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Sarah and Hunter spent their time by the ocean on the opposite side of town

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Sarah and Hunter spent their time by the ocean on the opposite side of town. Sarah's eyes stung from the salty seawater. She had visited the beaches near Cousins many times during the summer, and each time, it was still breath taking.

The water appeared dark grey, even under the sunlight, with white-capped waves crashing onto the rocky shore. The beach had a narrow strip of sand at the water's edge, beyond which lay countless large, smooth stones. From a distance, they seemed uniformly grey, but up close, they displayed a variety of colors- terra-cotta, sea green, lavender, blue grey and dull gold.

A brisk, cool briny wind blew off the waves, as pelicans floated on the swells and seagulls, along with a lone eagle soared above them.

The clouds lingered in the sky, hinting at a possible invasion at any moment, yet the sun courageously shone within a halo of blue sky.

Hunter had prepared turkey sandwiches on whole wheat bread, which turned out to be surprisingly delicious.

"I can't believe I've never been here before." Sarah admitted sheepishly.

"Yeah. I've been coming here since I was a kid. My mum used to bring me, and, um..." Hunter explained shyly. The two teenagers sat in silence, watching the waves crash against the rocks. "Sarah, I'm sorry."

Sarah frowned as she nervously fumbled with her hands . "Did you invite me to Nicole's party just to have sex?"

"No, that was my intention!" He replied quickly, sighing heavily. "Sarah... I don't know what to say other than I am truly sorry. I can't stop thinking about how I treated you at the party. I was awful to you, and I didn't realize it at the time. You deserve better."

"Hunter..." She began.

"Please, let me explain." Hunter interjected, looking at her with sorrow. "I treated you like shit and you didn't deserve that. I was going through a rough time with my parents fighting before I came to Nicole's party. I got drunk because I wanted to forgot about it. I took out my anger on you, and I deeply regret it. I will always feel guilty for how I treated you that night."

"Hunter." Sarah called, catching his attention. "I understand that you're sorry, but it's clear that drinking isn't helping you cope. I think you should consider talking to a professional about what's going on in your life."

Hunter nodded slightly. "Yeah, you're right."

"We're still friends though." She reassured with a warm smile. "Nobody's perfect."

Hunter sighed. "I have a question though; why didn't you ask me to be your escort?"

"I was, I was planning too-"

"It's okay. You don't have to... do the whole speech, that's all. The why or the who doesn't really matter. I obviously know the who."

"How?" Sarah wondered.

Waves • Conrad FisherWhere stories live. Discover now