Rhys Halliday walked towards his principal. He had a big smile on his face and shook the hand of the older white-haired gentleman. He had finally graduated from high school and was excited to enjoy the summer. After receiving his diploma, he looked out at the audience. His mother and father were sitting in the tenth row. It was such an exciting day for the whole family. His parents had worked hard to make sure that Rhys received a good education. It had been a hardship, but in the end it had paid off.
"We are so proud of you, sweetie. I just wish you had decided to go to university."
Rhys rolled his eyes. He decided he was going to work as a lifeguard for the summer and then figure out what to do. He wanted to travel, see Europe, and visit Australia.
"I know mom. We'll see O.K.?"
The rest of the night was uneventful and Rhys lay in bed thinking about the next stage in his life. He really had no close friends and was stuck in a vortex of sorts. He knew what he had to do, but would rather just sit around and do nothing. The only reason he liked lifeguarding was all the neat gadgets he got to use and, of course, seeing women in bikinis wasn't too bad either.
***
Rhys packed up the rest of the first aid equipment. It had been a very busy last day at the beach. Everyone was enjoying the beach before going back to school. He carried the box to the storage area and closed the door. He made his way to his car. The parking lot was empty and the fall breeze made him a little sad. He had told his parents that he would only work for the summer and then make more definite plans.
Driving down the highway, Rhys admired the new cars going by. He was still driving an old hybrid and felt like such a loser. Most people had solar cars and here he still needed gas. Rhys must not have been paying attention because out of the corner of his eye he saw a red car coming at him. Rhys still couldn't explain what happened next, but as he saw the flash of red and heard the screeching of tires, Rhys went from sitting in his car to standing at the side of the road. It felt like his stomach was being pulled in different directions and he closed his eyes so he wouldn't get dizzy. The sensation was like a dream. It was like he was in two places at once, sort of like when you're asleep. You feel the mattress and pillow against your body, but you also feel your feet walking on the ground. He blinked and watched the accident unfold.
The red car that had come out of nowhere smashed into his green hybrid. Both cars skidded into the cement wall and crashed with a fiery burst of flame. The red and orange flames licked the wall and he knew he only had a short time before his gas tank caught fire.
"Fuck." Rhys made sure there were no oncoming cars as he ran towards the red car. There wasn't much left as the front end was pushed together like an accordion. Rhys wanted to help the driver of the other car. It was the instinct he had as a lifeguard that made him do it. He always wanted to make sure others were safe. He saw a flash of blonde hair and in one motion grabbed her shoulder and pulled her out of the car. She clung to him and he carried her back to the safety of the side of the road.
"Oh my god. Oh my god." Rhys held her tight and ran his hands through her hair. He didn't have a lot of experience with girls, but figured that anything was better than nothing in trying to calm her down.
"It's O.K. You're fine."
"Fine! I am not fine. I was daydreaming about Europe and the next thing I know, my car was spinning out of control." The woman was about Rhys' age and had one of those stylish form-fitting outfits. She had a strange accent and Rhys wondered where she was from. She was definitely not from the D.C. area.
