For fuck's sake. Why was this so hard? It was a simple text. Just a simple group of words, maybe a greeting or something? Hi, how ya doin? Hey,
what's up? When the hell are you going to invite me back to The Shore? Ugh. That was the real heart of the matter. Jude had been waiting for
weeks for the new girl he'd met, Kaili, who was a Shore girl and just friendly enough to put up with him and show him around her home, to contact him
and let him know when it would be okay for him to journey back to the Shore again. God, for him not to belong there...at all, as her brother had so
kindly reminded him, he couldn't stop thinking about it. All of the things she'd told him. All of the history there. Even the things that hadn't
mattered so much. Like the black sand of Kai Pulehu. All of that meant so much to him. It felt...incredible...to feel his heart beat like that when
he'd discovered it all with her. And now, he couldn't just sit around and wait, like he was supposed to, to see it again.
He tussled his hair as he leaned back on his pillow, his body resting on the twin bed in his small, cluttered room. Unc' Li was out for the day,
probably on the Shore himself. But he knew that if he could just GET there, they wouldn't run into each other. His uncle's steps were limited on the
Shore, he knew that without even asking. But the usual absence of his Unc and the last days of summer meant so much boredom it was making him crazy!
He had to get out...he had to do something, go somewhere. And he knew the perfect place. With a deep breath, he grabbed his phone from beside him and
typed quickly.
Quote:
Hey. What's up?
There. Simple enough. Not too desperate, right?
Man has a choice and it's a choice that makes him a man...
"Not even at all-," her voice was firm as her best friend laughed. "Even if Keahi said it was okay, you would never in your life catch me dating Nui
Kinalu, okay? If you think he's so hot, you date him." Kaili balled her napkin and threw it at her, hitting her in the cheek as she giggled back.
Ailani had been her first visitor in two weeks after the Jude "kidnapping" and her father finally let her out of the house for food and a friend at
the Hukilau. She had been telling Ailani the story and of course, she was siding with her cousin. Ailani had been trying to get her to give Nui a
chance for almost as long as Nui had, but it wasn't happening! He wasn't for her!
"Whatever-," she said back, giving Kaili the finger as she picked up a fry. "It's not like you have too many choices, Kai. That Jude kid is never
gonna happen." She didn't know that for sure. Yeah, okay, maybe it was a little bit of a long shot, but her dad had let him go that night he
brought her home and he'd even said it was okay for him to come back...for them to hang out...Which she was itching to do! Gah, she had already
decided that as soon as she left the diner she was going to text him. Maybe he'd even be willing to come down today, they could chill on the beach or
something...
Just as the thought crossed her mind her phone chimed. A text from someone that didn't have a ringtone?...Oh! Her smile was immediate as she picked it
up off the table reading the face. It was from him! Hey. What's up? Ahh! How was this even possible? It was like he knew she was finally free
and she was falling all over herself not to squeal in front of Ailani. But she noticed the change in her anyway, "Who is that?" she smiled, already
knowing the answer, "Is it himmmmm?"
Kaili sushed her as she tried to think of the perfect thing to say back...
Quote:
Hey. Nothing much, finally free. I was gonna txt you later...Sup with you?
I'll let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans;
be your teenage dream tonight.
The quiet in the apartment was death. Stifling and annoying as all hell. And the glances that Jude kept making at the phone that sat beside him, on
his bed, were even more annoying. Hadn't he just sent that text less than thirty seconds ago? He had to give her a moment to at least register who he
was and then answer. Yeah, it had been weeks. She'd probably forgotten all about him, anyway. When he'd seen her in the school, she'd seemed like
she'd needed a reason, hell, any reason just to get out of AJW that day. He'd probably just been that reason. But he knew better, felt different about
her. He knew she wouldn't break her promise. Or at least he'd hoped.
Sighing heavily, shifted on his bed, picking up his ratty sketch book on his lap, his pencil soon scratching across the surface of the spiral bound
paper. Without even trying, he began to sketch a dark beach, the sand as black as crystallized tar. When the rise of Nui Mu began to form, he felt his
phone vibrate next to him. Dropping his pencil, he reached for it and looked at the message. It was Kaili. He smirked softly, warmly...glad that she
hadn't completely forgot about him and his pull to the Shore. More excitedly than he would let anyone ever see, he replied.
Quote:
Don't tell me I got you grounded. Sorry about that. I'm at home. Doing nothing. Watching summer fade.
Man has a choice and it's a choice that makes him a man...
"Don't shush me! Let me see-," Ailani practically jumped out of her seat to push Kaili further into the boothon her side of the table, looking over
her shoulder just as she sent the message.
"There. Sorry. Nothing to see-," she snapped her phone closed and tightened her grip around it, lowering her hand so that Ailani couldn't get to it.
What? She didn't want Ailani to know too much because she knew where her loyalties lied. She remembered her last crush on Makaio Keaweaheulu. She'd
told Ailani about it and by the end of the week he and Nui had been in a fight. No one ever told her what it was about, but Kaili knew...not that it
mattered. Makaio wouldn't even look at her after.
So no. Her best friend couldn't know what was going on with she and Jude. Especially not if she wanted him to come down here. She'd seen Jude and Nui
together and she already knew that was nothing but trouble. But Ailani wasn't giving up that easy, "Well he's gotta text back now doesn't he-," she
said with a smirk. Kaili knew what that smirk meant and she tried to twist away, but she wasn't fast enough. Ailani's hands grabbed at hers and they
tussled over the phone in the small booth, stopping only when it chimed again. "Let go-," she said menacingly, her smile never fading. "I will tickle
the crap out of you Kaili Akame, let go."
