My Most Precious Treasure

My Most Precious Treasure
By Viva Yume
Original Version
21 March 2017

~

Violet winced as she accidentally reflected the bright sunlight off of her phone screen and into her eyes, momentarily blinding her. Lowering her arm, she gave a sigh as she slid her sunglasses back over her eyes and brushed her dark, medium-length hair out of her face, before leaning back on the metal railing that, in theory, was to stop people from falling off the edge of the boardwalk.

The idea of a "boardwalk" was difficult to describe to someone who had never been to New Jersey. Not to say that they didn't have boardwalks elsewhere in the world, of course, but they weren't quite the same as the two-and-a-half-mile construction of wooden boards lined with shops and restaurants that separated the Ocean City beach from the rest of the world, like a border between two very different universes; One was suspended in time by the omnipresent constancy of nature while the other continued on ceaselessly.

Squinting through her sunglasses, the high schooler looked as far as she could see down one direction of the boardwalk, and then the other, as if searching for something. Her bright yellow eyes peered over the edge of her shades and back at her phone screen, making a quick note of the time - 10:33 A.M.

"Where are you...?" She muttered under her breath, and sighed, wiping a bead of sweat off of her forehead. The summer months in New Jersey were hot and, despite the potential unpredictability of the weather, today was no exception. The unobstructed sun shone down on from above with just enough energy for a tan or, if one was less careful, a sunburn.

Violet looked down at her phone again - 10:34. This time, however, before she could look up, a happy-go-lucky voice like a summer breeze - weightless yet powerful - rang out, stopping her breath in her throat.

"VEE!!" The voice squealed. Eyebrows raised, Violet looked up just in time to see a girl about her age barreling toward toward her with glee, arms shamelessly up in the air as her long, straight, baby blonde hair flew freely behind her. Moments later, the whole weight of the wild spirit came crashing down on her, arms squeezing her in a tight embrace as her chin came to rest on her shoulder.

"Vee! I missed you so much! I can't believe it's really you!" She squeaked, rocking the two back and forth and sending her blonde hair everywhere.

"Ahuh, yeah... there, there, Kim..." Violet consoled, patting her friend on the back as she rolled her eyes.

"I'm so glad you're alive!" Kim continued, squeezing harder as her rocking became more forceful.

"Eh? Alive? What the heck are you talking about?" Violet retorted, struggling to keep herself upright.

"Violet..." Kim went on, "You smell so nice~!"

"Get off of me, you weirdo!" Violet snapped, pushing Kim off of her and crossing her arms.

"Geez, you're so mean..." Kim pouted, before bursting into a fit of giggles.

"Yeah, yeah..." Violet sighed, her lips relaxing into a warm smile as she stared at her long-time friend. Standing just a few inches shorter than her, Kim looked just like Violet had remembered, with her long, tomboyishly messy blonde hair, her bright blue eyes, her sun-kissed skin... and her stupid, almost unbearably goofy smile. "It really has been a while, hasn't it? How's high school treating you, Kim?" Violet asked with a smile, feeling her anxiety slowly fade away.

"Boo~ooring!" Kim teased, her lips parting into an open-toothed grin. "I miss the middle school days with you, Amy, and Tiff!"

"Yeah, I know the feeling..." Violet admitted with a sigh. "But I guess we had to grow up eventually, huh?" She asked with a weak smile that felt strangely forced even as she managed it. In truth, the bond they shared in junior high transcended the limits of time - or so they thought - leading them to promise to stay in touch, even after they graduated, even though they planned on going to different high schools. Fast forward a year or so, and that translated to a one-year reunion, one that Violet had truthfully been looking forward to for months, despite her unexpected nervousness at seeing her old friends again. "Speaking of which..." She continued, changing the subject, "When are Amy and Tiffany getting here, anyway? I haven't heard from them."

"Huh? You don't know?" Kim began, pouting as she held up her phone. "Tiff texted us like an hour ago. She got in trouble with her parents, and now they won't let her come!"

"Huh?!" Violet gasped in disbelief. She quickly referred to their group text message, confirming that their friend Tiffany was not, in fact, coming. "Geez... I really wanted to see her!"

"Wah... you mean I'm not enough for you, Vee? So cruel!" Kim leaned her head on Violet's shoulder, who promptly pushed her off.

"Oh, come on. You know what I mean..." Violet sighed with a smile. "Well, at least I get to see you and Amy again. I'm sure it'll be a fun day with the three of us, just like the old-"

*DING!*

Violet was interrupted by the simultaneous notification chime coming from both her and Kim's phones. Either they had both just so happened to receive a message at the exact same time, or, more likely, someone responded to their group chat. "Oh, it's Amy... huh?!"

