Nothing Goes As Orchestrated

"What are you doing here?" Angie asked, looking from Alex to Chelley to Jack then back at Alex.

"Excuse me?" Alex said, clearly confused.

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here." she said slowly.

"Um, Jack wanted..." he began, "Wait, is everyone mad at me about something?" he asked.

"No," Cassie said quickly, "Angie's just a bitch when she wakes up. But really, why are you guys here?" she asked.

Alex stared into Cassie's eyes across the room while Jack spoke, "I thought we should all hang out today and do something fun. So I talked to Zack and the Runner Runner boys and they suggested Santa Monica Beach."

"Did they happen to mention that Santa Monica Beach will probably be really crowded, considering the time of year?" she asked, slowly tearing her eyes from Alex's and looking at Jack.

He nodded, "They did. But I don't care. I want to ride the roller coaster and show off my sexy body," he said.

Cassie and Angie burst into laughter while Rian and Alex only snickered. When the girls managed to calm themselves, they looked at each other and shrugged.

"What the hell. It'll be fun," Cassie said, "Are the boys coming up from Huntington Beach to hang?" she asked.

"They might if you ask them," Jack said, "I don't have much pull, you know? But if they think they'll get to see you in a bikini, I'm sure they'll come."

Cassie rolled her eyes, "They've all seen me in a swimsuit before, and Peter's seen me in less. It's not like my body's all that great anyway. You stupid boys are just hung up on my boobs," she said standing up and walking past Jack, Alex and Chelley to go upstairs.

"She does have nice boobs," Chelley said once Cassie was upstairs. Everyone turned to stare at her in shock, "What?" she asked, "It's true. Was I not supposed to agree?"

"Nobody expected that from you, Chelley," Angie said as she stood up, "That's all."

She disappeared upstairs and Rian did the same shortly after, leaving Jack, Alex and Chelley alone. Alex was the first to move from the spot they were all standing in, walking further into the living room and taking a seat on the couch. Chelley was about to sit next to him, but Alex pulled her onto his lap instead. She kissed his nose and smiled when he nuzzled her neck.

"Mmm, Baby, you smell good," he said quietly.

Cassie came back downstairs in her usual beach attire. Her stomach flip flopped when she walked into the living room and saw Alex and Chelley but she kept a straight face, flopping down onto the love seat next to Jack and laying her head in his lap.

"So, Cassie," Chelley said, "How's your boyfriend? Is he coming with us today?" she asked.

Confused, Cassie looked across the room at the girl, "My who?" she asked.

Alex rested his chin on Chelley's shoulder, "Matt," he clarified, "Your boyfriend," he said with a sly grin.

It took all her self control not to roll her eyes, "Oh, um, no he's not coming. He's actually back home in Maryland. And he's not my boyfriend anymore," she said.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Chelley said.

"No, don't be. It's fine," Cassie replied, "It was a mutual decision and we're on really good terms still. We're just better as friends," she said, knowing it was probably a lie. They would probably be really good together in a relationship if it weren't for the problem sitting across the room from her.

Her phone buzzed and she picked it up off her stomach and read the text message. A smile spread across her face as she typed a reply and hit send.

"What are you so smiley about?" Jack asked.

"The boys are coming. Or at least some of them are. I don't know which ones. But I just told Peter and James not to bother showing their faces if they don't bring their girlfriends. James was probably going to be antisocial anyway," she said.

When Rian and Angie were ready, they piled into two cars, Alex, Chelley and Jack in one and Rian, Angie and Cassie in the other and made the twenty five minute drive to Santa Monica. They found parking rather easily. Much to Cassie and Angie's surprise, it was not nearly as crowded as either thought it would be. They all made their way down to the beach first, staking out a spot and spreading their towels on the sand.

After arguing with Jack for a few minutes, Cassie got him to stand still long enough for her to put some sunscreen on him. As soon as he'd had enough, he ran off and jumped in the water. Cassie shook her head, laughing at him as she spread sunscreen over her own body.

"Um, Chelley, do you mind if I borrow your boyfriend for a few minutes? I need someone to put sunscreen on my back and everyone else seems to have disappeared," Cassie said, looking around for her friends.

"Go right ahead," Chelley said, "I'm going to go wander around and try to find something to eat. I'm starving."

Out of nowhere, Jack appeared, "Food? I'll come with you," he said, falling into step next to the petite girl.

"She is surprisingly agreeable," Cassie said.

"Well, like you said, she's the opposite of you," Alex said.

Cassie laughed and hit his arm, "Where do you want me?" she asked.

"Honestly? Underneath me on one of these towels."

She sighed, "It's not going to be that way anymore, Alex," she said quietly, "I decided that I'm giving up sex."

"Turn around," he said with a sigh.

Though she was surprised that he didn't argue with her, she did as he instructed. After a moment she felt his rough hands smearing sunscreen over her back and shoulders. Her eyes closed as he massaged the lotion into her skin. His fingers slipped under her swimsuit's strings and around her sides to the front of her body, brushing the underside of her breasts before moving to her back once again.

"You would find some way to touch my boobs in public," she said with a quiet laugh.

She could almost feel him grin as his hands slid around her body again, sliding over her ribcage and pulling her closer to him. One hand stayed there and the other slid up her body, taking hold of the string that was tied around her neck.

"Don't even think about it," she said.

But he ignored her and pulled on string, untying her swimsuit top. Her hand immediately went to her chest, making sure she didn't expose herself to everyone on the beach. Behind her, Alex snickered and pushed her ponytail over her shoulder and pressed his lips to the back of her neck. She breathed in and her eyes fell closed. After a minute she let out her breath and opened her eyes again.

"Alex," she said quietly, "What if they come back?" she asked.

He sighed and removed his lips from her skin, taking the strings in his hands and tying her swimsuit once again, "Hold on," he said as she took a step away from him, "I think I missed a spot. And I don't want you blaming me if you get burnt."

When he finished, she turned around, "Thank you," she said.

He sighed, "I feel like we left so much unsaid this morning, Cassandra," he said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean, where do we stand? Is there any chance of you and I ever being us again? Or have I been wrong this whole time to think that this was worth it?" he said.

"I'm not dismissing any possibilities, Alex. I just have a lot to think about," she said.

"Like what? What haven't you had time to think about?" he asked exasperatedly.

She sighed, feeling exasperated herself, "I just need to figure everything out. God, you have no idea how hard this has been for me, Alex. I've been going crazy. I, fuck," she paused, seeing Jack and Chelley making their way back toward them.

"What, Cassandra? You what?" he shouted.

"Shh. Your girlfriend will hear," she hissed, "I have to go," she said, turning and walking quickly toward the water. Her feet had just reached the water when she saw someone coming at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Jack attack!" Jack yelled as his long arms wrapped around her waist and he tackled her into the water.