You'll never never never take the summer from me.

"Brandy! This bikini is hardly covering my butt."

"That's the point, genius. You're gonna be twenty three, and you haven't had a boyfriend since high school. The only way you're gonna get one is by showing off what you got. Don't be afraid to flaunt yourself a little."

"Easy for you to say, you're thin as a twig and have had guys over you since pre-school. I don't feel comfortable like this, and I can't even begin to figure out how you could." I told my child hood best friend as we walked along the Maryland shoreline. Before I finished though, she ran off to a group of guys.

That's the difference between us, I'm incredibly shy, when it comes to anything. Including flaunting my body. Don't even get me started on how terrified of men.

I settle to an empty space. It was close enough for Brandy to not get lost, but still near the cool salt water. I quickly popped in my MP3 player and got on my favorite play list. I loved summer. It was my favorite time of the year, and it was the season I was born it. I guess that's why my parents named me Summer. Yeah, I'm a summer baby. Literally.

I had our blanket and bags set up, and sat on them for a good amount of time, until I couldn't stand it anymore. I'm so close, I just have to touch it. I scooted closer to the water, until my legs got covered when the tide washed in. I was careful not to let my MP3 player touch the water. I had a good view of the surfers in the distance too. I love to watch them. I tried to learn how to surf when I was younger, but it just was't the thing for me. Watching them is just as entertaining though.

As I got lost in my own thoughts, I didn't even notice the tall boy in his swimming trunks standing next to me. I finally noticed him as one of his friends, a very toned guy my age only half wearing his wetsuit, came walking towards us. I saw him coming, but a little too late. As he came past me, his surf board hit me square in the face. Hard too. Then it basically all went dark. The last thing I herd was Brandy's voice yelling for me and the song ending the play list of music.

It didn't take me long to come too. Within five minutes, I was regaining consciousness, with Brandy insisting to the life guard that I was just napping, and there would be no need for his CPR services. Thank God for Brandy.

"See, shes waking up, because she herd all the noise."

"But I saw her get hit pretty bad by that board. You sure you don't want me to call an ambulance?"

"No! There's no need for that, its fine!" Brandy knew I didn't want to make a scene in public.

The lifeguard just shrugged his shoulders and said, "If you need anything, come to the first-aid tower."

Brandy turned around to me and said, "Dudeeeee. Holy sh*t! The kids who knocked you out was fineeeee."

I couldn't possess what she was saying well because of the blow I just received. She saw the confused look on my face and said, "You know, tall, tan, and handsome? The surfer and his friend. I call dibs on the surfer when he comes back." She said with a wink. "They felt really bad about hitting you, so they said they were going to run to a shop and buy us something to eat. Wait...I think that's them now." Brandy waved them over, and they came carrying two ice creams each.

"Hey, I'm so so sorry about knocking you out with my board! I didn't even notice you, you we're sitting down and you kinda blended in with the sand because of your bikini and tan, and I'm just really sorry!"

I just laughed at his rambling. "Its fine, I get it. Don't sweat it."

As soon as I accepted his apology, Brandy took over. Asking his name, if he lived near by, getting her complete flirt on. Not soon after, the other boy came and sat by me, still with my feet in the tide. He handed me a cone with cookie dough ice cream in it. His own was just an empty cone, I looked at him with an eyebrow raised, "You guessed my favotire flavor of ice cream?"

"Your friend told us."

"And what about yours? Did you already eat it?"

"No, I'm lactose intolerant. I love ice cream, but I can only eat it on those rare nights I feel like pooping, you know?"

I laughed at his outwardness. He didn't seem shy at all. His looks suggested differently though, he had brown hair with blonde highlights, that seemed to stick out in every direction. He was thin, with a few tattoos here and there. He had big chocolate brown eyes with thick eye brows that looked good on him but would look ridiculous on anyone else. His nose was thin and upturned, and his full lips seemed to be pulled into a permanent smirk that fit him perfectly. He was tall too, about 5'11. Practically a giant compared to my little 5'4 body. We sat in a comfortable silence for a few minuets while I Iicked away at my ice cream and he nibbled down his cone.

"I didn't get you name."

"I'm Summer, you?"

"Alex."

Alex. It was so simple. Yet, so beautiful.

"Okay, Alex." I said, smiling.

"Is your MP3 player okay? I think Zack might have stepped on it by accident." I looked down to see a crack on the screen. Great.

"I'm sorry." He apologized.

