South beach (29 page)

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cell. Diego told Alexa that he hoped to get a summer internship at Princeton, meaning he might be up in New Jersey as early as June. They also discussed the tantalizing possibility- of taking a whirlwind trip to Paris. Alexa was so satisfied with what lay ahead that she was able to tell Diego, sincerely, that she didn't mind his not being able to attend the bonfire that night.

"You'll just have to make it up to me the next time I see you," she teased, before they said good-bye again.

Over on the boardwalk, Holly and Tyler were also talking about that night's bonfire as they ran side by side, keeping pace with each other. Holly had invited him along, and a psyched Tyler said he'd call Holly before he was ready to head out.

Tyler makes things so simple,
Holly thought. When they'd met up in the Flamingo lobby before their run, Tyler had kissed Holly hello, and asked if things were patched up with Alexa. When Holly assured him that they were, he'd grinned and they'd headed out. She glanced at him now. In the daylight, with his burnished-gold hair and lightly tanned skin, he seemed to glow. Holly couldn't get over his ridiculous hotness.

"So are we gonna keep this up when we're back in Oakridge?" Tyler asked Holly as their sneakers pounded the wooden slats of the boardwalk.

"What?" Holly gasped, momentarily thinking that he meant their relationship. "Oh, you mean, running?

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You bet. I try to go every morning. And I expect you to keep up with me," she added teasingly.

"I hope I can," Tyler said. He slowed down to a walk and gave Holly a long, steady look. "And I hope we see each other, you know, when we're not running, too."

Holly slowed her steps, but now it was her pulse that raced. Tyler stopped walking and took hold of Holly's hand.

"I have an idea," he said, smiling. "I know you're leaving tomorrow, but I think you should change your plane ticket. That way we can go back together on Saturday."

Holly searched Tyler's face, her heart tip-tapping against her ribs. Yes, she'd told Alexa that kissing Tyler might not lead to anything more. But now Holly felt, with utter certainty, that this was already something more. Neither she nor Tyler could deny it.

"I'd love to," she told Tyler honestly Still, Holly knew she had to return to Oakridge tomorrow. Her parents were expecting her. And, most of all. Holly wanted to fly home with Alexa. They'd made the voyage out together. It seemed only fitting that the trip back be the same.

"But I can't," Holly went on reluctantly. "My parents would kill me."

Tyler nodded. "My mom and dad are pretty strict,

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too. They barely even let me come down here. It's like I have to map out a plan of attack whenever I need their permission to do something."

One more thing we have in common,
Holly thought, tightening her grip on Tyler's hand.

"So that's cool." Tyler sighed, looking disappointed. "But can call I you tomorrow? What time does your flight get in?"

Holly gave Tyler the details, then kissed his cheek, and they resumed their run. Now that Holly knew they would still see each other in Oakridge, an array of possibilities opened up in her mind: Tyler driving her to school in the mornings. Tyler coming over to her house. She and Tyler making plans for the weekend. And she was sure even her parents would like him. Holly grinned.

Suddenly, going back to New Jersey didn't seem so dreary after all.

By the time Holly and Alexa had returned to the motel and showered, the sun was setting, and the other Flamingo kids had left for the bonfire. When a towel-clad Holly received the call from Tyler, she insisted that he go ahead to the beach without her, and that she'd meet him there. She'd feel bad making him wait around the Flamingo while she got dressed. And,

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besides, Holly thought, feeling very girl-power, even if Tyler
was
sort of becoming her boyfriend, that didn't mean she needed him to escort her everywhere.

She and Alexa threw on their clothes -- Holly in capris and a racer-back green tank, Alexa in a lavender strapless cotton dress. They picked up their bags and towels -- in case they wanted to stargaze while at the bonfire -- and Alexa locked the door behind them. The girls flip-flopped noisily down the stairs, and crossed Ocean Drive.

The bonfire was being held a few beaches over, and Alexa and Holly decided to walk on the sand for a while, not the promenade, to get there. Holly noticed that the beach nearest to the Flamingo was already empty at this hour; most people were probably on their way to the concert. Alexa and Holly strolled along the sand, and then they both stopped, captivated by the sight of the sun sinking into the ocean. The sky leveled off into different colors: peach, cranberry, indigo. The sun's rays shone very brightly for an instant, and then began to fade softly.

