"Living for the daaaaaaaaaaay, worries far awaaaaaaay; Our last summer, we can laugh aaaaaand plaaaaaaaay!"
I laughed hysterically at Jewel who belted out the lyrics to the old Abba song, Our Last Summer - A-Teens version. Jewel danced around the beach, singing into her clenched fist as though it were a microphone. There were a few other people, including a couple of boys about our age, who were enjoying the scene of Jewel dancing insanely in her two peice bathing suit. Lying on my towel, watching Jewel act crazy, listening to my iPod, tanning; Those are the main things that were taking place everyday for me on the trip.
And I loved every minute of it.
It was already Friday, and we'd almost been there for a full week. I couldn't believe how fast time went by. My mother always told me that time flies by when you're having fun. I guessed that was the case.
Since that Tuesday, I was a bit shaken up by all of the odd events taking place. But after awhile, I decided to just laugh at everything. I mean an old lady who thinks she can tell our future? How hilarious is that?
Although, I still felt a little freaked.
"April, come dance!" Jewel yelled, giddy as ever. She grabbed my hands and pulled me up from my tanning position, flinging my arms up and down. I giggled and blushed when I saw a cute blonde inspecting me, grinning while looking into my eyes.
"Jewel, stop!" I said, chuckling. "People are staring!"
Jewel waved her hand carelessly at the statement. "Oh, please...Who cares!? Are we ever gonna see these people again?"
She had a point.
So, I conitnued to dance with my best friend. On the quiet beach. In front of two very appealing boys.
For Jewel.
"Gosh, it's getting kinda warm..." Jewel said, wiping some sweat off of her forehead. It wasn't really that hot. Maine usually doesn't get that way ever. The reason why Jewel felt so overheated was because she wouldn't stop jumping around under the sun like a madwoman.
I looked out at the deep, dark ocean. "Wanna go for a swim?" I inquired, biting my fingernail.
Jewel lunged toward me and pryed my fingernail away. "Bad. Habit. Trust me, I'd know. I do the same thing." I laughed and shook my head. "But anways, yes. I'd love to take a swim."
Jewel took my hand and began to run towards the water. Once we reached the ocean, I was instantly cooled. The water was so freezing that it was nearly unbearable. But that didn't stop Jewel from dragging me into the chilling waves. "It's...S-so...c-cold," I panted, hugging myself for warmth.
"Oh, suck it up!" Jewel giggled, splashing me.
"Jewel, stop!" I demanded, chuckling along with her. Before I knew it, Jewel and I were in a full force splash fight. I kicked the water at her; she filled her cupped hands with the ocean water and threw it on me. We couldn't stop bursting out into laughter, over and over.
"Can we join?"
Jewel and I stopped our splashing to look behind us at who had spoken. The two cute guys who were laughing and examining us earlier were standing there with huge grins. The blonde one raised his eyebrows at me. Embarassed, I looked away, feeling my cheeks blush.
"I don't know..." Jewel told them hesitantly. I shot her a look. Of course they can!, I wanted to scream. I wanted so badly to meet that blonde. That would definitely be considered a "new adventure" - meeting a very attractive boy on vacation with my best friend. "It depends on your skills. I mean, we wouldn't wanna beat you guys too badly..." From the looks on the faces of the two boys, I could tell that they were up for the challenge. Jewel was such a charmer. Any guy with a brain would've fallen for her.
The brunette, whose eyes were dark brown, inspected Jewel up and down before grinning. "I think we can handle it."
Before I knew it, I was skipping through the ice-cold ocean, tossing water at two random teenage boys with my best friend, Jewel. And I was having a blast doing so.
While I lifted my leg to kick water at the blonde boy, he grabbed my leg. I hopped around on one foot, desperately trying not to fall backwards into the bitter ocean. "Ah, stop it!" I yelled, laughing my head off. I hadn't had that much fun in Maine ever. It was so different having Jewel with me. She always offered so much fun, even to the dullest of moments. That was one of the many reasons why I loved her.
The blonde smiled at me, letting go of my leg. "You're cute," he said matter-of-factly. "What's your name?"
I blushed and looked down at the dark blue sea. "I'm April," I said. "You know...like the month."
Grinning, he nodded. "My name's Travis, like the famous drummer."
"You mean the drummer of Blink 182? Travis Barker?" I asked him, looking over at Jewel who was laughing with the brunette.
Travis's light blue eyes sparkled. "You got it!" He wet his hands and ran his fingures through his messy, dirty-blonde hair. So. Cute. "You listen to them?"
