^els swimsuit, maxs is the same in red^
"Sometimes I get so scared of what I can't
understand, but here I am, next to you, the sky is more blue, in Malibu" Malibu, Miley Cyrus
The sun barely rose above the trees in the early morning where the three oldest Hopper siblings were rolling their suitcases out and saying goodbye to the family they were leaving behind for a few days. Jonathan had come home the day before, apologizing for not being home as soon as he heard about Sara, but settling back in with his family just fine.
"I don't want you to go!" Sara whined. She was told to sleep in but insisted on wishing her siblings goodbye. El kneeled down to her height, hugging her tightly. She spoke softly in her ear, "it'll be ok. I'll call you everyday. In a blink of an eye I'll be back home, I promise."
Sara sighed, "ok.." El smiled at her sister and kissed her forehead before standing up. They had already hugged their parents goodbye, now waiting for Mike and Nancy to get here. "Nancy texted they just left, so we should get outside," Jonathan tells them.
The six of them walked outside, grabbing the last of their things and walking towards Nancy's car when they pulled up. El and Will practically sprinted to the car, throwing their suitcases in the trunk and slinging the smaller bags over their shoulders to pack in the backseat. Lucas was already there too, him and Mike in the middle seat leaving the passenger seat for Jonathan. Out of Lucas and Mike's earshot, Will smiles, "I'll take the back with Dustin and Max." El was a little surprised he didn't wanna sit with them. Oh, right. Will was gonna make her miserable by noticeably taunting her about Mike the whole week.
"Are you all gonna play that stupid game all week?" El responds.
Will smirks, "what stupid game?" She shoves him softly and hops in the left side of the car next to Mike who was in the middle. "Why are you guys fighting already?" Jonathan asks from the front.
"Nothing," El retorts, crossing her arms and sighing. Jonathan and Nancy share a look. "That's my cue to not ask because I do not want to know," Jonathan jokes.
On the way to pick up Max and Dustin it was comfortably silent due to everyone's early morning exhaustion. The minute Max opened the door the noise level rose. "Hey losers! Also El and Nancy," she practically screams.
"That's like a compliment, Nancy," El grins. The girl in the front smiles at the teens. "Lucas, go in the back and you two scooch over. I don't wanna go to the back," Max forcefully waves to the three in the middle.
"Uh, no!" Lucas makes a face. His girlfriend rolls her eyes. "I'll let you win some games at the arcade later. And we can get a chocolate milkshake instead of strawberry."
"Ugh, fine," Lucas gets out of the car to open the back and climb in. Max yells yes and climbs in next to El who was now squished in the middle between Max and Mike. El made a heart with her hand and showed it to Max with a smile, a thanks for saving her from an hour ride to the airport of nervous torture.
Next stop was Dustin, who tiredly trudged to the backseat with barely any words and then they were off.
****
The plane ride was uneventful, the majority of the group sleeping until they arrived at around two in the afternoon. They had to rent a car to get to the hotel they were staying at, sitting in basically the same seats except Jonathan drove.
The resort was beautiful, bright and big. Palm trees were planted practically everywhere, the sun peeking through every corner. "So we got three rooms, Jonathan and I can take one but you six need to fight that out," Nancy explains.
"El and I get our own room!" Max insists. El high fives her in agreement. "But that's four to two!" Dustin whines.
"Well we're the only girls," Max beams pettily. All of the boys eventually agree, the group breaking apart to get settled in for a bit.
In about an hour they all meet back up in the lobby. "You guys wanna go to the boardwalk?" Will asks the five others. They all said yes, asking where Nancy and Jonathan are. "I think they went somewhere," he responds. All of them had assumed that Nancy and Jonathan would go off a lot leaving the six younger teens to do whatever they wanted.
There was a boardwalk pretty close to the resort, walking distance. By the time they were there it was almost six, all of them were starving. "There's gotta be like a food court or something right?" Max was walking a few steps ahead of everyone.
"Yeah right up ahead, use google maps idiot," Lucas said.
Max scoffs, "maybe I'm not such a loser that I have to use google maps on a boardwalk." Both of them share a look and laugh, Lucas skipping a few steps to get up next to Max and grab her hand.
They all ate and went on a couple rides at the pier, getting ice cream and heading home. It was a nice first night, nothing happening except laughter and excitement about the next few days.
The party decided to go to the beach the next morning and drag Nancy and Jonathan along with them. El wore a baby pink bikini and Max was practically matching, the only difference being the color. Hers was deep red. "Ugh, I wish I could wear pink," Max complains, throwing a pair of sunglasses in her bag.
