It was late May and so nobody was at the beach. I took off my sandals and the cold sand felt nice in between my toes. Casper had met me there at the shore and my step-mother was really suspicious about me meeting up with a boy on my own. She thought he was going to drown me in the sea or feed me to sharks or something. But once we got rid of Moira, Cas linked arms with me and we strolled along the shoreline. We stopped someway along and he showed me how to toss pebbles so that they skipped along the surface of the sea. They looked really pretty when they danced like that, but whenever I threw them, they just plopped straight into the water.
I groaned and Cas went behind me. He put his hands around mine and told me to relax. Then, in one swift motion, the rock left my hand and bounced along the waves. I grinned.
The sun began to set and Casper took a few photos. I got the feeling that he only took the photos because he’d said that was why he was here. Even though I knew we totally weren’t on a date or anything, that his ‘photography assignment’ was mostly an excuse to play on the beach together. But, naturally, I wouldn’t complain.
The best part about our town was that we had our own beach. The sun hung low in the sky, and when I looked across at Casper I noticed he was bathed in an auburn light. He was looking down, playing with the sand between his fingers. It was pretty cold, but I’m not one of those silly cutesy girls who wears a floaty dress and makes the boy give them their jacket. Na, I was in some comfy thick leggings and a hoodie. Not exactly model-wear, but nice and cosy. A breeze played with my hair and it felt really fresh. Casper’s dark-blonde hair was beach-washed and scruffy. I liked it. A lot. But I wondered what he saw in me. I’m bony, pale and I can’t even use my own voice. One day I might ask. But not today. As my eyes grew heavy, I felt my head drop onto Casper’s shoulder. He smiled softly.
أنت تقرأ
Paper Cranes
قصص المراهقينIt's a paper crane, he told me. And I'll look at that old origami bird and remember it as the best day of my time with Casper Ardvan, No matter how short said time was going to be.