"Hey V, Kimmy, and
Tiff! Soo... I'm
really super sorry,
but I overslept and
missed the train :(
So I won't be able
to meet you guys at
the beach today...
I'm sorry!! T~T
Please forgive me!!
Let's hang out again
soon, okay? ^-^"

"Aww... Amy..." Kim pouted again, before texting her back a snarky response.

"Are you kidding me?" Violet groaned, putting her hands on her hips. "Both Tiff and Amy... geez! What's the point of coming here if they're just gonna bail? Ah..."

Realizing she may have said too much, Violet carefully looked up at Kim, who had a look of mock hurt on her face. "Aww, Vee..." she began, pouting her lip and making her voice sound as annoyingly nagging as possible. "You mean you didn't wanna see Kimmy? Well, if you wanna just go home..." she trailed off, shaking her head and turning away with a dramatic flourish.

"Geez!" Violet groaned again, throwing her hands up and grabbing the sides of her head in exasperation. "Come on, Kimmy... ah... Kim... I didn't mean it like that!"

"You mean you really are happy to see me?!" Kim responded as she turned around, her bright blue eyes lighting up with joy. Violet sighed again in response, bringing her hands down to her hips and turning away, an annoyed expression on her face.

"Psh..." she began, under her breath. "Of course I am! Idiot..."

"Yaaay!" Kim responded, running over to Violet and wrapping her arm around hers, causing the latter to recoil instinctively.

"Eh? Let go of me, you weirdo..."

"Come on, Vee! Let's go for a walk, arm in arm, just like when we were kids~" Kim replied, grinning stupidly at Violet, who turned her head to the side.

"Ugh. We're not kids anymore, Kim..." she retorted, "It's kind of... embarrassing."

"Fine, fine~" Kim teased, pulling her arm back and starting off on her own.

"Huh? Where are you going?" Violet asked, scrambling to put her phone away.

"Come on, let's go!" Kim responded, flashing Violet a smile before turning forward.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Violet exhaled a drawn-out breath as she leaned forward on the restaurant table, eyes wandering to the glass-walled storefront that separated her and Kim from the pouring rain. "Geez..." she sighed, stretching and putting her hands behind her head as she leaned back in her seat. "New Jersey weather is rough!"

"Mhm!" Kim nodded in agreement as she hastily munched on her slice of pizza as if it would disappear if she didn't eat it fast enough. "That rain, like, totally came out of nowhere!"

"Eugh, Kimmy! Don't talk with your mouth full!" Violet scolded, already back to her old habit of retorts despite only having been reunited with her old friend for a few short hours. "But yeah, it really did..." she agreed, "it's a good thing we were wearing our swimsuits."

"Yeah, but my jacket is totally soaked! Wah..." Kim complained as she took another bite of pizza. "But, like, seeing Vee in a bikini makes it all worth it!" She sighed wistfully, leaning forward and locking her eyes with Violet's swimsuit-clad chest, the glimmer of moisture from the sudden downpour still faintly visible on her exposed skin.

"Eh? The hell are you looking at?!" Violet retorted, blushing and instinctively covering her chest with one hand, before grabbing several french fries with the other and stuffing them into Kim's mouth.

"Wahoo!" Kim cheered without missing a beat, leaning back and munching on the free snack. "Mission accomplished!"

"Geez..." Violet groaned, turning away with annoyance, before finally caving, shaking her head with a smile. "You're really too much, you know that, Kimmy?"

Kim didn't reply at first, instead flashing Violet another toothy grin, this time accompanied with a peace sign for good measure. "I'm too much... but?" She continued, shooting her friend a cheesy wink.

"But..." Violet sighed again, leaning back and staring up at the ceiling. Truth to be told, she had no idea what to expect from their reunion. After all, all throughout middle school, "home" had been, for her, anywhere she, Kim, Amy, and Tiffany could meet up together. Yet as badly as she wanted those days to never end, they, of course, eventually did. But with the good old days done and gone, who was to say that they wouldn't stay that way forever? Violet certainly couldn't. Yet, as she sat there with at least one of her old best friend group, she couldn't help but to feel like nothing had really changed at all - at least, nothing important, anyway. Kim was... just the same old Kim, after all, and she wouldn't really have it any other way. "But... this is kind of... nice," she finally answered.

"I know, right?" Kim replied with characteristic enthusiasm. "This place has the BEST pizza!"

