‹ Prequel: Kids in Love
Growing Up
08
Tori finally found a parking spot; and made everyone get out the instant she turned the engine off; because she was sick of being in the van. She went on and on about how much she had missed the sand. Ian pulled his backpack on and smiled at Tori bouncing while Brendon tried to hold her down. Spencer took a few pictures of everyone standing around. Claudia searched for her beach bag.
“I know I put it in here,” she ran a hand through her hair; “it has to be under all this junk.”
“Maybe you didn’t bring it?” Ian suggested.
Ryan scoffed, “yeah right, she had that thing packed like a week in advance and double checked that she put it in the trunk.”
Claudia shrugged, “I like being prepared is that a crime?”
Brendon had finally calmed Tori down, and she walked over to the trunk and joined in on the search for the missing beach bag.
“I think it’s a good thing,” Tori stated climbing on top of the luggage and reaching under the seat; she tugged at it and almost tumbled out of the trunk before triumphantly exclaiming,
“found it!”
“So do Zack and Dallon know where we’re parked?” Ian asked
“I don’t know, I’ll text them, if they’re too far they can just meet us on the beach.” Spencer said taking his phone out his pocket
Claudia thanked Tori and placed her ridiculously huge beach bag on the floor and dug through it. She pulled a hair tie thing out and put her hair into a messy bun, then; pulled out her sunglasses and slid them on her face. She pulled out a pair that belonged to Ryan and handed them to him, she offered Tori a hair tie. Tori took it and slid it on her wrist for later. Claudia went back to her bag and pulled out a tube sunblock and squirted some into her hand before passing it to Tori.
“All of you are putting sunblock on alright.”
“But-” Brendon started
Claudia cut him off, “nope none of that ‘I don’t need any’ shit. Sun burns are not fun, and skin cancer sucks.”
Ryan smiled at how motherly she seemed it always amused him how she could switch from doing something stupid to being stern and protective.
“Oh Hey Dallon, Dallon over here” Brendon shouted waving his arm in the air, “come put sunscreen on my back”
Ryan laughed; Brendon had the tendency to make people question his sexuality. Dallon didn’t seem to mind much, he ran towards them at the mention of rubbing sunscreen on Brendon. Ryan had already decided he liked Dallon, but seeing how well he got along with Brendon made him secure in his decision. Most people either like or hate Brendon, he is loud, stubborn, weird, and makes really bad jokes. When people look past all that they get to see that he’s one of many kids who didn’t get as much attention as he had wanted, he believes what he believes and won’t change his beliefs for anyone, and that he is a person who will do anything to make his friends smile.
“C’mon Ry,” Claudia said hoisting her bag onto her shoulder and following everyone towards the beach.
“When is Breezy coming?” Tori asked with a huge grin on her face.
Dallon checked his phone, “uh I’m not sure, but she should be here soon.”
“Tor lay off him; he’s been in love with this girl since the first day of class and he’s too afraid to say anything.” Spencer stated, looking through the lens of his camera.
“Okay fine, but only cuz I want Zack to maybe give me a piggy back ride?” She asked giving him a big smile and batting her eyelashes.
Zack shook his head, but after a few seconds of “pretty pretty please with sugar on top” he gave in. It made Ryan smile because Zack was a big guy and seemed like he could break you in half if you looked at him funny, but he was just a big softie.
“That’s not fair I was going to ask Zack for a piggy back ride” Dallon joked.
“Shh,” Brendon put a finger up to Dallon’s lips, “don’t fret my pet, you can ride on my back.”
Dallon smiled, “alright as long as we get there before they do!”
Dallon climbed on to Brendon’s back. Ryan watched as Zack and Brendon raced with people on their backs. He turned his attention to Ian putting his headphones on and bobbing his head to the music. He turned his attention to Spencer jogging to catch up to the piggy back race, and taking pictures. The slight breeze had Claudia holding down her dress, she turned back and noticed Ryan.
“Why are you way back there? C’mon.” She stopped walking and waited for him to catch up.
They walked side by side in silence. Ryan watched Brendon give up on making it all the way with Dallon on his back; But Dallon made Brendon climb on his back and just like that they were back in the race. They still had quite a distance before they got to the beach from the parking garage.
“What are you thinking about?”
He kept his eyes ahead but answered anyway, “I dunno I guess I still feel stupid for not realizing that things change even when the changes aren’t evident to us.”
“Yeah, I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
Ryan nodded. Sometimes he forgot to stop and take in the moment. He had a tendency to over think things, and let everything else pass him by. He smiled that he had gotten the latest crisis out of the way so he could enjoy this trip. He focused on his friends the old and new running shouting and just having a good time. He glanced at Claudia and gave her a smile,
“yeah, I’m glad too.”
The two finally got out of the parking garage, they watched Zack and Tori gloat about their victory. Claudia shook her head and walked over to Ian and tapped on his shoulder.
Ian pulled his headphones off, “yeah”
“Sorry it’s just Dallon is saying something and I thought you should listen too. . .”
Ian nodded and turned his attention to Dallon.
“Yeah so, Breezy said she’s here, and to meet her on the pier. So I figured we could go walk around on the pier first?”
“oh umm. . .I actually wanted to sit on the beach and read for a while. I mean if that’s okay, I kinda want some alone time, after being stuck in the van with everyone all day yesterday ya know?”
Ian nodded in agreement, “yeah I wanted to sit on a beach a while before the pier.”
Tori smiled, “yeah you guys go set up on the beach, we’ll go meet breezy and buy corndogs and stuff and bring it down in a while.”
