I'm walking in the cold water, hoping I'll find a spot where the sun hits it more and it's warmer. I can barely see where I left my things from this distance and, still, I have made no progress. Olivia and Kate are chin-deep in the water, encouraging Kal and me to dive in as well.
"Does it feel warmer later?" Kal asks cautiously.
"No, but if I stayed out I'd get such a bad sunburn I'd be redder than a fully riped tomato," Kate says, which explains why she's hugging her body.
"You won't be cold if these two decide to dive in and we all go swimming," Olivia says, splashing some water on us.
I splash some water on her. "Don't be fucking rude!" I say in my best Kim K voice.
Kate doesn't miss a beat. "Kim, there are people that are dying!"
I glance at Olivia. "She does Kourtney better than you."
"Fine, I'll be Khloe," she replies. "KK wants to swim, are you coming with?"
Kate glances at her. "I think I'm going to go outside. I'm starting to feel numb."
Olivia sighs. "Fine, I'll swim on my own. If you decide to join me you can have a contest about who finds me first."
She swims away, splashing water everywhere, moving fast as if her limbs don't have a frostbite by now. Kal and I continue walking slowly into the water, taking our time before diving in. Maybe by the time we do it's going to be warmer.
"Ouch!" Kal yelps.
My eyes widen. "What happened? Did a jellyfish sting you? Where is it? I don't want to be stang again!"
"No, nothing stang me. I don't see any jellyfish, here at least."
"Then what?"
"Lucky scratched my thigh and it hurts now."
That's my girl.
"Maybe we should dive in," Kal says.
"Maybe we should go out and eat the sandwiches Alex made for us."
As if my suggestion isn't ideal, Kal dives headfirst in the water and comes back in the surface immediately. He doesn't even try saying it's not that cold. His trempling jaw does all the talking.
"It's so warm, right?"
He half-smiles. "See for yourself," he says and splashes water at me.
My skin gets goosebumps in every place it touched me.
"That was the second strike," I say through clenched teeth. He looks at me confused. "The first was when you pushed me in the sand when I didn't wear shoes."
"That wasn't on purpose," he explains.
I cross my arms, mostly to warm myself. "I am the judge of it."
Kal nods. "Okay. What happens at the third strike?"
Not having any nice comeback, I splash water on him with both my hands.
He chuckles. "Okay, I can handle some water."
"Cool, then you won't mind if I..."
And I grab him from the shoulders and push him in the water, making him submerge into it. For a few moments I look down at the spot, smiling for my belated but nice comeback. Who knows? He might even turn into ice and I'll get rid of him.
The thing is, he doesn't come up as quickly as before.
What if I just drowned him? What if they figure out I killed him and go to prison before I even go to college?
As if to scare me more, his body floats up with his face towards the water.
I'm so going to jail.
Suddenly, Kal stands up, making me shriek so loudly everyone turns to us.
"Did you know I can hold my breath up to sixty seconds?" he asks with a grin so wide his one and only dimple shows up. "I didn't scare you, did I?"
"No, I was just happy that you finally died," I say through clenched teeth.
"Oh, so this wasn't the third strike?" He smiles again as if he won the jack pot.
Shaking my head, I dive in the water and start swimming despite the cold.
"Wait, where are you going?"
"Swimming away from your bullshit," I yell.
"You're going to have to swim faster then!"
I'm sitting cross-legged on my bed. My laptop is placed in front of me and Dear Future Self by Fall Out Boy is playing for the tenth time in a row. I'm on Instagram, freaking out along Olivia and Kal about how good it is. Eliza is sitting on my chair, playing air guitar as if she doesn't have an actual one under her bed. I'm on Instagram, freaking out along Olivia and Kal about how good it is.
The song ends and I'm ready to play it again before Eliza stops me.
"We're going to get sick of it if you play it one more time," she says. "Do you want to look up some majors with me?"
I shrug. "What's the point? That stupid test of yours suggested I study everything I can't. Besides, what do you know about looking up majors? You had your head set on Medicine since Middle School, and you were accepted."
Eliza's lips form a thin line. "Summy, Medicine isn't always the best choice."
I sit up straighter. "Do you mean you don't like it?"
Eliza looks up at the ceiling before turning back to me. "No, I wouldn't say that. But there are many things nobody warns you about."
"Like?"
