Denial

"Oh. My. God." Val and I said in unison at the site of the Tahiti Beach up close.

"It's gorgeous!" I exclaimed.

"It's absolutely breathtaking!" Leana shouted. Jimmy came up and wrapped his arms around her, kissed the side of her head.

"And it's all ours." He told her grinning. "Well and theirs." They laughed. They were picture perfect. I smiled as I watched them when Matt walked up and wrapped his arms around me.

"What ya thinkin' about?" He asked, resting his chin on top of my head.

"How cute they are. I think Jimmy's going to purpose to her while we're here." He looked down at me.

"Really?" I nodded. He grinned.

"Sweet."

"Yeah, it really is." Just then Tihana came running up.

"Come on, come on! Let's go check out our suites! They're supposed to be amazing. And I heard there's a spa somewhere!" I laughed and grabbed her extended hand following her to the suites the awaited us.

After the entire detour of all the suites, and everyone knew where everyone was staying, we decided it was time to party. All the girls were now gathered in Val's room trying on different bathing suits and seeing which ones we liked. We'd done some major bathing suit shopping this past spring and said we'd try 'em all out some time. What better time then now, right?

"Hey chicas, what do you think of this?" Leana pranced out in one of the bathing suits she bought. Everyone cheered and clapped, laughing.

"It looks great hon, seriously." Val grinned. I smirked.

"Well there's one thing for sure." I said.

"What's that?" She asked.

"Jimmy's gonna love it." Everyone laughed. She rolled her eyes grinning.

"Okay guys, how about this?" I asked, show my suit. They grinned.

"It's so you." Leana said.

"I thought so too. I mean, I've got the one with like blue stripes but-"

"No, no, no, where that one next time." Breanna said. "But in the mean time, check me out." She said, posing in her swim suit.

"Wow, you look good." Val said, grinning. I laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Yep, she's right honey. Bri's gonna love you." We all laughed. Just then Tihana came out of the bathroom again.

"Okay, how about this one?" She asked, modeling her latest.

I nodded, smiling. "Looks good."

Leanna agreed. "I think it fits the whole Tahiti theme." She nodded and laughed. "Kinda what I thought too."

"Alright so is that what you're wearing Val?" I asked her. She nodded, grinning.

"Good, I like it."

"Alrighty then! Let's head out!" Val declared as we all headed for the door.

We ran out on to the beach to find the boys already out there in swim trunks setting up a volley ball net with a radio cranked up. There was a cooler sitting there too which I'm just guessing was filled with alcohol. This was gonna be fun.

We ran over to where all the guys were and decided to make our presence known since they obviously hadn't noticed us yet. I creeped up behind Matt and snaked my arms around his waste which startled him a little. He didn't hear my approach with the music booming as loud as at it was. He turned around and placed his hands on my shoulders pulling me away from him a little so he could give me a look over and the he looked back up at me and grinned before kissing my head lightly.

"You look beautiful." I smiled.

"Thank you. You're not so bad yourself." We had to talk a little louder than usual, but I didn't mind. All of us girls sat down in the lounge chairs and talked as the boys finished setting up the volley ball net.

"Yo ladies!" Johnny called.

"Ya gonna come play some volley ball?" We all jumped up and ran over.

"Okay so who's on who's team?" He asked.

"Guys verse girls!" I shouted. They looked at me like I was nuts.

"Do you even know what you're up against?" Matt asked in an 'intimidating' voice. I laughed.

"Do you know what you're up against? Maybe your forgetting that I was the reason my volley ball team won all the major games in high school!" All the girls laughed.

"Bring it." Brian challenged.

"Oh don't you worry, I will."

After two big games of girls verses weenies, I decided to sit out and watch the next game as did Breanna. She walked over to the cooler and grabbed herself a Heineken.

"Hey, grab me one!" I shouted. She grabbed an extra one for me and walked over plopping down in the lounge chair next to mine as we popped the top off our bottles and took a big swig from our drinks.

"You ladies sittin' out this round?" Matt asked. I nodded with my bottle raised.

"Sure are, have fun though gettin' your butts kicked though." I smirked. Breanna laughed.

"So what's up with you and him?" She asked. I looked over at her.

"Me and Matt?" She nodded. I shrugged. "We're a couple." I stated the obviously, giggling a little. She rolled her eyes.

"Well I know that, but I mean, okay well maybe I should ask more of, what's up with you and Zacky?" I nearly spit out my sip of alcohol.

"Zacky?" She nodded again. I shrugged once again. "I have know idea. We used to be the best of friends. Then feelings were admitted to our friends about each other and everything changed, now it's just awkward."

"So you still love him?" I looked at her wide eyed.

"What makes you think that?"

"The way you act whenever he walks past you or glances at you. I think I can hear your heart start beating a gazillion times faster." She laughed. I just smirked and rolled my eyes taking another drink from my bottle. "I knew it." She said. I didn't reply, just changed the subject.

"So what's up with you and Brian?"

"Nothing." She answered quickly. I rolled my eyes this time.

"We both know that's a lie. Every one knows you're a thing, but like, you two are really close here lately. What's up?" She shrugged.

"I dunno. He told me he loves me, but I don't know how to respond. I mean, you know me, I like to be sure about my feelings before I say that." I smiled and nodded.

"Don't rush into anything you're not ready for honey, take it slow."

"Glad someone understands." She grinned.

"I understand, because I feel the same way." She smiled and nodded.

"Cool, it's nice to have a good friend I can relate to." I nodded in agreement.

"Hey!" I shouted and ducked as the dodge ball flew my way and nearly hit me in the head.

