𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐘 • ʳᵒᵇᵉʳᵗ ᶠˡᵒʸᵈ

chapter five.

chapter five — tense©
[ jasmine. ]
"honey is sweet but bees [WASP] stings." -proverb.

i sat directly on the shore while the waves became soft and nonexistent, gently pulling up and reaching my legs as i took a sip of beer from a can, intently watching the sunset.

suddenly, i was getting a call. i looked at the caller ID and swore under my breath, but answered anyway. "hello?" i greeted, acting as if i hadn't experimentally read the contact name over thrice to see if the name would magically change.

"jasmine, it's your father." "yeah, i know, dad." i replied to the formal tone with a cut-through casual voice. i could spot his small country accent even through the phone.

"how are you?" "not much different as i was two weeks ago. fine, alive. on a beach this time around." he laughed over the line, "can't stay away from it, can ya? i was just calling to check in, make sure you haven't killed yourself yet." i rolled my eyes at the sun that was almost gone. "yeah, dad, i'm fine." from over my shoulder, i could hear mickey calling to me, "hey, honey, come on, we're headed to the hard deck !" i looked over, holding up one finger, "i'll be there in a couple ! don't wait up !" and turned back around.

"...still in that psycho camp, i see." i rolled my eyes as he caught onto my call sign mickey yelled to me. "dad, stop it. it's not like i suddenly quit. grandpa fought in the military, the navy, too. even went to top gun !" my country accent started to expose. "yes, but a lady should never be out there, in danger." "dad, i'm already out in the wild 'danger' the moment i step out of my home. at least in the navy, i have learned to drop bombs onto the danger." "you can never take anything seriously, can you, jasmine wells?"

i rolled my eyes for what felt like the thousandth time in the last two minutes. "not when you're bringing up some bullshit point like you are right now. like you always do. it's like you want me to push me away from you." i shook my head. "you're impossible, jasmine." "gee, i wonder where i got it from. whatever, bye." "jasmi—" i hung up on him.

i dropped the phone onto the wet sand beside me, suddenly frustrated. i turned around, spotting a couple more people packing up to go shove their stuff into their car before going to the hard deck to go get drunk and play pool. i let out a hard breath, looking down at the space between my bent legs to see a small white speck peeking out from the damp sand.

i dug into it, and out came a sand dollar. i slightly smiled at it, washing it in the salty water before kissing it and setting it on top of my surfboard beside me.

the breeze was soft and patient, and even though i was just enjoying the sunset minutes ago, i suddenly felt myself pointing out all of the things i disliked in my view. like the way i hated the sand that was going to stick to my legs when i got up, or the way the beach got quiet around this time. too quiet. or the— "hey, you okay?" i looked up to see bob standing there, shirt back on and staring down at me. i didn't dislike that.

i blew out a large breath, changing my gaze from him to the ocean. "my dad called." i indirectly answered. he stood there for another moment, but soon sat down beside me in an informal fashion. "...everything alright?" he asked unsurely. "same as always. couldn't last 30 seconds with me on the phone without picking a fight about me being in the navy." i tried to shrug it off. "how are you feeling?" he turned to me, scrunching his nose to keep his glasses on his face, knowing how i was after speaking with my father.