I wake up early, excited and filled with anticipation. I look in the mirror and examine my naturally wavy hair. Usually I straighten it, but today I'm going to leave it wavy. It just seems more beachy. I throw on my favorite strapless bikini and some dark denim shorts. I brush my teeth and hair, then skip to the kitchen.
"Hello wonderful parents." I say happily, They laugh at me and my mom hands me some Nutella toast. I seriously think I have an addiction to this stuff. Afterward she hands me a glass of water and my medicine. I gulp it down and barely have time to grab my stuff before I hear knocking at the door. I open it and Pinky is standing there, in a very similar outfit as my own. I smile and invite her inside.
"It's kinda a mess from unpacking and stuff." I explain as I lead her to the kitchen.
"Mom, Dad, this Pinky. Pinky, this is my mother and father." I introduce them and Pinky gets pulled into a hug by my mother. She laughs and hugs her back. My dad just shakes her hand.
"I love your hair." Mom gushes.
"Well Pinky and I are going to go to the beach now. I'll see you guys later." I hug both of them and we start to walk out the door.
"Stay out as long as you want!" My mom calls out after us. I smile. I love how much my parents trust me.
Waiting outside my house is a shiny, red convertible with two boys in the back and another girl in the front. All of them are like Hollister models, and I suddenly feel inadequate. Panic creeps up on me like a boa constrictor, suffocating me. They stare at us as we walk out, and I squirm uncomfortably under their scrutinizing. I look for an empty seat and frown when I don't find one. One of the boys lets out a whistle, which earns him a smack from the other girl.
"Ow, what was that for?" The boy asks and rubs his arm.
"Can't you see you're making her uncomfortable. You both look like you want to eat her for breakfast or something. I'm surprised she hasn't run away screaming." The girl reprimands. I send a grateful look. She gives me a thumbs up in reply.
"Guys, this is Daisy." Pinky introduces me and I give a little wave.
"This is Carmen, Jordan, and Beau." She introduces each one. The boys both flex and the girl gets out of the car to give me a hug. I lightly hug her back, trying not to hyperventilate.
"Don't pay attention to them. They're just a couple of dummies. They're perfectly harmless." She says laughing. I laugh along quietly and the boys grumble. Pinky gets into the driver's seat and I stand there uncomfortably, having no idea where to sit.
"Oh sorry Daisy! I forgot to tell you. You can sit on the top of the seat between Jordan and Beau. If they misbehave, just smack them." Pinky says. I nod and Jordan gets out of the car. I sit on the top and try to hold my legs as close together to allow room for the boys. Jordan gets back in the car and we slowly start to drive toward the beach.
I flinch when Jordan brushes up against my thigh. He laughs at my reaction. I frown. I don't see anything funny about having a panic attack.
"You're like a scared mouse or something. Except you'd be a very hot mouse." He says with a wink and a smirk. I smile tentatively and look at my hands
"You know, you can always just sit on my lap if the seat gets uncomfortable." Jordan says. I try to laugh a little, loosen up. I mentally do a relaxation technique that my therapist taught me. I feel a little better and less panicked. I force myself to act like a normal teenage girl.
"If I get uncomfortable you'll be the first to know." I say with a wink. Jordan smirks and grabs my waist, bringing me to his lap. I let out a squeak of surprise, and immediately blush. That's embarrassing. I push panic down. Jordan and Beau just laugh, unaware of my inner turmoil. I squirm to get comfortable. All of the sudden Jordan grabs my hips and gives me an uncomfortable look.
"Don't do that anymore." He gulps. I blush and try to stay as still as possible. Beau laughs at my embarrassment, and Carmen looks back at us with concern. She playfully glares at Jordan when she sees me on his lap.
"Gosh Jordan, have some self-control. We all know you aren't getting any, but you don't have to rape her in the car." She says with a smirk. I swear my cheeks are the colors of tomatoes by now. Is it just National Embarrass Daisy Day? Jordan grumbles. I slowly lean back against the car door, trying not to make any more embarrassing situations. I have to do the relaxation technique multiple times to calm down. Finally, after lots of awkward flirting from Jordan, we arrive at the beach. I grab my bag and stumble out of the car. Jordan grabs my elbow to steady me.
"Watch your step." Pinky says jokingly. I frown and straighten myself. Jordan wraps his arm around my shoulders and grabs my bag. I duck under his arm and run to Carmen and Pinky.
"Thanks for carrying my bag." I call out with a wink. Huh, I seem to be getting better at this socializing thing. Jordan looks shocked, then just laughs. We all walk to the beach and lay out our towels. Jordan and Beau go to join the guys playing volleyball. I subtly check for the guy from yesterday, but am sorely disappointed. I lay out on my towel and let the sun heat up my stomach.
Suddenly Pinky lets out a yell and runs to someone. She jumps on some guy's back who seems to have just been surfing, judging by the surf board. I can't see the guy's face very well because of the sun, so I just went back to tanning. Tanning is easy because I can block out the crowds and loud noises.
Pinky runs back to us and jerks me and Carmen up, getting sand everywhere. Pinky laughs while me and Carmen just grumble. Suddenly I notice the guy walking towards us. I freeze when I realize it's the guy from yesterday. Carmen notices also and runs to hug him. Jealousy rips through me, catching me off guard. I don't even know him, I have nothing to be jealous of. Though I can't help but hope he's not dating Carmen or Pinky.
