she asked, “Where are we going?”
“I know of a place we can go,” Mo said after a brief pause before he began slowly walking down toward the ocean. The pair walked side by side, awkwardly at first but as they went they began to talk.
“So what kind of music do you listen to?” Mo asked thoughtfully as they made their way down the sidewalk of the empty street.
“Well, my parents listen to country all the time, but I like the stuff that you guys play. I really like the lighter emo-pop bands like Dashboard,” she began, thinking as she spoke. “I loved your version of ‘Thunder’. I think my favorite song of all time, though, has gotta be ‘Thriller’…” she smiled guiltily. She looked over at Mo, who was grinning from ear to ear.
Presently, they passed the Pier where NoCal had played their first public show, and made their way down along the beach. They walked along its entire shore until they came to the end where it became rocky and grassy as it sloped harshly upward.
“Where are we going?” asked EmJay as she stared up the rough looking hill.
“At the top of that hill there’s a place that’d be perfect for watching the stars,” Mo explained, following her gaze up the hill. “I’ll go if you will.”
EmJay said nothing, but slid her small hand into his and nudged him gently forward. Together they made their way up the hill along the winding dirt trail that he and Lee had found nearly two years earlier. Finally, after a few minutes of climbing they came to the top, where a crater had been imprinted into the west facing side of the hill.
“Hmm…” thought Mo out loud, “I remembered this dent being big enough for two.”
“Sit down, I have an idea,” EmJay said sweetly. Mo did as he was told, and was followed by EmJay, who then sat on his lap, nuzzling up comfortably.
“Wow,” breathed Mo as he gazed out at the dark Pacific sky, riddled with thousands upon thousands of brilliant points of light. Far off in the distance there were clouds rolling across the horizon, illuminated by the moon as it sat, far off in the dark blue. As the two sat there they were at a loss for words; EmJay at the sky, and Mo at the fact that he was staring out at the oceanic stars with his dream girl sitting on his lap, her hair nestled up against his cheek.
“It’s so beautiful,” EmJay whispered, an air of awe in her voice as he felt her breathing nervously. “Nobody ever really watches the stars anymore…”
Off toward the horizon they could now make out feint flickers of lightning in the far off clouds. Between the storm in the distance and the stars shimmering over the ocean, the two sat and marveled at the spectacle before them. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, Mo spoke.
“I don’t wanna sound cheesy, but I’ve always dreamed about being here, with you, under the stars. The way that you feel when you gaze out at the stars, that’s the way I feel whenever I look at your eyes.”
He felt her draw in a breath as though she had been taken by surprise. After what seemed like forever she whispered softly into his ear, “That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
As the two watched, the clouds seemed to draw closer, bringing with them loudening claps of thunder and lightening strikes that could now be seen clearly. Their focus had shifted from the night sky to the approaching storm on the horizon when suddenly Mo broke the silence again.
“I like you, EmJay, and I’ve liked you ever since I can remember. I would give anything to see your smile and I would die for you in a heartbeat; but I can’t let myself date you,” Moses whispered in a somber tone.
“Why not?” asked EmJay, quite obviously disappointed.
“Well,” Mo began, hesitating as he thought of how to word it. “There’s this crazy African pirate guy who’s after Lee and he maybe sorta might be after me, too. I swear I’m not making this up, it’s the truth.” His voice was almost pleading, knowing that she would never believe him.
“No, I believe you,” whispered EmJay calmly. “Why would he be after you?”
Mo cringed as he said, “I may have sort of popped one of his eyes with a screwdriver.”
She turned her head to look at him, a mixed look of surprise and awe.
“I know it sounds extreme but if you had been there you’d understand why. It’s a long story but sometimes things are just worth fighting for. That’s why I can’t risk having you as my girlfriend. If he were to find out who you were…” Mo’s voice trailed off at the thought of the horror.
EmJay shifted where she sat so that she could face Mo properly and said in a sweet voice, “Moses, I can’t even begin to tell you how touched I am. That’s the noblest thing anybody has ever said to me.” She stared into his eyes with innocence. “We could keep it a secret. I’ve liked you for a long time, too, and if we’ve liked each other secretly for so long why can’t we just keep doing that?”
