Friendzoned

Chapter 6

He showed me the picture. I was not even facing the camera. I looked like one of those tumblr girls. My back face the camera and the wind blew my hair. You can see a little bit of the side of my face.

"Keep that" I said. His grip losen.

"Really?" he said.

"Yeah. Actually. Send that to me" I said.

"Okay." He said and smile and let go of my arms. 

I dropped my arms back down. We were still close. We stood there for like what seems like forever. His fringe was blowing in the wind and his messy hair flies around. 

"Hey you realize we need like at least 6 more pictures right?" he said

I broke out of my gaze. "Oh yeah. Of course" I said. If this was a movie or a love story, this is the bit where he offers me his hand and we walk together along the beach, golding hands. Except this is not. I barely know him. He barely knows me. We are just classmates. Friends.

"Let's go then" he said and started walking with both his hands on his camera. Once in a while he would raise them up to take a picture.

***

"How long have you been taking pictures" I said.

"How old am I...uh...16? Or was it 15. I don't know. I started taking pictures at the age of 13." he said. 

I laughed. "What" He said

"How can you not know how old you are?"

"Oh. Should I know how old I am?" he said.

"Yes" I said

"Oh. Well. No one in my family cares. My mom never have time for my birthdays. She works too hard to pay for the house. That's why I'm working to pay for other expenses. She never have time. My siblings...they are either too young or they took off."

"What about your dad" Oh no. Maybe I shouldn't have asked that. Shit.

"He took off when I was...I think 5" 

I KNEW I SHOULDN'T ASK.

"I'm sorry"

"It's okay" he said and shrugged and took another picture. "My brother turned 18 and took off right away. I would never do that to my mom".

This is the sweetest thing a guy can say about his family.

"That's really...responsible"

"You mean lame?" he said "that's the lamest thing a guy can say 'I love my family' "

"No." I said "No it's not."

A minute or two or silence passed by. 

"Well anyways. We got 7 pictures" he said. 

"Wait. No. We have one more" I said. I have an idea. "Give me the camera"

"What are you doing?" He said. 

"Just follow me" there is one place in this beach that no one really knows about. I lived here my whole life. I know my place. I took him to the half broken wooden stairs that leads to a short cut to the "mystery hole" (that's what I call it. I know. It's lame)We climbed up.

"Where is this?" he said.

"The place with the best view. We're not there yet"

We walked across path they made and cut through some trees. 

"You don't mind walking on bare nature right?"

"I'm a photographer"

"Right." 

We reached the mystery hole. It's a mountain and near the feet of the mountain, there is hole. Sort of like a cave, but it goes under ground. It's filled with sea water. It's really big. I have gone in it but I coulnd't go so deep. Plus there was no light.

"This is amazing" he said. 

"I know. No one knows how deep the water is. They say it never ends. But I think it just leads to another place we don't know about. Maybe an exotic waterfall of something. It's too dark for anyone to make their way around. My guess is that it's like a U. This the start and who knows where the end is. Could be all the way in china" I said.

Cole just stood there quiet. "Wow" he said. "Have you ever gone in?"

"Of course. It was cold" 

"That's the only description you can give"

"Cold and dark" I said. "Take some pictures"

He took forever to decide with angle to take picture with.

"Dude. We don't have all day"

"I know. Shush"

 I rolled my eyes. 

He finally got the 3 pictures. 

***

On the way back, he took another picture of me, with my face on it. I tried to get him to delete but he said it was for him. I don't know what that means so I shrugged it off.

"Cole" I said.

He turned around "What?" he asked and I took a pictute

"Hey!" he said.

"Payback" I said. "It's for me"

We reached my house. 

"Thank you for helping me"

"It's okay. It gave me something to do"

He just stood there. "I should go, it's getting late" he said and tapped his watch.

"Good luck with the pictures"

"Thanks" he said

"Bye"

"Bye"

"Bye" 

"Bye" He said and started backing away.

I smiled.

Well this is got to be a start of something.