The young girl sat Indian style with her back resting against the sun-warmed boulder jutting, against the Long Island Sound. The wind caught her curly blonde hair and made it dance in the late afternoon light. She had pulled it down from her $30 wedding upswept hairdo that her best friend had insisted on, along with other feminine requirements. Her hands hung limply between her knees, unaware that she had crushed the wreath of out of season flowers. Her tears, which she had held back during the ceremony, now fell freely. The wind brought the sounds of feet clumsily climbing the rocks behind her. She  thought she would have gone unnoticed by her celebrating friends. She smelled him before he spoke. She stared out into the light and spoke quietly, so only the wind carried the conversation for the two of them/

"You know how I said that I would follow you to the ends of the earth? Yeah, well, about that, I lied...there are some places and paths that even I can't follow and even the angels fear to tread. The door that you just passed through? That's locked and no matter how much I push with my shoulder or body weight, it won't open for me."

The boy sat next to her and clumsily put his arm around her bare shoulder and squeezed in a friendly sort of way.

"Geez Bec, been rereading "Through the Looking Glass?" You know that not good for you. How long you been practicing that speech?"

Bec shrugged off his arm, but it wouldn't budge. Her head hanging, she tried to stifle the tears in between her snarky comments 

"Mark, for a gay guy you can be awfully irritatingly..."

"Perfect, spot on, awesome?"

Bec opened her eyes and jokingly shoved him away.

"For your information, only since last week at the graduation party, when he made that announcement saying he was going to marry her. For fuck's sake, we just graduated from friggin high school and he goes and tells us he is getting married to...HER of all fucking people." She gestured back towards the beach, readjusting her sparkly dress. She shifted to face her friend, trailing her foot in the water and reached out to play with his long blond hair.

"Next thing you know, she is probably going to announce she preggo or something stupid like that," she muttered under her breath.

Mark hesitated and Bec dropped the hair. She closed her eyes, screwing up her face.

"God dammit," she whispered. Mark grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her slightly. You are not the only one with secrets Bec."

"When did you know...dammit Mark you cocky monkey....friggin tell me."

"He told me last night after he hung out with you to say goodbye. What the hell did you do to him by the way?" Bec haughtily tossed back her hair and gagged as the sea sprayed her with water.

 "Nothing. Well, not nothing. Fine, I told him I loved him, we got high for the last time and I couldn't help it, I told him." Mark took out his purple handkerchief and handed it to Bec/ Mark undid his bow tie and sat there waiting.

"Why the hell would you tell him that," Mark tugged at his uncomfortable tie around his neck, slipping it off his neck. "C'mon Bec, you're finally getting the fuck outta here. You won't have anymore drunk relatives breathing down your neck, no more dirty looks from your neighbors..."

"A new best friend," Bec responded. kicking the water towards him.

Mark held up his hands in protest. "Cmon kid, you know what I mean. He ain't gonna matter to you. Think about that stupid rabbit hole. You can't follow him now. You can't be that abandoned puppy anymore. He was so friggin high last night that he couldn't speak straight let alone think straight. WE'RE 18 BABY!" Mark threw up his hands and almost fell in the water. Bec giggled and grabbed his arm to pull him back. Then she noticed what his tie had been covering and she stopped breathing.

"Not you too" she groaned, her hand slipping into his collar and twisting the chain, making a plurk sound when it snapped off. "Dog tags...really? I have to deal with them getting married and now you." The broken silver metal chain dangled from her hand for a moment,catching the light.

"Cheers Bec," Mark grabbed the necklace. "Your leaving next week for college, why the fuck do you care?"

"UGH, I thought I had enough time. When are you leaving?"

"Uh, we are leaving"

"Shit, we?

Mark shrugged, looking sheepish

"Yeah, me and DJ are leaving tomorrow morning"

"WHAT" Bec's scream of indignation scared off the dive-bombing seagulls. She bolted up, ready to scramble down the rocks back to the beach reception.

Mark got up a little more reluctantly and grabbed her arm. Bec started to pull away, but he pulled her close to him.

"You are not going over there all huffy chicka.You're not gonna ruin the best day that the two of them will ever have again. He knew he was going two months ago, she had a shitty home life and this was just the right time."

"So, she got preggo and what? Is she gonna live home with her mom?"

"If you notice, no one's parents showed up today, it was just us. Ari got tossed out of her house last week after she told them she was pregnant by DJ. Yes, I know, they have been dating for like three months, but shit happens. It's like your goddamned rabbit hole. You cannot follow them...EVER. They are moving on and you are going to college and getting the hell out of here. You are going to be the one that makes it. It doesn't matter anymore. You have to matter to yourself now."