Everyone seemed content with Tori’s plan. Claudia and Ian set off to find a spot on the beach, while the rest of them walked towards the pier to meet Breezy.
“I know I put it in here,” she ran a hand through her hair; “it has to be under all this junk.”
“Maybe you didn’t bring it?” Ian suggested.
Ryan scoffed, “yeah right, she had that thing packed like a week in advance and double checked that she put it in the trunk.”
Claudia shrugged, “I like being prepared is that a crime?”
Brendon had finally calmed Tori down, and she walked over to the trunk and joined in on the search for the missing beach bag.
“I think it’s a good thing,” Tori stated climbing on top of the luggage and reaching under the seat; she tugged at it and almost tumbled out of the trunk before triumphantly exclaiming,
“found it!”
“So do Zack and Dallon know where we’re parked?” Ian asked
“I don’t know, I’ll text them, if they’re too far they can just meet us on the beach.” Spencer said taking his phone out his pocket
Claudia thanked Tori and placed her ridiculously huge beach bag on the floor and dug through it. She pulled a hair tie thing out and put her hair into a messy bun, then; pulled out her sunglasses and slid them on her face. She pulled out a pair that belonged to Ryan and handed them to him, she offered Tori a hair tie. Tori took it and slid it on her wrist for later. Claudia went back to her bag and pulled out a tube sunblock and squirted some into her hand before passing it to Tori.
“All of you are putting sunblock on alright.”
“But-” Brendon started
Claudia cut him off, “nope none of that ‘I don’t need any’ shit. Sun burns are not fun, and skin cancer sucks.”
Ryan smiled at how motherly she seemed it always amused him how she could switch from doing something stupid to being stern and protective.
“Oh Hey Dallon, Dallon over here” Brendon shouted waving his arm in the air, “come put sunscreen on my back”
Ryan laughed; Brendon had the tendency to make people question his sexuality. Dallon didn’t seem to mind much, he ran towards them at the mention of rubbing sunscreen on Brendon. Ryan had already decided he liked Dallon, but seeing how well he got along with Brendon made him secure in his decision. Most people either like or hate Brendon, he is loud, stubborn, weird, and makes really bad jokes. When people look past all that they get to see that he’s one of many kids who didn’t get as much attention as he had wanted, he believes what he believes and won’t change his beliefs for anyone, and that he is a person who will do anything to make his friends smile.
“C’mon Ry,” Claudia said hoisting her bag onto her shoulder and following everyone towards the beach.
“When is Breezy coming?” Tori asked with a huge grin on her face.
Dallon checked his phone, “uh I’m not sure, but she should be here soon.”
“Tor lay off him; he’s been in love with this girl since the first day of class and he’s too afraid to say anything.” Spencer stated, looking through the lens of his camera.
“Okay fine, but only cuz I want Zack to maybe give me a piggy back ride?” She asked giving him a big smile and batting her eyelashes.
Zack shook his head, but after a few seconds of “pretty pretty please with sugar on top” he gave in. It made Ryan smile because Zack was a big guy and seemed like he could break you in half if you looked at him funny, but he was just a big softie.
“That’s not fair I was going to ask Zack for a piggy back ride” Dallon joked.
“Shh,” Brendon put a finger up to Dallon’s lips, “don’t fret my pet, you can ride on my back.”
Dallon smiled, “alright as long as we get there before they do!”
Dallon climbed on to Brendon’s back. Ryan watched as Zack and Brendon raced with people on their backs. He turned his attention to Ian putting his headphones on and bobbing his head to the music. He turned his attention to Spencer jogging to catch up to the piggy back race, and taking pictures. The slight breeze had Claudia holding down her dress, she turned back and noticed Ryan.
“Why are you way back there? C’mon.” She stopped walking and waited for him to catch up.
They walked side by side in silence. Ryan watched Brendon give up on making it all the way with Dallon on his back; But Dallon made Brendon climb on his back and just like that they were back in the race. They still had quite a distance before they got to the beach from the parking garage.
“What are you thinking about?”
He kept his eyes ahead but answered anyway, “I dunno I guess I still feel stupid for not realizing that things change even when the changes aren’t evident to us.”
“Yeah, I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
Ryan nodded. Sometimes he forgot to stop and take in the moment. He had a tendency to over think things, and let everything else pass him by. He smiled that he had gotten the latest crisis out of the way so he could enjoy this trip. He focused on his friends the old and new running shouting and just having a good time. He glanced at Claudia and gave her a smile,
“yeah, I’m glad too.”
The two finally got out of the parking garage, they watched Zack and Tori gloat about their victory. Claudia shook her head and walked over to Ian and tapped on his shoulder.
Ian pulled his headphones off, “yeah”
“Sorry it’s just Dallon is saying something and I thought you should listen too. . .”
Ian nodded and turned his attention to Dallon.
“Yeah so, Breezy said she’s here, and to meet her on the pier. So I figured we could go walk around on the pier first?”
“oh umm. . .I actually wanted to sit on the beach and read for a while. I mean if that’s okay, I kinda want some alone time, after being stuck in the van with everyone all day yesterday ya know?”
Ian nodded in agreement, “yeah I wanted to sit on a beach a while before the pier.”
Tori smiled, “yeah you guys go set up on the beach, we’ll go meet breezy and buy corndogs and stuff and bring it down in a while.”
Everyone seemed content with Tori’s plan. Claudia and Ian set off to find a spot on the beach, while the rest of them walked towards the pier to meet Breezy.