I didn't expect much when Connor Sharpe followed me back.
Just some random notification while hanging out with my best friend.
But one simple "hi" turns into something neither of us saw coming.
A couple of years apart, different grades, and a millio...
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It was finally summer break.
No more alarms at 6 a.m., no more dragging myself to school, no more pretending to pay attention during classes I totally failed at (I'm looking at you, math).
Yumi and I sprawled on my bed, phones in hand but mostly just scrolling through TikTok and texting the crew. Connor, Jake, Aidan, Laura, they were all ready to make this summer one to remember. No more awkward kisses, no more secret texts in the middle of the day. Or at least, that's what I told myself.
We had zero plans yet, but that was the best part, endless possibilities.
I glanced over at Yumi, who was busy practicing her "model stare" for the next viral selfie. "So," I said, nudging her, "what's the first move? Beach day? Movie marathon? Epic road trip?"
She grinned, eyes sparkling. "All of it. But first? Sleep. Lots of it."
I laughed. "Deal. Summer can officially start tomorrow."
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So, turns out my parents were already back home. Yeah, surprise!
But guess what? At the end there was no crashing or catching up on sleep. Nope. Instead, Connor, Jake, Laura, Aidan, Yumi, and I all decided to hit the beach. Like, immediately.
I mean, I had already told my parents that Yumi and I made two new friends: Connor and Aidan. What I didn't expect was for my parents to casually mention that they actually knew the Sharpe family and that they're friends. Like, what? How small is this world?
Anyway, beach day was officially ON.
The sun was shining, the waves were calling.
Jake tried to show off with some skate tricks near the boardwalk, but ended up eating sand (classic). Laura kept laughing so hard she almost fell into the water, and Connor? Well, Connor was just being Connor, trying to convince Aidan to jump into the freezing water with him.
Yumi and I just soaked it all in, sitting on the warm sand, legs stretched out, catching some vitamin D.
Jake decided to try his skate trick again. He grabbed his skateboard and swaggered toward the boardwalk. "Watch this," he said, flashing that cocky grin.
Five seconds later, he tried a kickflip and totally wiped out. face-first into the sand. Again.
Laura doubled over laughing, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Nice one, Jake! That was... impressive," she managed between giggles.
Jake wiped sand off his face and gave us a sheepish smile. "I meant to do that," he shrugged.
Meanwhile, Connor and Aidan were standing at the water's edge, both eyeing the waves suspiciously.
"You're going in first," Connor said, smirking.
"No way. You do it," Aidan shot back.
"I'm not afraid of cold water," Connor bragged, but then jumped back when a particularly big wave crashed near his feet.
