The Fittest

Chapter Two -- Panama Phillips

12:37 p.m. • Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda • 6/18/18

-Panama Phillips-

She sat on the beach with the tips of her toes buried in the fine sand. The gentle breeze caressed her tanning skin and carried the distinctive scent of salt water. Her heart beat in time with the ocean's tide. On the shore of one of the Bermuda's most popular destinations, she was in paradise.

"Panama! You gotta come see what the boys are about to do! It's gonna be totally insane!"

The sunbathing girl, Panama, groaned and sat up, clearly displeased with the friend of hers who had interrupted her down time. She squinted into the distance to see what her friend was so excited about.

"They're just surfing, Beverly. They've been surfing all day. I'm kinda over it to be honest." Panama said as she laid back down, the hot blanket of sand warming her spine.

"Ugh you can be such a bore sometimes, Pan," Beverly complained. "They're not just surfing. They're going to catch the waves at the Cove."

 "They're gonna end up killing themselves," Panama sighed. She reached to her left to grab a bottle of tanning oil and started to douse herself in it.

"They know what they're doing. They're practically pros at this stuff." Beverly tried to reason with Panama. She waded out of the water in which she had been cooling off. Before Panama could react, Beverly grabbed her ankle and dragged her into the frothy ocean.

Panama cursed and spluttered as the waves washed over her. Her sunglasses were torn from her face and she had to hold her bikini top in place because it had come untied. She kicked at Beverly, who giggled and released her.

"C'mon! The boys are leaving us behind!"

Panama sat herself up just in time to see Beverly latch onto the surfboard of a boy named Leo.

Even though she was irritated, Panama quickly retied her top and rushed to her friends, not wanting to be left behind.

"Hey! Slow down, Ollie!" She called to the boy closest to her.

He looked at her over his shoulder and grinned.

"No, you speed up, Pan!"

She groaned again and tried to run through the churning water, but it was like trying to run through a pool of gelatin.

Seeing that she was struggling, Ollie laughed and turned his board around. He paddled to her and then offered to help her up.

"I can do it myself," she huffed as she placed her palms onto the board's smooth surface.

"Panama, I don't think this is a very good—"

And the surfboard flipped over, sending Ollie into the water right next to Panama.

 "Seriously?!" Panama exclaimed as she rubbed the salt from her eyes. "I just can't catch a break." She waited a moment for Ollie to resurface. He was nowhere to be seen. Panama treaded water and spun in a small circle, looking all around her. "Ollie? Where'd you go?"

 Then two hands clamped themselves around her waist and she shrieked. Ollie popped out of the water right in front of her and laughed.

"Don't do that!" She hit him playfully on his toned chest and feigned anger.

With his hands still squeezing her sides, Ollie smirked. He stared at the make-up that trickled down his girlfriend's cheeks, at the redness that was flooding her face as he rubbed his thumbs over her bare stomach, at the soaked strands of hair that dangled in front of her eyes. And he kissed her.