I try to look anywhere but at him, because I know I'll end up staring again, but I can't help but look at him. The water glistens on his tan skin, his muscles are constantly flexing from carrying the surfboard, and his hair is the perfect kind of messy. His eyes meet mine and it's like yesterday all over. He smiles again and I'm stuck in his gaze. He waves, and I wave shyly back. For the first time, I don't panic. It catches me by surprise, but a good surprise.
Finally he gets to where Pinky and I are standing. She looks suspiciously between the two of us, a mischievous smile on her face. I break his gaze and shoot her a confused look. She just shrugs but keeps the same sly smile on her face.
"I would introduce you two, but you seem to have already met." She says, curiosity in her voice. He laughs, a deep, throaty laugh that you cana't help but to want to hear more of. I can feel the goofy smile returning to my face.
"Yesterday. But I never got her name." He says, his eyes never leaving mine.
"I'm Daisy." I reply holding out my hand. I can't even think straight with him this close. He grabs it, but doesn't really shake it. We just hold each other's hands until Carmen laughs. I snap back into consciousness and blush, pulling my hand away. Carmen and Pinky share a look, but I'm looking at the ground, trying not to make a fool out of myself.
"Hey Brad!" Jordan says as he and Beau come running over here. They do that manly hug thing and start talking about volleyball, but all of them keep sneaking glances at us, especially Brad. Pinky and Carmen grab my hands and drag me over to a less populated part of the beach.
"So what happened yesterday?" Pinky says with a sly smile. I blush and laugh at her excited tone.
"I was riding home and I paused to look at the beach. He was there with his friends playing volleyball." I reply.
"And?" Carmen says. I get confused. What else does she want?
"We saw each other. That's it." I reply, but it really isn't it. It felt like I just met my soul mate or something. Like the Earth was shaking but only I could feel it. Maybe I'm just being a helpless romantic. Ew. I should stop now.Carmen and Pinky share another look and start laughing hysterically. When they can finally calm down, Pinky pinches my cheeks and coos.
"You're so innocent and naive. It's what makes you so adorable." Pinky says. I swat her hands away and blush. We walk back over to the boys, who are waiting. Suddenly Jordan grabs me and starts to run towards to the ocean. I squeal and and wriggle, trying to get free. We crash into the ocean and Jordan drops me down. I glare at him and stand up. I can feel people's eyes on us, and it makes me uncomfortable.
He laughs and grabs my hand, not letting me go back to the beach. The rest of them walk down to the ocean to join us, laughing. I glare at all of them, except for Brad. I can't find it in myself to glare at him. Oh gosh, I'm going to become like one of those love-sick girls who can't think of anything else. He's not looking at me. He's staring at Jordan's hand intertwined with mine. I try to slip my hand away but Jordan just smirks.
"I can't have you running away from me." He says with a wink. I huff and sit down on the ocean floor since we're in shallow water. Jordan finally lets go of my hand and starts to talk to Carmen. Brad sits down next to me, his hands dangerously close to mine. I try not to tap my leg in restlessness from sitting.
"Hi." I say with the goofy smile that always seems to make an appearance when he's around. Any anxiety I had before drains away. His face brightens and a grin stretches across it. I can't help but notice his lips.
"Hi." He replies, and it's enough for the moment. We sit together with the waves moving gently all around us, our fingertips brushing. The others don't pay us much attention.
"So you just moved here?" He asks.
"Yeah. I live near Pinky, or at least that's what she says." I reply with a little laugh. His eyes bore into mine and his hand subtly scoots closer to mine. I shiver at the contact. My skin tingles and I'm sure there are probably hearts in my eyes by now. I shift the slightest bit closer to him.
"I wanted to talk to you yesterday, but those two idiots kept yelling at me to get back to the game." He motions to Jordan and Beau, who are having a giant splash fight with the girls. I nod.
"It's fine. I had to get back home to help unpack anyways." He nods. I want to believe he feels like I do-tons of fireworks exploding all over my skin-but I can't help but feel like he is just trying to be sociable since I just moved here. You know, trying to make the new girl feel welcome and stuff. He's too perfect. His dark hair that brings out his bright eyes. His sunkissed skin and incredible muscles. He's probably just being sociable. I try to find something to say, but nothing comes to mind.
"Where were you before you moved here?" He asks, shifting even closer to me. I can feel the heat radiating from his skin. His hand is basically covering mine now and I can barely think straight.
"Illinois." I scrunch my nose, remembering all the gross beetles and miles of cornfields. He laughs, and I blush.
"Hey babe," Jordan comes bounding over, pulling me to my feet, making me stumble in the process, "come swim with me." He winks and pulls me to his side. I look at Brad, but he's already getting up. He won't look at me or Jordan. I glare at Jordan but he just has that smirk on his face. I sigh in surrender and follow him towards deeper water. We stop when Jordan can barely reach the bottom and I definitely can't. All the boys seem almost a foot taller than me. I hold onto Jordan's arm.
"You know that was kind of rude." I reprimand. He just gives me an innocent smile. I start to swim back but Jordan grabs me.
"I'm doing this for you Daisy." He says cryptically. I roll my eyes and float on my back. Jordan rubs my back under the water, and I relax. I feel his lips on my stomach, and I jerk away, losing my balance. I accidentally swallow a mouthful of saltwater. I grab onto Jordan's arm and try not to cough to death.
"What was that for?" I ask angrily, my throat dry. He gives me a guilty look, then looks behind me. I turn and see everyone staring at us. I huff and start to swim back to the shore. Jordan follows behind me silently.