TIDAL WAVE

02

We all drag our feet down town, to the sea front. We're lucky, our school was outside of town- the town being connected to the ocean.

We all had went to get dressed at Maise's as she lives near by. We played her and I's favourite artist. Madeline didn't mind, she was used to it.

"Guys, we're not even half way, my arm is going to fall off." Maisie says. We all had bags we were dragging along with us, stuffed with food and drinks. "It's okay. Guys we need to hurry though, please?" We all poke fun of her, she laughs with us too.

We pass the ducks and swans, it's only me and Madeline who aren't afraid of them. Around this place was the time we first bunked, her and I.

"It's so cold." Mads said, shivering as we sat down under a shelter.

She bought us fake nails and I had never worn them before. They were tacky and cheap but neither of us minded. We rebelled after being strictly forbidden by our old friend group not to do do anything wrong at all. It was a form of freedom for us.

Despite shivering from the sharp, cold wind, we attempted stick them on. I had no idea what I was doing and my hands were frozen up, I couldn't squeeze the glue out. It didn't go to plan but it didn't matter, we both laughed.

That day, we went to Cove Park next, and hid in the abandoned Artillery Bunkers from World War II.

I have to take off my jacket, holding up the group but when we get to Cove Park, we were all just excited to eat. No one could complain, we were all so hunrgy.

We all sit down on Maisie's towel with a cream polka dot pattern on it, bristles at the ends. We all make a deal out of how the chocolate had successfully melted before dipping our sweet strawberries in it.

I remember hating strawberries, I've always said they didn't smell nice. I may had just been in denial.

After a day of school, nothing is better than sitting on the green grass, watching the glistening ocean through the curtains of the trees. It was really hot today. It makes the water almost inviting.

Cove Park has always meant something to me. Mads and I hiding under the shelter when it was raining, meeting Leo here for the first time, bringing down chips but by the time we got there, they were already luke-warm.

It was always a place of memory for me, it will be forever. I can only imagine making more here.

After people started leaving, it was just me, Mads and Maisie. We were all the closest. I could complain about all my friends but Madeline and Maisie the least. It doesn't matter how annoyed I am at them, I could probably always come back to them with some sort of forgiveness.

We all had a common ground with humour. Nothing was too dark or too light- it was all fun because we were friends.

"What if Leo comes here with his bike?" Madeline asks a good question: what do we do then?

"We just ignore them." Maisie says, I don't say anything.

Leo and his friends, including Evan, come here often with their bikes. There are some solid dips in the terrain which makes a good place to do tricks.

The day I met Leo, it was really hot outside, probably the most hot out of the year thus far. He bailed on me already once, I made him not do it again- it was humiliating.

His phone was broken or something because Evan messaged saying that Leo was there- I had such a heavy pit in my stomach.

I bought Mads with me for moral support, he was the first boy that's really spoken to me like this- it just made the whole situation more hard for me. I was at a loss for words.

I saw Leo's skinny body jump up with his bike, I knew it was him by his voice when he started talking to Evan. Evan was shirtless, he was attractive, both me and Mads knew that. We both gave each other the look, trying not to squeal in front of them.

I frown at Leo's bike. That was his excuse the day before on why he couldn't come- his bike broken and he had to do homework. His bike seemed fine to me.

I ignored it and he ignored me the whole time. I remember being so jealous when it was Madeline who was getting talked to the most. He asked her if she was dating Tobias.

I so badly wanted to leave but then he beat me to it. He didn't even say goodbye.