South beach (7 page)

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and" she lowered her voice --"speaking of 'checking out,' you girls need to meet the hotties in Number 5. I think they're down by the pool now."

"We're heading to the pool ourselves," Daisy said, stuffing her feet into Alexa's flip-flops. "Meet you out there in a few?"

Then they were off, their giggles echoing down the hallway. Alexa shut the door, and briefly met Holly's glance.

"They're ... enthusiastic," Holly said. She got antsy around girls who acted so perky. But she was curious to see the pool and maybe get in some swimming. She opened her bag and pulled out her navy Speedo one-piece. After lending Meghan her tankini, the Speedo was the only item of swimwear she had.

Alexa didn't respond. She wriggled past Holly and back over to her bed, where she started changing into her pink bikini for the second time that day. Daisy and Kaitlin were a little "Rah-rah-sis-boom-bah" for her tastes, but they seemed like fun. More fun than Holly was being, in any case. And besides, she was intrigued by the hotties in Number 5.

The girls wordlessly changed into their swimwear, their backs to each other. Now that they were alone again, the tension between them was palpable. Alexa hurriedly tied the halter strings on her bikini, eager to

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get out of the room. She knotted her hair up in a bun and swung around to grab her Fresh Sunshield off the bed. Then she noticed Holly fiddling with her swim-suit straps as she frowned at herself in the mirror above the dresser. Alexa never would have guessed it, but Holly had a kick-ass body. It must have been all the running she did. She had shapely legs, a firm little butt, and perfectly proportioned boobs. Alexa, who was only an A cup, felt kind of envious; Holly managed to pull off being curvy and athletic at the same time.

"You should wear a bikini, Hoi," Alexa observed. She was surprised at how smoothly the old grade-school nickname slipped off her tongue. Weird.

"I don't even own one," Holly said, turning away from her reflection. "I don't have the body for a bikini."

Alexa was about to disagree when there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," Holly said, heading for the door.
It's probably Daisy and Kaitlin with a cheer routine,
she thought.

She opened the door, and there stood two of the most delectable boys either she or Alexa had ever seen. And they looked exactly alike.

Both boys were on the short side, muscular and stocky; with curly dark hair and bright blue eyes. They wore swimming trunks -- one had on a blue pair, the

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other had on white and their smooth chests were nicely suntanned. Blue-trunks boy had obviously just gone for a swim; his wet shorts clung to his thighs, and he was toweling off his hair.

"You must be Alexa and Holly, our new neighbors," white-trunks boy said, flashing a grin that made the backs of Holly's knees tingle. "Daisy just told us about you. I'm Thomas Kalas and this is my brother, Aaron." He gestured to the wet boy, who gave Holly a quick, shy smile. "We thought we'd escort you girls down to the pool, if that's okay with you."

Twins!
Alexa thought, sauntering over. Could life get any better? Both boys were equally smoking; Alexa didn't know which one to set her sights on first. She looked them up and down, and anticipation shimmied down her spine. She was going to kiss one of these boys tonight. She already knew it.

Holly, meanwhile, was feeling extremely self-conscious in her swimsuit. She crossed her arms over her chest, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She wished she didn't find the twins both so cute. Aaron, in particular, was catching her eye -- he seemed a little timid, and Holly was a sucker for quiet types.

"Come on, Holly," Alexa said, grabbing her sunscreen, shades, and towel. She followed the boys out into the hall. Holly scooped up her own pool gear and

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hurried after them, taking care to grab their only key from the dresser and lock the door.

The four of them headed downstairs and cut through the lobby to the back exit. As Thomas walked beside Alexa, his hand kept brushing against her thigh.
Accidentally on purpose,
Alexa thought delightedly. She noticed that Holly and Aaron had fallen into step behind them, and that Aaron was scoping Holly out.
Perfect,
Alexa thought.
One for each of us.
Still, there was a tiny part of her that wanted both brothers all to herself. She'd never hooked up with two boys at the same time, never mind twins. How much fun would that be?

