Rising Tides

6

"Hey! Throw the ball over here!"

"Okay! Heads up, man!" A tall, buff blonde guy threw a volleyball into the air and spiked it over the net. It soared through the air like a missile. Another boy, this one a lean brunette, jumped up and hit it hard, sending it flying back to the blonde guy, and the game began. They ran around the sand hitting it back and forth, jumping and prowling like a couple of big cats. Glancing over their shoulders for a second or two to make sure the girls were watching and flexed their muscles proudly.

"You know, I never understood the point of this game." Danni said.

"The point is to have fun." Sam replied, raising her hand to shield her eyes from the blinding sun.

"I don't see what's so fun about smacking a ball around."

"Maybe if you tried it, you would know why it's fun."

"Do you see these nails?" Danni lifted her right hand and wiggled her fingers, her perfectly manicured, red-painted nails gleaming like drops of blood in the sunlight. "These nails were not made for playing with balls. Well, not those balls at least."

Sam choked on her diet coke, spluttering and coughing violently. Sarah thumped her back and laughed at the far too cheeky and suggestive smirk Danni was wearing. She winked and chuckled.

"Then why are you so interested in watching the volleyball match?" Sarah asked.

Danni shrugged and put on her pink Gucci sunglasses, turning to watch as one of the guys bent over to pick up the ball. "For the eyecandy, of course. Just enjoying the show."

"Of course." Sarah muttered. "Where did Jason go?"

"Dunno. Probably off with the guys somewhere doing whatever guys do."

Sarah, Danni, and Sam were reclining on wicker beach chairs, sunbathing. Because of her pale skin, Sarah had to lather up on lots of sunscreen before hitting the sand, otherwise she would be lobster red. Her skin dripped with layers of sweat, her hair was twisted up into a French braid, and she was wearing a simple flower-printed blue bikini. It was hot, but not unbearably hot. The waves were calm and tranquil. Peaceful. The wind was gentle and calm  and smelled like salt and sunscreen and, well, the beach.

The sand was warm between her toes and grainy. She watched as a crab scuttled by her foot. She moved her foot out of the way so it could pass by. It was a cute little crab, with big eyes and blue markings on it's shell. Speaking of shells, there were shells everywhere. She really wanted to collect some, but she didn't want to just ditch her friends so quickly. About ten other people were on the beach with them. Most of them were guys and there were a handful of girls. There was a lot of drinking and splashing around in the water, and she averted her eyes away from where a couple were making out behind a palm tree.

Someone brought a loud speaker and Queen's "Fat-Bottomed Girls" blasted through it at a tooth-rattling volume. Scaring away all the poor birds and wildlife. Sarah drank from her bottle of water absent-mindedly. She was as far away from the ocean as she could get, but as she watched everyone having fun and splashing around, a small part of her ached with jealousy at how carefree they were. Although she was scared to death of it, she missed the ocean so badly. All her life she had been drawn to it and to the beautiful and mysterious creatures that lived in it. It concerned her mother how drawn she was to it. She always told her, even when she was a little girl: "Stay away from the water. Its dangerous." She was right.

This was the first time in years that she voluntarily went anywhere near the ocean or a beach. Memories still haunted her, but she tried to block them out of her mind so she wouldn't ruin her friends' fun by being all nervous. Luckily, Sam, bless her soul, was a lot like Sarah and kept a watchful eye on her. Like Sarah, Sam was quiet and more introverted than their more energetic, extroverted friend, Danni. She was a bookworm and brought a book along with her to the beach. Pride and Predjudice, the cover read.

Sam had her own phobias, like spiders and bugs. She freaked out whenever she saw a spider crawling on the dorm floor or a flying bug or even a ladybug. She was also allergic to bees. Being outdoors wasn't her thing. Luckily, there weren't many bugs to worry about on the beach. Both her and Danni looked like bikini models. Sam with her luscious curves and beautiful chocolate skin, looked stunning in her lemon yellow bikini. Danni looked equally stunning in her red bikini; all long, slender limbs and golden skin. Her dark hair was tied in its usual high ponytail.

But, unfortunately, Rowan was nowhere to be seen. Sarah was more than a little disappointed, she had hoped he would come with them. Oh well.

"So, how are you and Rowan doing? Has he asked you out yet?" Danni asked.

Sarah fidgeted and blushed a little. "No, he hasn't asked me out, but he gave me a drawing."

"What?"

"Really? I need details. Spill!"

Her friends said in unison. Sam looked over at her wide-eyed, Danni lowered her sunglasses and peered over the tops of them, pointing at Sarah with a red-tipped finger. Sarah giggled, feeling giddy with joy.

"It was a sketch of me. It was beautiful. I asked him why he drew it and he said because I was beautiful and his muse and that he liked the way I look when I'm focused on painting. Can you believe it?"

"Wow. How sweet." Sam said, beaming. "You look like you're walking on air."

Sarah beamed back, anxiety forgotten. "I feel like I am."

"Awww, well isn't that the sweetest thing? He's got it bad for you, girl." Danni said, sipping at her Pina Collata through a straw and wiggling her eyebrows. "If he won't get off his butt and ask you out, you should ask him out next time you see him."

"I tried to. Kinda. I invited him to the party." Said Sarah dejectedly. "He said maybe he will come, but he hasn't shown up, so I guess it's a no."

"That's a shame." Said Sam.

"Bummer." Danni added. "Oh well. His loss.. He'll miss out on all the fun."

Sarah sighed and watched as a group of girls chased each other with water guns, screaming as the spray hit them. It did look like fun. "Yeah."

Suddenly, Danni stood and walked over to the girls with the water guns. "Hey, can I borrow one of those?"

One girl in a pink one-piece swimsuit nodded and held out her own water gun with a smile. "Sure thing. We were just going to get some ice cream anyway. Have fun!" The girls waved and strolled away. Danni examined the water gun thoroughly, lifting it and moving it up and down as if testing it's weight, looking at the nozzle and handle.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked her, looking confused.

"Oh, you know..." Danni trailed off, slowly strolling towards them. Still examining the water gun. "Since we're at the beach and having a party, we might as well have a little...fun." A wicked smirk spread over her face as she aimed the gun as Sarah and Sam and, quick as lightning, shot them with water.

They screamed in surprise and jumped to their feet. Sam's book fell onto the sand and so did Sarah's water bottle. Cackling like a wildwoman, Danni sprayed them two more times and ran away. Laughing maniacally.

"Heyyy!!!" Sarah shrieked in outrage.

"Oh, you are so gonna get it!" Sam shouted, adjusting her glasses. "Come on! Let's go get her back."

"I'm right behind you." Sarah and Sam went and grabbed the discarded water guns and chased after Danni. Laughing so freely, playing with and having fun with her friends, for a little while, Sarah forgot about her fear of the ocean and her nightmares and mysterious boys and just let her inner child out.