Catching the Perfect Wave

I learned a lot just hanging out with Alexis and Addison for half an hour. I also learned just how much I was missing in life.

Addison hated her name, always going on about the Madison comparison. She loved the beach, puppies, lemonade, and had a strange obsession with apples. She was clumsy but was good hearted. She had been dating Josh for about six months now and really hated most of the shirts he wore.

Alexis was a whole other story. She was amazing at doing hair and make-up, no doubt why she always looked amazing (according to Addison). She was bold and exotic. She didn’t have a boyfriend, but that didn’t mean guys weren’t knocking down her door. She lived with her older sister, who works at the hair salon. She loved cats, hard candy, and music. Her only weakness was cupcakes.

They were like nothing I’ve ever seen before. They weren’t at all like me or my friends. I mean, look at me. I’m Cassandra. I go to a private school, have never had some form of a friendship with a guy (unless you count Jonathan), and am just plain old me. Alexis and Addison were like aliens from another planet compared to me.

“So, how long are you staying in town?” Alexis asked while Addison went to go and get some cotton candy and lemonade.

“Just here for the summer,” I answered, knowing that I’d have to give this response about a hundred times this summer.

Alexis nodded in understanding. “Oh. I can tell you’re not thrilled about being here.”

“How’d you know?” I asked.

“Girl, I can read you like an open book. Don’t be too down on this place, it actually starts to grow on you after a while,” Alexis explained as Addison came into view, holding a large cup of lemonade and a stick of cotton candy.

She sat down and sighed dramatically. “This place is a circus. I almost spilled my lemonade about five time and almost purposely dumped it all on some jerk with his pathetic friends who were trying to propose to me or something.”

Another thing about Addison: she always over exaggerates things.

“So, Cassandra, do you have a boyfriend back from home?” Addison asked, picking off a piece of the pink sugar and putting it in her mouth.

I hesitated, not sure if I wanted to tell the truth. “Um, kind of. I mean, it’s complicated.”

“Honey, it always is,” Alexis said, laughing.

Seriously? What has gotten over me? I did have a one hundred percent official boyfriend back at home. Why did I respond with kind of? Honestly, this sun is messing with my brain.

“So, tell us about yourself,” Addison said, offering some cotton candy to Alexis, who gladly took some, and to me. I awkwardly took a piece off and put it in my mouth.

“There’s not much to tell,” I replied, in all honesty.

Alexis rolled her eyes. “Come on! There’s always something to tell!”

“Not always.”

“Fine, we’ll just ask the questions. Three words to describe yourself! Go!” Addison said, grinning.

“What? Um, I don’t know… brunette? … Well,” I started, racking my brain for something. “I don’t know! I’m not all that special.”

Alexis laughed. “Cassandra, everyone is special. Even if they are the most normal, boring person ever. Maybe they always, always, no matter what, put their right sock on before the left. That makes them special.”

“Yeah, take… Josh, for example. Josh appears to be your everyday guy, just with terrible judgment in shirts. Josh, however, is obsessed with Hilary Duff, even though he’d never admit it, and is allergic to mustard,” Addison explained, rolling her eyes but smiling.

I laughed, unable to help myself. “But I’m not obsessed with a Disney channel star nor am I allergic to anything.”

“Well, let’s try… Reece! His favorite color is red. Normal, average right? Except that he must go out of his way to wear red in every single outfit he wears. If it’s a “wear blue to the bonfire” night, he’ll wear blue but have a red bandana,” Alexis explained. “Just talk about yourself and see where you go.”

I sighed. “Well… I like oranges.”

“Go on,” Addison encouraged, a huge smile on her face.

“Um, I like movies too, especially ones that I can see in theater. I think that parrots are creepy and I only brush my teeth with a certain kind of toothpaste,” I explained, feeling like a total idiot.

“See? You’re you. No one else is like that, only you. So, yeah. You’re special,” Alexis said, smiling at me.

I could already tell, only having met them half an hour ago, that Alexis and Addison would be the ones to change me this summer.