"Okay, calm down, I have no idea what you're saying," Lissa's voice muffled, but I could faintly make out her yelling at Adam about something.

"Lissa, it's her!"

The phone rubbed against something, some more muffling before she was back.

"Who is her?!"

"Cheeto!"

"No!" she replied in horror.

"Exactly," I groaned and slid down the back wall of the Shack, holding my head up with my hand.

"Listen up people," she started on the other side of the phone. "We have two bitches now."

"Lissa--" I started.

"Nope, she's had this coming."

It was an awkward couple of hours before I left for a lunch break. He knew something was up with me, obviously, because he knew me better than anyone. I just gave a sheepish grin and ducked out.

"Just leave for the rest of the day, it's not like he actually needs you there," she finally said.

"There's no way I can do that without him trapping me and demanding to know what's wrong."

"Here's a thought, tell him," Lissa murmured.

"Eww, who are you?" I ran a hand through my hair and sighed.

"I'd rip his ass into a new day if it were you."

"Yeah, I know," I murmured, defeated. I never thought I would actually have to worry about this with him.

"Like I said, just leave and come over," Lissa reiterated. "We're at the lucky house!"

Jealousy coursed through my veins at that. I could use some luck right about now. Chewing the inside of my lip, I tapped my fingers against my leg.

"Okay, I'm coming over," I finally said, pushing myself up.

"Yes!" She hung the phone up, leaving me to stare at the phone in shock.

Okay then.

The bells against the door jingled as I shoved it open and found Jesse casually sitting in the rolling chair with his feet kicked up onto the counter. He was tossing a tennis ball into the air, but he stopped upon seeing me.

"Hey," he looked surprised.

"Hey, I'm not feeling well, you mind if I take the rest of the day off?" I crossed my arms, trying to avoid eye contact.

The sound of the chair moving made me look up to find him walking toward me.

"Of course I don't mind," he breathed as he wound his arms around my waist, my heart jumping.

Using the tip of his fingers, he tilted my head up to meet his eyes.

"Are you okay?"

His hazel eyes locked onto mine. I swallowed and glanced at his lips. Despite everything, I just wanted him to kiss me and make me forget everything. Maybe Lissa was right, I should just ask.

He leaned down, his nose touching mine. His right arm tightened around me, bringing me closer.

"You mind if I kiss you?" he murmured.

His lips hovered just above mine, light as a feather. Words escaped me as I looked from his lips to his eyes and back again. I moved my hands and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling my body into his.

My thumb brushed against his hair and his eyes closed for a second before they opened with a new look crossing them.

My thoughts were halted as his lips met mine.

No matter how often he kissed me, it still shocked me that I was kissing Jesse Vanderlin. And boy did his lips make me feel things I never thought I'd feel for the guy.

He turned me around, my back bumping into the counter behind me. His teeth lightly nipped my bottom lip making me gasp. As he kissed me his hands roamed, dragging themselves down my arms, to my hips, to the small of my back and up again.

He left me breathless as he pulled away, cupping my cheek with his right hand. I was mesmerized by the green flecks in his eyes. Calling them hazel did them an injustice.

"Don't freak out on me Al," he whispered, his eyes locked onto mine.

The bells on the door signaled a customer walking in and he waited a few extra seconds, allowing the customer to see him holding me. His eyes didn't leave mine and he smirked at the blush creeping up my cheeks.

"I'll see you later?" he asked.

With a nod, we went our separate ways. He walked over to the teenage guy looking for a board and I grabbed my bag and left.

The heat of the sun and coastal breeze was like a shot of reality when I shoved the door open. I leaned up against the wall after the door shut, my fingers feeling my lips.

Jesse.

Everything on the pier was coming to life for the day. The vendors were setting up their food and drink carts  while shop owners brought out racks of clothes and gear to attract tourists. The sound of the amusement park music was coming from the left and a young girl was playing her guitar in the circle right in front of me. Sounds of seagulls, carnival games, ocean waves and footsteps on the wooden pier filled the air. Teenagers were crawling out of their hotel rooms and strolling along in their swimsuits. Kids were squealing in delight as they ran away from seagulls chasing them for their food.

I smiled as a group was passing.

"Jessica, come here!" the guy at the back jogged after the brunette in the front. "We need a picture for Instagram, hashtag couple goals," he sang, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

She shrugged his arm off of her and slapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"Eww Ryan, can you not?"

I laughed discreetly so they wouldn't see me staring. Pulling my hair tie off of my wrist, I put my hair in a ponytail and instead of heading to the lucky house, I left for the amusement park. Really, it was a glorified carnival made to make lovers feel in love and single people weary of their relationship status. It was the dream date, but for our group in high school, it was just another week night.

I gave a vendor a couple of bucks for a chocolate ice cream cone and walked out onto the boardwalk that led to my favorite high school spot. Surprised to see the swings full, I headed for the Ferris wheel.

Once in the cart by myself, I sat back, sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes. The whoosh of the warm ocean air blew my ponytail into my face and made me shiver. The best part of the Ferris wheel was also the "scariest" part. The part where they hold you at the top, just resting there, lightly swinging from the wind. The music becomes a dull hum in the background because the wind overpowers it. Staring out over the ocean was always so surreal. Being at the top takes two things that make you feel small and combines them into one: being up high and standing next to the ocean.

It was my favorite place to think.

I let out a deep breath and smiled as memories from high school flooded my mind. To be honest, I missed those days. I hated high school, but I missed the simplicity.

Jesse laughed as Jared used his body weight to swing the cart back and forth.

"You fucker," Lissa growled as she held onto Jesse and I for dear life.

