𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗟𝗘𝗥 𝗚𝗜𝗥𝗟𝗦: 𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗩𝗘𝗦

chapter seven

Going to the beach every last weekend of the month became a tradition for the girls when they were in their sophomore year of high school, besides Whitney, who was a freshman. It was their first summer with all of them being friends and Brooke had just gotten her license, so it was the perfect time for them to all hang out together, and they chose the beach. 

The last weekend of July was no different. The girls were all excited for their monthly trip, although Sawyer remained slightly intimidated by the fact that she'd be seeing Brooke, especially considering the fact that this would be her first time seeing the girl since kissing Nick, which only Alyssa knew about. 

Alyssa, on the other hand, was ecstatic to see all of her friends again. It had been a while, mainly because whenever the group planned to get together, she was working, but today was the first time in months that she'd be free from Light Waves to see her best friends. 

Everyone drove separately, apart from Scarlett and Whitney, who both arrived together. The second everyone was at the beach, they got the spot they always got; as far left as you could go before you hit someones back yard, about 40 feet away from the water. 

"So, anything new going on with anyone?" Whitney asked, looking around at the ground as they all sprawled out across their towels. 

"Actually, yeah," Alyssa chuckled. "Remember Riely? From work?"

"Oh, yeah, what about him?" Whitney gave a suggestive smirk. 

"He kissed me on the Fourth," Alyssa laughed. "Sawyer got lucky that night too, though."

"What?" Brooke furrowed her eyebrows, perching herself up on her elbows. 

"Oh, yeah," Sawyer tried not to reveal her awkwardness in her words, although her attempt was futile. "Y'know Nick?"

"Same grade as Phoebe?" Scarlett tilted her head. 

"Yeah," Sawyer nodded. "He kissed me while we were watching the fireworks."

"Awe, cute!" Whitney cheered. "So is he your new love interest?"

"I--I dunno," Sawyer shrugged. "I mean, I like him as a friend... but... we haven't even been out on a date yet."

"Speaking of love interests," Scarlett began, "Whitney?"

"Oh, yeah," The blonde girl let out a sigh. "Jo and I got into a fight."

"What happened?" Sawyer tilted her head in interest. 

"I got high the other night," Whitney shrugged. "Y'know he doesn't like it when I drink or smoke."

"That's fucking hypocritical," Brooke scoffed. "He drinks and smokes way more frequently than you do, that makes absolutely no sense."

"I just feel bad," Whitney sighed. "I told him I wouldn't do anything anymore but it was just a really rough night."

"Well, although I don't agree with him determining what you're allowed to do," Sawyer began, "How about the next time you have a rough night you call one of us to come pick you up?"

"I--I feel bad though," Whitney shrugged. "It was late--"

"Well, I have my phone on me every second of the day, so call me whenever and I'll pick you up," Sawyer stated. 

"Alright," Whitney gave a small smile. 

"On a slightly more cheerful note, how about we go swimming?" Alyssa suggested, to which all five girls quickly jumped up and took off the clothes covering their swimsuits. 

Not long after, they were all running to the water, jumping in as they held onto each other, dropping down to their knees so the water was just below their necks as they continued to swim around with each other. 

"So you and Nick, hm?" Brooke raised her eyebrows at Sawyer, the two separate from Alyssa, Whitney, and Scarlett taking turns throwing each other around. 

"I--no," Sawyer quickly shook her head. "We aren't a thing."

"A few minutes ago, I thought you weren't so sure?" Brooke raised her eyebrows. 

"I'm just... I'm saying that at the moment, he's nothing more than a friend to me."

"But do you want him to be more?" 

"I don't know," Sawyer truthfully answered. "It--It's not as easy, knowing whether or not I like him. Not as easy as it was when I liked you."

Liked. Why had Sawyer said liked instead of like? It was one letter, why didn't she just say the truth? But Sawyer knew the one letter made all the difference. That she could ruin her friendship with Brooke by telling her the truth, or that Brooke might reveal the heartbreaking truth that she'd gotten over Sawyer months ago. 

"Yeah," Brooke nodded dryly. "I've got to go."

"What? But we've barely been here an hour--"

"Bye guys!" Brooke waved before walking out of the water and back up to their towels. 

Sawyer should have stayed in the water, it would've been better. But instead, she chased after Brooke back up to their belongings, and she continued after her to the parking lot, pausing once they reached Brooke's car. 

"Why are you following me?" Brooke sighed. 

"You--you can't just leave like that!" Sawyer protested. "Why are you even leaving?"

"I've got stuff to do," Brooke lied. 

"You said you were free all day!" Sawyer shook her head. "Why--"

"You know why, Sawyer."

And with that, Brooke entered her car, not looking up at her friends face as she drove away. Sawyer stood there, unable to move. Why was Brooke freaking out so much about her and Nick? She didn't have feelings for her anymore... right?

And what did Brooke mean when she said Sawyer knew why? Sawyer didn't know why, not at all. In fact, she was extremely confused as to why Brooke was acting odd and storming away from the beach so suddenly. 

That was because Sawyer was consistently telling herself that Brooke didn't like her. That she had no chance, that she had missed her window of opportunity and now it was gone, her shot was ruined. 

At that exact moment, Sawyer decided she wasn't going to let her chance with Nick slip away, not the way she did with Brooke. She couldn't be left in this position, not again. So, when she got back to the towels on the beach, instead of texting Brooke, she texted Nick.