Awakened

Six

I wonder whether or not Shelly is waiting up for me. I doubt it. She looked so excited as I walked towards the beach with the Dalton brothers. I looked back towards the houses and it doesn't look like there are any lights on in the condo except for the porch light which I know she has left on for me.

"Do you want to call it a night? You look a little tired." Thomas asks. I am tired, but I am not sure that I'm ready for this night to end. I had ventured farther away from my comfort zone tonight than I ever had before. It felt nice to do what normal people do when they are freshly out of high school. There were no early mornings that required me to get a full nights rest, and no tests to stress over. There were no more scholarship essays to write, and no more speeches to prepare. If I wanted to have the best summer of my life, I needed to just let loose and live a little.

"Oh, I'm not too tired. If you want to head up we can, or we can find something else to do for a little while?" Thomas grins widely and I wonder what he is thinking. I look over at Beau who is still laying on the lounge chair, but now his eyes are closed. In this moment he looks so much different. The absence of frown lines makes him look younger, kinder.

"I think we lost Beau..." I say quietly.

Thomas waves him off, "Oh don't worry about him. He probably had too much to drink. Want to go for a walk?" I nod, and we head for the water.

We walk closely next to each other near the shore, and I love the way the waves rush over our feet every few seconds. I am surprised we haven't run out of things to talk about, but Thomas is to thank for that. He is full of stories, and we quickly discover we really do have a lot in common just like Shelly predicted. He has big dreams, and I have no doubt he will achieve them. It is refreshing to be around someone who values the same things as me, and I am thankful once again that he is here.

"What do you want to major in?" He asks.

"Well, I had always planned on majoring in biology. My parents have always hoped I would go to med school one day." He looks impressed.

"Is that what you want though? To be a doctor?" He asks, and I can tell he genuinely cares about what I have to say.

"I mean, I think it would be incredible to save lives. I am not sure what my passion is though, if I am being honest. I'm sure you have picked up on this, but I don't have very much real-life experience. I don't know what I am good at yet, other than making good grades. For so many years the end goal was the diploma and the GPA. I want to strive for more than just repeating the same steps over and over. I want to enjoy my life, not just keep my nose in a book for the next four years." The alcohol has made me more open than I planned to be, but it feels good to let it all out for once. Thomas wraps his arm around my shoulder gives it a light squeeze.

"To me, it sounds like you made the right choice by getting away for the summer. Maybe a few months with no responsibilities will help you discover who Katherine Wilder really is." I smile up at him, and nod.

"Thank you Thomas, I don't think you understand how much I needed this tonight." We keep walking, but he doesn't drop his arm. Instead he lets it rest around my shoulders, and I don't mind.

It feels nice to be touched in this way. It is innocent enough, but intimate at the same time. The only time a boy had touched me before was Justin Wheeler in the third grade. He held my hand under the lunch table once, but I don't think that counts. He seems so comfortable as we walk along the beach, and I cant help but blush. As we make our way back towards the wooden walkway I wonder what this means. Is he always this way with girls? Maybe he is just being friendly and my lack of experience leads me to view it as more. His arm drops from my shoulders once we reach the walkway and I stop to slide on my shoes. Beau is no longer on the lounge chair, and I wonder what he thought when he woke and we weren't around. I doubt he cared.

"Looks like my big bro couldn't hang." He jokes. I laugh and nod in agreement.

"How much older is he than you?" I ask.

"He just turned twenty-two a few months ago, but don't let the age fool you. He still hasn't really grown up." Thomas shrugs, "I don't think he will ever grow up honestly." I want to probe more, but I also don't want to come off as nosy.

"Why do you say that?" I hope he doesn't get angry by my curiosity. Thankfully he smiles.

"I love my brother, but he has never really liked the idea of responsibility. He's crazy smart, but never once applied himself. Dad pulled major strings to get him into a state college and he thanked him by dropping out after two semesters. He needed to find himself or some shit like that. That's when he climbed onto the Andiamo and disappeared for a year. We didn't hear from him much, and mom was a mess. That's why she puts up with his crap so much, she's scared he's going to run off again." I try not to look shocked, but I want to know more. I want to know what he was running from.

"Wow, that is intense. What does he do now? I mean, when you both aren't here for the summer what does he do with his life?" I ask quietly.

"He travels a lot. He shows up randomly with a new tattoo and a souvenir for mom. The locals pay him to take them out on the boat every so often, they pay well. He's in an okay mood as long as no one brings up his future or presses his buttons." I listen intently as Thomas continues. "With you living next door you'll see how he is. He will be on the water a lot, and when he is home there will be girls and booze. Occasionally him and dad will get into it, but we try to keep the peace for mom's sake." I nod, not knowing what else to say. I look towards the sea-foam green condo and wonder which room is his. Turning my attention back to Thomas, I thank him for an amazing night.

"Really, I mean it. I needed this. I feel like I have been more relaxed than I have in a long time." He smiles and starts to walk towards his house.

Right before he opens the door he turns back to me and yells, "Hey, Katherine. Wanna hangout again tomorrow?"

My cheeks flush red and I answer, "I would like that."