Sunday Afternoon
I was home, at the beach, finally. After the long grueling hours in the car I was definitely ready for some serious swimming. I was coming back outside in my bikini when I saw him only a second before he saw me. He was in swimming trunks and headed towards the beach like me. “Clay” i called he turned surprised he saw me and smiled invitingly I ran up and hugged him. “Hey, have you seen J.P?” Clay asked me my smile slipped ever so slightly but he noticed any ways. J.P. is short for Jason Petroleum. Horrible name right? Anyways J.P. and I went out a couple years back before he broke up with me for someone else. He looked down at me and said quietly “I didn’t think so, you want the 411?” that is the code for info about pretty much everything. I nodded and he started filling me in on every little detail I could tell he skipped some details but I didn’t ask I figured he would tell me later on. I was right. He finally dropped it on me “J.P. brought his girlfriend to the beach along with Ryan. J.P. is not paying attention to Ryan at all. See?” By this time we were in the water and I could here the splashing as someone came running I turned around just in time to see Ryan flip into the water and an oncoming wave. I looked farther up onto the beach just in time to see J.P. and his girlfriend kiss. I don’t care how long you’ve been broken up with a guy no matter what seeing the guy you liked and his new girl kiss sends a dagger into your heart. J.P. turned and saw me watching them I heard Clay behind me saying something to me but I wasn’t paying attention. Something in his face it made a buzzer go off in my head. I was running before I could comprehend what it was. I’m good at running I am on the track team at school I was so fast that I was like flying. I heard Clay behind me I made it all the way to the condos and I just stood there sobbing Clay caught up with me. He didn’t say anything he just held me as I cried. People were watching and whispering I could hear them I knew that much the rest I was still trying to figure out. I do remember looking up after I had calmed down and seeing the last person I expected Josh. Josh and I didn’t have the best relationship with each other. In fact we absolutely loathed each other. Josh was standing there looking sympathetic. Clay loosened his hold on my waist but didn’t let go of me like he was worried that if he let go I would fall. Probably would have too. When I had calmed down enough to walk without falling, we went back to the beach. J.P. was there his girlfriend was not Ryan who was standing next to him stopped J.P. from advancing towards us. A couple of hours later, when Ryan and J.P. had both joined us, Jean came out and waded in to swim with us. Ignoring warning glares from both Ryan and J.P. swam over to me so that only I could hear whispered “you okay?” I nodded and we carried on ignoring questioning glances from the others.
Monday Mid-Morning
I decided to walk over and see if Clay and Ryan wanted to walk down to the strip. I walked across the lot to where J.P. and Ryan stayed having already gotten a response from Clay about how he would be out after finished whatever he was doing. I knocked on the door unfortunately for me it was J.P. who answered the door not Ryan. As soon as I came in Ryan came in yelling “let’s go do something” when he saw us he said “I didn’t know you two could be in the same room as each other.” J.P. laughed and I said “Ryan, dear, you don’t give us enough credit but after J.P. had turned away I mouthed to Ryan ‘your timing is impeccable.’
About 20 minutes later we were at the strip and watching J.P. girlfriend stalking towards us looking very territorial. But she noticed Clay wrap his arm around me and turned all bubbly. The guys exchanged looks of weird and I said quietly “no it’s not weird.” Based on the confused looks I got they had no clue, “never mind” I said quickly. I found out that J.P. girlfriend was nothing like me and that her name was Terry. She started a pointless conversation about clothes and I expertly responded even though I really didn’t want to. We finally decided to go on the Sky Wheel, Clay bought mine and J.P. bought Ryan and Terry’s tickets. When we got up front we read the rules there were only for to a car which meant one of us had to be alone. Terry decided to be seat arranger she put the two couples meaning me and Clay and her and J.P. in to a car and left Ryan alone. I looked at Ryan’s face he was crestfallen. So I spoke up “Hey, Terry who died and made you queen?” it was priceless to see their faces. “Why don’t you and J.P. go in this car and me, Clay and Ryan will go in the next car.” When I had finished Terry started to say something but J.P. clamped his hand over her mouth and pulled her into the seat.
About two hours and a Dairy Queen lunch later we were joking and splashing water on each other while heading up the beach. Terry deciding to be health helper decided we should wait 30 minutes before we swam. She looked at all of us waiting for agreement J.P. grudgingly gave in where as I stood up and said “yall can wait if you want but I ain’t gonna tomorrow is my last day and I ain’t wasting it. We spent the rest of our time floating in the water.
Tuesday Afternoon
No one was around that morning so I went out to work on my tan. I was lying on my stomach reading a Sarah Dessen book when someone came up behind me. I ignored him at first till he stepped into my sunlight. I rolled over to find clay standing with J.P. and Ryan. “What’s up” I asked Clay blushed and looked at the ground and Ryan muttered quietly “ask her already the worst she can do is say no.” Clay glared at him and I sat there pretending not to notice. Clay reached for my hand and pulled me to my feet. I heard J.P. mumble something I couldn’t make out than a thud. I looked over to see Ryan acting all innocent and J.P. lying on his back in the sand. The look on his face was one of those ‘oh snap! He did not just do that looks. Clay turned back to me and said shyly “there’s this party tonight for the fourth of July and I just assumed being your last day and all you might would like to come to it with me.” His face was super red by the time he was done. “Sure I’ll go with you.” As soon as I said the words relief flooded over him.
After the party Clay and I took a walk on the beach I told him about when J.P. and I went out how he had asked me to kiss him and how I felt pressured into it. I told him all of it. We were almost to the pier when Clay asked suddenly “Who would you choose if you had to choose just one of us?” I looked at him but couldn’t see his face I asked slowly, deliberately planning out every word. “Based on my past I would pick you.” He mulled it over and whispered it a few times like he was tasting it. “What about your heart?” I thought this over for a long time long enough for him to look at me I whispered “I love him that will never change but its different now I don’t love him in that way it’s like loving your dog. But now I like you but I can’t be sure if I love you or not with only the short amount of time that’s passed.” He turned away from me then turned back smiling I want to try something he said I looked at him questioningly but didn’t ask. He leaned in and kissed me his lips were warm and light as a feather.

That is when I woke up. Dreams are so stupid sometimes. They end in all the wrong places. I thought to myself then flipped over and went back to sleep thinking about the warm lips of the dream that was already slipping away from my grasp.