It's Late Where You Live

I never knew that Tree Hill was where I’d end up. There was some part of me that just wanted to stay with the Cohens, but then again, I didn’t want to be somewhere where I wasn’t wanted. Except for Seth. He was pretty … yeah. He was pissed about the whole thing, but I understood. Why should I expect anyone else to want me when my mother didn’t even want me? Now I was stuck in Tree Hill, doing nothing for the summer, living with a family who … I guess wasn’t all that different from normal. They had dinner at the table with the tv turned off, if it was ever on and on some nights, there was bible study while on Sunday’s … we all went to church. Not that I didn’t want to, I just thought it was a little much. I don’t know. I think it’s safe to say that I was never religious. My mother cared more about the bottle and the guy of the week than God, or how she was going to be judged, which my home mother talked a lot about. Being judged. Either you’ll be burned, or you’ll be picked up by God just before and taken to Heaven. It’s all … kind of scary now that I think about it.

Everyday I leave and go down to the beach. It’s the only thing that reminds me of California, it’s beaches. I only had a few more years until I was of age and then I could just leave. I wasn’t exactly making a house a home here. I did what I was told and then I left and then when I turn 18, I’d be gone for good. Probably go and see Seth, and then after that? I wasn’t’ sure.

Sitting here, I just leaned back and wondered what was going on in the other side of the world. The next thing I knew, I heard thunder from a distance and I looked out, noticing a few clouds coming in. Getting up, I brushed myself off from the sand and just watched it. Lightening, thunder and now everything was turning dark. The wind started picking up and this is the fastest I’ve ever seen a storm form. Everyone was running and little kids were screaming as they held onto their mother’s and I just watched it. I noticed something though and I walked a little bit closer, but there was someone in the water.

I looked around, watching for the lifeguards, but they were too busy trying to get everyone else out to see what was going on over here. I didn’t think about it, I just got in and swam against the current, trying to get myself to this person so I could pull them out. Finally, I grabbed them and faced their back toward me and then dragged ourselves out of the water. The rain was really coming down now and I could barely see what was in front of me. I ended up taking her to an overhead up the beach and I laid her down. I looked her over before trying to remember what to do. Tilting her chin up, I leaned down and tried to hear if she was breathing, but she wasn’t. Leaning down, I started breathing in, then sat up and positioned my hands over her chest before I started pumping her heart. A few rounds of CPR and finally, she was spitting out the water and her eyes were opened.

“Hey … I um … I’m just going to get you inside, somewhere safe,” I told her, trying to be reassuring, but the rain that was pouring down was heavy and I wasn’t sure she could even hear me.

Picking her up, I held onto her as I led her to my jeep … the house mother’s jeep and I got her inside. Getting in on the other, I started it up and drove off, heading to my new house.