"Okay, okay, okay... I'm going." I grumbled as Sammy ushered me out the front door of our new home. I glanced over my shoulder, gazing over the tiny place. Sammy fumbled with the key before placing it in her pocket.

"Okay geez. How many times do you have to say 'okay'?" Sammy continued, pushing me down the sidewalk as if I was going to go rushing back towards the door.

I honestly thought about it. I just wanted to relax and take a fourteen-hour nap. By now it was seven in the morning. How could she expect me to be ready for our first adventure?

We had finished unloading the bags, placing them in the hallway to decide rooms later, vowing to unpack today. The other few boxes we left in the middle of the living room, also waiting for our return.

We trudged quickly down the sidewalk, trying to take in our surroundings, but it was nearly impossible to make out any solid details. A street lamp flickered in the distance, the sun finally high enough in the sky it was getting ready to turn off. Sammy's eyes were glued to her phone as she searched the map that was glaring back at her.

"Have you found any coffee shops yet?" I could feel the need of energy taking over my body. It was too late that I knew I wouldn't be able to rest. My circadian rhythm had decided my fate.

An all too preoccupied Sammy continued to stomp down the sidewalk. My words drifted in the wind as if they had never been spoken.

"Where are we going?" I tried again. Maybe this time she will listen? It broke the silence between the two of us just enough that she finally noticed. Sammy stopped in her tracks, turning to look at me. A cool breeze sent shivers down my body. Tugging at the sweatshirt I was wearing, I pulled it down to cover the bare skin on my wrists.

"We just moved to a town that is within walking distance of the ocean. We are going to the ocean," Sammy beamed, turning back to gaze earnestly at her phone once more. Before following her, I looked around the empty streets, shoving my hands in the front pocket of my hoodie, the strings bouncing with every gust of wind. I pull my hood over my head, trying my best to block as much of the crisp air.

"Come on, it says it's just up ahead," Sammy shouted as she quickened her pace, her strides taking her much further than mine. I tried to keep up, fumbling over my awkward legs and nearly tripping as we came to the end of the road.

"It's a dead end," I wheezed after she stopped. My tired muscles ached from the lack of sleep. Our adventure had just begun, and I found myself already exhausted.

"Stupid phone... it literally says it's just right here." Sammy threw her arms in the air nearly sending her phone sailing. She paused for a moment before taking a few steps onto the front lawn of the house we stood in front of.

"Look at this place." I gasped, taking in the mansion's beauty on cement stilts. I didn't know houses could be this big, and this close to the ocean. I took in the light robin egg blue paint and the windows lining the exterior. There had to be nearly thirty. Storm shutters framed each windowsill, the white paint offsetting the blue perfectly. Across the top of the house were the words 'Tidal Waves' painted in a darker blue. The house looked both like it belonged here in this very spot, but not in this state. The architecture was very southern, almost plantation-like, with a modern twist. Large windows filled an entire corner of the home.

"Olyvya..." I heard my name but couldn't find the redhead that had called it. My attention had been too focused on the house... the real house in front of me. This put our little shack of a house to shame.

"Where did you go?" I shouted, looking around for anyone lurking in the shadows. The sun had risen slightly, creating a blind spot of shadows. Palm tree-like bushes separated each house from the next. I leaned into the bushes, scared the owners of the house would be awake by now.

"Hey, are you coming or what?" Sammy popped out of nowhere, grabbing my arm and dragging me through the trees. I let out a yelp as my body was yanked through the wispy leaves scratching at my bare legs. I should have worn pants.

Sammy rushed through the foliage for what felt like hours to my tiny legs. My body is screaming for sleep, or food, or both. I wasn't sure how she could move so fast, let alone drag my dead weight behind her. Before I could even register the colors passing by, we burst through the jungle and onto the sandy shore of the most beautiful beach I had ever seen.

Giant rocks protruded from the water as the waves crashed angrily into the side of them. I could smell the sea breeze in the air, the wind tugging at my shorter strands of hair whipping them around my face. I let out a sigh and slumped to the ground to take in all the beauty. This was it. This was where I wanted to live for the rest of my life. I closed my eyes, letting the wind blow over me. Suddenly it wasn't as harsh as it had been back on the road. I listened to the crashing of the waves against the rocks, the calming water rushing over the sand.

I opened my eyes to take it all in once more. The sun was peeking over the mountains behind us, casting an orange-pink hue over the water. We had just made it in time to see the sunrise colors kiss the water.