Holly had the most acute sense of time passing. Soon, twilight would shift into night, and night into morning, and then -- they'd be gone. "Wow," she murmured, her eyes on the horizon. "That's a nice send-off for us."

Alexa grabbed Holly's arm. "It's not over
yet!"
she

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cried. Alexa never liked to admit when her travels were corning to a close; she had to soak up every last moment.

"Almost," Holly said. "Though I wish we had more time here."

"We have plenty of time," Alexa said, still holding Holly's arm. "Time to make spring break official."

"What are you talking about?" Holly asked, a slow smile spreading across her face.

"Remember when I told you to tell your parents that you're supposed to go crazy on spring break?" Alexa said. "Well, we've done a lot on our trip, but I don't know if any of it qualifies as truly crazy"

Holly's stomach jumped as inspiration struck. She looked around to make sure the darkening beach was truly empty, and then gave Alexa an impish grin.

"Have you ever gone skinny-dipping?" Holly asked.

"Tons of times," Alexa replied, laughing. "And you?"

Holly shook her head. She'd missed out on the experience when her friends had gone without her to the Jersey Shore. And, at summer camp, she'd almost done it, but the thought of anyone seeing her naked had been too mortifying. Holly thought back to Aaron walking in on her in the shower; she'd been ashamed, yes, but it hadn't killed her. Standing on the beach this evening, Holly felt much more secure in her own body.

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She was, after all, the Pulse TV bikini contest champion.

"Do you want to go
now?"
Alexa asked, accurately reading the mischievous twinkle in Holly's eyes. She, too, scoped out the beach for any witnesses. "Before the bonfire?" she added.

"Well, haven't you gone skinny-dipping
tons
of times, Alexa?" Holly challenged, nudging her friend. "Are you chickening out?"

Alexa grinned at Holly. "Is that a dare?"

"Double dare," Holly said, heading toward the water and motioning for Alexa to join her. "Now or never."

"Okay, but just for two seconds," Alexa said, following her.

Since when am
I
the cautious one?
she wondered as she and Holly raced to the shore.

Stifling their giggles, the girls shimmied out of their clothes, and tore toward the ocean. They shrieked as they dove into the Atlantic, swimming out, and under. The water was surprisingly mild, and the gentle waves lapped against their bare skin. Alexa immediately relaxed, enjoying the sensation of floating totally nude as night fell around her. She and Holly smiled at each other, only their heads visible above the dark-blue waves.

Holly was loving the feel of the water against her skin, and not feeling embarrassed at all. Now she

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understood skinny-dipping's appeal; it was completely liberating. Intoxicating. Holly spread her arms wide and leaned back into the ocean's embrace, looking up at the endless sky.

When they started getting goose bumps the girls decided to swim back to shore, grateful for the blanket of near darkness -- and their waiting towels. Wrapped only in terry cloth, they collapsed onto the sand and broke into gales of laughter.

"Did we really just do that?" Alexa gasped, and Holly could only nod, giggling helplessly.

Once their laughter had subsided, the girls sat still on the sand, listening to the gentle rhythm of the tide. Both of them felt tingly and refreshed, their skin still damp and cool. They let the wind dry their hair as they watched the sky come alive with stars.

"It won't be like this when we're back in Oakridge," Holly spoke quietly.

"Like what?" Alexa asked.

"Like ... how close we are right now," Holly said, choosing her words carefully. "South Beach is a break from reality. When we're back at school on Monday, all of this will disappear." She gestured to where they were sitting on the beach.

Ever since her run with Tyler that morning, Holly had been thinking about high school. She and Tyler were in different social spheres at Oakridge, but Holly

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didn't doubt that they could work around that. And there
was
some overlap between their groups because of the sports connection. Holly could easily see Tyler slipping into her world, getting along with her friends.