As he stared at her in the starlight, a silver glow highlighting the curvature of her face, Mo’s expression was set in stone. The only thing that showed his joy was his eyes, which seemed to be glowing. “I like it,” he said as she shifted back to where she had originally rested.
They sat, again in silence, watching the storm progress steadily toward the unsuspecting coastline. The next time the silence was broken, it was EmJay who spoke.
“So you stabbed an African pirate in the eye with a screwdriver?” she mused.
A smile crossed Mo’s face as he replied “Well, not exactly stabbed. He was gonna kill Lee so I threw it at him from across the room and it stuck straight into his eye. Sorry, I know how much you hate violence. You probably think I’m a freak.”
“Naw,” EmJay pondered, “I like it. You were fighting for a reason.”
• • •
An hour later, the pair made their way back down the narrow path, out along the shore again and just as they had covered the beach the rain began. As the storm had grown closer they had realized that this inevitably meant that it would eventually reach the coast. They now hid under the Pier, sheltered from the rain and contemplated their next move.
“I bet my sister’s party is over, so I should probably go home.” EmJay said, staring out into the now pouring rain.
Mo looked at her and offered, “Can I walk you home?”
EmJay simply smiled at him before grabbing hold of his hand and leading him off in the direction of the school. They ran, ducking under awnings and store fronts as they went, to where Mo’s bike was still sitting alone at the tree by the gym. The pair then made their way the few blocks to where EmJay’s family lived (with Mo pedaling while she stood perched on the pegs protruding from the rear wheel).
When they reached her house it looked vacant and spent; the last of the partiers had gone and there were still red solo cups strewn about the yard. As they stood under the shelter of a great oak tree, EmJay turned to Mo and said, “Thanks for everything, Moses. For keeping me company and bringing me home and everything. Are you sure you can make it back to your house okay?”
“Oh yeah, I’ll be okay,” Mo said as he glanced from EmJay to the pouring rain and back. “I had a great night. I’ll always be here for you…” he pledged soberly and distantly. “Forever and always.”
She smiled as she repeated him. “Forever and always,” before running out across her front yard to their porch, where she glanced back at Mo to give him the all clear.
Mo nodded and, seeing that she had made it into the house, tore off, water flinging from the spokes of his bike, out into the torrential darkness.
- Follow The Leader -
The world outside the window was gleaming brilliantly in the morning sun. Everything was shimmering, having been doused from the torrential rain that had drenched the coast and everything on it under the cover of night. The sun, now breaking through the fast dissipating clouds, ignited everything it touched and made even the dullest of colors rich and shiny.
As Lee opened first one eye then the other, he scanned the small room. His eyes caught on the small digital clock that read 9:42. Suddenly sna
pping awake he leapt from his bed, threw on a pair of board shorts and flew down the stairs and out the door. As he burst from the house he tore off across the yard, almost colliding with Moses, who stood staring down at the beach.
“Dude, why didn’t you wake me up? I wa-“ Lee was cut off by Moses, who pointed gravely down at the beach. Lee followed his gaze and his eyes popped.
“What is that?” Lee asked, gazing down at a herd of enormous creatures covering the entirety of the cove.
“Northern Elephant Seals,” Mo said, disgusted. “They’re like the biggest, ugliest, nastiest, meanest things on the coast. They’re actually considered a varmint by most fishing vessels.”
Lee replied, “So what about surfing? Did you hear that storm last night? Those waves coming in are gonna be sick, we can’t miss ‘em!”
“Those seals aren’t gonna let us surf, we gotta get them out of here somehow.” Mo replied.
The boys slunk down the hill to the small shed that housed their instruments and surf boards. As they sat against the wall hidden from the beach, Mo said in a low voice, “Okay, so we’re gonna each take a side and run out screaming as loud as we can. Hopefully, the seals will get freaked out and leave. I’ll take this side, you go around the other way…”
Lee nodded before holding up three fingers. He paused a moment and pulled one down. A second later he dropped the second finger and as he slowly pulled the last finger
This Is Who We Are Page 8
