My Mistake, So Predictable

In the time it takes for the Maine CD in Max’s CD player to finish, we have already pulled into the parking lot and parked in a spot as close to the sand as possible. It only takes Max and I a few seconds before we are throwing off our shoes and tearing out of the car and into the cool, blue water. I must admit it’s nice to be able to hang out with Max again, just the two of us. We had both been working a lot of hours lately so the most time we spent together was in front of the TV watching movies that we both fall asleep in the middle of.

“Eat dirt, Grey!” Max shrieks, cutting me off from my daydream. His hair is plastered to his face but he ignores it as he windmills his arms in an attempt to splash me as much as possible.

I dodge the pathetic wave he had managed to create easily, even while laughing, “That’s not dirt, you moron.” I smirk and then gasp, ducking under just in time for another of his weak waves to move over where I had just been. I reemerge seconds later and sputter out mouthfuls of salty water, but I’m laughing the entire time as Max spits water in my direction. He gives up tormenting me and instead grins and swims over to me, “float with me?” He asks and I nod, pushing my sticky hair off of my face. Dang it it’s hot out. My hair is already half dry from the beating sun! It honestly must be around ninety degrees outside and still climbing, as it’s only eleven o’clock in the afternoon.

Max flips onto his back and I follow his lead, searching around in the water for his hand before I grasp onto it so we don’t float away from each other. And we just float there, content for the moment. It’s relaxing really. You can feel the water moving harshly underneath you, pulling and trying to get a hold of you, wanting you to give up and let it take you under, but Max keeps a firm hold on my hand and I stay with him; my tie to the world.

I can hear Max softly humming a song that I don’t know, but I don’t look over at him to see exactly where he is, our fingers are still intertwined so I know he has to be close to me. But then suddenly I see a shadow through my closed eyelids as the person standing there blocks out the sun with their body. “Max,” I say irritated that he had gotten up, “We’re floating not standing, you jerk.” But then I feel Max’s slight tug on my hand and he’s still humming and that’s when I realize, the person in front of me isn’t Max. My eyes fly open and I jump, making me lose my sense of floating from the scare. I collapse under the water, letting the waves roll over my head for a moment before I feel arms wrap around my waist and then a harsh tug as hands pull me back to the surface.

“What the hell, Hailey?” Alex says spitting out water as he sets me back on my feet in the rocking water. “You scared the freaking shit out of me!” I can tell he’s not angry, just worried, but it pisses me off.

“Oh really?” I cough harshly, trying to get the salty taste of water out of my mouth- disgusting, “Sucks doesn’t it?”

“Hails.” He says quietly, his eyes trying to find mine beneath my once again soaking wet hair. He lets out a sigh of frustration when he realizes I won’t look at him and he pushes my hair behind my ear before I can tell him not to touch me. Instead I flinch backwards, tripping slightly over a sandbar and nearly fall on my butt before I get my feet back underneath me. “I’m not going to hurt you, Hailey.” Alex says, his face confused at the way I had moved away from his hand.

“I-I know.” I stutter still keeping my distance from him. He sighs again and then nods to Max who is now standing beside me. “Do you mind if I take her from you?” Alex asks and Max grins mischievously.

“Nope.” He says, smirking, “Even if you have to take her kicking and screaming.”

And that’s exactly what he does. Before I can step away from him, he’s picked me up and throws me over his shoulder, and I scream loudly attracting the eyes of many beachgoers but they chuckle and look away, thinking we’re just playing around.

Normally, I wouldn’t mind being so close to a cute bum, but you don’t just toss an unwilling girl over your shoulder whenever you fucking please! So I hit his back, demanding he put me down or I-I’ll I don’t know bite him or something. He just laughs at that, telling me he’d enjoy it. Disgusting tease.

Alex doesn’t set me down until we reach the parking lot and then he places me gently on my feet next to a jeep, the doors and roof taken off; so the boys can enjoy the nice weather, I assume. “What, no tour bus?” I ask sarcastically, lightly thumping the side of the black jeep with my hand.

Alex rolls his eyes and rummages inside of the car for a moment and I contemplate running away from him but he reemerges a second later with a bundle of clothes which he offers to me. I shake my head and he sighs in frustration, pulling his free hand through his hair. “Hailey, you’re shivering and my clothes are warm from sitting in the sun.” He tells me, pushing them into my hands. “I’ll change you myself if I have to, but as much as I’d enjoy that; I’d also like my skin not to be shredded.” He turns me around and gently pushes me in the direction of the bathrooms, “So go get changed, and don’t even think about disappearing because I’ll be waiting right outside.”

I huff and stomp over to the bathroom, making some ladies jump when I slam open the door and angrily walk into the closest stall. “Damn Alex.” I mumble, stripping off the sundress that was sticking to me from the water, “Damn beach.” I say, pulling on the large tshirt and shorts that Alex had given to me. “And damn everyone!”

“That’s not very nice language, Miss Hailey.” I hear Alex’s chuckle from the other side of the door and I roll my eyes.

“You can’t be in here, Alex.” I say, pulling the door open towards me and smirking when he falls backwards. He must have been leaning on it, sucker. I move past him and over to the sink where I tie my hair up but his hands instantly pull my hair out of the ponytail I had made.

“Let it dry,” He tells me stubbornly and then tugs me out of the bathroom and into the warm sun. Alex leads me over to the jeep and tells me to hop in before going to the other side and starting the car. He doesn’t watch me to see if I listen to him, but I can tell he wants me to. I sigh lightly and climb in the car, buckling up before I look over at him; he’s trying hard not to smile.