So I'm a Double Threat (Double Threat Series) (21 page)

The drive doesn’t take long, less than an hour. Alex borrowed his mom’s minivan so we could all go together. Some of his friends are going to meet us there. I bet he’s getting sick of hanging out with a bunch of freshmen.

Finding a parking spot seems like an impossible task. I have my fingers crossed, in hopes we can’t find one, but like usual, my luck sucks. My bad attitude about the beach must show because Eric asks me what’s wrong the whole way down. Like any girl, I say, “Nothing, I’m fine.”

I swear my feet feel like they’re getting first-degree burns as soon as they hit the sand. I drop my bag and jump around till I can get my flip-flops back on.

Everyone just laughs. Josh actually drops his stuff and points at me, while he laughs hysterically. It isn’t that funny. Alex passes by me saying, “Hey Meg, don’t you pay attention in science. Land heats faster and
hotter
than water.” What a freakin’ nerd. Does he think he’s funny?

“Ha ha. I must have missed that worksheet.”

“We were probably at the Steel Grill, Meggie.” Keesh laughs, shaking her head.

I can’t help but let out a little chuckle. I probably look like a dumbass.

Eric turns around and comes back to help me with my bags. He throws them over his shoulder and manages to hold both our chairs. All I have now is my backpack. Wow. Chivalry is not dead.

We catch up with our friends who have already claimed an unused fire pit. We start to set up all our stuff. I feel like a family. We brought a cooler, blankets, an EZ-Up shade, chairs, and tons of food. I feel all grown up. As much as I hate—seriously loathe—the beach, I’m really grateful to have such cool friends, but not grateful enough to enjoy myself.

Eric takes off his shirt and tosses me the sunscreen, “Can you put some sunscreen on my shoulders and my back, babe?” Sand flies toward me with the bottle and gets into my eyes.

“Yeah, whatever.” I get up from my chair, swiping at my face to get rid of the sand. I slap the lotion on his already gritty back and barely rub it all in. He looks diseased with white splotches of gunk all over his back. Most girls would’ve taken advantage of giving a hot guy a rub down, but not me. Being at the beach brings out the worst in me. The closer everyone gets to stripping down to their bathing suits and getting into the water, the pissier I get.

“You want me to do you?” Eric asks.

“Excuse me?” I yell at him.

“Babe, chill. I’m talking about the sunscreen,” he yells back.

“Oh. No. I’m good,” I say.

He stands, peering down at me, with his hands on his hips. “You’re not gonna get in?”

“No. Not right now, you go ahead.”

He looks at me with annoyance, grabs his boogie board, and takes off toward the water. Josh and Jonathan follow not too far behind.

Keesh glides toward me in her one-piece bathing suit. Even though it’s a one-piece, it’s still sexy as hell. The sides are cut out and she’s showing a lot of cleavage, a lot.

“You ready to go in?” she asks. Why is everyone in such a hurry to get into the water? Do they know fish eat, shit, kill, have sex, and give birth in that water? How freakin’ gross. We may as well bathe in sewer water if we’re so willing to go swimming in this nasty-ass ocean. I’m thoroughly disgusted.

“No. Frick. I’ll go when I feel like it,” I shout, looking up with my hand shielding my eyes from the sun. I lean back to get comfortable in my chair.

“Damn, Meg. What’s your problem?” She stands directly over me.

“I’m sorry, Keesh.” Then, I lower my voice to say, “You know I’m not the most comfortable person in a bathing suit.” I search through my backpack for a magazine.

“Don’t give me that.” She grabs my hand. “Come on, stand up.” She pulls me to my feet. “Now, take off your shirt,” she orders, tugging at the hem of my top.

“What? Nooo,” I cry, pushing her hands away. “Are you kidding me?”

“Come on. I know you have your suit on under there.”

She waits. I wait. She isn’t going to back down. Ugh. What a brat. I whip off my shirt.

“You look great, Meggie. Nice cleavage.” She raises her brows up and down at my chest. “Now, wait here.” She runs over to her bag and comes back with her shorts on. “Now, you don’t have to take off your shorts. You’ll be more comfortable.”

I look at my friend and smile. I can’t believe just months earlier I thought I’d never talk to her again. “Thank you, Keesh.” I hug her tightly. “You’re the best.”

Even though the ocean grosses me out, I still walk down and get in the water. I’ll just take an extra long hot shower when I get home. I can’t just leave Keesh hangin’ after what she did for me.

