(Object)ive Writing

Object: crushed beer can
Found on sidewalk outside of school.

"Come on, Bekah! It'll be fun!" My roommate, Kelsie, pleaded. I sighed, sprawled on my bed as she fretted over her outfit choice by the closet. "What about this one?" she asked presenting herself with a purple-gradient sundress and gladiator sandals.

"Cute."

"You've said that about the past five outfits."

"Because you look cute in everything." I rested my head back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. "Look, Kels, you know how I feel about teenage parties and what they generally entail." Alcohol and drugs. Drugs. A substance that has taken lives from me.

"How many times must I tell you: it's a young adult party! Jacob said there may be alcohol, because Benny's coming to 'supervise', but I can promise no drugs." My bed shifted as she sat on the edge of it. "You can't be a recluse forever. Live a little!" She shook a smile out of me, flashing me a pure white one in return. "Plus, I hear Connor's gonna be there."

I sat up as she made her way to the bathroom, happy she didn't turn to see the blush in my cheeks. "Why would that matter to me?"

"I don't know. I know you guys seem a lot closer lately and I thought maybe..."

"No way Kels. Not gonna happen."

I went to the party in what I was already wearing; high-wasted shorts, a loose long-sleeved tee and my trusty red beanie. My bare feet rested on the dashboard as we sped down the highway in her tiny towncar, the wind rushing through the open windows blowing my hair into tangles. When we arrived at the secret beach, Kelsie immediately rushed out to greet people. I swung myself up to sit on the top of the car, studying the sun over the Pacific. This wasn't really my scene - socializing in general really isn't my thing - but it makes her happy, so I do it.

Benny and Jacob built a campfire down the beach a little ways. People trickled in, running down to the others with miscellaneous food and beverages. They cracked open beer cans before the fire was even started. I studied the waves past them, and the sand around them, trying to live a little like Kelsie said.

"You've got quite a view from up here." A man's voice spoke behind me.

I spun around and almost slid off the car. He flashed me a sly grin, knowing he had startled me out of serenity. Connor Jackson: my best friend since life decided to suck. I didn't bother responding, but instead sighed and turned back around.

"Why are you up here alone?"

"Partying isn't really my thing," I shrugged. "I just came because Kelsie begged me to."

"Well, now that I'm here, it is." He grabbed my hand and tugged me down the hood of the car. I nearly lost my balance as I landed, laughing fully for the first time in days. Not because of him, or because I almost made a fool of myself, but because I was walking toward a party where I was supposed to have fun, something that had almost ceased to exist in my vocabulary.

"What if-"

"No what if's today, Rebekah Sloan," he reprimanded me as we walked down the beach. "It's time to forget what happened and realize everything that's out there waiting for you to discover it. Life is about now, and if you spend all you're time in the past you'll completely miss the present."