"Jared stop," Demi whined, her arms spread out wide, hands planted against the sides of the cart to keep her in place.

As much as I hated heights, Jared has been doing this to me since we were kids so it wasn't too frightening, more of an annoyance at this point.

"Aww Red, you scared?" Jared grunted as he continued to swing himself.

"It's Demi," she snapped at him, her eyes shut tight.

Lissa, Jesse and I were squished against each other because Lissa and I thought it would be funny to force Jared to sit with her, but our uneven weight difference was now becoming a nuisance.

Jesse chuckled and moved his arms from between the two of us and spread them behind our shoulders.

"Ahh," he sighed. "The ladies love me."

Lissa and I both immediately shot away from him, smacking him in different places. He retracted his arms to guard himself.

"Hey!" he cried.

"Stop swinging the cart Jared!" the maintenance man below shouted.

"Ha ha," I sneered. He rolled his eyes and glanced behind him to Demi. With a grimace he took a seat as far away from her as possible.

"Jeez, she doesn't have cooties Jar," I raised an eyebrow.

He mock laughed at me and looked out over the ocean.

Jesse's arm bumped into mine.

"Sorry," he murmured with a small smile. He looked away, but his arm stayed in place.

My eyes narrowed as I watched him.

"The real person with cooties is surfer boy over here," I teased Jesse.

"Do you want to find out?" he rapidly raised his eyebrows and leaned into me, puckering his lips.

"Ugh, eww," I shoved him away and into Lissa to which she shoved him back, leaving him being pushed in both directions.

"Ladies, ladies, you can both have me," he grinned.

"Ugh!" we complained in unison. We both  smacked him again and he laughed.

"God Jesse, how do you have a girlfriend?" Lissa sneered.

"Seriously, what girl would put up with you?" I added and leaned into the corner of my side, away from him.

He chuckled, "Ouch Baby Dess."

I glanced away, forcing down the feeling in my chest at the sound of his nickname for me.

"Hey, did either of you finish Seeker's lit review?" Demi piped up.

I shook my head and Lissa groaned. "I don't even want to think about it, why can't we be in college already?"

"Oh because it gets so much easier," Jared teased.

"At least we get to do what we want," Lissa replied.

"Yeah, after a year of shit classes," he laughed.

"Whatever, I'm so over high school," she rolled her eyes.

"Well buckle up, you still have a whole year of it," Jesse leaned back.

"Just don't get a guy arrested, k?" Jared and Jesse both laughed. Lissa got in trouble for dating a college guy who didn't know her real age. She was grounded for months. We thought her Dad was going to have a stroke after living his life thinking his daughter was a celibate nun.

"You guys are assholes," I murmured, but held back a laugh of my own.

I smiled at the memory. That was a great summer, even when he was dating Lauren aka Cheeto.

She hated who you were to me.

My fists clenched as the thought crossed my mind. Jesse said it was the reason she didn't like me. So why was she coming back around?

The ride jerked forward as it began shifting again to let people out. I pushed the thoughts of Jesse away as I stepped off the ride and made my way back to the swings. In my opinion, the swings were the best ride at these things. It felt like flying even if the fear of being flung out into the ocean regularly crossed my mind.

The line moved forward and the guy took our money as we all went to our dedicated swing for the next few minutes. After climbing in, I latched the bar and leaned against the metal chain.

The ride raised us into the air and it gradually picked up speed, all of us flinging out.

I closed my eyes and held my arms out. The wind blowing my hair made everything around me blur and for just a second, I felt free.

"Smile!" Jesse called out to me. I opened my eyes to see him smiling at me with his phone ready to take a picture. Closing my eyes again, I smiled at him and his phone, my arms spread wide.

"Jared, man pay attention!" he shouted to my brother who was in the swing behind me. "Selfie!" he yelled and the five of us shouted with giant grins, as if the shutter could capture our voices.

When we got off, Jesse jogged over to me.

"I'm no photographer, but this is the best photo of you, hands down," he genuinely smiled as he pushed his phone into my hand. On the screen was a picture of me, looking exactly how I felt in that moment: free.

"Not bad," I smiled.

"Not bad? This better be your Facebook profile photo immediately."

We both laughed.

"Pshh, I look all sunburned and--"

"Nope, don't you dare do that," he stared down at me. He pointed at the photo. "This is exactly what I think of when I think of you."

"Sunburned and messy hair?" I crossed my arms with a smirk.

He laughed and shook his head.

"Hey, let's go to the new shark ride!" Jared yelled out from the exit.

Jesse waved his hand and began heading that way with me in tow.

"No, gorgeous and happy," he finally replied. My head snapped up to meet his eyes. He stared at me for just a second. For just a second, he wasn't my brother's best friend. He was someone I had never met entirely, but as fast it came, it disappeared and he winked, walking off ahead of me.

Looking back, I could piece together the feelings we had for each other all of those years. Both of us far too naive to recognize what it was and too cowardly to admit it. But we still were, weren't we?

The ride began and just like all of those years ago, I held my arms out and closed my eyes, searching for what I haven't felt in two years: freedom.

In an instant, my eyes flew open. The wind was whipping my ponytail around, sometimes slapping me in the face, but I was frozen in shock. For the first time since Dad died, lyrics popped into my head.

A smile lifted my lips as I realized... I wanted to go home and write. There was a song in my head. Over the noise of the ocean, the wind and the music playing, I could hear a melody with a chorus flashing through my thoughts.

I let out a breath of relief as we were lowered back down. I grabbed my bag off of the ground and  jogged out of the exit.

I needed my notebook. I needed my...I needed my guitar.

My heart cracked at the thought.

No, not this time, I thought to myself. I won't run this time, not from songwriting.