Enlightened

I admit … it was a deserved punishment, though. I’d been warned many times. I knew I’d been forbidden to be beach-side after dark. My overprotective parents feared I might fall in the water and get pulled out into a high tide. But the truth is — my best friends and I did do this sort of thing, if not all the time, perhaps on frequent occasions, would be a better description.

We’d snuck out late and went to the beach at least half a dozen times before. Tyler, Matthew, Stefanie, and I are inseparable, when I’m not grounded, and we’re very good at breaking the rules, usually without getting caught.

We’d never been rebellious or disrespectful — in fact we’d spent countless hours volunteering at the Marine Wildlife Preserve and plenty of other community service minded things. We were just under the impression certain rules shouldn’t apply to us, such as curfew and no technology after 10:00 p.m. My parents should have been thrilled that I’d chosen friends who actually planned to have a future.

I could thank my father, Steve Storm, for my inherited superb sneak-ability. He’s a retired CIA agent, and he spent the better part of thirty years doing things he’s not even allowed to talk about. I often wondered just exactly how he spent his days, nights, and weeks away. I always imagined he was a good guy, and not involved in any espionage or double agent work … although, there wasn’t anything good about the way I felt for being grounded for an entire semester.

Finally the bell chimed loudly, awakening me from my reverie — signifying the end … and the beginning of so many things.

Tyler Caldwell had crossed the hall way and found me amongst a crowd of at least a thousand students. He was at my side in an instant, and it shocked me to feel his arm around my shoulder. We have known each other since first grade. When we first met, he was nice … he used to push me on the swings and we’d play games in the gymnasium. But — then he became a typical boy and he spent most recess breaks trying to throw worms at me, so I’d scream and call him names and then I’d run and tattle as fast as I could.

In recent years we became best friends. Seldom ever would a weekend go by that I didn’t spend time at least talking to him, or hanging out with him. Typically we could be found at the beach or down at the park along with Matthew and Stefanie.

Breaking my thought process, Tyler said, “Hey, girl, freedom at last! We’re going out tonight, right? I was thinking we need a little sand, sun, fun, and then dinner and a movie — sound good?”

“That will be perfect! I can’t wait to get out of the house. I’ve felt like a prisoner in solitary confinement for the last four months. Can you pick me up at about 5:00 p.m.?”

“You bet — I’ll be there.” His sheepish smile amused me.

Tyler was relatively quiet as he walked me to my car. His silence gave me an opportunity to observe and admire him, uninterrupted. It was easy to be in awe of Tyler. He has no enemies. As far as I know, nobody even dislikes him. He’s been playing football his entire high school career, earning him an extreme eye catching physique. He’s a very boisterous and caring free spirit, and his level of intelligence is uncommon among seventeen year old boys. Tyler has high aspirations in life — like medical school aspirations. He’s the kind of guy who always knows what to say at just the right time — almost intuitive. As if that weren’t enough to make him every girl’s dream, his big brown eyes light up when he smiles … which is near-constant.

For the past eleven years, he’s been my best guy friend, no — in reality, my best friend period — with Stefanie being a close second. He’s not my boyfriend, I’m not even sure if he wants to be, but I’ve caught myself thinking about him more often, and unintentionally staring at him, sort of wishing he was — my boyfriend.