I began untying my shoes, removing them one by one, and doing the same with my socks. After neatly folding them and placing them to the side of the trail, I mustered up enough energy to stand up. I wasn't sure what took over me, but my legs began to move, pulling me closer to the water. My pace quickened and before I knew it, I was practically sprinting to the waves. I ran until my feet touched the ocean before yelping and heading back to the cool sand.

"Holy shit! That water is freezing." I buried my feet in the sand, trying to find any warmth possible. It didn't help; the further in the sand they went, the colder it was against my skin.

"That's the west coast for you Oly," Sammy teased as she threw her head back in a chuckle. Her arms extended from her sides and she spun. "This is heaven, isn't it?"

"It is," an unfamiliar voice interrupted us. Both Sammy and I jumped towards each other with our backs touching like we were prepared to fight off anything. We very clearly weren't.

Walking down the pathway we had come from was a younger gentleman. He looked to be in his early 20s, his brown hair was buzzed close to his head. His leather jacket was ripped and tattered, but somehow still looked like he had just barely purchased it.

"Morning," Sammy popped off, and I instantly shot her a death glance, which quickly sank away because I knew she was really just trying to be nice. I watched the man closely as he picked my shoes up, holding them in his hands. He closed the distance between us until he was talking not more than five feet away.

"What are you guys doing here?" he questioned, ignoring Sammy's morning greeting. He was intimidating, but still had a smile plastered across his face. One of those cocky grins that you would see from the jocks in high school.

"We just moved in this morning. We were trying to see the ocean," I piped up, my fingers fiddling with the hangnails on my fingertips. Before I could even think, the words had slipped out.

"This is private property. If you want to see the ocean so badly, you can knock on the front door." He turned to point at the robin egg house before returning to us. He held my shoes out, and I quickly took them. Somehow, having my shoes in my hands made me feel safer in this situation.

"Sorry, I didn't see a sign." Sammy folded her arms, cocking her hip to the side. I turned to glare at her once more. She needed to shut up. The situation was tense, but something seemed to take over my body. In a confrontational conversation, I'd normally cower, falling behind my loud-mouthed friend. This didn't feel like that, though.

"There are no signs..." the young man spoke, his voice trailing off as he turned to look towards the water. "People from here just kind of understand that."

"I guess it's obvious we aren't from here." Sammy couldn't help herself. The more she spoke, the more I wanted to smack her. All we needed to do was get out of here. I knew we should have gone to get coffee instead, and once again Sammy had dragged me into a situation, I would rather not be in.

"I can tell by what you are wearing." The words hit harder than I expected them to. Looking down at my black sweatshirt and athletic shorts, I couldn't seem to find anything wrong with them. Nor could I find anything wrong with Sammy's long-sleeved white shirt layered under a pretty yellow spaghetti strap dress. He, on the other hand... who wore a leather-style jacket to the beach?

"Well, that was a little uncalled for. So I guess if you don't mind, we will just continue up this beach." Sammy pointed in the opposite direction, not giving much attention to his comment. She had such a confidence about her naturally, that I'm sure it bounced right off of her.

"You can't go that way either." He kicked at the sand, shoving his hands in his pockets. "It's all private property out here. If you want to go to the public beach, it's about five miles that way." He used his thumb to point behind him.

"I'm sorry..." I mumble, grabbing Sammy's arm, trying to pull her towards the hidden pathway we had come down earlier. "Let's just go."

"I don't want to, Oly. We drove all this way to see the ocean and now that we are here, I just want to take it in." Sammy groaned, but she knew she was in the wrong, so she followed suit. I smiled at the stranger, trying to ease the awkward tension surrounding us. Catching a glimpse of his green eyes and the smile spread across his face. He seemed to enjoy this.

"I'm willing to let it slide this time on one condition." He scratched at his head before looking off in the distance towards the cliffs. After a brief moment, he turned to look at us again.

"What is that?" This comment intrigued Sammy and I could tell by the way her feet planted in the sand and she whipped around, nearly knocking me over.

"You guys come surfing with me here, tomorrow morning... 5 a.m." My mouth dropped at his condition. Why did this guy want to spend time with us? Before I could even open my mouth or process a decent response, Sammy had answered for me.

"Okay, we will be here." 

----------- Authors Note -----------

Thank you so much for taking an interest in my story. I hope you are enjoying it thus far. Feel free to point out any mistakes and #CommentSpam is always accepted.

What do you like about Olyvya?

How do you feel about this new stranger?

Is Sammy insane for wanting to go surfing with the hot stranger?

Vote.Comment.Share.

- Brittani