Josh's POV.
The seniors have been out of school for a while now - in our group that means Brooke and Nick - but it's just today that the rest of us have been freed. It was today that Franklin Regional High School was passed on to us. We are at the top of the social pyramid, and what we do with the next year of our lives is not written for us.
But none of us want to think about that right now, we just want to have fun. With Brandon out of our hair for good, we've really got something to celebrate. After he graduated he decided he was going to go to military college, which is probably good for him. The girls there will be tough enough to beat him up.
Maddie couldn't be happier to see him go. She's spent the last month of her life meeting with a therapist, and I think she's really improved for good this time. She's not as conniving, and she's gained a lot of confidence back. In fact, all of us have made amends with her, so it's just like old times.
I'm startled by a high pitched shriek from next to me.
"Woo!" Chloe is screaming, and a couple cars over, so is everyone else - Maddie, Paige, Brooke, and Nick. A smile spreads across my face, not wanting to be anywhere but here with my friends.
The salty air in the beach parking lot feels good in my lungs, and when I hop of out of the car, Chloe is quick to grab my hand. Her eyes are twinkling, and I can't help but smile even bigger.
I head around to the back of the car to grab all of our beach supplies, and load all of it into my arms. I feel Chloe come up behind me and nudge me in the stomach.
"Thanks, Muscles," she winks at me, and scampers forwards to meet up with the girls.
Nick makes his way over, grabbing his fair share of chairs. But first he hits me on the back, and I grin at him.
"You're the big man on campus now, yeah?"
I nod, squinting because sand is already blowing into my eyes, along with the sun,
"Yeah, I guess I am." His hazel eyes are sparkling mischievously, and I cock my eyebrow at him, "What is it, Dobbs?"
He shrugs, reaching into his trunk to produce a package of beer,
"Then I guess we've got some serious celebrating to do."
I laugh, slapping him a high-five, "Hell yeah, we do!"
Chairs and umbrellas slung over our shoulders, the two of us trudge down to the beach. Speaking for myself, the weight of the supplies is lifted off my shoulders by my own happiness.
This is all any of us ever wanted - no drama, no backstabbing. Just to have fun. To live life as it comes.
When we reach the spot where the girls have set up the towels, I plop down in between Chloe and Paige,
"Hey."
Paige smiles at me, popping a chip into her mouth, "What's up, big brother?"
"Hey," coos Chloe, pulling herself up to her knees to reach my height for a quick kiss.
Paige wrinkles her nose,
"Ew! Get a room!" But she's laughing, so I know she's just kidding,
"That's fine by me," I joke, holding Chloe a little closer and kissing her cheek.
To my left, Nick is sitting on a towel, and burying Brooke in the sand, sculpting her into a mermaid and leaving her squirming to break free.
"Hey! Oh my god!" A shrill voice echoes throughout the whole beach. Down by the water, Kalani is jumping up in down, "Chloe, my bitch, how's it going?"
"It's going fabulous. I miss you, slut!" Chloe calls, and just about died laughing when Kalani mimes pulling up her bathing suit to flash everyone. That girl is certainly a piece of work, but I guess that's why she and Chloe are friends - they're the perfect foil.
Maddie and Paige are talking gossiping as if nothing had ever gone down between them, comparing makeup brands and gushing over boys. Not a word about Brandon, which makes me really happy.
It all makes me happy. My hand around Chloe's waist, her head on my chest, Maddie and my sister friends again, Brooke and my best friend back together - everything. It's perfect. And although it seems like the end, it's just the beginning.
So, as the sun beats down on us and we laugh and talk, I raise my bottle into the air, and my friends do the same, "Here's to us!"
And as the sun sets down into the ocean and the beach begins to clear out, its obvious we all know one thing. We're going to be together forever. No matter what the odds, the ups and downs, it'll always be us.
Sure, some of us are in love with each other, but it takes a different kind of love to form such a cohesive bond. We're teenagers, and we've bonded over this dramatic time of our lives. And we love each other in such a special way.
Teen Love.
