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     "There is one thing the photograph    must contain, the humanity of the    moment..." -Ansel Adams

                    ...LATER IN THE STORY...

~(Chapter One)~

      "Clean the main lens, this one." I poke the circle plastered in the middle of my pastel pink Polaroid camera, "Also, you have to hold the camera above your head so you can see the ocean and view behind me too."

"But it's pouring rain-"

"That's the point." I tug against my red bathing suit that was uncomfortably riding up my thighs.

"The view isn't going to look nice here, the waves of the ocean are literally crashing everywhere it looks like we're in the middle of a tsunami." - "And the sky looks kind of icky and the sa-"

"Flynn..." I pouted my lips.He sighed, rolled his eyes sarcastically and pulled the camera close to his eye, "Go stand over there and let's take the damn picture."

      He was pointing to some boulders covered in rotting, old seaweed and crusty sand and they were sitting against the shore of the ocean.

"But...I might slip and fall."

   He pulls the aesthetically pleasing camera down from his face and lets it hang around his neck, and pouts his lips like an injured puppy, "Beverlyyyy.."

"Are you mimicking me Flynn?"

"Are you mimicking me Flynn?"

"Stop."

"Stop."

"I'm serious."

"I'm serious." He laughs in between his teeth, "Weren't you the one to say that you wanted to work with me for this project?"

"...."
"...."
"Fine, but if I slip or if I die, I'll make sure you don't come to my funeral or memorial service." I furrow my eyebrows.

"It's not like I'd go to those things anyway." His lips curve at each end and he winks.He breaks back into focus, "Okay lets take this picture, the weather isn't getting any better here." his lips break away from the smile, he pulls the camera back to his face and adjusts the main lens so it zooms out.

I kick my pink flip flops off my feet and hesitantly do a jog/run to one of the huge rocks:

   "I'll be waiting here, Bev."

        •         •         •

"FLYNN I CAN JUST TELL MR.SMITH THAT I DIDNT WANT TO DO THE PROJECT ANYMORE, AND I DON'T NEED TO GRADUATE I COULD JUST WORK AT THE LOCAL MC DONALD'S, IT'LL BE FINE!" I grip onto the ledges of the rocks and push myself up- low-key close to crying.

He cuffed his hands to the sides of his mouth and shouted, "ALTHOUGH GRILLING MODERATELY PRICED BURGER PATTIES AND CLEANING GREASE FRYERS DOES SOUND TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, YOU WANTED TO DO THIS DARE FOR THE PICTURE." My spine shivered at that sentence-gross grease fryers.

"Awww frick." I crawled over the slippery boulder.I guess you could say I'm average height, I'm not very short, but I'm no tall person.So because of that, I had to use my foot to push my body weight over the rocks continuously until I reached a flat surface that I could sit on, I couldn't stop trembling and my lip quivered as I pulled myself up onto the ledge and kneel against the rough rock that was scraping my knee and giving me small cuts and bruises that hurt like a bitc-

"ARE YOU AT THE TOP YET BEV?"

I threw my thumb up into the air

"OKAY GOOD, NOW STAND UP A BIT NEAR THE LEDGE AND POSE!"

...

Now I'm having a suspicion that Flynn is out to kill me.

"OKAY OKAY OKAY TAKE THE PICTURE I'M STANDING!" I wobbled and I tried looking for something to hold on to and balance myself with, but you can't really find something sturdy on a boulder.

"I'M TAKING THE PICTURE IN THREE.."

So put the weight of my foot onto the boulder for more balance, except I find myself standing on super, slippery seawater and wet sand.

" TWO....."

suddenly and very quickly, my leg kicks in front of me, launching me into the air

"FL-"

"ONE!"

I throw myself up to the surface and I gasp and flap my arms around like a deformed bird covered in sticky tar.My wet hair drooped on my face like a mop!

I gag on bitter seawater.Whenever I'm sick, my mom makes me gargle warm water and salt sine it'll help cure my throat, but I always hated it but I did it anyway.- that's exactly how my mouth tastes right at this minute.

Flynn started running up to me and he was tugging on his baggy, black Hollister sweater in a panic.

"I'm okay don't worry!" I smiled- uncontrollably- it was weird, but it was so adrenaline pounding and so daring that I couldn't help but smile

"Are you hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital? I can go to my car and get some Bandaids and I could drive you to the hospital.Do you need to go to the hospital?Are you hurt? I could get Bandai-" He grabbed my wrist and my waist and carefully pulled me out of the water.

