| West Shore Beach never has as many people as the south beach. While the south beach caters to locals and tourists alike with its sandy shore the West Shore Beach with its rocks and broken shells is a place few tourists find and even many locals don't often bother to go. At the top of the stairs which lead down to the beach is a powder blue bicycle that may look familiar to some leaning against the railing. At the bottom, a few yards down the shoreline a blonde walks the water's edge.
Donovan drives down the road leading to the beach, exploring the town and trying to get familiarized with the layout and any possible shortcuts he may find along the way. His windows are rolled down, letting the music of his car escape now that the rain has actually stopped. As he cruises down the road, he sees the familiar powder blue bike leaning against the railing. He slows the car down, looking for it's owner and, when he fails to find her, he decides to pull over and check the beach below. After he pulls over and kills the engine, he climbs out of the car and moves over to where the bike is to see if he can spot her from there. It doesn't take long to notice the only person on the beach, which does bring a smile to Donovan's lips.
Her back to the wooden staircase that leads down to the beach Ellis doesn't realize that anyone else is there. The sounds from the street above muffled by the rocky wall that rises to the road and the businesses that line it above. She wears a light-weight grey sweater paired with a thin beige scarf against the cool ocean air, paired with relatively standard fair of blue jeans and tennis shoes as she wanders down the beach.
Donovan just watches Ellis for a few moments before he starts down the wood steps that lead down to the beach, moving swiftly towards the girl in front of him. "Hey Ellis." He calls out to her, hoping to catch her attention before she gets too far away from him. He does his best to move quickly in the sand, but sand doesn't make for very good traction and it's slow going for the most part. "Wait up." He calls out a moment after the first time, already starting to breath heavier.
Ellis isn't going that fast, a slow pace is set. Meandering, taking in the scenery. The sound of her name has her looking back over her shoulder however, a smile touching her lips as she spots Donovan and the girl sends a wave his way as she stops to wait for him. "Hey yourself," she laughs as he joins up.
Donovan doesn't get much exercise these days and is breathing a bit heavy once he manages to catch up. He takes a few moments to catch his breath before he stands up straight again and offers her a smile. "Hey. I was just passing by and saw your bike." He glances around the beach, taking it in for the first time for a few moments before he looks back to her. "So, you come here often?" He asks with a slight smirk before he chuckles softly. "I just wanted to come and say hey. This beach isn't as crowded as the other one." He says, commenting more for himself. "Whatcha up to?"
Ellis shrugs lightly, offering up a smile of her own in return. "Sometimes," she replies as to visiting the beach. "It is" less crowded, "less sand, more rock. Not really a place to swim," being some of the reasons, at least in her mind. As for what she's up to, "Just taking a walk. Jewels is on this kick and I needed to get out of the house for awhile anyway."
Donovan nods his head slightly as he listens to her speak, an understanding nod at the mention of Jewels. "Yeah. I know how that can be. My mom can get on these weird kicks from time to time. Once, she had me drinking nothing but wheatgrass for a month because she said it was healthier for me." He says, shuddering slightly as he remembers the taste of it. "Never again." He says simply, his head shaking. He glances up and down the beach for a moment before he looks back at her. "Well, if you're taking a walk, would you mind some company?" He asks with a slight smile and raised eyebrows.
Ellis shakes her head, "Not at all," she replies to the question of company, inclining her head as a silent question of moving on. "Nothing like that," she laughs at his story of wheatgrass, "She has like five canvases started in the living room and the table is covered in plates of paint. Test color mixes or something."
Donovan smiles and nods his head once at her nod of moving on, stepping in line with her as she starts on. He laughs softly and nods his head. "Yeah, that's how our garage is turning out. I've got this seven panel piece I'm working on." He offers with a chuckle. "The test mixes and color palates I just use old cardboard or a t-shirt." He says with a slight chuckle. "What's she working on?" He asks, the artistic curiosity coming out. "If it's some simple pieces, it shouldn't take too long for things to clear up." He says with a slight smile. "But, in the meantime, you're always welcome to come over if you need to get out of the house. Mom makes me keep my work to the garage so I don't ruin her carpets."
Ellis shrugs as she moves off down the beach once again. "I don't know, I didn't ask," she's clearly over it already. "It'll all come together sooner or later, that, or she'll decide to scrap it and the whole thing will start all over again." Its a process she's used to though. "Thanks, I might have to take you up on that sometime. I've yet to see your art," she adds.
