rivals | colby brock ✔️

fifty-seven.

"I'M LOOKING FOR THE PENNY BOARDS!"

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Déjà vu.

Just like the first week here.

Windows down, sunglasses on, backpacks filled with beach towels and spare change.

Ellie drives my BMW down the freeway to Venice, blasting Congratulations by Post Malone.

The wind pasts through, sending gusts to blow our hairs in different directions. It feels like breaths of relief streaming through, carrying our worries away. We're singing at the top of our lUngs, throwing our hands in the air, all the way to Venice.

The venture there ended as we parked in the same place as last time, and rode our penny boards down to the boardwalk of the beach.

We arrive at the sand, stripping our tops off to bikinis.

Slipping off the flip flops and tiptoeing into the waves, we walked in the water for hours to cleanse our sins as if we were in the Ganges.

The sun did set, scattering the bright, vivid colors of the tropics in its place.

Shades of pinks, blends of oranges and yellows, and hues of purple cascade across the sky again.

Ellie and I sit on the beach again and lay on the same towels we did the first week when coming here.

Last time, I remember wanting to have a boyfriend and getting lo-key jealous of Ellie and Colby's relationship.

God, Colby Brock fucking twists me up into knots.

Ellie pulls up her sunglasses and looks at me.

"Hey Ash."

"Sup," I say, turning to her.

"Are you and Colby going to become a thing now?"

My eyes widen, "That was basically what I asked you last time we were here."

She chuckles, "Just reliving moments again."

"So you will?" Ellie winks.

"I don't know. Do you think he's ready to be in a relationship with me?" I ponder, worried.

She shrugs, "Yeah he is, but the question is... are you?"

Am I?

"Damn, it'd be perfect timing if Colby were to text me right now," I joke.

Ellie laughs, "Yeah right."

"What would you do if he did?"

"Ha, I'd actually start clapping," Ellie smiles.

I nod, chuckling. I feel my stomach rumble quietly.

"I'm hungry, wanna grab In N Out?" I ask.

Ellie grabs her towel and glances down at her phone before packing it all in her backpack.

She glances up from the screen and nods, "Yeah, and can we get it on the way back home. I'm ready to just chill and watch movies."

I clap my hands, "Frick yea, movie night?"

"Heck yea, my emotional heart would love some rom coms," She laughs, walking up to the boardwalk.

We skate on our penny boards down the wooden road to the parking lot. The wheels clicking smoothly over the bumpy dark wood. The sun had basically set and the stars shone above us as we rode our way, maneuvering through people.

Ellie and I skate together, smiling and laughing at jokes we made over this past summer. I managed to take some selfies of us too, commemorating our moment. We're two Kansas kids who were caught in some drama. Here we are, escaping from the eye of the storm.