Akumal

Best Friends Forever

Past

_______________

Alana slapped her forehead in immediate realization. "Shoot! It's this weekend?" She had completely forgotten about the regional surfing competition this Saturday, like she most often did. But this was not a good sign.

"So you didn't even buy your new swimsuit yet, did you?" A look of concern crossed my face as I thought of all the things she also could have forgotten. "What about testing out the new board? Or practicing? Have you done any of that?"

"Yeah I practiced..." She said, still thinking about the swimsuit dilemma, or maybe it was now something else. Who knew.

"You didn't, did you?"

She didn't answer. I sighed. "Alright, well that means we need to get started. We have to get a new swimsuit, throw in a couple of practice hours, and work on that dead tan of yours. I mean seriously, we live on the beach! Could you be any paler?"

Alana zoned back in. "Yeah, let's go right now!" She grabbed her worn out tie-dyed shoulder bag and her phone off my charger. She threw it in her bag and quickly slid on her flip-flops that were pretty much at the end of their lifetime. Then again, mine weren't in the best shape either. Alana read my mind. "Also make a note to get new flips," she said. I loved how she always knew what I was thinking.

In about 10 minutes, we were both out the door and had reached the boardwalk. Shops lined the sides, each blasting deals and sale signs in their windows. This must be what going to a mall is like. But then again, I'm pretty sure they didn't sell surfboards at the malls.

We started down the boardwalk, gazing into the windows and reading all the signs along the way. We both stopped at the exact same shop and decided we should check it out. Alana had seen a super sale sign for suits in the window, but something else had caught my eye. I hardly got the chance to look at it, however, before she dragged me into the store. She motioned me to follow her to the back, but I told her I had to check something else out first. I walked up to the glass case in front of the window containing a variety of shark teeth necklaces, sea glass jewelry, and blown glass decorations.

But what had really caught my eye was in the very center of the case: a small piece of sea glass that was inside a shiny silver turtle. It hung on a rope like chord, but it was much thiner and looked smoother. The price was probably outrageous. Before I had the time to ask a SalesLady, I was whisked away to the back of the shop to look at swimsuits.

"Come on Kai, I need your opinion. Stop staring at cute guys out the window." She immediately turned away and stepped into the dressing room with a handful of bikinis. I didn't even bother replying, she was already humming anyway and she probably wouldn't even hear me.

Seconds later, she stepped out the dressing room with a pink floral print bikini on. God, why did everything have to look so awesome on her? "It looks really cute!" I said, trying to veil my jealousy. A smug look crossed her face. She knew. Then she looked in the mirror.

"Ugh, I hate it." With that, she stepped back into the dressing room. Of course she did. She was way too picky.

She came back out with a blue bow shaped top and a high waisted bottom. "Eh, too fashiony. Looking for sporty, right?" She looked in the mirror.

"Yeah, you're right."

She tried on at least ten other swimsuits before she found the right one. Even when she did, she didn't show it to me. All I heard was a squeal coming from inside the dressing room, and about a minute later she came out fully clothed. "It's a surprise," she said when I asked her about it.

Alana paid and then we were back outside. She pulled me towards another shop advertising flip flop deals, and I didn't even get the chance to look back.