Sixteen
Kingston
Eighteen Years Old
I walk down the dock. Only the lights of the small boats still out on Lake Starlight are visible on the water. Sitting on the edge, my feet dangle and I itch to jump in. Submerge myself and come out on the other side of the lake. I’d rather do anything other than what I’m about to do.
A burst of colorful light breaks through the night sky and reflects down onto the calm water of the lake. Idiots on the boats are setting off fireworks.
Footsteps sound behind me on the wooden dock, but I refrain from looking over my shoulder. Stella picked a place we both knew would be empty after all the families left the beach.
She’s quiet and says nothing until she’s next to me, just like she was that night months earlier when the water was freezing.
“Hi,” she sa
