell me what events took place last night."

"Nothing happened, T," I said honestly. "But it was nice, just getting to be with her."

Jimmy clapped me on the shoulder repeatedly. "Sean, I got a joke for you!"

Raising my eyebrows, I waited for him to go on, knowing he wasn't looking for my permission.

"Knock-knock."

"Who's there, Jimmy?"

"Dude, you're not supposed to know who it is already!" He gave me an impatient look. "I have to do a new one now. And don't say who's there JIMMY this time okay? Knock-knock!"

I sighed. "Who's there?"

"Zoey!"

Pausing, I asked slowly, "Uh, Zoey who?"

"Good, you've already forgotten about her!" He began to laugh hysterically.

Tamira and I exchanged semi-amused looks, and then my eyes drifted back to the beach. I wished I had a camera. It was where I had taught Zoey to surf; where we had laughed, holding hands, as spring rain showered us; where I had kissed her; where we had fallen asleep to the sound of each other's rhythmic breathing. But the thing I remembered most was watching her sit on the white sand, her legs drawn up and her chin resting on her knees, as she looked out over the grey waves, a peaceful look in her light eyes. She was like a black and white photograph. Beautiful, but enigmatic and untouchable; a memory from the past that you could never get back.