Windy Island Beach (Matt's Perspective)

My dad and I step over a chain, entering the stand that’s only for lifeguards, and sit on the edge with our bare feet dangling. We drink our steaming coffee while listening to the pure sound of the light waves crashing. There’s always high tides in the mornings. It’s now six and I can see the rays of the sun peeking over the endless ocean, covering the peaceful beach with a warm, orange blanket. Flocks of seagulls glide by, disappearing into the warm sun. Half of the sun now showing, more people are coming to the beach. One man, about 60 years old, brought his yellow paddle board. He paddles out

“Why aren’t you playing?” a voice in back of me asked. I turned around, to find a girl who was doing the same thing I was..

On a Tuesday morning in June, four children ponder what to do with their time, the day promising to be wonderful, the sky was azure blue, the sun shining brightly closing out a sweet earthy smell from the ground the intermixing with the salty breeze coming from the bay. The ocean sparkling as it reflects the sun, it’s turquoise water inviting one to play. As for the children they sat on the porch questing what do. It's here that the tale begins with my three sisters and me when we found ourselves bored on such a summer day. “ I'm soooo, BORED!” Niamh exclaims in a exasperated tone. Aine saves the day, when she pipes in to the conversation,“ Let's go to Mike's beach, the beachcombing got to be good, last night there was a storm” “ If we're lucky, maybe Uncle Mike’s buoys escaped and we can claim a finder's fee”, Aine states in a calm voice. Eventually we start for the beach, after paying the customary fee of one back massage to our Dad, we were free to leave the fenced yard. Aine and Oona lead the group while Niamh and I follow at a slower pace. Our families live close to each other, our house, the grandparents and

This ride to Pizzaria’s takes centuries, or that’s what it seemed like. Once Michael put the car in park he looks at me and says. “It’s all you lover boy.” Mike chuckles and I laugh. “No, fuck that you all are coming in with me, just incase if I start throwing pizzas everywhere.” I laugh and that puts everybody in a good mood. “Well good, because I wanted pizza anyway so.” Mikey laughs and we all get out going into the restaurant, if my mom lied to me and gave me the wrong address I will be so Pissed off. I need to get my mind off of this girl and I need to know the truth.

The sound of the crashing waves surrounding me, and my family yelling "Run Lauren!" filled the air as I stood in awe of this wave heading straight toward me. My family decided to take a trip to Los Angeles, California to visit family, and the popular landmarks the state holds. I was excited to visit the beach because I had never encountered the ocean or the tropical climate before. I had never seen the ocean before so my excitement to go to the beach overflowed. While we were in California we had the opportunity to visit the beach but due to a tight time schedule, we did not have the opportunity to spend much time at the beach. The day we went seemed perfect to go, but with only a limited time frame to go, we did not have the opportunity to

"What are you two doing out there?" he asked. His voice rose to both reach our distant location and convey his poorly hidden irritation. Yup, just as I thought,

She couldn't help but crack a bit of a smile, “Yeah, I'm surprised as you are. What are you doing here?” She paused for a second before speaking again, “Trevor, right?”

“But that’s the thing!” she yelled, “you can’t do anything! You are always gone from here! It makes me wonder what you’re doing all the time…”

When I first walked on the powder like sand, I knew that I had entered more than just a beach. The bright, blue sky reached down through the glass-like water. The waves came crashing into the shore causing havoc, yet leaving silently as if nothing had ever happened. People of all kinds were walking down and back the shoreline with light hearted smiles

His arrival slices through the glassy calm of a West Coast night, confirming the bizarre contrast between the trail’s peacefulness and the night’s trauma. I see his shadow step out of the boat and meet my friend's; they shake hands, and I hear the questions begin. My friend Matt's voice is nervous as he tells the officer how we heard the gas alarm just a few hours ago, how we found a short-wave radio in the cabin and called the Coast Guard. Matt's voice fades as I run across the rocks towards the tent, praying that the darkness cloaks me, praying that the policeman forgets to interview me. I slip into the silence of my green cocoon-like sleeping bag, hug myself, feel for bones in my body to gain some sense of lying on the hard earth. If I touch the sharpness of my elbow, or rib, or chin to the rocks or roots beneath me, then I know that I am real and on the ground and that even without sleep I will walk through the next day; the earth will spin, the sun will rise, and the ocean waves will keep crashing.

“Thought I made it clear I do.” I shot back digging into my mac and cheese.”I’m just wondering what the hell you doing.”

Can’t wait for Florida next week! Bye Harper,” he said as he drove away. Florida, Florida, Florida. Something just didn’t feel the same when she thought about her upcoming trip. That night, she went to bed early. She needed the rest. Her parents agreed that she would need to start going to bed earlier because she probably wouldn’t be getting a lot of sleep on vacation. There it was again. That uncanny feeling she got when she thought about her vacation, was back. She wondered if her dream had anything to do with this feeling. She ignored it anyways. A week passed, and she started to feel better and more excited about Florida. She was sitting next to Lucy on the plane. They pointed out of the window at all of the clouds and watched themselves fly over their home. They laughed and took pictures. It seemed as if Harper had forgotten about the warning. When they landed, they walked around, happy to be in paradise. They drove to their hotel, and hung out. It was the most fun Harper had had in years. There was a big group of them that went. There was Harper, Mary, Lucy, and Dylan. There was also Dylan’s friends, Sam, Liam, and Michael, and a few more of the other girls’ friends, Maya and Courtney. The next day, they hung out at the beach. Harper, Maya, and Lucy were laying out enjoying the heat, while the guys and Mary and Courtney swam in the ocean. A man approached the girls. He had jet black hair, a tropical-patterned shirt, and a great smile. He walked up to the

“Look, I get it, Ryker's gonna be there, Gabriel's gonna be there, you want to avoid them. As your best friend I find that it is my job to help ease you out of your comfort zone.” He shoved some of his clothes in his backpack. “But just think, Greer's gonna be there, we like Greer.” He zipped up the bag and threw it with his suitcase. “We like Henry and Georgia.” He made his way over to her. “You have been doing better, it's time to go back.”

"No. Just browsing," he replies, placing the box back on its shelf. He just looks at her awkwardly, as if he wants to say something, but is debating whether he should or should not.

"Can we discuss this later?" Kurt demands. "Or never. Never would be better. Just turn around or something." There are three kinds of people in the world - those that understand Brittany and those that don 't. He really doesn 't want to be someone who understands her right now.