Lead You On

I closed my eyes as soon as my feet touched the ground. I would not let this day end badly.

Even if my day was with them.

Joe was behind me, again. He had been my new best friend ever since this morning, when he had climbed into my room through my window, locked me into my closet till I changed into my swimsuit, then dragged me to his house, stuffed me in Kevin's car, and sung the Muffin Man till we got to the beach.

Not that I didn't like it here. Right about now I was loving the California beach, I just wouldn't have minded different company.

Who am I kidding, I'd rather be here with the Yeti.

Joe threw the sunscreen at me, and I fumbled with the cap, checking first, for Jonas germs.

Please remember to check all items of clothing and lotions or food for Jonas germs before use or direct contact. If you are touched by a potentially harmful Jonas germ, please call paramedics immediately.

Luckily, there were no Jonas germs on the sunscreen, and when I threw it at Joe, he threw it at Nick, and they ran off screaming.

I jumped on the towels Nick had spread out next to Kevin and spluttered as a bucketful of sand was pushed onto me, "This is special."

"It is. You swim?" Kevin asked me, watching as Joe picked Nick up and dumped him into the shallow ocean water.

"No. I'm terrified of water. Love showers, hate oceans. Bad experiences." I shook my head, squinting to see the far off boys tackling each other.

"I would know about bad experiences. I mean, I've never had any really significant ones, but
Nick's scared out of his pants of big dogs."

"Scared out of his pants?" I asked Kevin, raising my eyebrow.

"Yeah. I've always been more freaked of the thought of losing friends and family and stuff."

"I don't have any friends here." I commented, and Kevin's face became confused.

"You have us." He told me, and I couldn't help but narrow my eyes
Who said I wanted them?

"Not really. You guys are, well, guys. We don't have a lot in common." I dug my heels in the hand, then pulled them back quickly when the hot sand scorched them.
Yay, now my feet hurt!

"We so have a lot in common!" Kevin changed positions, turning to look at me, and I brushed my blond hair out of my face.

"Not really. You care about your Mom and Dad, I never see my Dad anymore, and all I have for a Mom is Charlotte."
That was the truth. Charlotte could go jump off a cliff and die, and I would seriously pull up a seat and eat popcorn.

Kevin, though, didn't look like he liked the thought of not liking your parents, "Come on Rio, you've got to like Charlotte a little."

I laughed bitterly, "Not a chance. I swear, every once in a while I pray that she'll get run over."

"You're a ray of sunshine." Joe sang, sitting next to me, Nick close on his heels, sitting next to Kevin.

"Aren't I?" I smiled as Joe bounced up and down happily.

"You guys gonna swim?" Joe asked Kevin and I, and Nick sat quietly, looking on as Kevin jumped up and raced Joe to the water, where they had a very mature splash fight.
I looked at Nick, maybe he would have a conversation that wouldn't make me want to fall asleep or drown him, but then my breath hitched in my throat.
I gazed at Nick, who's head was lazily tilted backwards, his skin glossy from the salt water, with his curly brown hair speckled and dripping, and I almost told him he looked beautiful.

Maybe I was going crazy.

Because I thought he was beyond sexy.

I actually went close to water!
Mind you, it was because Nick assured it'd be okay, and I ignored the weird looks from Kevin, and dipped myself in till my knees.

"See, it's okay!" Nick exclaimed, and I lifted my foot gingerly, toeing the sand before carefully putting my foot down.
Lucky me had walked on a shallow water crab the first step I took in the water.

"Yeah, I guess." I sighed, and then heard Kevin shout from way in the distance, where the waves hadn't even formed.
Nick heard it too and looked up, shouting as he saw a far away ripple, becoming bigger and bigger.
I almost fell when the pressure reached us, the sucking was really powerful, and I grabbed Nick's arm, remembering my bad experience with water when I was younger, I had almost been pulled too far during high tide.

"Nick!" I whimpered before water fell on us, and through the water I could feel Nick's arm wrap around me, and I hugged his chest tightly, digging my nails into his skin till we finally surfaced.

"Uhh, Rio," I looked up at Nick, "Your nails are digging into me.
I clumsily pried myself off him - if you had seen him, you wouldn't want to let him go either - and he smiled.

"Now, that wasn't so bad was it?"

I snorted and said sarcastically, "No, it was the happiest moment of my life!"
He smirked at me, and I shivered as another cold wave sloshed around my thighs.

"Come on, Rio." I grabbed his hand and ran in front of the water to the dry sand.
I could definitely get used to him saving me.