Flynn repeats things whenever he is
A) Afraid
B) nervous
C) upset
D) All of the above ✅

"I don't need a hospital." I try to smile, but the seawater is soaking into the cuts I got on the boulder.

He was precocious, his head tilted to one side of his neck and his lips fell down in the saddest frown in existence- "It's my fault, if you weren't comfortable with it I shouldn't have forced you- it's my fault I shouldn't have forced you- if you weren't confortable with it I shouldn't have-"

"You're repeating again Flynn.." I laugh

He ran his fingers through his soft, brown hair.With no hesitation, he tugs on the collar of his black Hollister sweater, with a big red bird plastered in the middle and the white logo surrounding it.He pulls it over his head, then slips it onto my shivering body.The sweater is very warm, and it smells like cinnamon.

He pulled my wet and tangled hair from under the sweater, "I'll drive you back home so you can shower." Sadness quivered in his voice

Nodding, I slide my feet into my flip flops and pick the Polaroid and together, we walk off of the beach.

I lay my head against the car window and stared off at the sky that was swirling in pink, orange and red sunset.

He huffs as he sits down in the conductor's seat and stretches his hand over to my lap, I jump a bit.

"What are you doing?"

He pulls a picture slip from the slot in the bottom of the camera and pulls another one from his pocket, "Well, it just happens that I took two pictures instead of one." He shakes the Polaroids.

  "They're actually really nice! like, when I'm falling it looks like I'm flying!"

He doesn't respond, he just gives a weak smile.

"Flynn this isn't your fault you didn't do anything, I was the one who wanted to do this dare for the picture, remember?"

"But I basically forced you to do it."

"But I came up with it."

  He slowly nods, but stops when he sees my knee.He unbuckles his seatbelt, and gets out of his car

I decide not to question it.I wrap the sleeves of the cotton sweater around my cold body, and rest my head against the the seatbelt.

The sound of the car door closing alerts me, Flynn shifts in the conductor's seat and pops open a small, red container.I was too sleepy, I didn't notice what was happening, until I felt something sticky.I slide my hand against my knee cap.

"You have cuts on your knee." Flynn smiles and pushes his key into the ignition.

                            • • •

    My eyes fluttered open and drool spilled against the seatbelt, my mouth was very dry- I sleep with my mouth open- weird I know.

"You are by far the creepiest, and weirdest sleeper I have ever encountered in my seventeen years of existence." Ryland pulls the key out of the ignition and laughs maniacally.

"How dare you insult my sleeping skills?"

"You snore, a lot.Also, you mumble in your sleep and say words that I don't even think exist."

"Like?"

"Piddles."

"I never said 'piddles' in my sleep you liar."

"You did Beverly! While I was driving, you even asked me if we could go to Staples and buy a pet cow.If that's not weird to you then I don't know what is!"

"...Well that explains the dream I had." I look in the front window of the car and my blue, two story house with a creme colored porch is perked up on the grass

Once again, Flynn leaves his car and closes the door.I start to pull on the car handle, when suddenly, Flynn opens it, unbuckles my seat belt, and grabs under my knee and under my arms, carrying me like a baby.

"Why are you carrying me?!" I uncontrollably laugh and lightly hit his chest.

"I'm not taking any chances Beverly Campbell, I don't want you to hurt yourself after that horrific fall!" his British accent was on point.

"Thank you kind sir, I appreciate this greatly." I respond back, in a thicker British accent.

He kicks the side of the car door with his foot, and skips up the stairs of my house's porch.

"Have a good ol' day, madam Campbell!" Flynn sets me down on the floor carefully.I twist the front doorknob, and suddenly my big St.Bernard dog, Wicket, lunges at me and licks my face uncontrollably. I caress his face and kiss his head, slowly getting back up.

Wicket runs towards Flynn and puts his paws on his shoulders, almost tumbling Flynn down the stairs.He rubs his back and his head.I widely open the door and Wicket runs back inside- just as I am about to head in, I forgot I still had Flynn's sweater.

"Sir Floyd! Your sweater!" I start to tug on the collar of the warm sweater until he shakes his head and smiles:

"Keep it."

"Well, hello, darling with the ocean eyes.How many secrets keep us apart?A sea of poems, a field of sighs, Can I cross and return to the start?"  -Unknown

Hello ma peeps! I hope you liked this chapter and my story, I will be adding pictures and a lot of things to make this story a bit more interactive- have a good day and do something fun and get off of the dang electronics!-K💜

(This is my new story, I'm only posting a chapter so you guys can taste a bit of my story- but only one chapter! The rest remains a mystery) 😏 🔍 LeAvE a CoMmEnT tElLiNg Me WhAt YoU tHiNk!