Vanilla Sky…Part 8.

Before…

And he’s…I have no idea what his family background is but he has this very light skinned black person thing going on and straight black hair and these ice blue eyes that just sort of pop in.

Okay he might just be sexy.

Now…

I’m blushing and Shane’s smiling at me but it’s this…

Oh dammit…Oh chocolate…

Seriously his mouth is just this certain way that his smile is just there…nice, really nice and like the rest of him and not too over the top but just right.

I don’t know what to do.

He’s a boy and I’m…

And he’s…

I look at Katelyn and she takes a drink of her coffee and raises an eyebrow.

I blush some more and take a drink of mine and she says. “Shane’s single by the way.”

I start to choke on my coffee.

“Katelyn Jeeze! I’m…I’m not…”

Shane smiles. “Not here any time at all and she’s trying to fix you up.” He passes me some napkins.

“Thanks…” I sort of swallow and there’s this.

I am soooo conscious that our hands just touched.

I…

Can I change that much this fast?

He still smiles and he goes for a Timbit?

“So what are you girls panning tonight?”

Katelyn shrugs. “This pretty much why what do you guys got planned?”

“Nothing major just going down to Sully’s beach, do some clamming and maybe a bonfire.”

“Clamming? Is that like fishing for clams?”

“Digging but yeah he says.”

“I’ve never really seen that is it fun?”

“Can be.” He smiles and I look at Katelyn and she’s already turned to the other girls and there’s some agreement and I bite my lower lip.

“Can I have a moment?”

“Sure.”

I get up and head outside and call my dad.

“Daddy?”

“Yes Samantha what’s up honey having fun?”

“Yes, oh wow yes I met some people and they’re nice Dad and they’re friendly and me being me’s not a big deal and we’re having coffee and they’re all really nice and…omigawd dad I’m rambling!”

He chuckles over the phone. “You’re a teenaged girl you’re allowed to do that.”

“They want to go clamming, is it okay if I go too?”

“At Sully’s beach?”

“Yeah how’d you know?”

“Some of the other girls are doing the same as you.”

“Oh…so..can I?”

“Yes, but be careful the mud can be pretty deep and it’s not quite like just being on the beach.”

“I…uhm…okay…”

“Do you have a ride?”

“I think so.”

“Well if you don’t call me at eleven or before that. I want you all home buy midnight.”

“Midnight! Dad wow…”

“No…you’re with a big group and all the girls so we’re trusting you more.”

“No alcohol, even if there’s others drinking you see the booze come out you call me for a ride.”

“Yes Daddy.” That’s such a non issue I really don’t like to drink and my Stepdad was a few beers after work all the time kind of guy.

It might not be the case but I always sort of put part of him being an asshole down to that.

“Dad…?”

“Yes Honey?”

“Thanks so much for this.”

“You’re welcome honey.” I can actually hear the warmth in his voice. I have really needed y’know someone that gives a shit in my life.

“Samantha?” He says.

“Yes dad?”

“Love you kiddo.”

“Love you too daddy.”

I turn in my phone and I head inside and look at Katelyn and Shane. “We have to be home before midnight but we can go, is that okay?”

Shane nods. “Gotta work tomorrow do midnight’s cool.”

The others agree and not only does Shane have a car.

A nice looking blue painted old Crown Victoria…oh it’s old and maybe from the eighties or nineties. But it’s big too lots of room inside and it has a lot of power. I haven’t been in an eight cylinder car in a long time.

No I’m not a car girl but this thing is old and there’s a big engine with lots of power that much I can tell.

Flora, Anne, Selina and Katelyn are with me in Shane’s car and the rest are mixed between Dwayne’s pick up…He’s dating Bridgette who Natasha’s cousin and then there’s Patrick with his Bronco.

There’s a lot of older cars and stuff here or with the kids my age. I will say that all three need work and Dwayne’s truck has patches of primer on it.

I can actually appreciate works in progress being one myself.

The beach is a small spot and I’m not sure what I was expecting but not all the sand bars and how far they go out there.

