Winding Roads {A Creative Writing Journal}

Adrian (Part 3)

"Um, hi," she greeted shyly, "I'm Maria."

"She just moved next door to me!" Emmy picked up and launched into an animated explanation. Maria only sighed and added her point of view when prompted.

"So she literally kidnapped you to come hang with us?" PC asked.

"Pretty much," she answered, "I barely had a chance to finish unpacking before she dragged me out here."

That seemed to cause the boys to fall into laughter, and Veronica shared a sympathetic look with the new girl as Emmy argued with Dylan about the difference between kidnapping and making new friends. Apparently, to her there wasn't much of a difference.

"Emmy did the same thing to me," she explained, "She dragged me to all of our classes when I started school after being homeschooled till I was thirteen."

A deep, heavily accented Jamaican voice interrupted the ruckus as the man behind the counter greeted his latest customer.

"Ah, Adrian! Good to see you back, my friend!"

Maria looked up to meet the newcomer and forced herself to breathe. This guy was hot. His black hair fell in loose curls, still wet from wherever he came from, and a black tank and matching boardshorts accented his lean, but strong, build.

He smiled at the owner before his head turned to the group of teens at the corner. His eyes met hers, and she dreamed that his breath caught because he liked her and not because of the more likely scenario that she was just a stranger.

The other boys at the table followed her gaze and excitedly waved him. Adrian ambled over and slid into the last empty seat between Dylan and Emmy. Maria idly noted the puka shell necklace with a black shark tooth instead of the other white and browns.

The conversation paused just long enough to order a light lunch all around. The owner, a smiley black man with long dreads and a thick Jamaican accent, took their order personally.

"Dude, finally," Tyler sighed dramatically in Adrian's direction, "Thought we'd have to go make sure you didn't drown if you didn't show up."

"Ah, c'mon. You know that'd never happen," PC countered and stage-whispered to Maria, "Adrian here is half-fish. I'm sure of it."

"Yeah," Dylan agreed and casually draped a beefy arm around Adrian's shoulders, "This man can hold his breath longer than anyone I've ever seen. And the way he shred it like no other." He paused to demonstrate with his free hand. "Unbelievable! It's like the water's bends to his will."

"You can't prove anything," Adrian answered quickly and leaned back in his chair, "I'm just a good surfer."

"Nah, brah, you're the Avatar," PC deadpanned and took a big swig of his mango smoothie before deepening his voice, "And I shall restore my honor by fighting you!"

Maria happily drifted into the background as the boys began dramatically reenacting a scene from the cartoon she had only witnessed once at her grandparents' house. Her younger brothers were more into martial arts and magic firebending than she was.

The memory caused her heart to pang with longing. Her grandparents on either side of the family were back in North Carolina-hundreds of miles away. Weekend sleepovers and day trips would soon become a distant memory, only to be replaced by short trips for the holidays.

This was too much too soon, and Maria was too tired to deal. She hadn't even fully moved in, and here she was with a gang of strangers with no idea what to do or say. One wrong slip and she might literally become the village weirdo.

"Excuse me," she whispered to Emmy and stood up. Before anyone could ask, she briskly walked to the counter and paid for her light lunch and vanished out the door.

Maria gasped as the fresh air hit her, and the tension in her shoulders relaxed somewhat as she trudged further away from the cafe. The boardwalk kept steady traffic this early in the afternoon, and it took her a few minutes to find a quiet spot on the viewing deck overlooking the beach with the only the occasional passersby and hungry seagulls diving for scraps.

Sprigs of blond hair dangled over her face and shoulders after coming loose from her ponytail, and she pulled the rest of it out, taking the time to run her fingers through it to prevent any awkward indents from keeping it up so long.

I can't deal with this, she thought, shouldering off her camo jacket. The roads were too flat and straight. The air was hot and sticky with humidity. Everyone she passed was a stranger. I want to go home.

"Hey, you good?"

Maria whipped around, and her blue eyes widened in surprise when she met Adrian's concerned gaze.

"Um, yeah," she replied, self-consciously tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "It's just hard being the new kid, I guess."

He shrugged. "I get it. Plus," he leaned forward conspiratorially, "Emmy's a little on the crazy side."

Maria felt her lips tugging upward in a hesitant smile. "I didn't notice."

"Then you'd be the first," he replied with a smirk and leaned against the wooden railing beside her.

Maria had to fight not to melt right in front of him. Seriously, no one should be allowed to be both hot and chill. The afternoon sun glistened off his exposed, tan skin and highlighted his sharp Italian features. That jawline could cut glass; she was sure of it.

"So," he continued after a beat of silence, "how are you liking the island life so far?"

"I'm not," she replied honestly.

Adrian frowned. "It's not so bad. Just give it time. It'll grow on you."

Maria tore her gaze away from him and glared at the ocean in the distance. "I'm just counting down the days till I can move out and go back to my real home."

The ebony teen sighed deeply. "I'd give anything to stay here," he mumbled, and Maria doubted he meant for her to hear him.

"Me and the gang are going surfing around sunset today," he added, "You should come. Give the island a chance." He smirked. "You might like what you find."

Oh, he knew exactly what he was doing, and Maria found his weakness. The cute guys never struggled with self-confidence, thinking that the world revolved around them and that they could have whoever they wanted. Well, that was one game Maria would not play.

She made a show of looking him up and down before rolling her eyes and pushing herself off the rail. "I don't think so, Hotshot."

Adrian stood to his full height and leaned over her with a predatory grin and intense, dark eyes. Maria's heart pounded in her chest. If he didn't back off in the next ten seconds, she swore fists would fly.

He pulled away, a self-satisfied smirk spreading out across his face. "Think about it, Dolcezza. See ya around."

"Not if I can help it," she grumbled, eliciting a genuine laugh from the teen.

He shook his head, ebony curls dancing in front of his face, and he lifted a hand, extending his pinky and thumb out in a classic shaka sign.

Maria ignored him and started walking in the opposite direction of both the boardwalk cafe and the cocky surfer. When she was finally certain the coast was clear, she rubbed her hands over her face and groaned.

So much for an uneventful summer.

"I so don't need this right now."

.......

A/N: All right! Finally, a new chapter, and it looks like things are starting to pick up. Hope you're enjoying the story so far! Let me know what you think in the comments. I appreciate your feedback! Thanks for reading!

P.S. Do you know what Dolcezza means?

Arrivederci!

~ M. Sargasso