A Series of Chance Encounters | Short Story

chapter two

[Originally Published on May 30th, 2016]

- Year Ten, July 3rd, 4th of July Weekend - 

Eliza wished that she could clearly explain the type of person that she was with a single word.

She wished that she could classify herself into one category; the cheerleader, the nerd, the loner.

But this wasn't some teen novel, this was her life, and she was just normal. She floated between the crowds, had an average GPA, had a few friends that she held close and a group of acquaintances. 

She wasn't the type of girl that anyone would write a story about.

And alongside her best friend Kendall McKenzie, otherwise known as the KM inscribed on that dirty park bench, Eliza managed to survive her third year at Bedrock High. After about a week of packing, they stuffed Kendall's black SUV full of suitcases, ready to spend the entire summer at the McKenzie family's summer home as they had every year since the 6th grade. The cabin was located lakeside at a small town about three hours away from Bedrock, and happened to be just far enough away to be a break from seeing the same mundane faces every day. 

It was July 3rd, the day before the 4th of July.

The water was cold against her skin, her toes wiggling into the sand underneath her. Although she could not swim, she enjoyed the feeling of the waves lapping against her legs and the sight of the smooth water that stretched out in front of her. 

The other side of the shore was busy with vacationing families, all excited to see the firework display that would start at dusk the following night, but Eliza had wandered down away from them all as Kendall sunbathed closer to the house. The area she was in was quiet enough for her to hear the sound of the water hitting the shore rhythmically, calming her to her core.

Time alone was exactly what she needed.

In reality, she had been on edge for months. On New Years Eve she had come home to her father passed out on the kitchen floor, alcohol overwhelming his bloodstream to the point where he could not make it to his bed upstairs or even to the couch fifteen feet away. 

Nights like these only continued.

They only got worse as the months got on, and worry pulled at the back of her mind as she was away from home, unable to take care of him.

The sun was setting above her, and as the sky got dark she began to walk down the beach once again, not stopping until a voice came from below her. 

"Why do you always seem to come across me in the middle of the night?" The voice said, Eliza looking down to see that she almost stepped on a boy laying down on the sand, his gaze not set on her but on the stars that had suddenly appeared in the night sky above them.

He looked familiar, but Eliza was uncertain of where or how, and especially confused on the comment that had just escaped his lips.

"I'm not sure what you mean." She said back, glancing at him as she wondered what to do. Was she to carry on, or to sit and talk? What did he want her to do? Although he had said the first line to their conversation, he didn't seem to be very interested in her presence.

"Don't be silly, 'Yes'." He said, a small smirk coming across his face, his features lit by the low light the stars shone down upon the beach. He reached a hand out, glancing over at her as he gently patted the sand next to him before looking up once again.