Violet chuckled, her face lighting up with a kind of calm bliss that only the innocence of youth could produce. "Yeah, but... well... I mean..."

"Hey, Vee..." Kim interrupted, smiling warmly. "Don't you just love the smell of rain in the summertime?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hours had passed since Violet and Kim had reunited on the boardwalk's splintered walkway. Since then, the bright blue sky had progressed into a brilliant sunset, red and golden gradients basking the shore in a warm twilight. That, too, eventually gave way to dusk, and then to night, the scattered twinkling stars just barely visible over the modest but luminescent city lights.

Violet stretched and yawned as she and Kim walked out of one of the many shops that peppered the boardwalk in-between the restaurants, the arcades, and the mini-golf courses, having spent the last hour or so trying on cute beachwear and laughing at each other. The carefree smile that was still on Violet's face was quickly replaced by surprise as she realized how late it had gotten.

"Oh man, it's dark," Violet pointed out, sighing as she put her hands on her hips and zipped up her windbreaker to protect from the summer's nighttime chill. "Well, Kimmy, I really... I really had a lot of fun today. I guess that we should..."

"Hey, Vee!" Kim suddenly interrupted again, grabbing Violet by the hand and suddenly bolting away, pulling her with her. "Come here!"

"Eh? What are you doing?" Violet asked, surprised, tentatively allowing her friend to drag her along. Pulling Violet behind her, Kim rushed over to the stairs on the edge of the boardwalk and ran down them, her feet hitting the sand as they stepped onto the beach. Kim didn't stop until they ran a substantial distance out onto the sand, the boardwalk seeming to fade away behind them as they found themselves alone on the darkened shore.

"Ta-da!" Kim suddenly exclaimed as if her intentions were the most obvious thing in the world, thrusting her arms up proudly and breaking into a satisfied grin. "We're on the beach!"

"Uhh... I can see that," Violet sighed, pulling her hands into her pockets as she looked around. "But why? It's dark out here..."

Violet had a point. Having run a good distance out on the beach, the bright streetlights from the boardwalk barely touched them, leaving them to bask in the unobstructed moonlight that shone down and lit them up with the same glow as the scattered shells around their feet. Yet it was more than just that, Violet quickly realized. The dull chatter of the thinning crowds on the boardwalk had slowly faded away, to be replaced by the steady breaking of waves along the sandy shoreline. Other than that, it was completely quiet, and they were alone, the wind and the waves not even allowing their voices to carry more than a few feet away from each other.

"It's perfect, isn't it?" Kim smiled cheesily, as if her friend's objections were the very methods behind her madness to begin with.

Violet sighed again, and smiled. Kim had her way of doing things that was different than anybody else - after years at her side, she knew that much to be true. As troublesome as she could get at times, it was that very thing about her that she appreciated the most, the one thing that made her best friend who she was. Violet wouldn't trade it for anything.

"C'mon, Vee! Let's go!" Kim exclaimed, grabbing Violet's hand and leading her along the starlit shoreline without waiting for a response.

"Huh? Where are we going, Kimmy?" Violet asked, though she knew it was pointless the moment the words slipped past her lips. Instead, she followed her along noiselessly, taking a moment to appreciate the way the moon and the stars lit up the back of her head, her baby blonde locks swaying behind her. The sight was interrupted when Kim spun around, her wide blue eyes locking with Violet's before breaking into another grin.

"Don't know!" Kim finally admitted, and gave a sheepish shrug. "But the stars sure are pretty from out here, aren't they?"

Violet sighed. They had been strolling along the moonlit beach for some time, eventually coming to a stop underneath of a long pier jutting out across the beach and over the water. Although the lights of the boardwalk were still visible in the distance, nobody else was around them. And why would they be? No normal person, Violet thought, would bother with the beach this long after the sun had gone down. She wasn't even sure if they were allowed. But Kim, Violet realized, wasn't quite like everybody else, and was instead much more likely to pull something impulsive just to buy a few more minutes of hanging out together.

"You're hopeless, you know that?" Violet sighed, planting her hands on her hips and allowing a relaxed grin to creep across her face.

"Eh? What's that mean?" Kim pouted, crossing her arms and glaring at Violet.

"I mean..." Violet continued, unphased. "That you haven't changed one bit! Not that, you know... not that that's a bad thing, or anything..." she shyly added, scratching at her ear and shooting Kim an embarrassed smile.

Kim's eyes went wide for a split second as if, for the first time that day, her friend had broken through her defenses. Violet noticed this and let out a little giggle, only for Kim to suddenly leap at her, yelling "Sneak attack!"