The actual beach is sandy and nice even though the grass really needs mowing and there’s thistles and stuff and a worn path not a wooden one and the guys helped us down the bank and I blush when Dwayne took my hand to steady me.

“You blush easy.”

“My…My first time.”

“Oh…you’re the girl becoming a girl later right? Fixing your sex and stuff.”

I blush deeper and sort of half step back, bite my lip and have the need to hug myself. “Yes…that’s kinda it.”

“Huh? Couldn’t really tell.”

Blink, blink…huh?

He starts walking and I go with. “You can’t”

He looks over at me. “Not that I was really looking seeing as I have Bridge but you’re not like acting all floofy gay and you’re not like a guy clunking around in girl’s clothes so yeah…you just looked like a girl to me. I mean you’re acting like one.”

“I am?”

“H’yeah…durr…self judging much.”

He grins and tosses me a zippo lighter. “I’m gonna help the guys you girls get a fire going?”

“Uhm…okay.”

He going and I…I have no tools to explain just how big a thing this just was to me.

We end up gathering lots of fire wood and the guy’s dig a pit and dragged over a couple of logs and Patrick had stuff in his Bronco and while the fire’s going we’re boiling bottled water in a big camping kettle and the guys are clamming.

You dig them up with spades some but Shane has an actual clamming fork and we’re getting g these clams that are sort of white-blue-grey and between an inch to two long and squirt like crazy.

We all went out when the fire was raging at full burn or at least to try it. Dad was right there’s sand but there’s also like lots of like channels of mud too and I got a foot in there and got sucked in to my calf and nearly fell if it wasn’t for Shane.

I blushed when he caught me.

A lot.

Most of us girl’s went in early though washing the mud off our feet together. Then it was the kettle a can of canned milk and carnation instant hot chocolate.

I’ve never had hot chocolate like this and never by a campfire and the ocean before.

I get good weepy and Katelyn comes over with Anne. “Sam? Are you okay?”

(Sniffle.) “Yeah…just…I’m just happy…it’s…I couldn’t imagine my life being this…just even this much ever y’know.”

Katelyn smiles but Anne is nodding. “I was little home but I can remember it, we weren’t…we have no money then, some people do home but many don’t. I never have new clothes before coming here…never have my own room before. I never have money or friends and mother and father had to work so hard to just get what we have and now…now this is so totally different.”

We hug each other and Katelyn nods. Well how about we gather some shells and stuff while the boys are still doing the clamming.”

Part of me squee’s and we get shells of all kinds and I go a little nuts but I want to gather enough of each kind to fill up some jars with at home to decorate my room and I even get some sand and beach glass too.

By the time we’re done the boys are back and they rinse off their catch? Dig? And they let them set for awhile with water and something to let them spit the sand out more and we do another round of hot chocolates and stoke up the fire and play Frisbee.

It’s just goofing off and laughing and having fun and Dwayne even got his truck close to the bank and turned on the radio so we all had music.

It was likely nine or so by the time they did the clams and just boiled in sea water and Patrick had stuff for the rest with him which was one of the reasons why the guys were at the mall.

Butter in little tin dishes and garlic butter too melted and I like mine either plain or with a little bit of butter until Shane shows me how to eat one from the half shell with some of the water…broth…I guess they just use enough water to steam them instead of boil them and then a little bit of melted butter.

I never really liked clams before this.

So not breaded fried clam strips.

Between eating and taking and cleaning everything up and making sure the fire’s out…?

“Aren’t we going to put out the fire guys?”

Shane smiles and say’s. “You’ve never seen the tide come in have you?”

“Yeah, I’ve been to the…”

There’s a little ripple out there and I can almost see this flood of water coming.

I’m kind of perplexed watching it until in like twenty minutes the fire’s out and the water’s starting to touch my toes.

“Wow…what?”

“Bay of Fundy tides Sam, fastest and highest tides in the world.” Shane says smiling.

“Okay…that was very, very cool.” I’m actually sill impressed with it still and still stealing glances at the water as we walk back to the vehicles and the guys drive us all home.

Music on, heater on, friends and just…I want to live now…I want my life so badly now.