Finding Calypso

Our Last Day

Chapter Two

~Calypso~

We jump on the road with Gretchen at the wheel. Her short shaggy hair flying in the wind from her open window. I'm sitting in the middle, and my head is resting on Anora's shoulder. Anora grabs my hand and holds it in hers. She has always been very nurturing.

Gretchen, on the other hand, is the wild one who loves to get us into trouble.

"Sooooooo" Gretchen says. "Are we still going to do something fun today or do you just want to go somewhere and relax" adding sarcasm to the word relax.

"Can't we do both?" I ask, knowing she is thinking I'm going to be in a mopey mood.

"Let's go to the Beach" I suggest.

The coast was just about an hour away, but with Gretchen driving we will probably be there in thirty. I put on our old CD mix that we made when we were in middle school, and we all started singing along. Talking about how we can't believe we used to love this corny music even though we sing every word.

As we get closer to the beach, we can smell the salt water in the air. Gretchen pulls into a small shop, so we can buy some snacks before we hit the beach. It was over casted today, and the sky was dark even though it wasn't late. Anora and I stayed in the car while Gretchen went into the store.

Anora and I sat quietly as she twiddled with the rings on her fingers. Then finally she broke the silence.

"I'm sorry that I didn't call to let you know James was at the diner. We literally saw them walk in seconds before you got there."

"Who?" I respond playing dumb.

"What did he say to you?" Anora quickly asked.

"Almost nothing" I say, before I pause a few moments. "Then he said he wanted to talk"

"No!" Anora says, and I couldn't tell if she was talking to me or about James.

"Promise me, Caly, you won't talk to him. Not after" she said with a roll of her eyes and a flick of her straight black hair.

I stay silent.

"Caly" she says, nudging me for a response.

"Yes, Mom" I say sarcastically at her protectiveness.

"I'm serious, I don't want to have to open a can of Woop ass on him or you."

I laugh when she says this because we all know she is the softest person in the world.

"Look Anora, to be honest, I was less affected by it all then I thought I would be" I say this so convincing I think I even convinced myself.

She looks at me for a second unsure if she is buying it, but then Gretchen comes running out of the store. Her flip flops smacking the ground making noises as she runs. She jumps in the truck and says "Go go go!" As she steps on the gas.

Both Anora and my head fly back from the inertia as we scream and giggle in Glee!

"What happened did you rob the place?" Anora asked jokingly.

"No" Gretchen says all innocently. "There was a hottie behind the register, so of course I had to run out as fast as I could." We all giggled.

We pull up to the beach, and the air is fresh and cool. We walk the shore under the overcast sky and collect shells with our pant legs rolled up so the little waves can hit our ankles. Gretchen does a couple cart wheels before she falls and lays in the sand. Anora and I come and plop down beside her and watch the waves go in and out. I wish I would have known this would be the last day we had together like this.

Like we were our whole lives. Just three best friends dreaming of the big world in our little town.