We Only Breathe for so Long

“What do you think?” Kennedy asked from behind. My lips were permanently formed into a smile and my cheeks were starting to hurt.

“Incredible,” I breathed and gazed at the view in front of me. It seemed as if we were the only ones there though, which made it more private. I had the urge to just take off my slippers and run around the secluded area, feeling the warms sand beneath my toes. I felt Kennedy walk up next to me and I couldn’t help but notice how tall he is.

“I’m glad,” he smiled at me, which left me speechless. It was a toothy grin but it was so cute. I didn’t know we had a too much eye contact until Garrett cleared his throat behind us, giving me a weird look. I felt the blush creep up my cheeks but Kennedy didn’t seem to notice it. Thank god.

Isa ushered John out of the way and she just gasped when she saw the beach. Her eyes were gleaming like a little kid who got a whole tub of ice cream just for herself. Her eyes met mine and I knew what she was planning. She ran towards me with a look on her face. My stomach churned and just as I was about to get out of her way, she slammed her body onto mine. We both fell on the sand and she rolled over on top of me, a goofy smile on her face.

“We are going to have so much fun, swear,” she told me quietly, afraid that the guys might hear.

“I guess so,” I replied. She opened her mouth to say something but John cut her off.

“Woah! Are you gay, Isa?” The guys chuckled while Isa just flicked him off with her trusty middle finger. She rolled her eyes and got up, brushing the sand off her hands. She held out her hand to me and I accepted it. I steadied myself for a bit before turning to her. I could hear the guys in the distance, unpacking their stuff nearby. Wow they are noisy.

“So Lisette,” Isa started while looking at the sand under her toes. “Do you want to be part of a prank?” My eyes widened when she said the word prank. To be honest, I was always the good girl in my family and I have never tried pranking. I wasn’t even good at making comebacks. I shrugged my shoulders and gave a slight nod.

“Will it be worth it?” I asked nervously. She laughed and rubbed her arms.

“Totally,” she whispered the plan in my ear and I nodded eagerly. I had to fight the urge to laugh out loud at how ridiculous it was. The guys were starting to look at us with curious stares. Isa ignored them completely though but I kept flinching since guys never paid attention to me. I wasn’t used to it.

“You got it?”

“Yep.” Hopefully all goes well. We walked back to the guys, arms linked and pretending to laugh about some joke Isa told. I think the joke was the prank…
The guys set our things underneath some trees casting an overcast shadow around them. They handed out bottles of beer to each other and laid down some mats and blankets for us to sit on. Isa already walked away going over to Jared, talking about…something.

Kennedy patted the seat next to him and I gladly took the offer. I carefully sat down beside him, making sure the sand didn’t get into my eyes. I know I’m weird. We both stared at the bonfire the guys made, waiting for the other to talk.

“So?”

“So…?” I asked, my eyes curiously staring back at him. He chuckled slightly and took a sip from his beer.

“Is everything okay so far?” I laughed and nodded my head, feeling the grainy texture of the sand between my fingers.

“Yeah…the guys are really nice and so are you. This bucket list thing is going great so far.” I think.

“I’m flattered.” I don’t what came over me but I smacked him on the arm and laughed it off. Normally I would just roll my eyes and be cool with it but sometime over my stay here in Arizona, I lost my feminine side. “Ouch,” he said and rubbed his arm. I stared off into the distance watching the waves crash by the shore. The smell of salt filled my nostrils causing them to twitch a wee bit.

“We did promise Jordan after all to do whatever it takes to finish the list and, I plan to make it the best time of our lives,” he gave me another toothy grin but I couldn’t smile like he did. It was a tight smile but I think I covered it up pretty well by giggling afterwards. It’s always about Jordan. Something bubbled up inside me and I wasn’t quite sure what it was but for some reason, I was annoyed. I blamed it on the heat.

“Lisette Monroe!!!” I jumped slightly at the sound of my name. Kennedy shuffled beside me, stifling his laughter. I glared at him and stood up running towards the screaming girl. I jogged over to her, well aware of the fact that my shorts were hanging a bit low. She took hold of my shoulders and shook me fiercely, pointing at a pair of flashlights going crazy on top. The beach was somewhat below the trail so…yeah. I squinted my eyes and asked Isa what’s wrong.

“What’s wrong?!” She practically screeched at me with her voice. “There are people here! No one knows about this except John and our friends.” I didn’t know why she made a big deal about it. Jared approached clearly concerned as to why Isa was harassing me.

