Drifters

Day 3 (Drifting)

His name was Pierre, at least this is what he told me when we reached the end of the boardwalk. I told him I liked his name and he flashed me a smile that warmed my stomach before hopping onto the railing of the boardwalk. He looked out to the sea in very sad kind of way and i wanted to tell him to get down but I didn't. He would have ignored me anyhow, at this point he was ignoring everyone, even when people began staring or when security told him it wasn't safe.

Instead. he jumped and when he did a lady with bright red lipstick screamed and shielded her son's eyes as if Pierre had stripped down right in front of them. He didn't come up from the water for a long time, and more people began gathering at the end of the boardwalk and soon people started to jump in and search for him. They eventually pulled him up and when they did there was a big grin on his face as he looked straight at me. I was unsure why I hadn't felt scared when he jumped and why I was smiling back at him, the boy who was dripping wet.

"Why did you do that, son?" An old man with gray hairs asked rather loudly as people began to stare at Pierre with round eyes.

There was a large group surrounding him now, and I was a part of it.

Pierre bent down to whisper in the man's ear, seeing as he towered the man by at least a foot. A part of me wondered if he was going to tell the man about his suicide mission, or if he was going to say it was just for attention, but when the man slapped him on the back and smiled at me I knew it wasn't either.

"It's okay folks, just a lovestruck boy here, nothing to see." People looked at the man and then Pierre with uncertainty but eventually dispersed mumbling things to each other like;

"What a scene!" and "How reckless."

The man then proceeded to come towards me then whispered in my ear, "You better keep this one on a leash."

Then he walked away before I was able to mutter a thing.

Pierre began to walk towards me, his smile big and proud, his shirt stuck to his skin. I stared at him for a moment, wondering how he could be so happy with people thinking he was nut.

"Why did you do that?" I was finally able to ask. Pierre shrugged ignoring the eyes that were on him.

"I wanted to feel the way you feel." He wasn't smiling but his eyes were still lit up. I looked at him and I must have looked confused because he leaned in and said, "Dead, I wanted to feel dead."

And at this I felt like crying, maybe it was because he had reminded me that I was still stuck drifting or maybe it was because he was trying to feel like a drifter as well.

But instead of crying I blurt out,"My name's Piper."

The Drifting Away was angry I had told this boy my name, as it reminded me that he was getting in the way of my drifting. It took everything in me to ignore it.

Pierre stared at me for a moment before flashing me another smile.

"Piper and Pierre." He mumbled to himself and it caused my stomach to drop. "Two beautiful names for two beautiful people."

I blushed for a moment, before Pierre winked at a woman who was staring at him with disgust.

"Well Piper, I must bid you adieu." I must have looked sad because Pierre smiled before saying, "Don't worry Piper, you'll see me soon."

At this he left me there, walking in soggy sneakers and jeans. He didn't have too look back for me to know there was a big smile playing on his face.

When I eventually left the beach I could feel the drifting come back. When I was with Pierre, though the Drifting Away had stayed the drifting feeling seemed to have disappeared. But when he finally left, thoughts of death and the fact that one day I'll be forgotten came back and they didn't feel good.

By the time I had gotten home the Drifting Away persuaded me not to think of Pierre any longer and that there is no use in being sad over death because it's inevitable. I eventually agreed with it.

Mom wasn't home when I walked across the lawn. Her red station wagon wasn't parked in the driveway. If I had been anyone else I might have thought she had finally bought that toyota she keeps talking about, but since I knew my mother, i knew this wasn't true.

"Mom?" Was the first thing my sister shouted when I shut the front door. I laughed solemnly before taking off my shoes and shouting back, "nope."

There was a shuffling in the living room before my sister walked out of the living room, her blonde hair perfect and neat.

"Did you hear?" My sisters blue eyes sparkled and when I shook my head a smile formed on her face before she pulled me into the living room and turned on the television.

That's when a picture of Pierre popped up on the screen, but the name captioned on his picture wasn't Pierre, instead Sheridan Lemor.

"What an ugly name." The Drifting Away says in my head.

My sister smiles eagerly before turning up the volume.

"And in further news a small town in Maine had quite a scare this morning when seventeen year-old Sheridan Lemor jumped of a local Boardwalk Fence." The news reporter's voice was serious as the picture of so-called-Pierre faded and a picture of a woman with a microphone held out in front of her mouth came onto the TV.

"It was absolutely crazy!" I recognized the woman from earlier, and though I wanted to laugh the Drifting Away reminded me not to be happy, "One minute my husband and I are eating our ice cream and next-"

Before the woman can finish my sister sings out the word, "boring" before fast forwarding the channel.

I turned to look at her in disbelief.

"You recorded it?" She laughed nodding before waving a hand in my face.

"Just watch." I looked at her for a moment before obeying and looking back at the screen.

This time it was the old man from the dock.

"People are over-reacting calling this suicide." The old man was short and laughed as the words suicide left his lips, "I talked to the young fellow and he told me specifically he did it just to impress his girl! Damn people, ya'll wish it were a suicide cause ain't nothing excitin' ever happen here."

Before I even have a moment to blush my sister paused the TV once again before turning towards me and smiled madly.

"So what do you think?" Her question came out frantically and I wasn't sure what she wanted me to say.

"You mean about the piece? I think the man is telling the truth," My sister laughed before rolling her eyes. She picked up the remote before pausing on Sheridan's face.

"No I mean about the boy!" I wanted to roll my eyes at this comment, the only thing my sister was known to have no control over where her hormones. "He's cute right?"

I shrugged not really wanting to look at Pierre.

"Sheridan!" The Drifting Away screeched.

" Isn't illegal to use someone's photo for a new piece?" I asked wondering how they had received the picture. It was obviously taken earlier considering Pierre-who-is-not-really-himself was wearing the same clothing in the picture.

"It was breaking news, Piper!" My sister complied. "They are just doing their job to inform us about what is happening in the community."

I muttered a quiet, "okay then" before excusing myself and running up to our room.

His name was Sheridan, and though the Drifting Away kept saying how ugly of a name it was I was beginning to like it more than Pierre.

"It is still ugly though." The Drifting Away murmurs in the very back of mind.

"I know." I answer