We’re splashing around, soaking in the sun when I notice Amy...ALL of her, from head to toe. She looks like a cover model for a swimsuit edition of
Sports Illustrated
. She has on a red two-piece bathing suit—a triangle top barely covering her nipples, with bottoms tying on the sides so her hips are almost bare. Did her mother really buy her that suit? Isn’t it against the law for a fifteen-year-old to be out in public looking like that? She is practically naked.

I’m not sure if I’m embarrassed for her, or jealous of her perfect body. And I can’t imagine how Alex feels. All the guys within fifty feet of us are staring at her, even the old men with families. Alex has to feel either really proud or really pissed. I know I wouldn’t want everyone staring at my girlfriend.

“You getting out already?” Amy asks, as I pass her and Alex.

“Yeah. Just for a while. I forgot to put on sunscreen.” It’s the first excuse I can think of.

I don’t notice Keesh tagging along right behind me, “Me, too.” I give her a weird look. “What? Black people can burn, too.”

“Well, hurry and come back in,” Alex says. His eyes don’t even make it to my face.

Keesh and I look at each other with big grins, and start laughing.

“Was he just checking out your boobs?” Keesh blurts out.

I cross my arms, feeling a little self-conscious. “I think he was.”

We bust up laughing again.

I throw on a tank top and plop myself down in one of the chairs. Keesh tosses me a water bottle and we kick back and relax, watching our friends. I’m annoyed because I can already feel the stickiness of the ocean water stuck to my body and the sand paper grit chaffing my skin. I can’t believe people enjoy this shit.

I don’t plan on getting back in that disgusting water. People watching and reading magazines sound much better.

“Meg. Meggieeeeeeeeee.” I hear a shriek.

I hear someone calling my name a few times before I realize it’s Amy.

I pull down my sunglasses to get a good look at her. “What?” I shout back.

She is waving at me, shouting, “Come here, Meggieee. C’mere.” What is she whining about? She never calls me that.

“What the hell does she want?” I ask Keesh.

She looks back at her magazine. “I don’t know. Just ignore her. She’s probably fake drowning or something so the hot lifeguard will have to save her.”

“I can’t just ignore her.” I toss my magazines in my bag and walk out toward the water.

She motions for me. “Meg, come here.”

“What the hell, Amy? I don’t wanna go in the water.” “Meg...Meg,” she stutters. “I lost my bottoms.”

“What?” I understand what she said, but need to hear it again...louder. I know, I’m evil.

“I lost my freaking bathing-suit bottom,” she yells. “Now, go get me some shorts.”

“What do you mean you lost them?” I know perfectly well what she means.

“Damn it, Meg,” she yells. “I’m naked here. Get me some freaking shorts.”

By this time, all the boys hear what’s going on. They’re cracking up. Jonathan sounds like he’s going to choke, he’s laughing so hard.

“Don’t you even dare come this way or I’ll kick your ass,” she threatens them.

I wade out into the filthy water and take her some shorts. I pass them to her. “That’s what you get for wearing a Barbie-sized bikini on your big ass.”

I slosh back up to our camp, leaving her behind.

Maybe next time she’ll get a bathing suit that fits. But, I doubt it.

The one thing I
can
handle about the beach is an evening bonfire. I love roasting marshmallows. But they have to be just right—barely melted and not burnt. Keesh brought her iPod and speakers, so we can dance and play around.

But my night is ruined. Some of Alex’s friends show up. We’ve met most of them in passing and
most
of them are cool. The problem is Ben came too...and
he
is not cool. He brought Vanessa along, so maybe, just maybe, he won’t act like a freakin’ jerk for once.

Alex catches my eye, and shrugs. “Meg, I’m sorry. I didn’t think he would come.”

“Don’t trip. I’m good.”

We all continue to go about our business. I can’t let Ben consume me anymore. He’s done enough already with his big mouth. I have to let it go.

Josh and Jonathan start a hot dog eating contest. It’s pretty disgusting. They try to be like the professionals, soaking the bread in water first and forcing down the dogs, sometimes two at a time. When they finish, Josh flicks his head up for everyone to see he has a hot dog bun stuck up his nose. He looks real proud. He puts his index finger on the side of one of his nostrils and blows out hard, the bread flies out like a cannonball. Gross.

“That was badass, Josh,” Jonathan says as they slap hands. Jon still has pieces of hot dog on his face.

They give up after sucking down five. I don’t think they chewed. The contest gives us something to laugh about for a while.

“Hey, it’s pretty late already. The time went by too fast,” Keesh informs us.

“Yeah, too fast. It’s time to go already. Darn,” I murmur, sarcastically.