The back exit led straight out to the pool area, which was fenced in, and faced the back end of Ocean Drive hardly the glamorous view the motel's front entrance offered. The pool was a small square filled with murky-looking, greenish-blue water. Holly changed her mind about wanting to swim any laps. A boom box resting on a small round table blasted Dave Matthews. Kaitlin was sunning herself on a chair and sipping a Corona; there was a cooler packed full of them nearby. Daisy stood at the edge of the pool, playfully wrestling with a pale, brown-haired boy. The boy lifted Daisy in his arms and threw her in the water, yelling "Woo-hoo!" Daisy swam to the surface, splashing him, until he dove in after her.

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"That's our buddy Jonathan. He's in our room, too," Thomas told Alexa and Holly, pointing to the brown-haired boy. "He's kinda hyper."

"I'd say so," Alexa said, watching as Jonathan dunked Daisy underwater. He was decent-looking, but too scrawny for her.

Holly stretched out on a beach chair next to Kaitlin, letting the sun wash over her. It was late afternoon by now, but still warm out. She tried not to think about how naked she was in front of all these boys. She wished she could look as carefree as Alexa seemed in her little bikini, chatting up a storm with Thomas.

Holly watched as Aaron dove headfirst into the pool, barely making a splash. He glided underwater for a minute, looking as graceful as an Olympic swimmer. Holly squeezed Neutrogena suntan lotion into her palm and slathered it all over her freckled legs. She was rubbing some into her arms when she noticed Aaron had swum up to the surface of the pool and was watching her. He slicked back his streaming dark hair and started floating on his back.

Blushing furiously, Holly slid her sunglasses on. There was no way this guy could be checking her out. He and his brother were probably both drooling over Alexa.

"Here," Alexa said, walking over and handing Holly

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an ice-cold Corona. She sat down beside her. "Can you do my back?" Alexa asked, swiveling around so that her smooth shoulder blades were facing Holly.

Holly took a cautious sip of the Corona. It was cold and bubbly, tasting faintly of lime. She passed the bottle to Alexa and began massaging lotion into her back.

"I'm sorry, but that is so hot," Jonathan commented from the pool, squinting at Alexa and Holly. "Nothing like girls rubbing suntan lotion all over each other. Right, Aaron?"

"It depends," Aaron said. Then he glanced at Holly, turned red, and ducked back under the water. Holly's heart fluttered.

"Ugh, you are disgusting," Daisy said, slapping Jonathan's arm. "This isn't
Girls Gone Wild."

"Not yet," Jonathan smirked. "Who knows what tonight will bring?"

"You wish," Kaitlin said. "What are we doing tonight, anyway?"

Thomas strolled over and sat in the empty beach chair next to Alexa. "I thought we'd hit Lincoln Road first, maybe check out the scene there. Then come back and bar-hop on Ocean Drive. How's that sound?"

Alexa gave Thomas a slow smile. It sounded just right to her. Holly had finished her back, so Alexa lay down on her stomach, resting her chin on her arms.

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"Great!" Daisy said, coming up out of the water and wringing out her black hair. "Kaitlin and I went to this rocking place on Ocean Drive last night. We can go back."

"We should start getting ready now, though," Kaitlin pointed out. "It's going to take a while waiting for turns in the shower."

"Are there only those two showers outside?" Holly asked, motioning over to the curtained booths at the far end of the pool area. The idea of showering outdoors seemed a little skeevy to her.

"And another inside," Thomas said. "There's only one bathroom per floor that all the guests have to share. Coed."

Terrific,
Holly thought, taking the Corona from Alexa and swallowing down more than she had intended.
I'm going to have to share a bathroom with boys?

Meanwhile, Alexa was thinking the exact same thing. Only she really thought it
was
terrific.

Once everyone went back inside, they worked out a schedule for the showers. Alexa ended up showering inside, while Holly and Kaitlin got the outdoor showers first. The boys and Daisy said they didn't mind waiting for the later shifts.

The temperature was starting to drop as Holly stepped into the shower booth. She wore her bathing

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suit and held a towel, shampoo, and soap. She glanced nervously at the empty pool as she drew the heavy plastic curtain across the rod. Trembling a little, she took off her Speedo and hung it over the rod along with her towel. It was weird to be completely naked outside, as night was falling. But she was a little buzzed from the Corona, so part of her was sort of enjoying the mild air on her bare skin. The sky overhead was turning fuchsia.

