Summer Nights

Let me tell you something about Ocean City: the sun is so bright it blinds you.
It was barely morning (six thirty, to be exact) when our bright star began burning off my eyelids. I tried to prolong that feeling when you realize you’re asleep and you don’t want to wake up. However, the excitement of the day that was to come hit me all over again, and my eyes flashed open.
The room looked different now, in the daylight. It was obviously lavishly furnished; all the tables and chairs and stuff were made of high quality bamboo. The rug was soft and flowery, and the wallpaper, though plain, was extremely easy on the eyes.
I sighed randomly and shifted.
“Are you awake?” Jacob whispered from behind me.
I turned on my other side, so that I was facing him. With my hand, I flattened the pillow-barrier, so that I could see his face.
His stubble was even bigger than usual, giving him a rugged look. But his eyes were bright and soft, their edge calmed now that it was the crack of dawn. He was holding that book in his hands – “The Lost Symbol.” Even though it felt sort of weird to be in the same bed as him, I was comforted by his amused grin.
“Hi,” I said, and yawned. “Jeez, I slept like a pig.”
“I could tell by your snores,” Jake said.
My blush filled my neck. Embarrassingly enough, I clarified, “I snore?”
Again, Jake broke out in snickers. "You're face!"
I scowled. “What happened to our pact? This counts as being a complete a-hole.”
His face was serious again. “Oh, sorry. I just couldn’t resist the temptation of getting you twice in twenty-four hours.” He grinned again and fist pumped. “Whoo!”
I stuck my tongue out at him and sat up. “You’re breath stinks.”
“Sad to inform you that yours isn’t any better.”
I rolled my eyes – not that he could see me – and got up. I stretched and shook myself out.
To tell you the truth, I was glad that we were back to our pointless bickering. Now it seemed even funnier, because it was like teasing each other.
“I call the shower first,” I muttered.
In a rush of movement, he sprung out of bed and rushed towards the door. “Never!”
I laughed and raced him there. He grabbed my waist and pulled me back. I was knocked off balance and fell into him (yes, for a moment there I was glued to his chest, and yes, it felt darn good!) but then spurted out of his grasp and towards the door. I knew he was letting me win when he purposely hesitated. I stepped inside the bathroom and closed the door, but he stuck his foot in the way. I pushed against it, laughing.
“No!” I shrieked, giggling.
He had this stupid, goofy grin on his face that was so cute, I stopped pushing and crossed my arms over my chest.
He took his foot back and he leaned against the wall, staring at me. He was mocking me with his smile. I scowled.
We had reached another impasse.
But this one only lasted a second, because, with my lightning fast moves, I closed and locked the door. I laughed loudly.
“I got you!”
“Merlin’s poop! I lost!” I heard him mutter.
“Now excuse me, I’d like to shower.”

By the time Jake and I were done dressing and ready to go, it was seven thirty. I was a morning person and therefore deeply annoyed when people procrastinated at this hour.
“I’m going to go wake Braxy and Emma up,” I decided, after sitting quietly for a minute.
“Okay,” Jake muttered slowly while remembering his place in the book he was reading. Finally, he looked up. “Should I come with you?”
“Yeah, we could go get breakfast afterwards.”
Jake nodded and stood up. “Okey-dokey, artichokey.”
I looked up at him. Through an incredulous chuckle, right before exiting the room, I muttered, “Who the hell says that anymore?”

“Braxy!” I called out after knocking on the door.
“Coming!”
I was definitely surprised to here his voice was so fresh. I would have thought that sleep was still enveloping him. The door opened, and I saw his cheeks were flushed.
“Were you in the shower?” I asked, then cursed myself for asking the obvious. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair and body were drenched.
“Yeah,” he muttered. “Look, you guys go ahead and get breakfast. I’ll meet with you downstairs, okay?”
“Where’s Emma?” I asked.
“She’s sleeping. I’ll wake her up. Now come on, the waters still running!”
“Okay, okay. How long will-” The door closed in my face. “Okay,” I said, turning to Jake. “Good morning to you too, brother.”
Jake flashed me his smile, and we started walking down the hall. I suddenly felt his arm snake itself around my waist. He stared straight ahead and pretended nothing had happened. I realized I was gaping at him, and as soon as I recovered, I tickled his sides. He jumped away, we laughed it off, but he got the message: No touching yet.
Wait. No touching yet ? Sorry, I meant no touching, ever .
We reached the breakfast area and Jake chose the table. I placed my purse on my seat and then went ahead and got a bowl of Coco Puffs. I returned to the table, and after placing my plate in front of my spot, I looked around for a bathroom. After returning, I sat down in front of Jake.
“I bet you went to the bathroom just to wash your hands, right?” he asked, smirking.
Blushing, I didn’t respond.
After a moment, I noticed his drink and asked, “Uh, Jake, are you allowed to drink coffee with a stomach ulcer?”
