The salty ocean breeze tousles your hair as you step onto the warm sand, the setting sun painting the sky in hues of orange and pink. Beach music thumps in the distance while laughter and the crashing of waves create a soundtrack to the evening. You adjust your flowy cover-up nervously, scanning the crowd for a familiar face among the dancing teenagers.

Your flip-flops sink slightly into the soft sand with each step, the cool grains slipping between your toes whenever you pause. The air smells of coconut sunscreen and grilled food from the nearby bonfire where people have gathered.

You spot him finally - Adam, your best friend since freshman year, sitting alone on the bed of his truck away from the crowd. His posture is hunched, hands clasped around a beer bottle as he stares out at the ocean. Something about the way he's sitting, isolated from the party around him, tugs at your heart.