El shrugs, "you could if you really wanted." Max held up a few pieces of her long wavy ginger hair, making wide eyes at her friend. El looks away laughing at her friend, slipping on a black spaghetti strapped coverup dress. "Did you do your hair?" Max asks, looking at the back of El's head.
"No, I slept in a braid. Why?"
"I dunno, it just looks nicer than usual. You know, for the beach," Max comments. El shakes her head, throwing a hairbrush at the redhead across from her. "You really have got to get over this," she huffs.
"Well I'm just saying your efforts probably will work," Max giggles. El rolls her eyes, grabbing her bag and sliding her flip flops on.
The two met the boys, Jonathan and Nancy downstairs in the lobby, and together they walked the two blocks to the boardwalk, walking across and onto the soft, warm sand. "Aw ow! I think my feet are burning off!" Dustin hops around as he takes his slides off.
"Dig a hole for your feet, duh." Max suggests. Dustin sticks his tongue out at her like a child, kicking the sand and placing his feet down. They got set up pretty quickly, El and Max laying on their stomachs next to each other on beach towels. The boys were tossing around a volleyball and Nancy and Jonathan went down to the water. "Wanna go on a walk down the beach with me?" El asks, lifting her head.
"No, I like this song," Max declines, humming to New Romantics. El lifts herself off the towel, getting up and walking away. "Boys, does anyone wanna go on a walk? I'm bored," she offers up. All of them stay silent, looking at her blankly.
"You're all such losers," El rolls her eyes.
Mike calls after her, "Wait, I'll go." She turns back around, eyes widening. A wave of that feeling washed over her entire body, swallowing her like a wave. "Sure," she responded hastily, turning around giving him no time to catch up to her. He sprints a few steps to catch, the two of them walking to the shore line without a word.
It was hot and windy, the refreshing water washing over both of their feet up to their ankles. El was looking at everything she could set her eyes on, admiring every inch of the beach. She hadn't gone since she was about 14, and it definitely wasn't a Florida beach last she went. "Do you like the beach? I know you talked about it before, going with Nancy and your mom and- I don't know," El rambles.
"Yeah I guess, but it kinda gets old," Mike replies.
El squints, "no way. The beach is the most peaceful place on earth. If I could go here everyday I would." Mike comments saying he likes water parks and amusement parks better. "Juvenile," she jokes.
"You only like it now because you haven't gone in a while, admit it," Mike smiles at her. El shakes her head stubbornly. "I mean, you haven't right?" he asks.
"No. I went once after Mom died and Sara threw a fit, it was a mess. I went all the time when I was little, not anymore," she explains. They were walking slowly, practically brushing shoulders and looking out ahead of them. "Sara and you would run like a surf shop when you're older. I'm calling it," Mike's glances beside him.
"Maybe," she sighs. El wasn't a very future thinking type of person. She thought about the present, not wanting to miss any moment. But sometimes, that wasn't the best thing for her. She hadn't even thought about Sara's future. It's not that she didn't think she'd have one, it just felt so far off. Hearing it now sent a shiver down her spine. Had she absent mindedly been assuming Sara wouldn't have a future? She never wanted to think like that. Soon, Sara would be healthy and happy. Soon it'd all go away. Not everything has to be in the present.
"I guess I don't think about the future much," El admits, "maybe I should think that way more."
"I do, it gives you a sense of hope. Like, things might not be perfect now but one day they'll be alright," Mike advised. El swore her vision blurred, that she almost fell over and fainted in the sand. "Sorry, that got deep," El apologizes quickly. Did she just almost open to him about her doubts? It wasn't the time for that, not now.
Mike shrugs, looking to the side El wasn't on. She looked over at him, waiting for the moment that he looked back. It always happened, that glimpse of hope they shared and then something good would happen before the hopeful match burnt out. Lit again, out again. Lit again, out again. That's what their friendship, or whatever they were, felt to El.
The match didn't light this time. He continued to stare up ahead, as she longingly stared at him, wishing for a change. Did she do something wrong? Why was he so hard to read? Her small smile fell to a frown.
They just engaged in this close, intimate conversation and she felt like for once, someone understood El. The moment passes so quickly, taking both of them by surprise. Mike couldn't be so forgiving to El anymore. He didn't understand her mixed messages, and he was sick of waiting for her word.
As he figuratively fell out of her grasp, she fell for him more and more. Thoughts swarmed her crowded conscience, like a constant blockage from normal day thoughts. After he told her he loved her, did he realize it wasn't true? Did she mess up too badly? She couldn't say anything for sure, all she knew was that it seemed he was pulling himself out of the important promise he gave her. "I can wait, I've already waited seven years."
He didn't want to wait for her anymore, they both knew it. But El was falling in love with him rapidly, as he just as quickly slipped away.