Immediately, his eyes squinted to slits and he hissed out, “Not you too. Leave me alone. I’m four fucking years older than you; I think I know what I can and can’t eat,” he snapped, getting touchy real fast.
I put my hands up, shocked . “Okay, okay, chill.” I rolled my eyes and looked back down at my food.
We ate the rest of our food without conversation. I kept hoping Braxton or Emma would show up to ease the tension between us. I guess the stupid pact we had made yesterday night was already broken (I admit, it was over something trivial, but still). When I finally finished my bowl of cereal, I got out my cell phone and texted Nathan.
Oh yeah, Nathan was my other best friend. We would probably have gotten on just as well as I did with Emma, except that he was a boy, and stuff like football and fishing didn’t really intrigue me as much as it intrigued him.
Hey bud where u @? It was Saturday morning, and I was pretty sure that he was either fishing or playing Call of Duty.
He answered almost immediately. Gud on ya 2 finaly txt me i thot every1 forgot bout me i am all alone here. @ home playin cod :)
Figures, I started texting back, unconsciously smiling. Sory u cudnt cum . I wrote, knowing he would get my double meaning.
U sik sik child :p , I read, So hows ze beach ?
“I’m sorry,” I heard Jake's deep timbre suddenly say, and I looked up grudgingly. Something about his voice had surprised me - he'd barely whispered his words and yet he'd managed to grab my utter attention.
I hadn't forgotten about his presence, no matter how hard I'd been trying to ignore him and act careless and indifferent. But Jake's personality made it so that he was a constant presence in the back of my mind.
Our eyes met, his rueful, mine reproachful. For a moment, I was stuck staring at him and his green eyes. At one point, in the deep recesses of my mind, I realized that my mouth was hanging open and he was getting a pretty good view of my uvula. I just kept gazing into those soft green eyes, tinted with brown towards the pupil, because for some reason I coudln't tear our connection.
I just admired him physically. His lashes were long and the same dark blond color that his wavy hair was. I realized, for the first time, that with his muscular body and tanned looked, he could have easily passed for a surfer.
Suddenly my phone buzzed and I looked down abruptly.
Hey u meanie, did u forgt bout me?
I looked back at Jake. “Uh, okay,” I said simply.
I quickly texted Nathan back, No man, sorry anyways its rily bewtiful. A thought struck me. hey how did u no I am here? I asked, realizing I'd only told him about going to the a hotel. While I waited for his reply, Jake spoke again.
“’Okay’? Are you mad at me again?” he pushed, frustrated.
I placed my hands on the table, shaking my head in an exhausted manner. “Look Jake, this is too much drama for me. It’s like, we just can’t be friends. We’re the complete opposite of each other. We argue all the time. I have mood swings, you do too…and I can't just forget about how you cut my dress and posted those pictures of me on the internet, you-”
“What pictures?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. His tone wasn’t aggressive anymore, merely curious and defensive.
I leaned my head back and forcefully exhaled. I started in a whisper, to control myself, “Jake, the pictures of me from seventh grade. I've talk to you about this before. I know you did it. The ones you posted on the internet; the ones that everyone got hold of; the ones that everyone made fun of me because of…ring a fucking bell?” I raised my voice at the end. I ignored the glances I got from the elderly couple sitting in the far corner. Luckily they were the only other people in the breakfast area.
“Why the hell are you accusing me about that?” Jake grunted. At least he wasn’t faking not knowing what I was talking about. “I most definitely did not post those pictures on the internet. I know what you're talking about but what the fucking hell makes you think I put them up? Didn't you hound me about this and I freaking told you I didn't do shit?”
“They were on your Facebook page to begin with!” I started.
“Why does it look like you two are arguing?” Braxton asked, plopping himself down in the chair to my right.
“Ugh, now you choose to come,” I muttered under my breath, just as my phone rung again.
Emma txtd me. U luky u get 2 go there 4 ur b-day :) PS hpy early b-day :)
I responded quickly with a, U no I luv u nd I totaly wantd u 2 cum 2… nd thx a bunch 4 saying tht but I gtg. Somthng came up…Ttyl homie.
I decided not to let Braxton and Jake the Fake (hahaha I just came up with that!) get to me. “Well, hey, Emma, I’m going to go get a swimsuit from the Jolidon shop I saw near here. You know where it is?”
“Yeah, I saw it,” she said, smiling. “I’ll join you in like, five minutes!”
“I’ll miss you, so hurry up,” I said, smiling. I turned, but as soon as I heard Jake shout, “Wynter, wait!” my smile dropped and I rolled my eyes again.

I was trying on a bathing suit that was a pink two piece with large white polka dots when Emma shouted out my name in front of the changing stall. I opened it and showed her.
