Come Down With Love

I was dressed in some pink shorts I bought at Daisy’s and a white t-shirt I already had. Under me was my pink FOX swimsuit. I felt uncomfortable even though I was still fully clothed.

We were waiting in line for admission. Zach was dressed also in a white t-shirt and he had his blue swimming trunks on. The line wasn’t too long but it was taking a while because the woman who would grant us admission was still at her lunch break.

I fanned myself in the summer heat and pulled my hair into a high ponytail, my bangs entering my face every few seconds. In annoyance I kept moving them from out of my eyes wishing I had a bobby pin with me.

Finally the girl got back and the line began to move along. Boy, could I not wait to jump in that pool. Zach and I walked up to the window. “Two tickets please,” I said.

“Twenty dollars in total,” She said. I put my hand out and she stamped it as Zach handed her the money. The woman then stamped Zach’s hand and we entered the park.

“This place is huge,” I said. “Can we cover it in three hours?”

“I think it’ll do,” He said grinning at me, putting his arm around me. Like a buddy would, not a boyfriend.

“What do you want to do first?”

“Wave pool,” I said smiling.

“Let’s go.” We walked off in that direction following the signs steering us to the wave pool.



“Ahhh!” I squealed dipping my toe in the water.

Zach chuckled and strode right into the shallow water, shortly later wading to the deep end. He had already taken his shirt off and was only in his trunks. (I had a hard time trying not to stare). Kids were playing in the shallow end carefully being watched by the parents resting on the white plastic lawn chairs behind us. There were few adults in the pool. I could see a few teenagers all the way in the back of the huge pool, next to the fake cliffs and the waterfall.

“Get in!” He shouted, wading in the clear water. A lop-sided grin was on his cute face.

I gave him a worried look and tore off my top and shorts, neatly folding them and putting them on the two lawn chairs Zach and I rested our pink towels on. I didn’t want to make eye-contact with Zach. I felt like I was revealing so much to him in my small bikini. It didn’t feel right. Then I started to wonder if the boys would be mad we left them in a tour bus while we had fun at a water park. Too many thoughts. Just get in, I said to myself.

I slowly walked in, the cold water surrounding my tanned legs. Then it got deeper and I started to wade in next to Zach right as the buzzer went off signaling that there would be some “tidal waves”.

“Eeee!” I squealed as a wave almost came over my head and immediately I registered the fact that I was acting so girly. It was from being in Daisy’s, I tell you.

Zach chuckled and grabbed my hand from under the water, pulling me to him as I started to float away. “I think you need some floaties to stay up,” He said jokingly.

I glared at him. “I can’t swim too great,” I admitted.

He smiled and pulled me even closer to him, his arms wrapped around me as we treaded together as the waves bounced us along. I didn’t even notice anyone else around us. With him, he was all that mattered.

I started to get used to the cold temperature of the water. Zach’s closeness to me though started to make my heart race. I knew I shouldn’t be this close to him. I knew. But still, I didn’t protest and swim away.

The waves slowed and immediately the water became still. Ten minutes later they would start up again. I ducked under Zach’s arms, slowly coming under water and back up. My hair was wet. I then knew my hair would be a disaster once it dried. Oh well, I thought.



Zach and I decided to leave the wave pull after the waves came on once more. We made our way to the slides and went down some of those a few times together in the rafts for two.

“I’m hungry,” Zach said after we went down the slides for the last time.

“Mi dos.”

“Spanish?”

“Yup.”

He chuckled and shook his shaggy hair, moving it away from his eyes. Instantly I started to think about how hot he was, staring at his tanned body. “Uh, Aud?” He asked and straight away I looked up into his eyes.

“Yeah, just having a moment there.”

He laughed. “What do you want to eat?”

I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me.”

This is eating away at me, I thought. I cannot be thinking this about him any longer. I’m with Cameron, I told myself. You’re falling for him. He’s a great guy. Aud, realize what you have in front of you. He’s your boyfriend. You’re his girlfriend. And he loves you. Don’t break his heart. You would be just like Caroline if you ever… betrayed him. And despite that fact that you don’t like Sophia, you would be hurting her too. And Zach doesn’t want you, remember that.

“Is a soft pretzel okay with you? They’re pretty big so we could share,” Zach said.

“Mhm.”

Once Zach got us food from one of the many stands along the cobble stoned pathways we searched for a place to sit. Five minutes later Zach noticed a “Cove” and we came through the fake palm trees, our feet sinking a little into the sand. There was only one lawn chair though.

The sand had little mounds here and there. Shrubbery surrounded to cove and to one corner was a pond to give it the cove affect.

“Dibs!” I called rushing to the chair, relaxing into it by resting my head against the back, my legs stretched out leaving no room for Zach.

Zach came to the foot of it holding the soft pretzel and the order of cheese sauce. He then pulled his face into a pouting expression which always got to me.

“Okay,” I said slowly, moving my feet in front of me, knees bent to give him some room.

He sat down facing me and handed me a piece of the pretzel. He popped a piece of his own into his mouth.

“Hey, throw one into my mouth,” I said to him opening wide and tilting my head back.

“It’s not ladylike to show your tongue, Audrey Shirley Lancaster.”

I gave him an icy stare and shut my mouth.

He laughed not even a bit scared of me. “Open it.”

“You said it’s not ladylike.”

“It isn’t.”

I stuck my tongue out at him.

He retorted and did the same, his face scrunching up and it made me giggle.

“So childish,” I joked with him.

He grinned. “You love me.”

“I do,” I said and the whole conversation turned serious.

“Sophia and I might break up,” Zach said. Out of nowhere.

“Why?” I asked trying to hide my curiosity… and also my happiness.

“Because she lives in Colorado. And I just don’t want to have a long distance relationship. I mean, we’re in high school you know.”

I nodded.

“How are things with you and Cameron?” He questioned tearing him off another piece of the pretzel.

“Um, good, I guess.” I didn’t really know how to answer that. I looked down staring at a freckle on my knee. I focused intently on it.

“Do you love him?” He asked and I almost looked up into his eyes.

“Do you love Sophia?” I asked taking my hair out of the ponytail so I could comb through it with my fingers.

He cleared his throat. “Honestly, no.”

Then I looked up, staring at him as he looked down into the sand. I wanted to be with him. Desperately. And he didn’t love her. He didn’t love her, I thought over again happily.



Audrey's swimsuit