Summer Skin | Teen Ink

Summer Skin MAG

By Maria Diaz SILVER, Phoenix, Arizona
Maria Diaz SILVER, Phoenix, Arizona
5 articles 0 photos 0 comments

The cool breeze sifts through my limbs, slipping and sliding through unexplored parts. For a moment the rest of the world slips away, scrubbed clean and absolved by the waves. I’d like to dive into that ocean, feel the water crash down on me, suppress me, remind me that I’m not the only thing that matters. But I can’t. Not now. Not yet. I should be here when you wake up, because that was the one sincere promise I made you.

I don’t even want to try leaving right now – not when it was you who looked at me in that way that taught me what it was to feel the ground beneath my feet disappear. Tiny rivulets of water slither down your temple, and I’m tempted to brush them away. I hold back, remembering what my father always told me: “The one you mark is the one you keep.” And I don’t want to mark you because I’m not sure if I’ll keep you. I’m not sure if I’ll keep you, and I’m even less sure about whether you’d survive it. Maybe it’s because I know you feel me slipping away despite your desperate clutching, like the grains of sand you held so tightly in your palm not two hours ago. Or was it years? It doesn’t matter.

The past has passed, and what’s left of it except a few recollections that’ll be buried beneath a surface of newer memories? Maybe you don’t feel the same way, and you’ll wake believing that the past is the segue to our future. Oh, what I wouldn’t give so that you’d wake to think about your next encounter instead. A part of me – the part that wishes this would never end – wants to convince me that I should stay, because you’re too bruised and too vulnerable and too fragile to do this on your own. The part of me that knows it’ll just be later rather than sooner overpowers the other.

The sand shifts slightly and, without looking, I know you’re reaching out for me. I bite down on my tongue gently, forcibly swallowing a groan of frustration. Against my better judgment, I offer you my hand and feel yours slip into it, entwining and tangling. Your hand is as familiar to me as my own, the leathery feel of your skin and long-dried salt strangely comforting. How could it not be, when I can recount thousands of paths traced upon the lines of my face with the wandering pads of your thumbs? Every trail embedded on your palm tells of every secret meeting we’ve had, all testaments to our fairy-tale story.

Fleetingly, I wonder if I’ll have the courage to stay when the silvery tones are replaced by glowing warmth. Then you stir again and it’s not hard for me to remember why I can’t stay within fields of golden scenery and humid, still air.

You exhale and I inhale. The moon is bright, illuminating the sky and shining like a large quarter in the expanse of navy blue above us. I tilt my head and glance at you, carelessly sprawled out. Surely you wouldn’t be so nonchalant if you knew. Your sunset skin and long limbs make me think of our summer, brightness and oceans bursting behind my eyelids. Your face is all angles and planes, like a high school geometry lesson. You’re squirming again, and I know that it’ll be only a matter of minutes before you wake.

“You’re leaving?” Your voice is rough with sleep, but somehow it’s still like warm molasses.

“Well, you’re awake now,” I say neutrally. It’s not a direct answer, and I know you hate it.

Your hand slips from mine and you rub your eyes, so blue they put the spring sky to shame. “Are we ever going to talk?”

“There’s nothing to say.” I shrug and promptly wince, remembering why I hate the sun. My shoulders are red and achy, sensitive even against the thin fabric of my shirt.

“Okay.” You nod slowly. “Okay.” We’re quiet for a few moments before you reach out and brush a strand of hair from my face. I know there’s more to this. “Things get lost without anyone noticing on the way, you know.” Your tone is quiet. Not angry. Not sad. Quiet.

“We’re a mistake we knew we were making,” I reply. “Four weeks isn’t enough to make something real. It’s not like we could have had forever.”

“Love that’s real doesn’t need to have forever,” you say, just as quietly.

I contemplate my words carefully. In the end, honesty wins over tact. “This isn’t real.”

It takes another long, steady moment before you decide to speak again. When you do, I sigh with weariness.

“You were the loneliest place I’ve ever been in.”

“And you thought you could fix that?”

“I wish I could have.”

We are both looking up at the sky, wondering why the stars aren’t out. Maybe they’re hiding behind a veil of thin clouds. Your arm is barely brushing mine, almost inconceivably. I think of how many times I pictured this moment, this ending point. It’s nothing like the dramatic scene in my mind. It’s almost as if the strings connecting us had been snapping one by one, softening the final blow.

I’ll miss you, your broad smile and loud laughter. I can close my eyes and almost picture you bounding up the stairs to my family’s summer home. I’ll miss the days we spent on the dock, playing that stupid game where we name the passing boats. I’ll miss your black leather jacket that always smelled of humid afternoons and sunshine. I’ll miss your golden hair and the small freckles that dot the bridge of your nose and the tops of your cheeks. I’ll miss the birthmark right below your left shoulder blade, the one shaped like Italy. I’ll miss your family. I’ll miss your dog. I’ll miss your room. I’ll miss your car.

Somehow, despite all of this, I still say, “See you around.”



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This article has 136 comments.


on Nov. 30 2012 at 3:10 pm
Deej6595 BRONZE, Billerica, Massachusetts
3 articles 0 photos 369 comments

Favorite Quote:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

Oh I loved this story it was very mysterious but understandable. Good job!