“Is everything alright?” His eyes gazed over Isa’s frantic expression and chuckled slightly. Isa heard this though and stormed off. I am just so confused right now. I turned to Jared and asked the most obvious question.

“What just happened?” He shrugged and watched Isa retreat into the darkness. I could see her figure faintly just by the shore. She hastily took her shirt off, also her shorts, and dived into the sea. I bit my lip and watched her swim around like a fish in the ocean. I badly wanted to join her but I was too curious to leave Jared without his answer.

“Isabelle’s a naturally weird girl. As far as I know, she’s just pissed that someone found out about this beach. Considering the fact that it was only John and her who knew about it.” I nodded my head thoughtfully and looked at the stars above. It was a starlit sky and it just made things even more enjoyable. “Lisette can I ask you a question?” Here it goes again.

“Yeah?”

“Are you and Kennedy…?” My cheeks started to heat up like the Arizona sun. My skin prickled for some reason and I felt jumpy.

“No! God no not like that.” I said it all too fast. I didn’t even know if he caught a single word I said. He laughed at me and lightly patted my back.

“You know I was going to ask if you guys were childhood friends or something. You act really close.” He chuckled again. Saying that I’m embarrassed would be a complete understatement.

“Oh…I-I” Was I stuttering? I never stuttered. I gulped down the saliva forming in my mouth and manned up. “I’m not really a childhood friend of his.”

“Really? There goes my lucky guess,” he mumbled with a smile on his face. After that silly conversation, I heard some girls squealing like total idiots down the shore. I crinkled my nose at the sight of three obnoxious girls running towards the guys. The dashed over to them without even saying hi to either of us which pretty much left a bad impression on me. One girl brushed by me with enough force to send me down to the ground. She didn’t even bother saying sorry. I scowled at them and dusted the sand off my skin. Jared lent his hand to me and I gladly reached up for it. He helped me steady a bit and glared at the direction of the girls.

“Assholes…” I mumbled quietly. I wasn’t the girl to curse but sometimes, I get so pissed I can’t control myself.

“Ignore them. I bet John invited thinking it’d be more fun,” Jared rolled his eyes and I couldn’t agree more.

“But they’re just so rude,” I huffed while crossing my arms. The girls huddled over the guys, reaching for a few beers. I bit my lip and finally understood why Isa felt that way. Those girls were ruining the essence of this whole situation. They padded through the sand with heels on. Heels. Who would even do that?

“I know. I’ll be with the guys if ever you need me, alright?” He winked at me and I nodded sheepishly. The guys seemed to become livelier though with more people. The three girls looked weird hanging around the guys. I don’t get it. Why wear skirts and heels going to a freaking beach? I took a deep breath and walked away from the chaos happening. Isa was still alone swimming in the sea so I decided to go join her. I glanced back at the bonfire and saw a girl mooching at Kennedy’s face. Another was being all flirty with Garrett and one…she was all over John. I rolled my eyes in disgust and ran over to Isa, forgetting about them. Great job on finding some quality girls.

I was a shy girl and I certainly had no idea to socialize with people who were sticking down their tongues on my…friends’ throats. I shivered at the though and took my flip-flops off and threw them behind me, not caring if something happens to them. I hastily took my shirt off along with my shorts and carefully walked closer to the sea. I breathed the salty scent that hung in the air and felt a smile creep up on my lips. The sand beneath my feet felt sticky and whenever I placed my foot in front of the other, it was just sinking through it.

I saw Isa’s head snap up when she saw me. She waved me over and gave me a smile. I walked—rather swam towards her and noticed how John and Kennedy were giving us these looks that I don’t comprehend. Isa pulled my closer and I was suddenly aware that it was a bit deep. The water was up to my neck making me gasp for air even if I wasn’t drowning. The water was cool and it sent shivers down my spine.

“I hate it whenever John randomly invites girls over,” She muttered with a pang of jealousy? Or was it just annoyance?

“They are annoying,” I replied with a frown. “Hey are we still going on with the prank?”

Isa sighed and shook her head. “I don’t think we’ll be able to steal all their clothes anymore since these girls here would do just about anything to see them naked. I am not giving them the satisfaction,” She shook her head fiercely and turned to me with her piercing blue eyes. “But…we could do another one instead,” She smirked at me. I backed away from her, very aware of the fact that we farther now from the guys.

“Isa I don’t think—“ It was too late though because then, I was being pulled under water and my breath was already knocked out.