Holly switched on the water and closed her eyes as it rushed out of the shower head, beating a tattoo on her face and arms. Its coolness was refreshing. She stretched, raising her arms above her head as the water streamed down her body. She wished she'd had time to go for a run. Maybe tomorrow. She rubbed shampoo into her scalp and smoothed soap all over her body, feeling clean and energized after her long, crazy day. Holly let a giggle escape her lips. Just this morning she'd been in New Jersey, listening to her parents nag her, and now here she was, taking a shower outside. Who would have guessed it?

Holly rinsed herself and reluctantly shut off the water. She wanted to linger longer, but she knew other people were waiting. She was reaching for her towel when the curtain suddenly slid open from the outside. Aaron stood there, his mouth open, a towel slung around his hips.

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Holly gasped, frozen. She was totally nude, sopping wet, and had absolutely nowhere to hide. She watched in shock as Aaron's eyes swept over her body, and she thought she saw the corner of his mouth curl up in a smile. But it was so quick, she was sure she'd imagined it. Then, she sprang into action and grabbed her towel, wrapping it around herself as fast as she could. Her swimsuit fell onto the shower tiles. She bent down and snatched it up, along with the soap and shampoo.

"Oh, man, I'm so sorry," Aaron said, covering his eyes. "I honestly had no idea someone was in here. Kaitlin told me the outside shower was free."

Holly was shaking uncontrollably. A random boy had seen her
naked.
It had to be the single most embarrassing moment of her entire sixteen years.

"She -- she must have meant
her
shower," Holly stammered. She felt goose bumps rising up on her arms. "I have to go," she said, pushing past Aaron and running like mad back toward the motel.

"What's the matter with
you?
" Alexa asked as Holly burst into the room, her teeth chattering and her eyes enormous. Alexa had long since finished her shower and was standing in front of the mirror, wearing a delicately beaded baby-blue camisole from Arden B. over

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a ruffly white miniskirt and high-heeled metallic silver mules. She held a Nars eyebrow pencil in one hand, in mid-makeup procedure.

"Aaron just saw me naked!" Holly exclaimed. She hadn't planned on telling Alexa, but it was impossible to keep the humiliation to herself.

Alexa threw her head back and laughed. "You're so lucky!" she said. "Now he's going to want you even more."

"He doesn't want me," Holly mumbled. What was Alexa talking about? She stepped around Alexa to get to the bed, and her half-unpacked bags. Then she noticed the window shade was up and the window was wide open. Holly could hear horns honking and a group of guys drunkenly singing a Black Eyed Peas song down on Ocean Drive.

"Oh, my God, Alexa, close the window," Holly gasped, wrapping her towel around herself even tighter. "What if someone sees us changing?" She'd had enough exposure for one night.

"Would you chill?" Alexa said. "I like seeing the beach when it's dark." But she climbed over her bed and did as Holly had asked, rolling her eyes all the while.

Holly turned her attention to her bags. She was so eager to get into some clothes -- any clothes -- that

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she pulled out whatever she could find: red capri pants and a white sleeveless T-shirt. She dressed quickly and was jamming her feet into black slides when she heard Alexa clear her throat. She was standing by the dresser, looking Holly up and down.

"Uh-uh," Alexa said. "You are
not
wearing that on our first night out in SoBe."

"Why not?" Holly asked, feeling defensive. Her outfit might not be as slinky as Alexa's, but it wasn't hideous or anything. Couldn't Alexa just lay off?

Alexa tossed her mascara tube down with a clatter, then walked over to Holly's bed. She started sorting through Holly's clothes, shaking her head in exasperation. She refused to be seen with someone who couldn't dress well. Finally, Alexa plucked out a strappy black tank top and held it up. "This isn't bad," she said.

Holly took the top from Alexa. Jess had convinced her to buy it on sale from Urban Outfitters last year, but Holly didn't wear it very often because it was more low-cut than most of her tops.

"Put that on with the capris," Alexa ordered. "I'll get you some accessories."

"Look, Alexa," Holly began, trying to stand her ground. Just because Alexa used to boss her around when they were little didn't mean the same rules had to apply now. "I think my outfit's fine." Though, even