My Sweet Summer Romance

Chapter 7

I quickly doze off, thinking again about what happened that night...

I wake up, startled. I check my alarm clock. 3:45 No, not again! I must get back to sleep because tomorrow- well, today- will be a big day. I close my eyes tightly, and wait for what seems like ten minutes. I check the clock again. 3:46 Ugh. I hate insomnia. I check on Alex to see if she is also awake. Tough luck, she is sleeping like a baby. I must find something to help me fall asleep. I try counting to five hundred. It doesn't work. I count to seven hundred by multiples of thirteen. Seeing it still doesn't work, I think of Nick, with his hazel eyes, the same than Jake's. The way he looks at me, the way he charmed me. I fall asleep almost instantly, thinking about him.

"Nick, oh, Nick..." I mumble against my pillow.

"Serena, get up if you want to see Nick today at the beach!" I tap her lightly on the forehead. "What the heck do you think you're doing?"

"I'm trying to find the snooze button. Let me sleep..." I check the alarm clock. 9:45 Oh no, I was supposed to wake up at eight so we would have the time to prepare ourselves properly for the beach. I guess we'll do that next time, when I won't have insomnia. I get up and walk groggily to the bathroom to quickly arrange my hair. Now that it's done, I change swiftly and head to the kitchen to eat breakfast. I try to make it quick because I really hope to see Nick at the beach. He is so pretty... But I snap out of my daydream, I want to see him. Now. I see that Alex still isn't ready, and she's texting Max.

"Hurry, hurry! Nobody has the time to sit around when the weather is great outside and a hot guy is waiting for you at the beach!" Alex looks back at me, completely discouraged.

Fifteen minutes later, Max arrived at our condo and we were ready to go. I had my prettiest swimsuit on, my favorite shades and my new sandals. As soon as we had arrived and picked a spot, the two lovebirds left to take a stroll on the beach. I put my stuff down and continue reading my book because I still have time left before noon.

One hour later, I look around. I don't know what time it is and I forgot my watch at the condo. This lifeguard looks like she would have a watch. I jog slowly to her post.

"Hey, excuse me. Could you please give me the time?" I ask.

"Sorry, I gave it to someone else a while ago," she says. I start laughing a little.

"That's funny! But really, do you have the time?" I ask, again.

"Of course! It's a quarter to twelve."

"Thanks!" I guess I have time to read a little before noon. I return at our towel and grab my book after putting on sunscreen again. Quickly, the insomnia catches up on me and I fall asleep for about an hour. When I wake up, I realize that I slept for more than fifteen minutes. Oh no! I run to the pier and see that the lifeguard isn't at her post anymore. I suddenly stop and freeze, in utter disbelief of what I see. I have to blink a couple of times to be sure that I am not dreaming this.

I see the lifeguard losing balance, Nick grabbing her by the arms, and her falling all over him, on the ground. They can't stop laughing and he helps her to get up by lifting her up. That bitch. What is he doing with her? I thought we had something going on! But I don't really know how to judge this situation since we weren't exactly dating... Well, not yet. I take advantage of the fact that he didn't see me yet to turn around and start running as fast as I can. I just can't believe what he just did and I can't figure out what I'll do about that. Well, there's not much to do since he just used our "date" to flirt with the sexy lifeguard with fake boobs. That's pathetic. How did I not see it at first that he's just a player? I arrive at our chairs and just lay down, letting myself daydream a little.

I am snapped out of my imaginary world by Alex. Finally, it was about time they came back!

"Ok, Max! You had her for most of the day, so it's my turn now!" Max answers to me, while looking at his watch:

"It's okay, you know! I have to go, I told some dudes I'd play soccer with them tonight. Goodbye, Serena! Goodbye, babe!" I wave him as he kisses Alex goodbye. As soon as they're finished, we hit the waves, because today's the perfect day to do so. As I look around, I see the pier from afar. I still feel a little guilty for not talking to him, but can he really blame me? He was getting 'friendly' with the hot lifeguard while we were supposed to be having a date. Even if he meant a lot to me, I really doubt I meant anything to him. I worry more about the Competition, that I am certain to lose. I prefer having fun with my best friend, that I've had for such a long time.

As expected, we spent the whole afternoon in the water. It was so much fun, except that I forgot about one little thing: to put sunscreen on. When we walk back to the condo, Alex and I decide to have a little talk.

"I thought you were supposed to meet Nick at the pier, why didn't you go?" I don't really know what to answer.

"Um, let's just say he doesn't need me. I bet he already found himself a squeeze for the summer, and I don't want to be just another name on the long list of the girls he dated. I think that dating a guy like him wouldn't have been a good idea. Plus, I don't need him. He's going to be trouble more than anything else." She turns around, shocked, and stops walking.

"Do you even hear yourself talking? A minute, you're all 'Oh my, he's making me weak, he's so dreamy!', and the next, you avoid him. I wish I knew what's going on in your head right now!"

Oh, how I wish she knew. There's no point in crying over spilt milk, so I'll live for the moment because everything else is uncertain. I've learnt that sometimes, you have to move on instead of focusing on the things that are bringing you down.

"It doesn't work like that, you know? Ugh, I really don't know how to put this into words, but let's just say that it doesn't only stop at 'Oh, I like him, he likes me, we are made for each other!' It's much more complicated than that so let's just give it a break, I am still trying to figure things out myself. You are really lucky, I mean it goes well with you and Max, doesn't it?"

She starts walking again, but this time she's walking backwards so we can maintain eye contact.

"First of all, yes. Things really turned out fine with Max, and I couldn't be happier. Well, actually, I could be happier! That is, if you were happy too, we'd be two walking sunshines. But the problem, Serena, is that you over think everything! You always wait and see if it's the right thing to do before you do it, and that's a good thing sometimes. You should try and do something impulsive, something you would never do, something crazy but fun. It'll do you great, trust me."

She's right. I never do stuff without thinking- well, not since the accident. It was the last time I've done something impulsive, and results weren't that great. I almost died and, well, Jake did. If only I had listened to him instead of doing what I thought was best. He had clearly told me that driving in those conditions was unsafe but I really wanted to go to the party. I was so stupid, it was a record-breaking snowstorm, and I acted like a selfish brat who thinks about herself first. If he hadn't listened to me, we would have stayed home, and even if I wouldn't have met Brad there, my life would have gone on. Right now, my only wish is to be home so I could crawl myself into a little ball in my bed, eat some ice cream and cry like there's no tomorrow.

"Did I say something wrong, Serena? You look pale, do you need a break? This is not your type to be tired after a simple walk like this, because usually you run half marathons! Ha ha ha ha..." I usually find it funny when she tries to say something to break the silence but then fails.

"No, I was just thinking how I am just a horrible being, a selfish person. But I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

The rest of the walk back to the condo is in complete silence. A very awkward silence.