The pillow was drenched, and Andy allowed the tears trickle down his face and onto his neck. He couldn’t remember his exact dream, but vaguely remembered Olivia’s screams and the feeling of guilt that accompanied them. Guilt for leaving her. Guilt for letting her die. Guilt for the small spark he felt in his deadened heart when Jill smiled. Still heavy from sleep, the room was filled with Olivia’s omnipresent spirit, filling every corner and pushing all of the air out. The air seemed too thick with her disappointment and his guilt for him to breathe.

His mind raced through undetailed memories of his dream while his eyes searched for Olivia’s ghost he was sure was making an appearance somewhere. His limbs feel too heavy and numb to move, yet he wished his mind was numb as well. His heart ached for Olivia, and even after almost a year, his bed felt empty without her petite form beside him. If she was still here, he wouldn’t be plagued by these thoughts. He needed to get out of the room before he suffocated.

He took his time climbing out of bed, still half asleep. His shin collided with his open suitcase, sitting half packed in the middle of his floor. He swore loudly and kicked the bag, sending black vests scattered around the room. They were leaving for Warped the next day, and he still hadn’t gotten his shit together. He walked to the door and pulled it open, stepping out into the hall and walking to the living room. It was illuminated in the soft pre-dawn light, between the sun’s and moon’s shifts.
Before finishing packing, he needed to shower. He’d put it off long enough and it was growing to be more and more disgusting. The beaches wouldn’t be open to the public yet, but it would only be a few more hours until the shower houses opened. He grabbed his keys off the counter and headed out the door.

Andy plopped into the sand, feeling its coolness even through his black jeans. The change of scenery was nice, and sitting alone was much better with a cool salty breeze blowing and soft sand beneath him than in his dark room being filled with her ghost. Memories of Olivia followed him here as well, but they weren’t so dangerous. The soft light of the early morning sky dulled their sharp pangs and the gentle breeze would stop him from suffocating.
The tub brought back too many memories. That’s why he was forced to come here where it was safe.
When finally the sun came up, Andy knew it would only be a little while longer before the janitor came through and unlocked the bathroom doors along with the showers. Families would be showing up with their children, women looking to sun tan and men with wandering eyes. He dragged his knees to his chest and hugged them close in attempt to cork up the hole that had formed there over the past year as he watched his sanity slowly slip away. Nothing was the same now that she was gone. He couldn’t even handle seeing his own bathtub without remembering the way hers looked dripping with blood.
He was dragged out of his thought by someone tapping him on the shoulder. He stood, brushing the sand off of the back of his jeans.
“Thanks, Ted,” he said to the janitor who just nodded and walked away.
Andy half jogged to his car, knowing that there was only a few minutes before the beachgoers would start to arrive. He hated the way that all the couples laughed and smiled at each other, being happy in each others’ presence. He unlocked the trunk and pulled out a small black backpack, which he slung over his shoulder as he hurried to the bathhouse.
The public showers were grimy to say the least, and most had sand permanently stuck to the floor. There wasn’t a shelf to put his clothes on, but he had discovered that the furthest corner of the stall wouldn’t get wet, so he left them in a pile there. The water came on scalding hot, and alternated between burning his skin and turning so cold that he could hardly hold onto the soap from shaking. He showered as quickly as possible, missing when he used to be able to take decent temperature showers in his own home.

He finished rinsing the shampoo from his hair before stepping off the wet tiles and onto dry ground to get dressed. He could hear children eagerly being changed into swimsuits and tried to avoid looking at them as he made his way back to his car. He needed to get out of this city. Tomorrow morning couldn’t come fast enough.

Notes

Comments and criticisms are appreciated! :) Also, don't mind the giant ass time jump. We decided not to bore you guys with a few million chapters of filler.