If one more seagull tries to grab my hotdog I swear I will rip their gullets out myself, Ara thinks to herself. She takes another bite out of the artificial meat. Around her, people chat noisily about the most randomest things. One woman frets about her fake nails falling off in the ocean. A man is talking to his friends about how good his girlfriend is in bed. Another… well another is leaning against a bar trying to chat up the male bartender. Ah, California. The land of surfers, bikini tops, and the ocean. She finds a chair at a lonely table and sits in it. She stares as the ocean crashes onto the shore. It hisses against the sand, retreating back to the water where it came. Little children splash and play in the ocean, their screams of joy resonating. Her mouth quirks into a smile, she remembers feeling that free. The ocean running between her toes, the feeling of finally being free. Now, she’s stuck at the pier, too afraid to enter the ocean. The Eyes, they always follow her. They’re always judging, watching her next move. They have a criticism for everything she says or does. They whisper into her ear, telling her to not enter the ocean.
“Don’t put on a swimsuit. They’ll just stare at you and call you names,” The Eyes say. Ara listens to them. Every. Damn. Time. She doesn’t respond, just lifts her hotdog up to her mouth again. She twirls some of her raven hair between her fingers. The strands are surprisingly soft, bending easily to her will. Some say she has her mother’s look. The pier bustles with movement. She doesn’t notice any of it, until someone presses a hand against her arm. She jumps in surprise, the cool hand burns against her skin. Her head whips around.
“Barbara Grayson Wire, your grandfather and I have Aran looking for you for

eternity!” A woman shouts angrily. Oh, it’s GG. Grandma Gina. Her brown hair is pulled back effortlessly. Grey streaks run through it, a sharp contrast. Her eyes are sunken in with dark circles underneath. Her lips are  pursed tight in annoyance. Wrinkles cover her face and neck.
“Sorry, GG. I just needed some time away from my room,” Ara sighs.
“You know the rules. You can’t leave without telling us. If you do leave, it has to be with someone we know. You broke both of them, young lady. Remember you aren’t here on vacation.”

“Yeah. I’m here because Mom and Dad got sick and tired of me so they dumped me here so I can become your burden.”
“Oh honey,” GG’s face softens. “That’s not why. You’re here because you needed to spend some time away from home. I understand that loss can be hard-”
“Shut the hell up!” Ara yells, standing up. A few nearby people look over, confused as to why a teenager is yelling at an older woman.  
“You don’t speak to me in that tone of voice, missy.”
“Now, let me finish my hotdog and maybe I’ll come back.” Ara says, turning back to the ocean. Behind her, GG just sighs and walks away. Ara has this effect on people. She makes them so sick of her that she gets left alone. It’s a trick she’s Aran using with her parents since before she could remember. She doesn’t not respect her parents, it’s just that something went downhill as some point. She doesn’t even remember anything happening, she just always avoided them. Ara takes the final bite of her hotdog and tosses the wrapper away. Inhaling the scent of the salty ocean, she trudged back to her grandparents' condo. She opens the door and is greeted by her grandpa, the family member that she decently likes. Mainly because he never calls her by her real name.
“Hey there, B,” He smiles. “How was the pier?”
“It was fine. I don’t understand the California public. Why is walking on the pier talking to other about how good your girlfriend is at sex when you can talk about other more meaningful things?”
“That’s a question I’ve been asking myself ever since we moved here.”
“And why did GG have to come and find me?”
“Honestly, I think she’s just on edge. Apparently we’re supposed to get some kind of weird weather this week, but I don’t see anything so far.”
“I don’t understand her.”
“I don’t either. Go on up, I can see you don’t want to talk anymore,” He sighs. Ara shoots him a grateful smile. She walks up to her room for the next week or so. It’s a light blue color with seashells decorating the walls. It has two large windows that overlook the pier. The bed is a soft pink, much to Ara’s disgust. She flops on the hideous cover, staring at the ceiling. She feels… out of place here. She doesn’t want to dress up in a bikini and short shorts. Caking her face up in so much makeup that she can’t even recognize herself in the mirror. Smiling and flirting with the tanned guys wearing nothing but swim trunks. The Eyes wouldn’t let her anyways.
“They can see right through you,” They would whisper in her ear. “You don’t belong.” She doesn’t fit in back home either. Too depressed to be with the normals, too happy to be with the tragically cool kids. Her fingers drum against her collarbone. She can’t wait until she can break out of that hole that most call high school. Then, she’ll prove them all wrong. She can be worth something.

Later that night, she’s curled up in bed, trying to fall asleep. As per normal, her brain won’t let her. It flitters between different topics. She grips her head tightly, trying to shut it off. It never listens anyways. She can’t take it anymore. She throws off the covers and walks over to the window. Surprisingly, the pier is empty. The lamps flicker in the night, hiding the pier in a shadow of dark for a moment before revealing it to her eyes once again. The ocean remains  still crashing into the sand. It seems to her like the ocean is trying to stretch itself to get help, then realizing it’s a useless feat. It retreats back into itself. Ara decides to head it’s call. She quickly sneaks out of the house, not even bothering to put on shoes. She finds herself in the ocean. The crashing of the waves soothes her mind, lulling it. All she can feel is the tug of the waves. She steps into the water. It tickles her feet. Happiness bubbles to the surface, something that the young girl doesn’t feel too often anymore. She closes her eyes, using the rest of her senses. She can taste the saltiness on her lips, the sea spray envelopes her. She bends down to put her finger in the waves. The sea wraps her finger in it’s embrace happily. White foam appears at the lip of the ocean. She flattens her hand against it, but only hits sand.
“Oh,” Someone behind her says. Ara whirls around in surprise. A boy stands there, a camera dangling from his neck. His curly blonde hair stands out against the dark sky. “Hi,” Ara says softly.

“Hey. Sorry, I didn’t know anyone else came here at night.”
“I just arrived here and saw the ocean. It… calls to me.”
“I can relate. Hi, I’m Bash,” The boy says, holding out his hand. She shakes it quickly.
“Bash?”
“Short for Sebastian. It’s too long, so I shortened it,” Bash shrugs, a grin quirking on his face.
“Nice. I’m Ara. Yes, it’s short for something, but that I’ll let you figure out.”
“Well Ara-Yes-it’s-short-for-something, it’s nice to meet you.”
“You too. So, what brings you out here?” She asks. Bash comes to stand right next to her in the waves, staring out at the ocean.
“This. The ocean without people in it. The water is pure, as it should be. There’s no humans in it. No people making out, splashing, and most importantly kids going to the bathroom.” He laughs. Ara joins in, surprisingly. Their laughter mixes together in the air, creating a melodic song. She likes him already.
“You know, I’m glad I met you.” He smiles, looking over at her.
“Me too,” She replies, matching his expression.

The Eyes are silent.