"Are you kidding? I love them! I thought I was the only one...Well, where I live I pretty much am," I blurted quickly, pulling my hair out of its pony tail and dunking it into the water. When it hit my back, I shivered. It was so freezing!
"Where do you live?"
"Worcester, Massachusetts," I told him, looking into his sky-blue, glistening eyes. He nodded, staring out at the sun beginning to settle down. "What about you?"
"I actually live in New York City. And I'm going back home tomorrow morning..."
I was a bit surprised with his answer and also very upset that he was leaving so soon. But I wasn't about to tell him that part...I always thought NYC was a cool place to live, but it was nothing like Maine. "Hmm...What brings you here?" I wondered aloud.
"Well, I'm here with my parents, aunt, uncle, and cousin. My mom and my aunt wanted to visit Maine because they used to live here when they were younger. They're sisters."
"Ohhhh," I said, nodding. I looked at the brunette who was in deep conversation with Jewel not too far away. "Is he your cousin?" I asked as Jewel starting cracking up, her long blonde hair shining in the light of the sun.
"Yup, he sure is. His name is Duncan. He's a year older than me, but we're pretty close. How about her? Is she your sister?" Travis asked, pointing at Jewel.
I beamed. "You can say that..." Jewel glanced over at us and flashed me a bright smile.
Duncan and Jewel began to walk over to us. "Yo, dude. We gotta go. We're going out to dinner, remember? I'm pretty sure our reservations are decently early, too," Duncan told Travis.
"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot, man." Travis looked back at me and smiled. "This is our last night here. How about we meet up later?" he asked me hopefully.
I turned to Jewel, silently asking if she would want to get together with them again that night. She nodded softly. "I'd love to," I said to him.
"Cool, we'll meet you guys on this part of the beach at about ten. Sound okay?" Duncan offered, looking straight into Jewel's blue eyes.
We all agreed and said our short goodbyes that would be a lot longer that night. As soon as the two boys walked away, Jewel and I screamed, jumping up and down like maniacs.
We were such typical girls.
But not typical best friends. We were even closer than that. We were soul sisters.
Once we got back to the shore house, my parents weren't home yet. They had gone out with my grandparents earlier to some winery that they were dying to check out. I guessed they were having a lot of fun...
I grabbed some clothes and made my way into the bathroom to take a shower, singing "Our Last Summer", the song Jewel and I were dancing to on the beach that day. I was in a really great mood, anticipating the night ahead of me. Travis seemed amazing. I just wished he was staying longer...
When I got out of the shower, I combed my hair and threw on leggings and a mini dress with flip flops. I was glowing with happiness as I put on some makeup while Jewel showered. "April, sweetie! We're home!" I heard my mom call from downstairs as I put on the finishing touches.
I bolted down the stairs to see my parents. "Hi, mom and dad! How was it?" I asked with a huge grin on my tan face.
"It was very fun," my mother said and began to gush into details. I nodded and smiled, listening to her stories about the different types of wines and how certain kinds are made.
"Well, aren't you in a good mood?" my dad joked.
I blushed, as usual..."Just having a lot of fun is all. Hey, mom and dad, would you mind if Jewel and I went out with a few friends we made today on the beach?" I crossed my fingers behind my back and bit my lip.
"I don't see why not, honey." My mom smiled sweetly. "I'm glad you're having a good time."
"Me too," my dad told me, pulling me into a hug.
"Love you, daddy!" I exclaimed as Jewel came down the stairs in jeans and a maroon sweater.
"Hi, how was your day?" Jewel asked my parents enthusiastically.
"It was good, sweetie! Thanks for asking," my mom said.
"And how was yours? Are you having as good of a time as April here?" I punched my dad jokingly and giggled.
Jewel laughed, nodding her head vigorously. "Yes, yes I am!"
"Good to hear. So how about some hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner?"
"YES PLEASE!" Jewel and I yelled in unison, giving eachother high fives.
After dinner, Jewel and I decided to go out and buy all the candy we could afford to munch on that night after seeing Travis and Duncan. Whenever we have confessions, we totally binge on sweets. And that night was definitely a night for confessions considering we would have a lot to confess about our new boys.
Opening the door to the candy store, I heard bells jingle above my head. "Welcome!" said a deep voice from behind the counter. I looked up to see a boy with dark black hair and bright green, wondrous eyes.
