Arms

Chapter 2

After school, I took a familiar path, down a familiar dirt road, that led to an all too familiar lake.

No Ends Lake to be exact.

No Ends Lake was not that far from our school, or my own home. It was named No Ends Lake because people never really found out where the lake started or where it finished.

This lake is also where I used to spend a lot of time with my parents, before my mom died. I've never been down here with my dad since. So I always come alone. Just to think, or talk to her, or to blindly restore my faith in humanity for a span of ten seconds.

I walked up to the lake's glistening water, and sat down on the land of grass nearest to the edge. I discarded my Vans and socks and stuck my feet into the water, like always. My dad said I used to love doing that when I was little. Mom would have to come and hold me in her lap to make sure I didn't fall into the never-ending water.

I sighed and let out a small whisper, "I wish you were here..."

I know I did this whenever I came here; but I couldn't help myself, when a salty hot tear ran down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away, ashamed of myself for crying.

I picked up a small gray rock and tossed it into the lake, before me. I picked up another and tossed it further. Then I picked up another and another.

I was about to pick up another when I heard a small cooing voice in the distance behind me. I froze and hoped that the person would just walk by. I mean, no one ever came to No Ends Lake, during the fall.

I blocked out the voice and began to throw rocks and pebbles and little blades of grass into the water again.

"You're doing it wrong." a familiar voice said from behind me.

Frightened, I whipped my head around and saw the boy from earlier today standing there with a giant dog attached to a blue leash.

Lucas, he said his name was. Right?

"What?" I asked, hoping I didn't look like I had been crying.

"You're doing it wrong. The rocks." he said, simply. He tied the leash around a wooden sign and began to walk towards me.

Lucas sat down next to me with his legs crossed, and picked up a rock. "Look. You're supposed to snap your wrist. It goes farther. Great stress relief, too." he instructed.

I gave him a half-hearted smile and picked up another rock. I snapped my wrist and the rock flew a few feet away from me.

"There ya go!" Lucas encouraged. He looked me in the eyes and smiled.

"Thanks." I mumbled, and ran my hands through the slowly browning grass.

"So...what are you doing down here?" he asked, mindlessly picking up a rock and throwing it. We both watched as it pierced through the sky and landed about twenty feet away from him, with a plop in the water.

"I always come here." I said, doing the same, but my rock only went about six feet away from me.

"You do? Well, I mean, I guess I wouldn't see you much. I usually walk Goliath really early." Lucas looked down at the blades of grass and began picking at them.

"Who?" I asked, slightly confused.

"Goliath. My dog." Lucas informed me. He jutted a thumb out over his shoulder and pointed towards the wooden sign, which was keeping the dog in place.

I turned my head and stared at the Saint Bernard, who was lying on the ground, still attached to the wooden sign. When he noticed me looking at him, his head perked up and his tongue rolled out of his mouth. I waved to him, even though he couldn't wave back. I had always wanted a dog. They were so much better than people.

"He's cute." I smiled.

Lucas shrugged and turned to look at me. He gave me a lopsided smile and said, "So you just always come here?"

I nodded, a little disappointed that the subject had turned back to me.

"No one really comes around here anymore. I guess that's why I like it so much. I can just think and listen to the birds and the rustling of animals, in bushes. It's nice." Lucas explained. I nodded my head hoping he'd take that as an agreement.

"I...uh...I used to come here with my dad before he got deployed." he stuttered. "I miss him...a lot."

I don't know why, but I suddenly felt so angry towards Lucas.

He had no idea what it was like to have one of his parents just leave. Just die. He had some nerve to say he missed his dad when my mom was dead and gone, forever. He could always see his dad when he came back for holidays and those random days off, but my mom...she was dead. She basically dropped off the face of the earth. She was no longer coming back. There was nothing that could bring her back.

I hadn't noticed I had said everything out loud, until I felt a tear fall onto my jeans. I looked up at Lucas and his face wasn't angry, nor was it of shock. I think it was...sympathy.

"I'm so sorry." Lucas said, holding his head down. "I...I didn't know."

Great! I had lost all of my chances of ever having a some-what friend. What was wrong with me?

"No, Lucas, I didn't mean to say that. I...I know you must miss your dad a lot. It's just..." I trailed off, as the lump in my throat began to grow. I sighed and said, "I just wish I had both of my parents, you know?" Another tear spilled down my face and onto my lap.

"I understand. If...you don't mind me asking...uh..."

"Multiple Sclerosis..." I sighed, and wiped a tear away from my cheek.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry's not going to bring her back." I realized I must have sounded like a jerk, but it was true. I never understood why people said they were sorry for something they haven't even done. Something they had no control over.

"You're right." Lucas agreed.

Suddenly, he stood up and took off his shoes and socks. He sat back down and dipped his toes into the water, with me.

"What are you doing?" I asked, confused. I had just told this boy that he shouldn't be sad about his deployed father, because my mom was dead; and he still had the courage to sit down next to me.

To be in the same bubble as me.

To look at me.

"I'm enjoying this beautiful November Friday with you. What does it look like I'm doing?" Lucas asked, chuckling.

"Thanks..." I mumbled after a few heart beats of silence.

It was his turn to look confused.

"For what?" Lucas asked, staring at me; with his eyebrows furrowed.

"For being a good person. There are not a lot of people out there like that." I told him, referring to mostly everyone at school.

"Of course there are, Macey. You're just not looking in the right places." he said, calmly.

I looked at him, but he wasn't looking back. He was staring out at the lake and smiling. Every now and then, he would toss little pebbles into the water.

Had I just made a new friend?

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On the side is a picture of Lucas(or as I like to call him: one of the cutest guys to ever walk the earth and should've been casted as Augustus Waters in the TFIOS movie). He's Joshua Anthony Brand, and he's actually like British or Australian(I forget) and he used to have braces(I don't know if he has them anymore.) He's a model...not really an actor I think so that could explain the whole TFIOS thing but still, he's cute...

Anyways.... Ooh! Wow secrets...How did you like this chapter? Leave feedback and vote, please!(: Also this chapter was short and pretty uneventful and I apologize there are, longer and more eventful chapters are up ahead, so keep reading!(: Also, I am watching Scooby-doo and wow I just love this movie so much! Anyways I'm just rambling now. I'm sure no one reads this...ANYWAYS have a nice day...or night...or afternoon or whatever and yeah. Bye!