~August’s point of view~
Everyone spent the afternoon at the beach. Even AJ and Howie came along. Howie was still head over heels for Cassie.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t get to the party the other night,” Howie told her. “I couldn’t get out of clean-up duty.”
“That’s okay,” she said. “We have plenty of time to make up for it.”
It made me sick to see how sweet he was towards her and how she just led him on. I exchanged a look with Carmen. She raised her eyebrows. She was thinking the same thing as me.
But I wasn’t going to push it. I could be around her and not talk to her without being rude. And it gave me some satisfaction to know that Brian hadn’t spoken with her. Her plan had back fired big time. And if she hadn’t done what she had done, then I might not be where I was now: sitting on the beach, wrapped in Brian’s arms.
Sometimes fate was a wonderful thing.
“Come on, guys, take a picture!” Michelle said. “Nick, move in a little closer… Kev, sit up straighter, I can only see half of your head…. There ya go.”
SNAP.
“How many rolls of film have you used up? A million?” Nick asked, rhetorically.
“Umm… this is the third picture on my fourth roll of film…” she checked the camera.
Nick rolled his eyes. “Man, if N’SYNC showed up, you’d buy out the whole ship of film.”
“She’d be fighting with me,” Carmen interjected. Both girls looked skyward dreamily.
“Man, ya put out one CD and you have millions of girls in love with you. I bet they were all geeks in high school,” Nick said.
“Ah, but they grew out of it. Too bad you won’t,” Michelle grinned. Nick took a handful of sand and threw it at her.
I smiled. Not too long ago these people were strangers. Now I couldn’t imagine not having them around.
Well, except Cassie. I had been trying to delete her from my memory.
“All right, I’ve been looking at this water long enough. Usually I’m stuck watching everyone else swim… it’s finally my turn, can we get in already? It’s really hot out here…” Kevin said.
“Yeah, I agree,” Michelle said, wiping some sand off her camera and shooting Nick a nasty look.
“Yo, D, race you to the water?” AJ challenged.
“I’m in, too,” Kevin said.
“Oh, the old man wanna try to beat us?” AJ joked.
“I swim laps everyday and run a mile on the deck while you sit behind a counter… who do you think is more in shape?” Kevin said.
“I guess you, but I’m smart enough to get a head start,” AJ started running, the other two close behind.
I stood up and walked next to Carmen.
“Hey, I’m going to get some drinks for everyone. Brian, could you come with me? I want to talk to you…”
“Um, I’d rather get in the water,” Brian said, looking at the ground.
I smiled inwardly.
“Please, Bri. At least hear me out.”
Brian paused. “Okay. August, I’ll be down in a minute.”
They started up further from the shore. “I wish I knew what she was saying.”
“Well, I’d suggest spying but…”
“Yeah! Let’s try your method…”
“Nah, Brian’s too observant. And it’s not like he won’t tell you what she said anyway.”
“No, I don’t trust her. I don’t want her making anything up… come on.”
We headed up, trailing not too far behind them. When they stopped in front of the snack bar looking at the drink selection we dove behind a palm tree.
“… like I said, I’m sorry. And like I told Nick, you mean the world to me.”
“Then why’d you lie? Try to hurt me? And even worse, you got August involved.
“Aw, he’s standing up for you!” Carmen whispered.
“Shh…” I warned, but I was grinning.
“I was being selfish. I realize that now. But if you’re happy, then I’m happy for you. Look, we’ve been friends for a long time. Doesn’t that give me some credibility? And please, tell August that I’m sorry. And that the better person won. You two look really great together.”
“Don’t believe her!” Carmen whispered. “She’s got something up her sleeve.”
I didn’t try to quiet her. Part of me wanted him to have heard her, although I was sure he hadn’t. He wouldn’t fall for the act, though. She didn’t want to apologize to me, I was sure of that.
“Really?”
“Yes, you do,” Cassie told him. “And again, I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. That means a lot,” he smiled to her.
"Still friends?" Cassie said.
Brian nodded.
‘What?’ I wanted to scream.
Cassie got her drink. “Are you coming, Brian?”
“I’ll be down in a minute,” Brian assured her.
“Okay,” she turned and kept walking.
Luckily, when Cassie walked by, she didn’t see us. “What’s Brian doing?” I asked Carmen. She shrugged. I turned around to try to peek around the other side of the tree.
“Ahh!” my heart skipped a beat. “You scared me half to death!” I told Brian, who was standing right in front of me. “We were just…”
“Spying on me?”
“How does he do it?” I asked Carmen.
“I don’t know, but I told you…”
“Give us a sec, will you?” Brian asked.
“Sure,” she said.
“Hi, what’s up?” I asked Brian innocently.
But he wasn’t looking at me. “Carmen?”
“Okay, okay, I’m going…” an aggravated individual came out from behind a different palm tree and strode down the beach.
“Did you honestly believe all that stuff she told you?” I asked incredulously. A week ago I could never have been so bold. Maybe I was getting territorial, knowing Brian was Cassie’s prey.
“Look, am I mad about what she did? Yes. I’ve been blowing her off for two days. But she’s apologized. Shouldn’t I give her a second chance? I’ve been friends with her for a long time.”
“I understand that, but…”
“Even if she tries to pull something, who cares? She can’t come between us.” His blue eyes were reassuring.
“I just don’t trust her…”
“I’m not asking you to,” Brian said, taking my hand in his. “I’m asking you to trust me.”
I smiled. “Okay. That I can do.”
I didn’t like it. I knew that wasn’t a true apology. She was only sorry she got caught and it hadn’t worked out the way she wanted. But I did trust Brian.
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fifteen
Drowning
Frick's Fairytales