For some odd reason, the boy looked so familiar to me. But I couldn't put my finger on who he was...
"April, look at what they have!" Shaking me into the present, Jewel waved me over to where she was standing at the side of the store. I walked over to see rows and rows of sour candy - our favorite.
Giggling, I said, "Grab a bag!" and began loading handfuls of sour candy into little plastic, clear bags. Jewel did the same. Once we had about four bags full, we settled down at the counter to pay for our sweets. "That'll be...eight dollars on the dot," the familiar-looking boy calculated. A lot of money for candy...but it was worth it.
"Thanks," I said after paying.
"No problem. Enjoy your sweet escape."
On our walk home from the candy store, I started to freak out once again. "Did you hear what he said? Now I know why he looked so familiar! He was that same teenager who worked at the ice cream store, Jewel's Sweet Escape!" I panicked, grabbing Jewel's wrist tightly.
"Owwwwww, chill!" Jewel giggled. "So what...he works at two different stores. So freaky..." Her voice was laced with sarcasm.
I shook my head. Maybe I was being a little too dramatic about everything.
Then again, maybe I wasn't.
Whatever the case, I did not intend to let it put a damper on my night. I was too ecstatic to allow something so stupid to ruin my new adventures.
When we arrived home, Jewel and I ran into the house, up the stairs, and into our room, tossing our bags of candy on our beds. "Wanna watch a movie?" I offered breathlessly. "We have about two and a half hours until we meet up with the guys." My heart revved with excitement. I couldn't wait until I saw Travis once more.
"Sure!" Jewel exclaimed, flipping on the television. "Did you bring any movies?" she asked me.
"Mhmmm!" I jumped up and searched in my suitcase for The Perfect Man, starring Hilary Duff. I loved that movie with all of heart, as did Jewel.
While we watched the movie, we ate some of our candy. We just couldn't wait. It was tempting us, sitting right there on the beds next to us. Jewel and I had no will power when it came to food. But we didn't care. "Hey, April?" Jewel muttered quietly.
I diverted my eyes from the screen to my best friend. "Yeah?"
She smiled. "I love you, sister."
I felt myself grin. I didn't know what I would do without her. "I love you, too, Jewel."
It was ten o'clock already, and I couldn't contain my excitement. As Jewel and I made our way out to the beach, my heart raced with a mix of nervousness and joy. When we got to the spot on the sand where we promised to meet the boys, I layed down, Jewel on my right side. We looked up at the stars, awaiting an incredible night.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me, but I remained on the sand. The moon casted a bright light on the ocean, and it was so beautiful. I kept my eyes on the reflection of the moon on the water, waiting, when I felt a Travis lightly lay down beside me, on my left side. He didn't look at me. He looked straight out, exactly where I was looking. I noticed that Duncan was on the other side of Jewel as well, except Jewel's back was facing me.
Taking a deep breath, I rolled over on my left side towards Travis. He looked deep into my eyes at that moment, but he didn't say anything. His blue eyes portrayed a sweet summer day - clear and bright blue.
"April..." he whispered softly, his eyes examining my boring, light brown ones.
I opened my mouth to speak, but he brushed his thumb across my cheek and smiled so sincerely that I practically melted with pleasure. And before long, I felt my face being taken in his strong hands and his full, warm lips on mine. I swore I was flying.
My lips followed the movement of his as if his lips were magnetic, attracting me to them so simply. I didn't wanna leave; I didn't wanna stop.
I didn't want him to go home - ever.
But he had to, and we both knew it. And we both knew that we would probably never see eachother again. But as he kissed me so tenderly, over and over, I pushed that thought out of my mind.
"Wanna go for a walk...?" he asked so gently that I barely heard him. I nodded and slowly got up with his help, leaving Jewel and Duncan who were making out on the sand.
As we walked, Travis took my hand and intertwined our fingers. I held on so tight to his hands; to the moment. "I feel as though I've known you forever..." Travis said and we stopped a little way down the beach. I stared into his eyes - something I loved to do. "I-is that...weird?" he asked, looking down at his feet self conciously.
"No way," I whispered, pulling him close. I leaned up and kissed him so intensely that I almost forgot the world...
...until I was brought back to reality, saying goodbye to Travis for the first and last time. We exchanged phone numbers, and he promised to call me the next night. But it was so hard to see him go. I planted a long, true kiss on his lips one last time and then watched him walk away with Duncan, Jewel by my side, crying along with me.
If that was what new experiences were like, I wanted so many more.