Page 52 of Blue in the Deep Blue Sea

When the light finally reached my face again, I cracked one eye open and watched her stomp away before breaking into a run toward town.

My hand settled against my chest as I let out a long breath. I lowered my headphones and slowly turned toward the window.

A loud bang exploded against the glass.

I yelped.

Gianni stood outside, doubled over with laughter.

“You scream like a girl,” he said, clutching his stomach as he stepped back.

I grabbed the window handle and rolled it around, trying to crank the window down. It only opened halfway, so I squeezed half my face through the gap.

“You’re an ass.”

“Never sing again,” he said, stepping closer. “And get out of that car before my sister and Annie come back and hang you by your balls from the nearest power line.”

He had a point.

I took the key from my lap, which I hadn’t even bothered to put in the ignition, then reached over and lifted the little lock pin on the door. The lock clicked open.

As I climbed out, the cassette player slipped off the seat and hit the floor. The cassette popped out.

“Fuck.”

I crouched down and reached under the seat, feeling around with both hands, but found nothing.

“Can’t you just get another one?” Gianni asked, grabbing the back of my shirt to keep me from falling headfirst into the car.

“It’s kind of important,” I muttered, sweeping my hand deeper beneath the seat, searching every corner.

Nothing.

It was impossible to find anything. Annie was one of those hoarders who kept everything in her car. Makeup, clothes, handbags stuffed with who knew what. You know… girl stuff.

“Fuck it,” I sighed.

I snapped the cassette player shut, stuffed it and my headphones back into my backpack, slung it over my shoulder, and closed the car door.

“They’re waiting for us down there,” Gianni said. “Annie wants us to do the wishes this year too.”

“Nah,” I said. “I’ll skip it.”

He shoved my arm.

“You can wish for a bigger dick,” he laughed.

I raised an eyebrow.

“I already got a good one.”

“That’s what he said.”

He burst into another fit of laughter, still throwing jabs my way as we followed the narrow trail down toward the beach.

Annie stood by the cliffs, leaning against a large rock with the waves washing over her feet. She lowered a bottle with a message inside into the water, then closed her eyes.

Fireworks burst overhead, scattering thousands of colors across the sea. She walked back to Gabriella, who had her thin white sweater on. It was three sizes too big, the sleeves swallowing her hands. She hugged herself, her hands resting on her arms, while the sweater slipped from one shoulder, revealing the bare skin beneath. The fireworks flickered in her eyes as she looked at Annie and smiled. She totally ignored Gianni and me.