Meet Me By The Dock

Chapter 12

I hopped around trying to tie my shoes as quickly as possible. Very ineffective though, if you were wondering.

"I got to go." I laugh and run into the kitchen.

"Okay," my mom says exasperatedly, but she laughs, "Say hi for me."

"He'll be around later, okay?" I double check.

She nods, smiling warmly. Once both of my feet are firmly on the ground again I look over at her, out of breath. She tucks a strand of hair behind my ear and I smile. I really smile.

"Okay, get out of here." She gives me a kiss on the cheek then shoves me playfully towards the door.

"Bye Mom!" I shout once I'm halfway out the door.

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I look frantically around the market.

Where is he? Where is he? Where is he?

"Lilah!" Someone yells.

I flip around and smile so broadly I thought I pulled a muscle.

There he is. All 5 feet 11 inches of him. Issac Holland. With his copper skin and buzzed head. He was absolutely beaming at me. I ran at him full speed.

This was something we did every summer since we were kids. Whenever he would arrive I'd run as fast as I could into his arms. Somewhere along the way he got all enough and strong enough to pick me up.

He caught me when I jumped at him and swung me around, "I missed you too, Lil." He laughed.

When he put me down I hit him in the chest, "God, I haven't seen you in forever."

"Feels like it, huh?"

I blew out a breath, "I missed you." I've known Issac my whole life. Our families met when they bought a house here the same year.

But I stay here all summer and Issac only stays a week because they rent it out the rest of the summer. When I lost my dad it felt like I was lost in a blizzard where I couldn't see 3 feet in front of me, but he reached out a hand and pulled me out.

He was the only one here that knew, besides Mom.

"How's Andrew?" I ask. That's Issac's boyfriend they met when they were both camp counselors. I didn't hear about anything else for weeks. I didn't tell him anything about school life though. About my friends, about how I didn't have them anymore.

He was the only friend I had right now. Except for Mattie, if that's what we were.

"Good, he got some hilarious sunburn last week and he hasn't gone outside since." He laughs and shows me a slideshow of photos. Andrew laying on his stomach with white ointment spread all over his back. Andrew leaning on his headboard with the ointment all over his stomach now, his long red hair tied back with a cheetah print headband.

"Aww, poor Andrew," I wince, "Give him my best."

"It's much appreciated trust me, he says hi," Issac runs a hand over his head and glances behind me, "You know, I'm sure this is super unimportant, but just out of curiosity, why is that attractive specimen glaring at me like he wants to kill me?"

Not what I thought he was going to ask but okay.

I already know who he's referring to before I look, and he's right Matthew's leaning against one of the pillars holding up a booth with his arms crossed over his chest. And he is glaring at him, tense jaw and everything.

"Boyfriend I don't know about?" Issac asks from behind me.

"No," I say quickly, "Just a crazy, stalking, ax murderer." I explain turning to face him again. If Matthew had something to say he can walk over here like a big boy instead of acting like a creep lurking in the shadows.