Talisman 01 - The Emerald Talisman

amazing homemade dough cooked to perfection in a stone oven. My mouth watered as I imagined my favorite, the Greek combo with feta, olives, tomatoes and artichokes.
    “And then, I thought it would be fun to watch the sunset at The Point.”
    “Good idea.”
    “And then, a movie?”
    “That sounds perfect,” she said in a purr.
    I never grew tired of hanging out with Sam, even though we mostly did the same things together. She always acted as if my ideas were something completely new. I liked that about her.
    “Hey, pull in here,” I said as I pointed to a little restaurant on the corner. “We need to get the movie times.”
    The restaurant had a kiosk that held the News and Review paper right by the front door. Sam zipped in, parked and jumped out to snag a copy.
    Sam sped down Main Street as I flipped to the movie section. I couldn’t handle a romantic movie or a tear-jerking drama and horror was completely out. Experiencing fear to the nth degree once in my life was plenty for me. I scanned the remaining short list of movies.
    “Okay, we’ve got Ghost Flight, Arial’s Rampage, Ballad of Maria and—” I spotted a familiar title. “How about The Bucci Brothers’ Revenge ?”
    “Never heard of it, what’s it about?”
    “It’s a comedy about two brothers who start a business venture designing a line of purses, trying to compete with Gucci. I saw a preview; it looked funny.”
    I bit my lip. A comedy with two gay brothers couldn’t possibly have any romance I could relate too, if any.
    “If that’s the one you want, I’m game,” she said, a chipper tone in her voice.
    “Are you being agreeable just to make me happy?”
    “Jules, the goal tonight is to do what you want. It’s your therapy, remember?”
    I huffed. “Yes, but . . .”
    “I promise, so far, everything’s been cool with me,” she said with a grin.
    I let it go. Maybe if I stopped making suggestions, she’d come up with something she’d want to do. I didn’t want the evening to be all about me.
    My attention was diverted when I noticed the temperature drop. The ocean view was just around the bend in the road. I could visualize the majestic crystalline water. It was like being reunited with a long lost friend. I took in a deep breath and filled my lungs with the crisp, salty air. Something about the beach always relaxed me.
    “Wanna go to the cliff?” Sam suggested.
    She knew me too well. I nodded, smiling.
    She accelerated and I sat back, eyes closed, feeling the warm sun on my face, trying to sing along to the songs blasting out of her speakers. Even though I sounded completely stupid and grasped at the words, I felt my heart heal a little.
    Within minutes, we pulled up to the familiar dirt parking lot on top of the cliff overlooking the most pristine beach, our beach.
    “You seem to be feeling better,” she said as she killed the engine.
    “You know, I am actually. I think this is exactly what I needed.”
    I gave her a big reassuring smile.
    “Good.”
    We relaxed in her car and watched the waves roll in, crashing one by one onto the barnacle laden rocks. Sam filled me in on the most recent gossip she had just heard at school. Apparently Katie asked Tyler for help with her Chemistry. He agreed to meet her in the library after school, but when she got there, Mandy came instead. He forgot he had practice and figured since Mandy was acing Chemistry, she could help Katie. Katie was furious and became the fastest pupil Mandy ever tutored.
    “Wow, I wonder how she remained civil,” I said with a chuckle.
    “Well . . .” I sensed Sam’s compassion and felt guilty for being so mean. “I’ve been trying to tell her to move on, find someone else, like Erik or Logan McKay. They are both cute and single at the moment.”
    I imagined her with another football player and sighed. She wouldn’t have any trouble nabbing either of them but I felt sorry for the poor guy. She’d only use him to try to make Tyler jealous and then dump him when it didn’t work. She was totally stuck on Tyler—like I was stuck on Nicholas.
    I cringed at the realization that I had let thoughts of Nicholas seep around the wall I put up. Worse yet, the memories that flashed through my mind were so real I could almost smell his earthy scent.
    “Oh, yeah, she should do that,” I said, trying to sound perfectly normal as I stuffed the feelings back down.
    I had to face it. Our relationship was over, plain and simple though it never really had