"Its okay, its not your fault. It was an accident anyways."

"Do you like music a lot?"

"I live for it." I said with a small smile.

His face lit up, "Really? I'm actually in a band."

"Oh, wow. What do you play?"

"I sing and play guitar."

I just smiled at him, more silence followed, until he said, "Summer? Can I ask you out for tonight?"

I looked at him curiously, "I don't know, can you?" I felt like a teacher when her student asked to use the bathroom.

This made him laugh, and he said, "I don't know. You're so beautiful. I'm not sure if I can come up with the guts to ask you."

"That's okay, I'll just ask you. Alex, do you want to go on a date with me tonight?"

He nodded and we finished what was left of our cones in silence.

After a little bit, Brandy and Alex's friend, Zack, who turned out to be a bassist and back up vocalist in his band, finally settled on a date for the same night. It just happened to turn into a double with us. As soon as Alex and Zack left, after getting our numbers of course, Brandy and I started packing up. Well, I packed up, while Brandy blabbered on and on about Zack. While I nodded at the right moments and agreed with her when necessary, I couldn't get my mind off of Alex.

I was waiting outside my front door, in skinny jeans and a Pikachu from Pokemon tee. Alex said dress casually, because we're gonna do a lot of moving. I still wasn't sure what it was exactly, and Brandy was clueless too. After so much preparation, she looked like a goddess when she walked out the front door, with her perfect tan, make up that made all her best features pop out, and clothes that flaunted all the body parts that men love. Then there was me, with just a little eye shadow and eye liner.

Soon enough, Alex and Zack drove up. Alex driving, and Zack getting out to hop in the back with Brandy. I guess I got shotgun then. I hopped into the car happy to be able to see him again. He quickly said before Zack got into the car to taunt him, "You look gorgeous this evening, Summer."

I feel my cheeks turn as red as my smile widened. He was such a gentleman. Before long we were on our way to the mysterious location, that turned out to be the local roller rink. I was about to give Alex a run for his money, I use to compete in derbies fresh out of high school, and it continued for two years. Brandy could tell what I was planning, too. She kept smiling at me when I asked for regular skates instead of in-lines, like the other three did.

"Do you know how to skate, Summer?" Alex asked me as he slipped his foot into his skate.

"I have a little experience, yeah." I said with a smirk.

"You don't in-line skate though? These go faster then normal skates."

"I'll tell you what, Alex. Lets race. You go as fast as you can on the in lines, and I'll see if I can try and get these regular skates to go as fast as yours." I said laughing. Once my skates were on, I felt right at home. They wern't my normal pair, those were stuffed somewhere in my closet, but they still felt comfortable. I saw Brandy stop Zack from getting on the floor right away. She whispered to him, "You might wanna watch this race."

Soon, Alex and I were both ready, and as Brandy started us, I didn't get into position at all. "Two full laps. On your marks...get set...GO." Alex blew onto the rink, skating around others who didn't even try to match his speed, and I just waited until he was half way done with the first lap, and just as Zack was about to ask what I was waiting for, I took off. I was flying. I glided easily around anyone and by the time Alex came to finish the first lap, I gracefully stepped past him. He looked at me in schock and laughed. I laughed along with him, and gave another push of my skates, sending me even further. I reached the finish marker on the floor and Zack was cracking up and Brandy just told me, "You still got it, champ." With a smile.

Alex took me home by myself because Zack and Brandy went clubbing after skating. After he parked the car right in front of my house, he ran out of his door and managed to open my door before I could for myself. "See, I'm not that slow at everything." He said with a cute laugh. He held his hand out for me to take as he helped me out of the car. He walked me to my front door as he said good night.

"Listen, Summer, I had an amazing night tonight, and I wanted to ask you, its just a little habit of mine, but for this next week, do you want to go on a different date each night. Tonight would've been night one, please Summer? Just one week, then I'll give you a break." His eyes look so hopeful.

"You know, I've only known you about ten hours. I have no idea why, but yes, I'll go on the dates with you, Alex. It sounds like so much fun."

His face lighted up like a kid on Christmas. "Okay, thank you so much Summer! I promise, you won't regret giving me a chance." He said, waving as he started to walk down the stairs of the front porch. As turned around to put my key in, I herd Alex coming back up the stairs. I turned around to see what he wanted, but before I could even blink, I felt his lips catch mine. I kissed back, something he didn't expect. The perfect kiss to end the perfect night.