The beach was cold and and empty; just the waves and the water and the wind right now. It was good. Soothing. Like the wind could just hollow her out, blow everything away. Raven had gone up to the roof for some alone time and Karla couldn't help feeling grateful for that. She needed some time too. To think, to reflect. In so small part, to ( Read more... )

Summer vacation had ended and school had begun, which meant that people needed to spend as much time at the beach as possible before winter set in and the beach got too chilly. Which was why Karla had decided on the beach as soon as Warren had suggested a picnic ( Read more... )

When Warren had suggested a picnic in the park (far from any flamingos) for their lunch, Karla had assumed he meant an actual picnic. A basket, a blanket, some sandwiches, a few sodas, and maybe some fruit for dessert. When they finally arrived at the corner of the park where Warren had set up, Karla realized that they were operating under two very ( Read more... )

It would be safe to assume that Karla had been looking forward to this all day. Even the fun of gossiping with her friends as they got ready for the prom wasn't enough to drown out the background anticipation of their first real and official date ( Read more... )

So that was the ocean. Karla hugged herself a little, grinning a large, dopey smile. Even though the day was cloudy, the beach was still beautiful. The water had a slightly gray cast to it, a reflection of the overcast sky, but that didn't stop Karla from hiking up her skirt to knee-height and wading, calf-deep, in the water, kicking up great big ( Read more... )