J X K

The Beach

Kim's POV

I didn't expect my schedule to fit so well into Jared's. With my busy everyday schedule and his disappearing act I thought I'd only get a glimpse of him when he came to school, and only if he stayed long enough for our history class. Yet who could have believed that I see Jared Cameron everyday?

He waits up for me everyday after school to walk me home, even when he misses school (which I don't like). Or sometimes he meets halfway on my walk home and we take a longer detour. Depending on the day if he's at his mom's or dad's, he asks me to come over to go over what he missed and help him catch up at either his mom's kitchen table or his dad's couch. I make sure he does his homework, I walk him to school every morning or drag him. I can't do much about him falling asleep in classes. I wake him up when I can, but the only thing that can wake him up is the loud school bell. He's a thick sleeper.

And my new favorite part of the day, he calls me each night before bed.

"Careful," Jared easily finds me at the beach with water up to my ankles. It's more than a coincidence or a run in. Wherever I am he seems to just appear out of the woods. "I can hold that for you." He offers, holding out his hand for the bucket.

I say thanks in a grateful smile, my cramped hands thankful for the break. I stretch them out then ball them up a couple of times, but the sand clinging to my skin refuses to budge.

"School project?" He questions, looking into my bucket for a hint.

"Collecting sea glass for our biology class. But there's more trash than sea glass." I say disappointed, softly kicking a forgotten sandal away. "It wasn't like this when were kids."

"Found some!" Jared exclaims, reveling a handful of shiny green and blue sea glass. He beams at me with a toothy smile that shouts 'praise me please.'

"Woah, how did you find so much?" I ask in awe, doubling around to see if I really missed that much. All I see is the dark murky water so thick I could barely make out the clumps of seaweed apart from the water. The gloomy overcast sky certainly doesn't help. There's not much light, but today was perfect for this project because it was the first day it hadn't rained all week.

"I eat my carrots." He smirks,  finding another handful further down the shoreline.

"You're like a bloodhound." I don't miss the slightest flinch of Jared's broad shoulders. Blink and you miss it. Maybe I don't need glasses, perhaps Jared really has superb eyesight.

"How much do you need?" He asks, still bent over the pail that it looks like a toy. He looks so devoted and focused, but looks massive compared to the bucket. Jared is so tall and musclier his hand doesn't fit all the way around the handle. I smile into my hand, trying to suppress the laugh bubbling up.

"You keep laughing at me and I won't help you with your project." He warns jokingly.

"Yes sir." I nod, my face too eager to be sarcastic and coy like Jared's, but I can't help the huge smile spreading across my face. Jared pauses, taking me all in before his face darkens with a serious look.

"You shouldn't tease me like," I almost think he's mad, but the heated look in his eyes makes my stomach tighten up. "Go sit on the beach before I get fresh. I need a few minutes." My knees buckle all the way up the hike up towards the beach so bad I barely make it up before I sink into the sand and wait for Jared to collect himself. My blood pounds in my ears, and I undo my braid to shield my reddening ears before he sees.