Confessions of Your Friendly Neighborhood Lifeguard

Chapter Sixteen

"Fine," Patrick said. "On a scale of one to ten, ten being all teh cookies and cream cupcakes being gone and fifteen being mising McDonald's breakfast by five minutes, how disappointed are you that I won't answer the question?" I smiled proudly down at my boyfriend. We were on old married couple, bickering about the most pointless things but it was absolutely perfection. 

The teen sitcom played out the rest of the night. My friends grilled out, we swam in the ocean and played soccer in the sand. I literally felt like they're should be montage music playing and that excited me, because honestly my life dream is to have a movie montage. But, then again, who doesn't have that dream? I mean really!

"So, have you run in to Josie?" Avery asked me as the boys wrestled in the water. We sat on beach towels trying to tan, taking away the horrendous guard suit tan lines.

"No, I haven't," I shrugged. "Does she still work at the beach?" Meg walked up behind us, laughing wildly.

"I don't think she ever actually even got hired at the beach. Do you know how hard it is to be a beach guard? That shit's intense. I mean, what we do is stressful, but only because everyone is annoying. Guarding on the beach is just plain scary," Meg said.

"Okay, so why don't you like them? I mean clearly their superior to us," I laughed. I look at their faces quickly, thinking I might have said something wrong, but they laughed along with me.

"Clearly. I mean, they have to deal with waves and riptides. People actually die out there," Avery told me sadly. "But they're so full of themselves. They don't even take their job seriously. Truly, their in it for the glamour, and they know it. They're nothing but rude." I nod in understanding, finally getting a clearer view of this Snow Beach rivalry. 

 "But explain Josie to me just one more time," I requested. "I know, I should get it by now, but sometimes it's hard to keep up." The two girls laugh and roll their eyes, but they understand my perdicament. 

"A quick recap," Avery began "Jo moved to town, got a job at B-SAC, dated Patrick, was a total bitch but we tolerated her, relationship deteriorated, Josie quit B-SAC, supposedly got a job at the beach, started hanging out with him, broke up with Patrick, moved out of town to be a model in Charlotte or something, moved back, End of story."

"Just out curiousity, Rae, did you ever tell my brother about your little confrontation with Jo?" Meg asked, joining the conversation at some point or other. 

"No..." I replied slowly. "Was I supposed to?" The three girls all looked at each other, keeping in the sitcom theme, and turned back to look at me.

"Yes," they snapped in unison. Ahh, how I loved when they spoke in unison. 

"If there's one thing I know about my brother and his girlfriends is that he is protective and he likes to be protective," Meg explained.

"Oh, yes, he's very chivalrous," Avery agreed. "Quite the gentlemen."

"Yeah, but we weren't even together then so what would he even do?" I shrugged.

"He would find her and tell her to stay away from you!" Meg exclaimed. "Which is something I would damn well love to see."

"It's not a big deal," I mumbled. "I handled her, and let's leave it at that. I don't want him getting involved with her in any way. I know how much he affected her."

"It's your choice, Rae, but if I know Patrick, he would want to know. He can be cute like that," Raven shrugged. "Let him be your hero."

The four of us girls fell  in to silence as I mentally processed Raven's advice. Let him be my hero. I had had a hero once and it was my father, but since the divorce he was nothing close to a hero. My mind quickly drifted away from Patrick to the phone call I had with my dad. I hadn't given much time to process what we talked about, mostly because I couldn't believe I actually called him. (I couldn't believe my therapy had worked).

"Rae? My Rachael?" my dad's voice waivered on the end. I could almost see the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Yeah, it's me dad," I replied, awkwardly. I hadn't thought this through quite enough, I had no idea what to say. Fortunately, I didn't have to say anything though, because my father, full grown man, broke in to full out sobs. For what felt like an eternity, he cried over the phone, him saying nothing, and I certainly didn't say anything in return. Finally, as he sobs started to die down I began to talk again.

"I can't talk for long, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm not ready to forgive you yet. But I'm ready to start trying," I said. I felt my voice begin to waive too, but I didn't want to let my dad her me cry.

"I won't rush you, Rae," my dad replied happily. "It just means the world to me that you called, to hear your voice."

"It's nice to hear your voice too," I admitted. "I want to start letting you back in. It may take time, but I want to try. Okay?"

"I would be truly blessed to have that opportunity. To be given another change, to try again." 

"I know, dad, I know." We are both silent, soaking in the conversation, until I finally spoke up. "I have to go dad. I'll talk to you soon."

"I love you, Rachael," he said.

"Come on, dad, don't call me that," I joked lightly and I heard him chortle on the other end. "And I love you too." 

"Rae!" Avery yelled. I snapped out of my deep thought as I look at Avery hovering frantically above me. 

"What? What?" I replied, just as frantic. 

"I think you should tell Patrick about Josie soon," Avery suggested.

"I already said I'm not going to," I snapped back, annoyed at the continued suggestion.

"Well, Josie is here, and she is on a mission." 

I looked up to the top of the sand dune where the sun was setting behind it, and the silhouette of a girl stood at the top of the dune, and I immediately recognized the the stick thin figure. It was Josie. And she brought friends.