Better Than Words

A Fresh Start

OCTOBER

"Ali, hurry up!" Sam yells from outside the window.

"The beach...is calling...must...go....like, you know, right now!" Liam adds dramatically.

"You guys, the beach will still be there in 10 minutes, I just have to make sure I didn't forget anything," I yell back as I grab my chapstick and give the room one last sweep.

"I just can't believe we actually live here now, I mean, it's just so amazing!" Marina gushes. "We can go to the beach any time we want. I'm gonna live on the beach. Literally. Guys, I'm moving out of the dorms and living in a tent on the beach."

"Oh whatever, Marina, you'd want to come back as soon as you found a crab in your tent," Sam teases her.

As we walk to the beach, I take in the fact that like Marina said, we live here. On our own, in Santa Barbara, going to school together. I can't help but smile at how far we've come, especially us three girls. We've been best friends since third grade, and that's longer than a lot of people can say.

After we got home from London, our college acceptance letters came within the next week. I got accepted to UC Santa Barbara and CSU San Diego, but not Berkeley or Davis. The girls and Liam applied to UC Santa Barbara and a couple other places each, and of course Liam got in everywhere. Marina and Sam got into UCSB and San Diego State too, but not CSU Monterey. But, since we all got into UCSB (what are the odds?) and it's right by the beach, naturally we came together.

Move-in weekend was last weekend, the last weekend in September. Classes don't start until Thursday, so we're spending time at the beach before then.

Marina and I lie on the sand as Sam and Liam attempt to build "the most epic sandcastle ever." I notice the large quantity of fit beach-bum types, and I lose my breath as a particularly nice-looking one smiles in my direction, all tan skin and white teeth.

"What?" Marina asks, noticing my reaction. She looks in the direction of my blank stare. "Oh," is all she says.

"Marina, I think we picked the right college!" I laugh, and we both lay back for a while and enjoy the sun.

After Sam and Liam finish the sandcastle, which looks a bit like the rock Patrick Star lives under, we head out for pizza at Woodstock's. It's packed full of students, laughing and drinking and having a good time. The talking almost drowns out the sound of AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" coming from a jukebox in the corner. There are even a few scraggly looking, leather-skinned middle aged men enjoying a beer in one booth.

We decide to order the "Meat Orgy" pizza with four different kinds of meat on it, and force Liam to order because it sounds funny. He does so begrudgingly, and comes back with soda cups and flushed cheeks.

"I hate you guys so much," he grumbles.

"Oh come on, Liam," I tease, "don't act like you don't like the sound of a big ol' meat orgy!"

"Yeah, I bet a sausage fest sounds pretty fun, huh? We all saw how close you were with the rest of the boys," Sam joins in, and we all burst out in laughter.

Just then, the guy I spotted on the beach walks by, wearing the same board shorts and black tank top as before, twirling a straw in his hand. I hit Marina and gesture to him as discreetly as possible.

"Look, that's him! Sam, that's the guy I saw on the beach! Holy crap," I sigh.

"Whoa, he is cute!" Sam agrees.

"Hey, that's Caleb! He was in my orientation group," Liam informs us.

"You know him?!" I am freaking out.