The Bikini Syndrome | WATTYS2019

» eleven: the boy & girl from planet earth

"I am...beautiful?"

"No, no, no!" Zara shook her head, and her curled brown locks went flying. "Say it with more confidence."

"I-I can't do that! I'm not beautiful!"

"Just say it!" Kaya barked with enough intensity to made an Army drill sergeant proud.

"I am beautiful," Holly said, weakly.

"Good. Now say, I am as capable as any other girl on this beach of wearing a totally gorgeous teal bikini."

"I am as capable as any other girl..."

"...on this beach..."

"...on this beach..."

"...of wearing..."

"...of wearing..."

"...a totally gorgeous teal bikini," Kaya finished.

"...a totally gorgeous teal bikini," Holly said with considerably less oomph.

"Perfect!" Zara beamed. "One last one: I am skinny."

"I am...skinny."

"I heard the hesitation," Zara said, bending over and glaring at Holly.

"I am skinny," Holly tried again, wincing at the rather uncomfortable way the words made her feel.

None of them were true. It just made her queasy to say them, as if they actually applied to her. She knew that wasn't her friends' intent. They truly wanted the best for her. But it just didn't feel right at all. "That's enough, guys," Holly said standing up, only to have her towel fall down around her legs.

Kaya immediately stood back, as did Zara.

"No, wait, come back here!" Holly hissed. She desperately tried to grab them by the shoulders and pull them back so they would act as her human curtain, but instead, they just pranced farther back, causing her to stumble further forward into the sunlight.

"Shoot, shoot, shoot," she mumbled, immediately wanting to run back to the shelter to grab her towel and pull it around her. But it was already too late.

Oliver was standing just a few feet away, and he was looking directly at her. She couldn't tell what kind of look he had, since he always looked so goddamn friendly. She was suddenly just fed up with this all. Why in the entire world did all these mishaps have to happen to her? Had she angered the great, big, scary Karma? What had she done in the past life? What had she ever done anyway?

She started walking away, quickly, not daring to look back, even though she knew her friends were probably running after her, totally confused. After all, their voices were trailing right behind her.

"Holly?"

"Holly, come back!"

"Holly!"

"Ugh! H, get back here! We were just giving you a pep talk!"

"Holly, did we do something?"

Their voices were eventually joined by that of a male's. Oliver. Holly felt goosebumps up her arms and back.

"Holly?"

And though her mind said to stop, she turned around anyway.

He grinned as soon as their eyes met. "I thought it was you!"

"Oh, um, yea. Day off, you know, so I came to beach with my friends."

Zara and Kaya were walking up towards them now, and their eyes flickered between the two of them curiously.