Kaili sighed, releasing her grip on the phone as her friend plucked it from her fingers with a giggle. "I hate you-," she said swatting at her
shoulder. "Just...don't send anything without letting me read it first!" Ailani nodded as Kaili looked over her should at his message. He was
apologizing again. "Tell him that it's okay and-," it was Ailani's time to do the hushing as she raised a hand for Kaili to be quiet.
"I got it-," she said, her fingers opening the phone and flying across its keyboard. She hit send before letting Kaili approve the message and tossed
the phone back to her. "You're welcome-," she said with a giggle. She slid out of the booth as Kaili reached out to try to hit her again. "I've gotta
go and you seem to have a date to get ready for. Text me after." She grabbed her things, half skipping out of the small cafe, leaving Kaili to text
Jude alone...Now what had she sent?
Quote:
I was for a little while, but no big. And nothing doesn't sound like much fun. Maybe you want to come watch the summer fade here? I'm sure we can find
plenty to do...
This bitch.
I'll let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans;
be your teenage dream tonight.
Jude had picked up his pencil again as he waited for Kaili's reply. The spiraled piece of notebook paper that had recently only showed the black sands
of Kai Pulehu now wore a different picture. The mountainous Nui Mu was finished and what looked a little something like the houses he'd seen in
Kaili's neighborhood stood where the dark sands of the beach gave away. There was once house, a little bigger than most of the others. A blue house,
surrounded by flowers, white trimming its wood paneling. Well, that's how he saw it in his mind. He smiled, a genuine smile, at the picture,
remembering everything the way it had been the night that he'd ridden with Kaili through the Shore, learning...discovering. Without really saying it,
he was happy that she'd remembered who he was. It meant a lot to him, more than he probably knew. But the one thing that her memory meant was another
chance to see the Shore again.
Studying the picture for a second more, reached for the bookbag, lying on the floor, that he kept when he was on his bike. He opened it and dropped
his sketchbook inside. It was completely stupid the way he'd taken to a stretch of land that had little to do with him. He wasn't raised there and he
barely knew anything outside of what Kaili told him, but the connection to it was so real. So much so that he hadn't stopped thinking about it since
the night he'd left Kaili's house and her father had given him permission to come back. There were ten pages in that sketchbook dedicated to the
island. Ten pages of want and sad...longing...for a place he wasn't sure that he'd see again. With a soft chuckle, he shook his head at himself as he
picked up his phone and looked at the dark screen. He was so anxious that he couldn't even stop looking at his phone for a...buzz!
Quickly, he opened the message and read, a smile forming on his face. She was right, doing nothing was the pits and all he'd really needed was an
invite, really.
Quote:
Awesome. So...when can we meet up?
Man has a choice and it's a choice that makes him a man...
By the Gods, she wanted to chase after Ailani and just wring her little neck! Plenty to do? Really? She had to take it there with him? Now
she sound like she was down to...y'know...and she wasn't! That totally wasn't what this was about! Sure, she liked him and all, but she barely knew
him yet. She just wanted to talk to him a little more. Get to know him a little better...let him get to know her a little better. And he seemed to
have a real interest in the Shore. She could give him more of that too. Still not all of it, obviously, but the parts that were open to him were
expanded now that her dad had given his blessing.
But that was only if he decided to come. Who knew if Ailani's stupid text had him thinking the wrong thing. What if he was looking at his phone now,
reading her message and thinking of a way to get out of coming to South Shore...Or maybe he was reading it thinking Kaili was a sure thing and packing
condoms in his bike bag...Damn Ailani and her--...her thoughts paused as her phone called out for her attention again. He texted back...But she didn't
know what it meant!
Gah! She was excited he was coming, but she would've loved to know exactly why. Was it "her" proposition, or had he wanted to come even
before that. Ugh!
Quote:
Well I'm on the way home now, so we can meet there whenever you can make it down here.
I'll let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans;
be your teenage dream tonight.
"Where the...hell is it?" He hissed through his teeth, one of his motorcycle boots in his hand, its pair was still missing in action. Jude
hadn't even gotten a text back from Kaili and he already had his leather jacket on, bookbag underneath that and an entire, empty evening to spare. Did
it ever occur to him that she could've said that she wanted to meet up tomorrow? Or the next day? Not really, as all he heard was "whenever he could
make it down". And whenever meant "right now". He'd been waiting to see the Shore again, dreaming about it...even giving his uncle the "take me with
you" look every morning he left out the door. But Unc always said "no", definitely lately as things were supposedly getting a bit worse. Something
about more haoles being where they weren't wanted. Jude didn't know what that meant and he never really took the time to figure it out. All
that mattered was getting to where he was wanted and that was the Shore. It was still completely insane to him how Kaili's father had invited him back
and now, he was going to make good on that invitation...and avoid her crazy brother at all costs.
A smile finally broke on his face as he pulled his boot from underneath his bed, plopped on the mattress and pulled his shoes on. Another vibrations
signaled her next message as he dug underneath the bedspread and found his phone. As if he couldn't smile any harder, he read her message and typed
one out to her quickly.
Quote:
On my way. C u soon.
Man has a choice and it's a choice that makes him a man...
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