"This year I had so many shifts at the hospital that I only ate sandwiches for days. And I still had homework to do and assignments to turn in."
I squint. "But that's the only thing you ever wanted to do."
"Yeah, and it still is. But one has to be absolutely serious about it. Once you get in, you're committed to a thousand thirty-hour shifts and waking up in the middle of the night because you made a mistake or what you thought was the problem wasn't after all or..."
"And you think I wouldn't be able to handle that?"
Eliza quickly shakes her head. "No, you can handle it just fine. I'm trying to help you see it's not only money and recognition. Grandma doesn't know that, she just knows being a doctor gives you a lot of status and money but if someone's doing it for money...It doesn't even make sense. Doctors work all the time and never get the chance to spend that money."
I slowly nod. "Okay, I see that. But what if I want to do it because I like the science itself and...and understanding the human body, how it works and why?"
Eliza smiles. "Then you're in luck because Medicine isn't the only science that studies that."
I don't have the chance to ask her what she means since she gets up to goes to her room. Is she trying to look like the wise people in the movies that leave hints and disappear?
My thoughts are interrupted by the beep of my phone.
Alex: Does anyone want to go to the skate park?Kal: since when do you skate?Alex: I dont but i wanna go thereOlivia: sounds good Kal: feels goodMe: meet you all there in 10?
Since everyone likes my message, I put my Air Jordans and hoodie on before pocketing my phone and getting out from my window.
Not that I'm sneaking out. It's just a nice alternative exit.
I tip toe to the stairs, where Lucky is curled up and sleeping. Quietly, I reach for my skateboard that's placed against the steps but of course setters are meant for bird hunting, thus are alerted by the slightest move. Lucky goes on full barking and tail wagging mode and I'm looking around, waiting for the neighbors to yell at me to make her stop.
"Shh, it's me. See?" I whisper but she doesn't stop.
I run to the lawn and look for any of her toys. Spotting a red squishy one, I bring it to her in hopes she'll play with it and stop, but she doesn't even spare it a second look.
"Lucky, I'm going to the skate park with my friends. It's not a place for dogs. You could get hurt."
Of course, she doesn't understand a word I say and jumps on me, latching her front legs onto my shirt. Having no other option, I take her in my arms and stroke her back until she calms down. Then I take her to her house and attach her colar to the leash. I can hear her barking as I skate away, but I'd rather her be mad for a little than try to follow me and turn into minced meat by a car or eat something she shouldn't and...
Luckily, the skate park isn't oozing with people. I spot Olivia on the big ramp, gliding with ease from the one side to the other. My knees shake just at the sight of it. I know if I attempted anything like this I'd end up with at least two broken limbs. My best friend doesn't have any problems like that, though: She comes down one side and ascends across the other. When she reaches the top, she stops momentarily, as if someone accidentally pressed the pause button, rotates her body 180 degrees and slides down again. At the other side of the ramp she performs a switch blunt by simply balancing her board on the top and then jumping on it, causing it to glide down again.
I glance at the smallest ramp. Noticing no one's there, I grab my board and glide across it for a while until I'm warmed up enough to perform a few variations of fakie and ollie. I even attempt the FS trick Olivia showed me the previous day, but, like every time I try learning a new trick, I fall on my butt a few too many times.
Deciding I've provided enough entertainment to the other people in the park, I give up and look around for Alex and Kal. It's a bit too dark for me to find them, but the boys throw their hands in the air and signal for me to join them at a bench that overlooks the big ramp, situated under an old willow tree.
As I get closer, I notice Alex is holding Kal in his arms. Quirking up an eyebrow I ask "Are you two dating now?"
Alex places a kiss on the top of Kal's head.
Ew. And then another thought comes right after it. I wish I was Alex.
"Yeah, we're very much in love."
Kal rolls his eyes. "I didn't bring a hoodie and I'm getting cold. He refused giving me his so I had to settle for the next best thing."
"Sit next to Kal so we can sandwich him and warm him up!" Alex says with a smile.
I unzip my own hoodie. I didn't skate long enough to sweat but I'm warm enough to not need it. Besides, the cool breeze is more than welcome as it gently moves stray hair from my face and strokes my torso.
"Here, take this."
"No, keep it, it's fine," Kal says.
I throw it on his lap as I sit next to him. "Seriously, put it on. I'm getting hot."