"Hey!" Violet yelped in surprise as Kim suddenly grabbed her by the sides and began to mercilessly tickle her. Laughing uncontrollably, Violet yelled at her to stop and tried to push away, only for her pushes to turn into counter-attacks, only for that to turn into the two tumbling to the ground, sand flying about as they wrestled about.

Then, just as suddenly as the fight had begun, they stopped. Lying in the sand with Kim pinning her down, Violet grimaced in discomfort as her friend looked down at her, face crossed with a smug grin.

"Heh~ Did I surprise you, Vee?" Kim asked, smiling brightly and laughing aloud before flopping down onto her, resting her head against Violet's chest. Although annoyed, Violet couldn't help but to smile at the sight, Kim's messed-up hair all about as her breath lightly touched against her own rising and falling chest.

Rather than responding, Violet mustered up all of the energy she possibly could and, in a sudden feat of force, shoved Kim off of her and pinned her to the ground instead, effectively reversing their previous position. Holding Kim down by her arms, Violet looked down at her with a victorious smile. Only, this time, rather than returning with the stupid, happy-go-lucky grin that her friend had been wearing the entire day, Kim wore a look of genuine awe. Her open eyes stared up into Violet's gentle gaze, and her mouth hung open, halfway between a breath and a gasp.

Violet seized the opportunity without a second thought. She brought her face down to Kim's and locked her lips with hers, surprising her with an unexpected kiss. Kim let out a tiny squeak as she shut her eyes to return the gesture, holding Violet's lips against her own for the briefest of moments before the latter pulled away. The moment was so fleeting that Kim couldn't have been sure that it had existed at all, leaving her lying in the sand with her lips apart, staring up at Violet's starlit face with awe. That moment lasted for much longer, Kim looking deeply into Violet's twinkling eyes, speechless, before her friend finally spoke:

"Heh... did I surprise you, Kimmy?"

Violet winked, leaving Kim in an even greater state of awe than before. Finally, she blinked, and punched her friend on the shoulder in retaliation, pouting as her senses finally returned to her.

"Wah! You meanie!" Kim cried, "That was a cheap shot!"

Violet laughed so hard that she nearly cried, her chest heaving as she struggled to keep herself from falling back down on Kim, whose pout slowly gave way to a blissful smile.

~ ~ ~

"Hi everyone! I'm here!"

Amy cried out rather redundantly as she jogged over to Violet, Kim, and Tiffany, whose lazy expressions quickly sparked with excitement as they greeted their friend upon arrival, the brilliant sun shining down from above.

"Geez, it's about time, Amy!" Tiffany retorted, sticking her tongue out at Amy teasingly as the latter slowed to a walk. Having broken into an excited run as soon as she saw her friends, Amy was now out of breath, and leaned on the railing as she fumbled through her bag for her water bottle.

"Did you have any trouble with the train this time, Amy?" Violet chimed in, smiling warmly at her friend.

"Aww, look how excited she got to see us~" Kim teased, giggling as Amy's face turned red.

"Weh..." Amy whined, pouting at her friends. "Don't bully me!"

After having bailed on Violet and Kim the first time, Amy and Tiffany had no choice but to make it up to them by promptly making plans to meet again. Fast forward a few weeks, and the day had come - only this time, nothing would get in the way of the four friends' reunion.

"Hey, Amy..." Kim continued, scratching her chin in mock curiosity, "did you get taller?"

"Psh, no way..." Tiffany interjected, barely concealing a smug grin. "She's just as tiny I remember!"

"Hey! Tiffy!" Amy protested, sticking her arms up in the air with defiance as she glared at Tiffany with a pleading expression.

"Yeah, c'mon, Tiff..." Kim chimed in, barely concealing her own smug amusement. "I mean, it's obvious already. There's a reason why we didn't notice her until she was right in front of us!"

"Wah..." Amy pouted, having no comeback of her own.

Violet smiled softly as she leaned back on the boardwalk railing, the summer breeze carrying her friends' laughter through her ears. Now that everyone was back together, she realized, it was as if they had never been apart. After all, home was anywhere the four of them could get together and happiness was only the sound of their laughing voices. Violet closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath, tasting the salty summer air in the back of her throat. The feel of the afternoon sunshine filling her with tender warmth, the cool ocean breeze flirting with her lightly tanned skin, their shining faces lit up in the summer sun, or the ambiance of twilight, or the cool glow of the moonlight, the feel of Kim's touch against her pounding heart, her sparkling smile, and, of course, the childlike laughter that filled her ears every time she closed her eyes...

For some reason, Violet realized, these were her most precious treasures.

~