Donovan ahhs and nods his head slowly as she explains her aunt's process, understanding it all too well. "Well, hopefully it won't come down to her scrapping it all and having to start over. That can get really expensive." He offers before she mentions not having seen his work. "Well, you should come to the art lab more often." He offers to her, glancing over at her with a slight smile. "But, anytime you wanna see it, you just have to ask." He says, pausing for a moment before he continues. "I'd like to have you sit for a painting sometime."
"Yeah, well..." Ellis shrugs. Its not her process to worry about. "I suppose I should," she replies about visiting the art lab, sidestepping to bump her shoulder into his arm only to blink over at him. "You want me to sit? Wouldn't you rather Nikki or Allison?" she names off a few of the more popular girls at school.
Donovan chuckles and shrugs. "No, I think I'd rather have you sit for me. You're beautiful and would make a good subject." He says as he glances over to her. "Besides, if I painted one of the popular girls, I'd probably end up making them a goat or a turtle or something. Then they'd get all butt-hurt by it and then I'd probably end up getting hit or something. I don't think I want to get hit right now." He stuffs his hands into his pockets. "I'm too pretty to have this face messed up." He says in a joking tone.
"Thanks?" Ellis replies, not quite sure what to make of the compliment. The remark about the other girls brings a laugh however. "I doubt they'd mess it up," she teases back. "Maybe a handprint for awhile, but they'd find someone else if your portrayal called for an actual beating. Anyway, first couple weeks under your belt. Settling in, getting to know the lay of the land and all that?"
Donovan smirks and shrugs. "I dunno. I met Isabelle. She scares me." He continues walking for a few moments before he looks at her again, a slightly worried look on his face. "Kelly said she eats souls. Do you think that's true?" He asks, his voice slightly lowered. "But, out of anyone at the school I'd have sit for me so I can paint them and look at them for hours on end, then it's you."
"She's not so bad," Eliis replies, her voice taking on a sour note for a moment, "all the time.." There's a bitterness there, subtle, but its there. "Kelly exaggerates. She's not a demoness," she adds with a grin. "You know, of all the people that could paint me at school I think I'd like you," the blonde teases reaching over to give his shoulder a light push before running off ahead, or trying to given the pebbled beach. "You're it!"
Donovan smirks slightly at her response to his question about Isabelle. "Well, that's good to know. I know he was exaggerating, but she kinda gave off the impression that she could eat your soul if she wanted to." He says with a soft chuckle. Her comment about wanting him to paint her does cause him to give her a bright smile. "You should come over sometime and I'll paint your portrait." He says to her right before she punches his shoulder and runs off. It takes him a few seconds to realize what just happened, but then he's right after her, doing his best to stay up on his feet giving the ground. "No fair! Cheater!" He calls after her with a laugh in his voice.
Considering they both have the shifting pebbles underfoot the ground is at least even for them. Even though she has a head start of him, his longer stride should give him an advantage. "I don't cheat," Ellis calls back over her shoulder, "Just giving myself a fair advantage."
Donovan smirks and, despite the rocky ground, does gain on her as he actually manages to stay up on his feet. He lets out a laugh as she gives her explanation of the head start. There are a moment or two when he temporarily looses his footing and she gains some ground on him before he manages to catch up again. As he closes the distance, he attempts to reach out to her and wrap his arms around her wait to catch her.
"Hey!" Ellis laughs as he catches her around the waist. "Cheater," she calls him out on it, tilting her head back to flash him a smile. "Told you I needed a head start."
Donovan laughs along with her as he catches her, holding onto her for a moment before he lets go of her enough for her to move, but still holds onto her. He looks at her as she looks back at him with that smile of hers. "Next time you can have a longer head start." He offers as he looks at her while he starts to chew on his bottom lip, the gears in his head starting to turn... you can probably smell the smoke too.
Ellis moves when he lets loose, but only enough to turn around to face him. "Hmm?" its not quite a question, but she's still smiling the edge of her lower lip caught between her teeth. "What's wrong?"
Donovan smiles slightly as she turns around and looks at him. He shakes his head slightly at her question, chuckling slightly. "It... It's nothing." He says, still holding her for a few moments before he leans in and goes for a kiss unless she does something to stop him. The hands on her waist moving to her hips.
"Are...," Ellis starts only to find herself being kissed, a fact that does nothing to put a stop to. It might just be a little awkward such is the way of first kisses. When it ends, she lifts the back of her hand to her lips, grinning behind it. "What was that?" Certainly not expected.
Donovan bites his lower lip as it ends, looking at her with a slight smile on his lips. Her question causes another chuckle and a slight shrug of his shoulders. "Nothing. Just something that I've been wanting to do for almost a week now." He says as the smile grows a bit larger.
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