Lie Until You Laugh

18- Beaches

“You’re all girls,” Brian says with a laugh as he slips his shirt over his head. I feel bad for noticing his abs because he’s Mason’s boyfriend, but they are really nice. I don’t stare or anything, I just glance, appreciate, and then look away. “It’s just water.”

“It’s salt water, Dumbo. Not ‘just water’,” Mason giggles as she pulls out her sun screen.

It takes another ten minutes for all of us to cover ourselves in the white lotion-like stuff and then I smell like chlorinated oil, which is an interesting smell, and then we’re all ready. I can’t swim and I don’t like deep water, so I will only go into the water up to my waist, but if they want to go deeper, I’m not going to whine or try to go with them.

“AH!” I shriek at the coldness of the water once I take my first step in. I didn’t expect it to be so cold, but it really is. It’s not freezing or anything, but it’s just really extremely cold. “Why is it cold?”

Stella laughs and then shrugs. “I don’t know, but it feels so good, right?” She runs into the water with Mason but Brian just walks in front of me like a human being.

“It does feel good,” I agree, slowly walking deeper into the ocean until the calm waves are lapping at my knees. The cool water feels incredible, actually, after I get over the initial shock of the temperature. The contrast between the beating sun and the green-blue water feels like polar opposites but in a really nice way.

“How far do you want to go?” Stella asks me as we stand in water that stops about mid-thigh. I’m kind of relieved that she remembers my pathetic fear of water, but I’m also kind of embarrassed by it.

“You guys can go as far as you want,” I assure her. “But I’m going to stop at my waist.”

“We’re not going to leave you,” Mason scoffs. “You can have a lot of fun in waist-deep water.”

“She’s right,” Brian nods in agreement as he sneaks behind Stella and then crouches down in a split second before scooping her into his arms. She’s screaming and wiggling, but that doesn’t do anything to save her before he drops her into the water. Stella briefly disappears under the water before resurfacing. She wipes her eyes and then glares at Brian, who is now laughing along with me and Mason.

“I’ll get you back, Brian Stevens,” She assures him.

“Bring it on, Stella Wayne,” He laughs at her.

“You’re both ridiculous,” Mason chuckles, rolling her eyes at them.

“You’re next,” Brian promises her with a flirty wink.

“You don’t scare me,” She challenges her boyfriend before he’s diving towards her. She shrieks and then giggles as she runs around me to use me as a barricade between herself and Brian.

“If I don’t scare you then why are you hiding behind Sienna?” He smirks at her.

“I’m not hiding,” Mason scoffs. “I’m just standing here with my friend who just so happens to be Sienna.”

I laugh and start to wish that I could join in their water wars without being afraid of igniting a panic attack. I’d embarrass myself in front of my friends and a whole beach full of people, which is something that I really don’t want to happen. I do decide that I can splash people though, because I don’t mind getting splashed back. To defend Mason, I scoop up some water from around my waist and throw it in Brian’s direction.

“And I thought you were on my team,” He sighs, feigning sadness before he splashes back.

I squeal unintentionally and then burst into laughter as his huge splash gets both me and Mason. Before we can return fire, Stella jumps onto Brian’s back. With a short yelp from Brian, they both tumble backwards and disappear under the murky water. Stella comes up first and when Brian tries to resurface, she dunks him underwater again.