But Holly couldn't see Alexa in her world at home. She tried to picture the glamorous Ms. St. Laurent sipping smoothies with Meghan and Jess in the high school cafeteria, or accompanying them on Sunday afternoon bike rides. Holly shook her head. Impossible. Away from South Beach, she and Alexa wouldn't work.

"I don't think that's completely true," Alexa said softly, looking at her friend. "It's not like we can just go back to being acquaintances, as if this trip never happened." Alexa, too, was finding it difficult to imagine sporty Holly fitting in with her stylish circle of friends. But that didn't mean that she and Holly still couldn't hang out on their own from time to time.

"That would be dumb," Holly agreed, drawing a line in the sand with her finger. She looked up at Alexa with a small smile.

Alexa gazed at Holly thoughtfully, combing her fingers through her damp hair. "I don't think we'll ever be as close as we
once
were," she said. "You know, like back in grade school, when we were ..." She

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remembered her pink bracelet and smiled. "Best Friends Forever."

Holly nodded, hugging her arms to her chest. "That whole
forever
idea is silly, anyway," she said, thinking about how she and Alexa had stopped being best friends after a time. "Nothing lasts forever."

Alexa bit her lip. "Holly, I am so sorry," she said softly. "I'm sorry about how our friendship ended. I wish I could go back in time and do things differently." She reached out and took Holly's hand, feeling choked up. "I know I was the one who ... changed a lot."

Holly shook her head. "We
both
changed," she said. "But, then ... I think that we also stayed essentially the same. And that's why we still make a good team."

"You and your sports analogies," Alexa teased, flicking some sand onto Holly's leg. The girls smiled at each other, then got to their feet, wringing out their hair. Wordlessly, they slipped back into their clothes and started up the beach once more. It was time for the bonfire.

"You know what?" Alexa said as they walked along, their arms linked. "I still believe in
forever.
We might not be best friends anymore, Hoi, but we'll always be in each other's lives in some way. No matter

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what." Alexa now knew that her friendship with Holly reached far beyond the petty divisions of high school. South Beach had proven that.

"I used to think of you as the sister I never had," Holly mused aloud. "And maybe that's still true in a way. I mean, we'll bicker and fight and be apart from each other ... but none of that really makes a difference, in the end." She shrugged. "Just like sisters, right?"

"Like sisters," Alexa echoed happily.

A tall bonfire was blazing in the sand when they arrived at Lummus Park Beach, and a local reggae band was playing on an elevated stage -- the exact spot where Holly had won the bikini contest. A mix of locals and tourists were crowded around the fire drinking Coronas, dancing, laughing, loving the warm March evening.

Holly and Alexa set down their bags and towels and were slipping into the thick of the crowd when Holly caught a glimpse of Tyler. He saw her at the same instant, and he grinned. They headed toward each other, and Tyler wrapped her in a big hug, burying his face in her damp hair.

"Did you just go swimming?" he asked, smoothing his hand along her freckle-dusted arm.

"Kind of." Holly smiled, but wouldn't say more.

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Tyler encircled Holly's waist with his arms, and they turned to watch the bonfire. Holly spotted the other Flamingo kids nearby. Although the band was playing an up-tempo song, Daisy and Jonathan were slow-dancing. Thomas and Kaitlin were unabashedly flirting over bottles of beer, and Holly wondered if Kaitlin had liked Thomas all along. She noticed Aaron trying to mack on a punky girl with bleached, spiky hair. When Aaron happened to look over and see Holly with Tyler's arms around her, his eyes widened in comprehension. Holly smiled coolly at him. This was the sweetest revenge.

Then Holly saw Alexa dancing alone as only Alexa could, lost in the music. Holly called to her, and Alexa glanced over, smiling first at Holly and then at Tyler. Alexa's expression, when she looked directly at Tyler, clearly said:
It's all good.

And it was. Alexa had just gone skinny-dipping, the sweet salty air was caressing her skin, and she was dancing near a bonfire as a live band played.
This can't get more perfect,
she thought blissfully, gazing into the crackling flames. The air around the fire was wavy with heat and glowing bits of ember. Suddenly, Alexa saw a familiar, olive-skinned figure emerge out of the halo of smoke. As the firelight illuminated his beautiful face, Alexa's heart soared.