"You already are," both boys say at the same time.
Alex looks at Kal in disbelief. "Why are you stealing my lines?"
Kal shrugs as he puts on my hoodie. "I was only predicting what you would say." When he's done, he smiles. "Hey, this fits."
"Of course it does. I'm not that much shorter than you," I reply.
Alex is grinning once again, his light brown eyes dancing between Kal and me. "Finally, my best friends are getting along."
Why does he have to be so cheesy?
I drift my gaze away from him and towards the big ramp, where Olivia is still skating. She's now rotating both herself and the skateboard 360 degrees. Sometimes I feel like it's a shame she never even considered persuing skate professionally or even taking part in contests.
"She has been going at it for so long and didn't even fall once," Kal says with amazement in his voice as our friend attempts a riverdance at the top, only to confuse her steps and slide down the middle of the ramp followed by her board.
"You jinxed her," Alex says with a chuckle.
As Olivia makes her way to us, a couple of other skaters nod at her or give her high fives.
"Kal! As I was skating I had the perfect idea about how you can tell your parents you want to study Veterinary!" Olivia exclaims as she stops her board and sits on it.
"Why do I feel like I'm going to hate that idea?" Kal wonders out loud.
"Summer might, but oh well," the girl says waving her hand. "You're going to take Lucky to your house and start playing with her when your parents are around and say" -she clears her throat- "oh, how nice it would be if there was a job in which I would be paid to interract with dogs."
"Yeah, that wouldn't work," Kal replies.
"C'mon man, you should at least try it," Alex says cupping his shoulder.
"No, they wouldn't listen because-"
"Kal, you're being a big wuss."
"His brother is allergic so his parents would be busy driving to the hospital," I blurt and Kal nods towards me.
Olivia crosses her arms. "Okay, fine, I can see the tiny fault in my plan."
Kal half smiles. "On second thought, this sounds like a good plan to send Christopher to the hospital."
Alex laughs. "Why do you hate him so much?"
Kal shrugs. "I don't hate him, I just...dislike him a lot. You're lucky you don't have any siblings."
He glances at Olivia. "Or have the twins, they're small and cute and not stuck-ups."
A chuckle escapes my lips. "Since when is Christopher stuck up? He's the one who parties more than all of us combined. Eliza is a stuck up, not him."
"Oh, you haven't seen him around relatives. He wears his stupid button-ups and cardigans and constantly plays the 'I'm studying Law' card, especially around my mum's mum because she had told me I'm her favourite grandchild." Kal pulls up his knees and hugs them. "I wish Eliza was my sister, too. She's cool."
Great, even Mr. Horrible Taste Kal likes Eliza.
Alex giggles. "I had a crush on her when I was thirteen."
My head turns to him on its own. Has everyone been in love with my sister at one point?
He puts his hands up. "I know it's strange, which is why I never said anything. Not because she was taller than me and yelled every time she tried to tutor me in Math."
Kal turns to look at him. "You're weird."
Olivia bites her lip. "I had a crush on Christopher when I was eleven."
I smile remembering Olivia's obsession with him. The more she dreamilly talked about Christopher, the more I, too, noticed his good qualities. Then I remembered he was Eliza's academic rival and that it's shitty to crush on the same guy as my friend, so I stopped thinking about him. Also, I watched him eat a burger once and that was enough.
"That's even weirder," Kal says curling his lips. "Hey, how come Alex didn't ever learn how to skate? I was a little bit late to that train so I'm excused."
I share a look with Olivia and we both burst into laughs.
"He tried."
"But he was so bad."
"He'd get on the board and he'd start flailing his arms."
"And a few feet later he'd fall."
Kal starts laughing too while Alex is glaring at us all, his cheeks flushed pink, before he laughs too.
We don't stay much longer at the park. We get on our bikes and boards and ride under the thick blanket of the night sky, littered with twinkling stars and a silver moon, full and bright. The familiar blue breeze smells of salt, concrete and foxtails. The chirps of the crickets are blocked by our words and laughs. I look around me, how Kal, Olivia and Alex look under the moonlight and I know this is a moment I'll keep coming back to.
...............
Aaaand that's chapter 18. I don't really have anything to say but I wanted to write in bold letters at the end of the chapter so here I am lmao.
QOTD: Who was your first celebrity crush?