Alimax GOLD said...
on Sep. 1 2012 at 8:04 pm
Alimax GOLD, Arlington, Tennessee
15 articles 0 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
“I'd like to see mankind live together: that's all”
-Bob Marley

beautifully executed, but a tad too evasive

on Jun. 7 2012 at 8:21 am
dance_write_dream SILVER, Briarwood, New York
8 articles 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth.”
― William W. Purkey

I really liked it but I think it could have used some more focus. Your writing was beautiful overall. Nice piece! 

on Jun. 5 2012 at 6:22 pm
DreamingOutQuiet SILVER, Round Rock, Texas
7 articles 0 photos 78 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Time and the bell have buried the day,
The black cloud carries the sun away" - Elliot

Oh if life where made of moments, even now and then a bad one. Oh, if life where made of moments then we wouldn't know we had one. - Into the Woods

This was really good, but honestly parts dragged. 

EeBRA BRONZE said...
on May. 14 2012 at 12:31 pm
EeBRA BRONZE, Mattapan, Massachusetts
2 articles 0 photos 25 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Don't count the days, make the days count." Mohamed Ali

it was really interesting,,you really have to stay focus through out the whole thing to get the main point,,,love it!!!

on Apr. 23 2012 at 9:44 pm
_ella_herondale BRONZE, San Diego, California
4 articles 2 photos 222 comments

Favorite Quote:
"...If the Thames that ran beside them...recalled a night where the moon shone as brightly as a shilling on the same boy and girl... and thought to themselves, 'at last, the wheel comes full circle,' they kept their silence."

Beautiful!!!! I loved the figurative language and the wistful tone. Youre an AMAZING writer!! ( o and sorry to post about myself on your amazing story, but I was hoping you could read my story: Faceless Friend. I think that your writings a bit like mine and I'd love critique!! Good job once more!)

on Mar. 31 2012 at 10:32 am
Allicat001 SILVER, Waukesha, Wisconsin
6 articles 0 photos 170 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Love is not someone you can live with, love is someone you can't live without."

"Always stand up for what's right even if that means you're standing alone."

Amazing!  I'm jealous of how well you write! Keep it up:)

on Mar. 9 2012 at 12:41 pm
Clairebear. BRONZE, Ft.Collins, Colorado
1 article 0 photos 2 comments
This is really, really good. I could relate to some of the things that the main character was thinking. It was a tad confusing but I really enjoyed it! Keep up the good work!

on Feb. 16 2012 at 9:16 pm
Amyelisee BRONZE, Lake Bluff, Illinois
3 articles 8 photos 117 comments
Love it!!!

on Feb. 16 2012 at 5:13 pm
Orangesummer PLATINUM, Boise, Idaho
26 articles 34 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Even in the midst of winter I found within me an invincible summer."

This is really good! I love it! My favorite part is when you describe what the person looks like, with the birthmark shaped like Italy and the dots on the bridge of their nose. It's really good!

on Jan. 27 2012 at 7:11 pm
LunaEclips BRONZE, Stanford, California
1 article 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet." ~ William Shakespeare

W.O.W. Simply amazing, beautifully crafted, lovely. I am so happy I was able to take part in something so sweet as that piece of writing right there. GREAT job.

mymask DIAMOND said...
on Jan. 25 2012 at 6:49 pm
mymask DIAMOND, Dayton, Ohio
64 articles 0 photos 23 comments

Favorite Quote:
Illigitimi non carborundum!

Alea Iacta est!

Beautifully crafted and so well done! Could you by chance give some of your writing advice to some of us so that we can learn; you really are a great writer, keep it up, please!

on Jan. 25 2012 at 12:19 pm
splinteredsunlight GOLD, Williamsburg, Virginia
15 articles 0 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
"To live is to suffer; to survive is to find some meaning in that suffering." -Friedrich Nietzsche

Oh my goodness, this is absolutely beautiful. The emotion in the piece is almost tangible. I love it

on Jan. 3 2012 at 8:20 pm
otherpoet SILVER, Wayland, Massachusetts
6 articles 9 photos 254 comments

Favorite Quote:
"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone." - Audrey Hepburn

This article irritates me. It is too good. Far too good. I don't understand what it's about, and i'm not meant to. I love the mystery, suspense and longing you feel. Your voice is amazing. I fell in love with both your characters. I love this - it's one of my favorites :D

peaceout GOLD said...
on Jan. 3 2012 at 1:18 pm
peaceout GOLD, Cleveland, Ohio
17 articles 0 photos 15 comments

Favorite Quote:
Don't ask what the meaning of life is. You define it.

i love it. magically beautiful

on Dec. 12 2011 at 6:36 pm
Matteoscher BRONZE, Chestnut Ridge, New York
1 article 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
you can't be me you can only be you.

very deskripitive but i can't find a meaning in the piece OK

BadGirl GOLD said...
on Dec. 12 2011 at 7:18 am
BadGirl GOLD, Dacula, Georgia
13 articles 10 photos 56 comments

Favorite Quote:
I'd rather be HATED for who I am
then be LOVED for who I'm not.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All I need is for someone to say "I believe in you."

Best article I've read so far!!! :D

on Nov. 20 2011 at 12:18 pm
Noel_Orlet BRONZE, Ananindeua, Other
4 articles 3 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
Dare to be stupid.

awesome article....i like the way you wrote it...keep the articles coming!!!

eli15 said...
on Oct. 7 2011 at 5:24 pm
Interesting imagery and good choice of words. Lacks specific character identities. Has an uninteresting plot. Intriguing ending 

on Oct. 7 2011 at 8:22 am
ThePeaceDaisy BRONZE, Albany, New York
4 articles 5 photos 223 comments

Favorite Quote:
“Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by color.” - Unknown
I will change this every week!

it's so obvious this was set up pickle*eater and teenstar25