Stranded

Jessie lives life in her own little world. But when Devin steps in, Jessie gets the chance to see life from a brighter point of view. At least until he's gone.

 

Suddenly, the long walk home from the bus stop didn’t seem so tedious. As long as it was in the opposite direction of a certain boy, it couldn’t be more welcome.

The air had a certain bite to it, almost enough to make me want to pull the jacket that had spent many months in the disaster area called my closet out of its hiding place. But, right now, digging through the remains of a nuclear stuff explosion wasn’t worth it. Not yet.

I pulled open the front door to my house, only to be greeted by my mom’s huge grin. Whenever my mom smiled, something I didn’t want to happen was about to happen.

“Jessie, sweetie, that nice boy called-” How had he gotten home already? And how did he get our phone number? Stalker. “And he just wanted to remind you that he invited all of us over for dinner, in case you forgot.” Damn, he was smarter than I thought. “Isn’t that great sweetie?” 

No, no it’s not, “Yeah mom, it’s great. That’s just fabulous. Let me go put on a pink frilly dress and we can just mosey right over.” I rolled my eyes, dumped my backpack on the floor, and then climbed the long row of stairs that stood between me and some peace.

She called after me, “We’re going over at six. Put on something nice please sweetie. And nothing inappropriate-”

“So I can’t borrow your clothes?” I slammed the door, and lay face down on my bed. They hadn’t invented, or at least I hadn’t heard of, words bad enough to describe how much I hated Devin. “Stupid, clever, son-of-a-b***h,” I told my pillow, “he’s going to pay for this.”

While I plotted ways to get back at Devin, I heard the rushed footsteps of my family dashing around my house, getting ready to meet the Rowlands.  For a brief moment I honestly considered putting on my good converse, then came to the conclusion if they were related to Devin they weren’t worth it.

I stared up at the ceiling, counting seconds until someone had the nerve to pester me by talking to me. By the time I got to eight hundred, I gave up and walked downstairs. Obviously they had learned better than to annoy me.

I walked out of the house, and towards the back yard. Maybe if I disappeared I wouldn’t have to go to dinner. I climbed into the little rowboat that rested on the edge of the lake, and positioned the paddles.

I attributed half of my arm strength to this rowboat.  Even since I was five, I had been rowing myself out the island and back on an almost daily basis. When I was little, the island was almost magical for me. On the island I could be anyone, and no one could tell me anything. I was a brave warrior who won a battle against a thousand single-handedly. I was a pirate, finding gold and ruling the seas.

For a while, that was all fine. Then I grew up, and my warrior’s clothes changed to jeans, and my pirate boots to converse. The island became less magical, and more just a place to be alone. I had laid claim to this island a long time ago. Only two houses bordered the lake in which the island sat, and the last people that had lived here were two adults who didn’t give a damn that there was a perfectly good island sitting in the middle of a not-so perfectly good lake.

I pushed the boat onto the sand, and climbed out. The water soaked through my converse, a familiar, welcome feeling. I smiled, and began to climb up the side of the rocks to reach the elevated part of the little island. The rocks were a little slippery from the wind splashing water against the large rocks, but nothing I hadn’t done before. I had climbed up and down this ten-foot cliff in pouring rain and snow. A little water was nothing to be afraid of.

Once I swung myself up over the top of the rocks, I began my walk to my favorite sitting spot. It was a tree with a branch that was almost perfectly horizontal. I pulled myself up into the tree and lay down on my branch. My eyes found themselves closing as I listened to sounds I had practically memorized. The wind rustling through the falling October leaves, the water flowing and crashing below the island, and the sweet sound of nothing. No one talking or pestering. Just me and the island.

“They said I might find out here,” He would die.

I opened my eyes and saw Devin looking up at me from on the ground. I took a deep breath to control myself, and then shut both eyes again in an attempt to relax. Maybe he would get the clue and leave.

“It’s dinner time.” Is it really? I had no idea. That’s not why I came out here or anything. “This is a pretty nice island.” He still didn’t get a response. So, he reached up and poked me, “Jessie.” HE drew out my name.

I lost it. “This is my island! Get off. Go back to your stupid house and your stupid guitar and just leave me alone. You are the most persistent, obnoxious person I have ever met in my entire life. I came onto this island to be alone. As in not with you. Why can’t you just respect I don’t like you and stop talking to me?”

He looked hurt, like I just stabbed him in the gut, “Well, okay then.” He paused for a minute, “So I take it you’re not coming to dinner?”

Without responding, I got up, and walked right past him. He began to follow me, and I debated pushing him off the cliff. That would shut him up for sure. I jumped down the side of the cliff to where the rowboats were, and glanced back with a laugh and he shimmied down carefully.

I pulled the oars out of his boat and placed them in mine, then carefully got in my boat and began to paddle away. It wasn’t until a long moment later he realized what I had done, and called after me.

“Jessie, wait. You took me paddles.” Don’t state the obvious.

“Yes, yes I did.” I called back.

He was lucky I left him with a boat.

 

Reviews

[Daydreamer54]

That was mean! What did he do to her that possibliy could make her hate him , aside from the fact he's not ewasily fazed by her bitternes. I wonder whay she's so mean anyway.