This is a sequel to my story, Girl Crush. Eddie did it! '86 was indeed his year! He graduated and now him and Dani are headed off on their grand adventure for the summer. They are heading west in his van and hitting all kinds of stops along the way...
A massive bonfire raged on the beach, a handful of guys roasting hot dogs over it. What looked to be fifty people or so were hanging out in the sand. Some of them were putting food out on a long folding table, some were swimming or wading in the water, some were gathered around playing music, and some were dancing.
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The sun hadn't set yet but it was low in the sky, casting the beach and all the partygoers in a bright orange hue. The waves lapped gently against the sand, the ocean still and peaceful on this beautiful summer night. A warm breeze rushed over their skin and Dani thought she had never felt more perfect weather than right here, in California.
"You guys made it!" Andrew called, waving his arm from over by the bonfire. He had a stick in each hand, a hot dog speared onto the end. "Right on!" He turned to his friends he had been talking to before they walked up. "This is Eddie and Dani. Guys, this is my dude, Peter and his girl, Brenda. And this is my girl, Becky."
They both greeted the new faces. Peter was tall and thin, with sandy brown hair that reached his chin. Brenda was also tall. She definitely had a few inches on Dani with straight hair that flowed all the way down her back, stopping just above her waist. Becky was all smiles, warm and friendly, with blond hair that was teased high into a side ponytail.
"Andrew told us all about meeting you guys earlier," she exclaimed, racing forward to hug Dani. Okay, a little forward, but that was alright. "We are so glad you decided to come! I love making new friends!" She turned and hugged Eddie too who looked a bit taken aback, his body stiff with shock.
"Are you hungry?" asked Peter, holding up a couple of sticks. "We've got plenty of food. You roast your own dog and all the fixings are on the table over there. We also have chips and fruit and a couple salads people brought."
"Yeah, I'm starving," Eddie replied, reaching out for the sticks. "Thanks man."
"And drinks are in all the different coolers," Brenda explained, pointing. There must have been twelve different coolers all along the sand. "Everyone is welcome to anything. So, help yourself to whatever. The ones to the left have beer. The ones to the right have soda and water. There's liquor somewhere around here too if you want to fix yourself up a cocktail."
"Beer will be fine for me," assured Eddie.
"Yeah, I'll go grab us a couple," Dani told him.
She walked off toward the cooler as Eddie followed the guys to get hot dogs to roast. As she was making her way across the sand, her arms got linked and she looked over to see both girls had followed her. Dani smiled at them hesitantly. She was glad they were so welcoming, but she didn't quite expect them to be so friendly so quickly.
"So, you have to dish," Becky gushed. "Where did you get tall, dark, and handsome over there?"
Dani laughed, "Oh...well, I actually got him when we were eleven."