"Sorry!" Brian laughed. I shook my head and rolled my eyes taking another drink from my Heineken.

Later that night, we were all feeling pretty good from the alcohol and we were sitting around a fire on the side of the beach shore and singing, mostly obnoxiously, to the loud music the was still blaring. We had been listening to one of their CD's, Avenged Sevenfold's, when Gunslinger came on. Johnny jumped up and came over to me.

"Ooo, dance with me Leny." I looked up at him and giggled a little.

"Johnny, don't you think you're a little short?" Brian asked.

"Awe, don't pick on little Johnny. Of course I will." I stood up and grabbed Johnny's hand, wobbling slightly, and slow danced with him the best I could as Matt sang the beginning lyrics.

Yeah, you've been alone.
I've been gone for far to long.
But with all these things we do.
It don't matter when I'm coming home to you.
Never let it show.
The pain I've grown to know.
Cause with all these things we do.
It don't matter when I'm coming home to you.
I reach towards the sky.
I've said my goodbyes.
My heart's always with you, now.
I won't question why so many have died.
My prayers have made it through, yeah.
Cause with all these things we do.
It don't matter when I'm coming home to you.

And as soon as the electric guitars started up, and Matt started the hardcore 'yeahs', he spun me around and out before pulling me back to him and then we broke away laughing.

"Wow Johnny, not bad for a short little dude." I laughed. He stood, full of pride now, and grinned.

"See, short guys got it too." He said to the other guys who just laughed.

"Alright, alright. My turn!" Jimmy jumped up. I laughed as he grabbed my hand in his and wrapped an arm around my waist pulling me to him.

"Um, Jimmy, I'm sorry to tell you, but this song is no longer a slow dancing one." He looked thoughtful for a minute.

"Oh, you're right. Hold on." He walked over to the CD player and switched the song a couple of tracks. I noticed the familiar music to "Warmness On The Soul" floating through the air as Jimmy and I resumed our position. We danced the entire song, and surprisingly, didn't do half bad. I mean, they were clapping once we sat back down. All except Zacky, who had an unreadable look on his face.

"Okay, okay, let's switch the CD." I said, getting up and going to where the CD's were. I chose once that was a burned CD and said, "Dance Remix" on it. I put it in and pressed play, but couldn't get it to work.

"What's wrong with this stupid thing?" I asked, hitting the radio slightly. I heard someone get up and walk over to help me, but I wasn't sure who. I watched as their arm reached in front of me and pressed a couple of buttons on the radio and then pressed play somehow making it work. I recognized the arm to be Zacky's.

"Erm." I cleared my throat and back away a little so we weren't so close and in such an awkward position.

"Now it works." He said simply, smiling the slightest.

"Thanks." I said, returning the gesture. I quickly retreated back to my seat next to Matt.

"This is our song!" Val shouted. Out of nowhere I was being jerked away from Matt and pulled up with Val to dance with her. I recognized the song. "Circus" by Britney Spears. The night all of us girls went to the club and ran into the guys, we'd titled this as our song, just kinda fits us. So all of us girls were soon up and dancing and singing to the song. Just enjoying ourselves and having a wonderful time. By the time the song was over, the guys we all clapping and cheering for us. Even Zacky this time, but I'm pretty sure that was only because his Tihana was up there dancing this round.

"Do you guys think we should go in? It's like, after one in the morning." Breanna asked.

"We've been out here since four in the afternoon."

"Wow, really?" I asked. She nodded.

"I didn't realize. Everyone laughed.

"I don't think any of us did babe." Matt said, wrapping his arms tighter around me.

"No! Let's stay and party a little longer!" Jimmy answered Bre's question for the first time. She shrugged. I had just finished probably my 20th or 22nd bottle when I suddenly had the urge to do something.

"Hey Jimmy! You remember when we were little and we were in the swimming pool we'd see who could stay under the longest?" He laughed and nodded.

"I always won!" I laughed.

"I think you cheated."

"How can you cheat at that?!"

"I don't know, but knowing you, you probably did."

"Well I didn't, but that's not the point, we're older now, ya wanna see if you can beat me yet?" I asked, looking from him to the ocean and back. He raised his eyebrows in a challenging way.

"Um, I'm not sure that's such a good idea." Matt said, holding onto me.

"Oh come on Matty, we'll be fine!" I said, unwrapping myself from his arms and trying to run over to the water while tripping over the sand in my drunken state. Jimmy was somewhere close behind.

The water now came up to our waists as we faced each other, huge grins plastered to our faces, and ready to battle again for the first time in years. Everyone was surrounding us. Most of them were worried that something bad was gonna happen with us being drunk but we had reassured them we'd be okay.

"Alright, on three." I said, getting ready to hold my nose and plunge into the clear blue water as soon as I said three. "Okay, one...Two...Three!" And there we went, both going deep into the water. Deeper and deeper. Wait, deeper and deeper? What's going on here? We're just supposed to be below the surface. Why do I keep going deeper?

"Ah man, come on! Years later and she still beats me?" I could hear Jimmy's muffled voice above the water. "Helena, you won, you can come up now!" I heard Jimmy laugh drunkenly.

"Leny!" I heard Matt call. But all I felt was myself going deeper and deeper into the ocean. "Helena!" Matt's voice and everyone's frantic calls were becoming further and further away from my ears. I could no longer hear them. And now I was gasping and grabbing at my throat. I needed air. I couldn't breathe.

And that's when I came to realization.

I'm drowning.

The last thing I heard was the sound of someone plunging into the surface of the water.