Wake Up, It's Over

Wake Up, It's Over- Part 4

~*~Hadley~*~

Listen. That's all I had to do now. It's the only thing I didn't want to do. I didn't want to sit on the beach where it all happened with the people that all knew him. Talking about his scholarship to UPENN. Or his early engagement to Nicole. Or how he was going to go to be amazing. All these accomplishment's that he had. All these goals and aspirations, completely out the window now.  

"Hads, it's okay." I could hear his faint whisper flowing through the air. I turned around, but my eyes only met with Jake, along with the other twenty members of his high school swim team. He smiled meekly at me before I turned away. 

"Hadley." Tristans voice whispered again. 

I closed my eyes, letting out a deep breath. 

"What?" I whispered back. 

My mother turned and looked at me curiously.  

"You're okay." The voice repeated 

"Are you okay Hads?" My mother whispered. 

I shook my head, quickly getting up, weaving my way around and through the aisle, breaking into a run down the stretch. I paid no attention to the numerous pairs of eyes that followed me the whole way. My white wedge heels easily slipped off behind me as I sprinted away from the entire event, tears finally spilling over like they had been threatening this whole morning. I couldn't take this; I wasn't strong enough to deal with it all.  

"Hads, where are you going?" He called again. I whipped around looking at the nothingness in front of me.  

"Away!" I tried to yell, but I merely croaked.  

I took off again, stopping when I finally made it to lifeguard station number 17. This is where they brought me. This is where it all ended, but where my misery began. I starred up at the white wooden structure through blurry eyes, and then turned to look at the calm waves rising and receding along the shoreline.  

I hadn't touched that water in days, I don't think I ever would again.  This would be the kick off to a beach less summer.

While I said that to myself, my body spoke against me, stepping forwards on the white grainy powder beneath my bare feet. 

"You let me go..." The voice murmured. 

"No. No I didn't." I shook my head. 

“You said it would be innocent fun Hads.”

“I didn’t think you’d get hurt.” I murmured.

"Hadley?" A new voice spoke; a real voice. I swallowed turning around, pushing away the air that sprayed across my face. It was him, the one in the back row with the green eyes.

~*~Colton~*~

Flashbacks of the 2008 championship meet flashed through my mind while I just looked at her sorrow stricken face, flooding me with immense amounts of guilt. 

This wouldn't have happened if you just did your job Colton. You saw him first.

But then she would be dead.  

"Who are you?" She whispered, swallowing her nervousness. 

I held the leather bracelet in my fist, debating on whether to hand it to her or not.  In my other hand I loosely held her white wedge heels.

"Who are you?" She repeated.

I must have looked ridiculous, frightening, and totally idiotic standing here being completely captivated by one girl's eyes and voice, someone I had never even officially met! 

“You forgot these.”  I swallowed holding out her shoes.

She reached out and took them silently, dangling them in her finger tips.

"And I just wanted to give this to you." I finally said, holding out my palm to her. She starred blankly for a moment, her fingers trembling as she reached out but stopped, covering her gaping mouth.  

"How'd you..." She tried saying, but tears spilled over again.  

"I knew him." Well, that wasn't a total lie. Her silence proved that my answer seemed satisfying enough, but she didn't move.  

I reached out, taking her hand gently in mine, fastening the leather knot threw the loop around her delicate wrist. 

"Thank you." She murmured.  

I smiled meekly; hiding my guilt that I had hoped would have disintegrated by now. If that meet never happened, I would have never lost to him. I would have never said what I said. Spencer never would have said what he said. I wouldn't have been so selfish when this started.  

My fingers dangled in hers loosely as we just looked at each other dead in the eyes, locked in a breathtaking gaze for who knows how long. I didn't know anything about Hadley, but I could feel every heart wrenching emotion that was coursing through her entirety, easing in my presence somehow.  

"You shouldn't cry." I whispered, brushing a falling tear of her freckled cheek. 

"Why are you here?" She asked letting my hand go. 

"Someone had to follow you." I said stuffing my hands into my pockets. 

Or because I did this to you. Someone like you doesn't deserve this. You're far too pretty to be taking the blame.  Was it possible that I could have saved both of them? He was a swimmer. I figured he could make it. She was the weaker one. She was so much further out then him. But…the reef. How they both hit it yet she was the one who managed to live was amazing.

Again, I seemed to satisfy her curiosity, watching as her eyes adverted down the beach towards the service, as if she were expecting someone else to have come after her. I could see the pain grow in her features once again once she came to a realization.  

"They care, don't doubt that." I broke the thoughts I knew were racing across her mind. 

Those piercing sapphires snapped back to my eyes, startled. 

"Who are you anyways?" She said assertively, hiding her vulnerability. 

"Colton...Colton Carter." 

"I'll remember that." 

We both stood in the silence, though it wasn't awkward, it was surely eye-opening. In these seconds, I realized that I sure did not end things.