Run, Run, Run and Hide

[Kelli-wa]

Cason was glad that his cousin's apartment building was only a couple blocks from the beach.  The swell wasn't as sweet as Huntington's but he could live with it.  He was just bored and no one was around at Tad's.  They were apparently both at work.  

He made his way in his swim trunks to the beach, board under his arm and tether already attached to his ankle so he could go straight from the sidewalk to the beach to the water without having to stop.  He got in the water and immediately felt better about his whole situation, taking the weight away from his shoulders, not that there was much to begin with.  He could hear his favorite song playing over in his head as he paddled out into the surf.  He caught wave after wave for a couple of hours, never breaking for more than ten minutes in between.

When he had finally worn himself down a bit, he paddled back to shore and found an empty spot on the beach.  He thrust the bottom of his board into the sand to stand it up and lay down next to it, bare back in the soft, white sand.

[Alisha]

"Sage, I'm serious!" Levi said, standing on the other side of his younger sister's bedroom door. "You cant be late for work anymore. They're going to fire you." Sage threw the door open, giving the tall boy a gleaming smile, with just a hint of sarcasm threatening to bubble up to the surface. Her brother did everything for her, so she really tried to do what he wanted. He always knew what was best. He always knew how to get them through. "Oh, come on. I haven't been late all that much." She threw out, knowing that it couldn't be further from the truth. Levi gave her an incredulous look, one she was used to seeing plastered onto his face. "Okay, I promise I'll try to do better." With another smile and a kiss to her brother's cheek, Sage grabbed a banana and bottle of water and made her way out of the modest house they shared together. It wasn't much, especially compared to the huge house filled with expensive things their parents lived in, but it was home.

Sage happily trotted along the sidewalk, her hair a white blonde halo around her head in the warm California breeze. Her flip flops clicked against the pavement as she walked, bringing her closer and closer to the place that made her the most happy. It didn't take long for her to reach the sandy oasis, for which she was thankful. As soon as her feet hit the beach, she removed the sandals from her feet and sunk her toes into the off-white sand. This place, this is where she wanted to be. It wasn't until five she had to be in to work, so she walked as close as she could to the water and shoved her board into the sand, plopping down beside it. Tearing off the tank top she was wearing, she pulled the banana out of her bag and peeled it open. If she had it her way, she would have just taken off her jean shorts and plunged right into the water, but she knew that keeping her brother happy would lead to the least amount of major complications in her life. Because whether she liked it or not, Levi was right about most things. Sage took a small bite out of the banana in her hand, her eyes watching the sun reflect off of the water, sending thousands of glittering rays over the seemingly endless waves.

[Kelli-wa]

He opened his eyes, squinting in the bright sunlight and licked his lips as he sat up. He let a smile cross his face as he thought about the events of the day before and began to laugh. He had been looking at this the wrong way. It wasn't a disaster being kicked out, it was freedom. Freedom from any expectations that had been pushed on him while he was living in California and this seemed like the perfect place to be. No rules, no responsibilities. The thought made him gleam with absolute happiness. He sat up and scanned the beach, wishing he could share his happiness with someone. It seemed that there were very few people on the beach and he frowned. He wasn't the type to start a conversation with a stranger anyway, but maybe today was a day of change. He licked his lips as he saw a girl sitting not too far off, maybe thirty feet away. She had her own surfboard resting in the sand and she had a banana in her hand. He figured she could use some company. He stood and pulled his board out of the sand and let himself jog over to a drink stand that sat only 5 feet from the girl. "Could I just get a couple of lemonades?" he asked, holding up two fingers. The teenager in the stand gave him two glasses which he carried in one hand over to the girl. He set his board in the sand and sat down next to her. "Thirsty from that banana?" he asked, holding one of the glasses out to her.

[Alisha]

Sage begrudgingly proceeded to eat her banana, a fruit she didn't particularly enjoy eating. Why didn't I go for the orange? If it were up to her, she would just skip food all together, but her brother had a habit of checking up on her. Sage kept her blue eyes focused on the ocean, allowing the sound of the waves and the scent of the salty ocean air calm wash her stress away, glad that the skies were clear. It was here that she could just relax, and just be. Sage had just taken a bite from the fruit in her hand when the guy planted himself down in the sand beside her. What was surely meant to be an innocent question sent her dirty mind right into the gutter and she snorted a little. She quickly took the glass from his hand and took a large gulp of the citrusy liquid to keep herself from choking. With a little laughter, she glanced over at him. "Those are some dangerous words, buddy." She teased, shaking her head. She set the glass in the sand, twisting it a bit to keep it from tipping over. "I could have choked, y'know. Thanks for the lemonade though."

[Kelli-wa]

Cason watched her reaction and kept a straight face. He had meant it exactly how it sounded but he wasn't about to let on that he knew. He raised a brow and tried to find the words he was looking for as quickly as possible. "Well, I hope you don't choke, but I suppose it would be hard not to gag on a banana that size." His expression showed no signs that he knew what he was saying, but she had to guess that he understood what was going on. "I hope you enjoy it. I just figured out that I'm allowed to do whatever the fuck I want with my life. Needed to share the victory with someone. You were the most viable candidate. Hope you don't mind."

[Alisha]

Sage smirked. "You'd be surprised about the kinds of things I can take." She said in return, the innuendo evident in the tone of her voice. She wondered just where the stranger had come from and why he had decided to harass her when he had a beach full of people to choose from. Though, she supposed it wasn't harassment if she enjoyed his company, and so far, she had been. Sage raised a brow, "You're just now realizing that one?" She teased, he had to be around the same age she was, and ever since she was little, she hadn't let people control her life, not even her parents. It had actually caused her quite a bit of trouble. "In that case, congratulations. It's not every day that you can actually taste the freedom." She chuckled a little, holding up he glass of lemonade to clink against his. "Are you kidding me? I'm all for free beverages." Especially when attractive strangers are involved...

[Kelli-wa]

Cason's eyebrows rose as she continued their oddly dirty conversation, "Would I now?" he asked lightly, trying to think of a way to finish it off when he shook his head and shrugged, "I'm sorry, I don't have anything that won't be wildly more suggestive than anything we've already said." He looked out at the waves crashing against the shore and gave a light shrug. He honestly had just figured it out. He had always been doing what his parents wanted, that's why he went to college in the first place, because his parents wanted him to. "When you have a mother like mine, you get a lot planned out for you..." He let out a laugh at her comment and nodded to the cup she was holding in her hand, "I didn't roofie you, promise. Unless the guy up there put something in it, you'll be fine."

[Alisha]

Sage offered a small shrug and a smirk. “My parents are the same way.” She said, setting the half eaten banana on her bag. She probably wouldn’t finish it. Sage followed his gaze, and watched the foamy mess be created as inched closer and closer to the shore, knocking the small children and adults that dared to venture into its’ depths to the ground. The sea moved with such grace and power it was almost overwhelming. “Except they got tired of me and booted me out after I turned eighteen. Pops said that if I didn’t want to do something of value with my life, he wasn’t going to support my laziness and be held responsible for my inevitable failure.” She rolled her eyes. Her father’s words affected her a lot more than she ever let anyone know, but she never led on to that fact. “Guess he was trying to scare me into submission. Didn’t work.”