Josie threw her arms up in the air and stretched, letting the tension disappear from her back as she let a wide yawn escape from her mouth. The cold sand felt miraculous on her bare feet, and she dug her toes deeper in. She closed her eyes and could feel the crisp sea breeze caress her face, hear the rhythmic rolling of waves that crashed down ahead of her, and smell the salt that lingered in the air.

She loved living near the beach. The beach meant relaxation, even if for a few seconds after a long day. This was heaven for her. Even though she adored Rhode Island, she had always dreamed of the day where she would leave it to see the world. And that day would be soon, if she went along with her plans.

Josie's thought's were suddenly interrupted by a sharp pain in the back of her head, caused by a small object that had been carelessly flung in her direction. She grabbed the back of her head in pain, then craned her neck to the left to see who brought this pain upon her.

"Yoo-hoo shit head," George Luz called, strolling carelessly down the boardwalk stairs, his infamous coonhound named Rusty following tightly on his heels.

"Was that you?" cried Josie, anger settled into her voice. He giggled in response.

"Fuck off!" she yelled. She picked up the rock that sat behind her and hurled at his head, which she missed by about two feet.

"Better brush up on your aim there, hot-head," he said, smirking.

"What the fuck George? Don't throw shit at me!" she hounded.

He laughed. "That wasn't a piece of shit, it was a rock last time I checked. But I can throw some shit at you if you want, I can get good ol' Rusty to cook up some right now."

He then approached the dog and started to pet it.

"C'mon Rusty Rusty, c'mon good old boy, yes, take a shit for Georgie, yes?" he cooed to the dog in a baby voice.

"Ha, your hilarious," said Josie sarcastically, crossing her arms. She surely didn't appreciate her few peaceful minutes of the day being interrupted by her best friend who was equivalent to an asswipe.

"You have to appreciate the fact that I am still friends with you despite your undisguisable ugliness," George said, taking a seat beside her.

"Well aren't you a gentleman today, asshole."

"It always shocks me that such a beautiful young lady would use such vile language."

George noticed the frown on his best friends face and gently jabbed her in the ribcage.

"Did'ja hear the Japs bombed Pearl Harbor to shit?" he said excitedly.

"Obviously, I don't live under a fucking rock George," Josie said. She loved this game. She always acted annoyed with George, even though she highly appreciated his humor.

This time George chose to speak in the voice of a British Scholar. "Well, it is quite interesting you say that because you have the similar living pattern of a Hermit crab, darling."

Josie decided she could not hold back her laughter any longer. She let out a hearty laugh and leaned back further in the sand. She stared out on to the horizon. It was beautiful. The setting sun was a divine gold mass, and had turned the sky a cornucopia of colors. Red, pink, purple, orange, green, blue were streaked across the sky like a watercolor painting.

"Are you gonna enlist?" she asked George, removing her eyes from the sky and setting them on George. His thick brown hair was in need of a haircut, he suffered from many different cowlicks. His chocolate brown eyes seemed especially big and full of life at that moment. They had always been Josie's favorite part of George's looks. She loved how they always sparkled with mischief and she always seemed to get lost in them. His eyes and his jawline of course.

Over the past few years Josie had greatly noticed the change in George's masculinity. He had grown out of the skinny and awkward adolescent and into a well-built and handsome young man. Really handsome, if Josie couldn't help but think.

Although she always tried to hide it, Josie had harbored a rather large crush on George since high school. She always thought he knew it, he would frequently tease her about it. In fact, many times in high school George would teasingly ask her out, and every time she turned him down. She didn't know why she did it, when sometimes she wanted him so badly. Maybe it was pride, or maybe it was the fact that she didn't want to fuck things over with the person who understood her best. However, she didn't dwell on this events because she figured one day they would get married anyway. Everyone guessed it, her parents, his parents, their friends, teachers. Nothing could ever separate the two, they were just like peas in a pod.

"Yeah, I reckon I should make some more dough for the family first. Pop's gettin' old, and we need it."

"Bobby and Stevie are heading down to Providence to enlist tomorrow," Josie said of her older brothers. As soon as the news broke, both siblings were quick to decide to fight for their country and pride.

"What are they going out for?" asked George. He made it sound like a sports tryout.

"Marines," Josie answered. "Is that what your going for?"

George shook his head of thick hair. "Nah, I'm thinking something way more badass…"

Josie scoffed, "Roosevelt's secret agent?"

"Easy tiger… I'm thinking the paratroops."

Josie had heard of paratrooping only briefly before. It was when someone idiotic enough jumped out of a plane into enemy territory, if she was correct. Well, she thought. George is an idiot.

She grinned. George called Rusty over, who had been sniffing the sand for miles around, and the dog bounded over. George ruffled his fur and scratched his head.

"Hey Snaggletooth," Josie started, staring at the dog absent mindedly. Snaggletooth was the nickname she came up with for George in elementary school. Before puberty and dental work, George had a set of highly crooked teeth. They looked cute after he got them fixed in all, but the nickname stuck with him.

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm gonna enlist too."

George laughed. He then cupped his hands to form a megaphone and yelled to the empty beach, "Tough guy right here! Everyone take a look at the tough guy!"

She smacked him on the arm.

"Asshole, I meant enlist in Nurses' Corps."

"Really doll," he said in a radio-persona voice. He then readjusted himself on the sand, lied down, and placed his head on her lap. "What makes you wanna do that?"

Josie laughed. She looked down at her goofball of a friend below her. God, she could hate him sometimes, but loved him all the time.

"I don't know," she started, and began to run her fingers through his brown thicket of hair. "Maybe just to get out of West Warwick for a while, you know? Maybe see the world a little bit, maybe make a little more dough for myself."

"All for free!" George interjected in his radio voice.

She slapped him gently on the cheek.

"Hey, watch it tiger."

The sun had now fully set into Long beach, and the sky had turned dark.

"Hey kid, get off my lap, I need to get home for dinner," Josie said, grinning.

"Can I come?" asked George, all giddy. "C'mon your parents love me."

It was true. After being friends with George for fifteen years her parents were unfazed when he waltzed in her house and the same went for when he dropped in for dinner. They loved him like a son, even if he robbed them, Josie bet a joke from George would be earn their forgiveness.

George got off her lap and looked at her with the face of a sad puppy. "Help me," he said, getting onto his knees in begging position. "My parents don't feed me," he said in a somewhat convincing feeble voice.

Josie stood up and pushed him over, "C'mon then, ya big cheese."

"Yipee!" cried George jumping to his feet. He called Rusty over, and the two nineteen year old somethings from Rhode Island disappeared into the darkness of the night.

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