We begin gathering our things to pack up. Damn, we brought a lot of junk. It seems like a never-ending task since we brought so much crap with us. When we’re finally ready to go, we have to wait—Amy and Eric have disappeared.

“Where the hell did they go?” Keesh asks.

“Eric went to the bathroom like twenty minutes ago,” I explain, annoyed he’s still not back. I’m so ready to blow this taco stand.

“What about Amy?” Josh asks, sounding annoyed as well. “Alex, call her cell. She’s pretty stupid to go somewhere by herself at night.”

He tries to call her cell but she doesn’t answer.

“It’s about
time
,” Jonathan says, spotting Eric and Amy before any of the rest of us.

“Where were you, Ames?” Alex asks. “I tried to call you and you didn’t answer.”

“Oh. Uh. My cell is in my bag. You packed it,” she lies. What the hell is she up to? I can see her cell in her pocket. Is Alex blind? “I went to the bathroom with Eric. You were packing all the stuff and I really had to go.”

“What the heck took you so long?” I complain. “We’ve been waiting here forever.”

Ben interrupts. “There was a...long line,” he says, nodding his head at Eric and Amy. What the hell is that all about? I didn’t realize he was here till he said something. Maybe my Ben Radar is finally going away.

“Whatever,” Keesh yells. “Can we just go? I’m freakin’ tired.”

We all concede and get in the van. Everyone is too tired to talk on the way home. We all pretty much fall asleep until Alex pulls off the freeway. There’s something about getting off the freeway that can wake you up no matter how deeply you’re sleeping. It’s like an alarm clock—signally you to get ready because you’re almost home.

I jump in the shower as soon as I get home. I need to wash away the ocean funk from my body and rid myself of sand...endless amounts of sand. I throw on something cozy to sleep in and jump into bed.

I fall asleep dreaming about Ben and everything that has happened with him throughout this school year: meeting him at the party, him telling me I had options other than Eric, the big reveal he had a girlfriend, him talking crap about me choosing second best, the powder puff game—ugh, that one was bad—when he said that crap about me and Alex, and today, “there was a long line.” But that doesn’t mean anything. At least he didn’t talk crap this time.

––––––––

“H
ey Mom, can I have everyone over tomorrow to swim and order pizza?” I ask her nicely, hugging her for an added touch. I really don’t need to do anything to butter her up. My mom is pretty cool about letting me have friends over.

“Sounds like fun, but my book club meets tomorrow and it’s my turn to host it.”

“So what does that mean?”

“Well, as long as you don’t care if there is a house full of women, it’s okay with me.”

“No. I don’t care,” I say, smiling. “Thanks, Mom. I’m gonna go call everyone.”

I practically skip to my room and take out my cell. I start to call Eric first and shut my phone. Instead, I start texting everyone. This method is so much faster.

Pool Prty n Pza @ my house 2mro @ 2. Who’s in?

Within seconds, all but Amy text back to let me know they’ll be here. I know she’ll come, she’s just being Amy.

Most of us haven’t gotten together since we went to the beach. I’ve spent some time with Eric. He came over to watch movies one night and we went out for ice cream on another. Things have been much better with us since he gave up on the sex thing. I’m enjoying being around him again. But not much else has happened. Spring break turned out to be pretty relaxing. I thought we were going to be going non-stop.

The weather is nice out—hot with a little breeze, so it’s tolerable. I was actually worried it’d be chilly. When you think of spring break, you always think of sunshine, the beach, and crazy parties. But in reality, you never know what you’re gonna get. Dang, I sounded very “Forest Gump.” But I’m happy the weather is nice enough to be outside and swim. Although, the guys are wild enough they’d swim in a freakin’ hail storm anyway.

Everyone arrives right on time. I set up some chips and fruit on a table outside. Since it’s so hot, I figure some strawberries will be refreshing. My mom got us some bottles of water, Gatorade, and sodas. I also throw some extra towels outside just in case anyone forgets their own.

Jonathan and Josh are the first to jump in, with giant cannonballs practically emptying the pool. Eric and Alex follow them. Amy takes her time—I knew she’d show up—taking off her clothes to reveal her new bathing suit. She is totally putting on a show, sliding her shorts off slowly, seductively down her hips inch by inch, over her knees, and bending over, holding it for a sec to take them off completely. She pulls off her shirt in the same way, and tosses her hair about as it comes over her head. It’s like she did it in slow motion. Sad thing is, the guys are goofing around and don’t even notice her charade. This time she wears a one-piece but it shows enough skin to be considered lingerie.