“Cute!” she smiled, but then observed, “What about your tattoo? It’s in plain view…”
I gasped. “Fucking shit! I mean…poop! I completely forgot about it!” I twisted around, looking directly at the small of my back. The little butterfly tattoo I had gotten two years ago was visible in all its glory right on the small of my back.
She rolled her eyes. “Figures. I wonder how you’ve managed to keep it a secret so far, Wyn…”
I sighed and dressed quickly. All the bathing suits I’d gotten showed my back, so I exited the stall and looked around for something cute, cheap, and practical that covered the small of my back.
Finally, my eyes fell on an attention getting red swimsuit that was in thin folds. It almost looked like a dress, and the only thing that was holding it up was a small red wire that you could tie behind the back.
“This one!” Emma and I said at the same time. We looked at each other and laughed. Our tastes were similar; I loved going shopping with my best friend.
I tried on the swimsuit quickly, and after I decided it fit me perfectly, I bought it.
“Thanks a bunch,” I said to Emma, placing my hand over her shoulder as we exited the store.
“It was my pleasure,” she said, smiling. “Do you want to go straight to the beach now?”
“Yeah, I’m going to go upstairs to change.” I squealed out of excitement.
Emma followed me to my room, where we parted. After closing the door and making sure nobody was there, I took off my shorts and tank and changed into a loose cover-up; a sky-blue knitted dress that was easily taken off, so that I could change into my bathing suit at the beach-side fitting rooms. Now, I could have directly placed on my swimsuit, without anything over it, but I wanted to be fashionable. I’d bought the cover-up a long time ago, but I’d never had a chance to wear it, and now seemed like the perfect opportunity.
Because of my lack of notification, I had not packed anything else that was beach-worthy. Instead, I packed a towel from the bathroom, my ever-present sunglasses, my favorite book on this whole planet – Rebecca – and my beach hat –which, again, I had bought out of sheer luck – in my purse. I hoped that Emma had some sunscreen.
As soon as I was done, I hurried out of the suite. I closed the door, and then…
I ran into Jake as I was turning. Losing my balance completely, I almost toppled over. Except that Jake ensnared my waist with his arms, pulling me into him. His chest was hard and soft at the same time, and I noticed his awesome-smelling (see? It smelled so good my describing skills flied out the window!) cologne. He gently released me, and then placed his hands on my shoulders. Because he was so tall, he bent down so we were eye to eye. For a crazy second, I thought he was going to kiss me. I anticipated his lips, like some fool who hadn’t eaten in days and was finally offered a buffet. But then he spoke, in that rough voice of his.
“I’m sorry. Really. I just hate it when people mention my stomach…it reminds me of…things,” he grunted. I didn’t know what he was talking about, 'cause when his minty-breath hit my face, it clouded my mind. As soon as I gathered my thoughts, I was about to ask what ‘things’. He got to it before me. “Maybe… No – one day, you will definitely find out what I’m talking about.” He smiled sadly. “I swear, on my heart – or on my eye or soul or whatever high school kids swear on – that I had nothing to do with those pictures or that really pretty dress you had. And now, after thinking about it, I realize this must be the reason why you’ve unleashed your terrible wrath unto me,” he said, smiling sadly. “And I haven’t been fair to you either, always teasing you and treating you like a little kid. So here, let’s shake hands again, but for real this time.” He held out his hand, and I had no choice but to take it. “Good. We’ve been having mood swings and arguing for far too long.”
It was then that I realized that there was something wrong with Jake, and there was more to this whole stomach thing than he was letting out. I wondered if Braxy knew. For sure, it was something grave, because the tone of his voice had changed from his usual playfulness to full seriousness.
And I couldn’t ask why, because at that moment, Emma exited her room along with Braxton.
“Hey Wy-” she broke off as she took in our position. Trying – yet most obviously failing – to hide her smile, she said, “Are we interrupting something?”
“Get a life, Emma,” I said, and regretted how the warmth left my shoulders along with Jake’s hands.
“Are they here yet?” Jake asked, acting as if nothing had happened.
“Well, yeah…I mean, Jack’s here, but not Vaughn. I told him to go to the basement. Poor guy. He has to pay three thousand dollars a night, unlike us. I wonder where he’s getting the money from. Anyways, I was just about to get you guys,” Braxton explained.
I groaned. Jack was the largest dick (don't get me wrong - that's not a good thing) from the Quad from Hell. The guy had some pretty mean base skills and a sometimes enjoyable cynical humor, but other than that, I didn't know why my brother kept inviting him to places. Couldn't they just stay 'business partners' - practice together but not pretend to be friends?
I rolled my eyes. Until Vaughn got here to balance out the evilness, I would be in a very shitty position.
I sighed and followed the crowd to greet Jack, though Jacob and I's conversation was still lingering in the depths of my mind.
I promised myself that, eventually, I would come to understand Jake. One day. One day.