ocean boulevard | 5sos | michael clifford

i.

chapter one.

The sun is almost unbearable by the time my mom’s minivan pulls over by the port. Makayla and I hop off and haul our luggage out of the trunk, slamming it shut, as the front windscreen slides down and my mom peers up at us.

“You girls have a great trip,” she trills. I can hear Jesse giggling to himself in the backseat. “Call me when you get there!”

“Yeah Mom, alright,” I say with a smile that I can’t seem to contain, and allow her to bombard us with reminders and fuss. It takes forever but when she finishes talking at last, we both share a teary-eyed moment (mostly from her) of pride and nostalgia, while Makayla continues to stand awkwardly beside me, and then that’s it; she bids us a final goodbye and bon voyage, the engine grunts, the car rolls forward, digging into the asphalt, and within moments she’s gone. Just like water in my hands. But I quickly shake the thought away and dismiss any hint of sorrow. Misery and regret isn’t my thing. It’s cheesy and a waste of time. I don’t do it. Ever.  

“We’re going on vacation, bitch!” I yell. Makayla lets out a whoop in response and we both lug our luggage across the port, tasting the summer breeze and relishing in the warmth of the sun. A guy distributing pamphlets smiles jauntily at us when we reach the waterfront.

“Taking the Renouveau?” he asks, his eyes flickering towards the multi-tiered cruise ship towering above us. He steps out of the shadows and shields his eyes with a hand against his brows. “You guys in college?”

Makayla laughs. “High school. We’re Juniors,” she says. “How about you?”

“I’m studying marine biology in college and this is my university’s idea of the perfect summer job for a freshman.” He pauses. “Name’s Wesley.”

“Makayla.”

“Payton.”

“Nice,” he nods just as laughter erupts from somewhere behind us. We turn to see a family heading in our direction. “Well it looks like this meeting’s going to have to be cut short. But here, take this” – he passes us a pamphlet each – “it’s got everything you need to know about the ship. Flip through it when you’ve got the chance to.” He smiles. “I’ll see you around. Bon voyage!”

With that, he turns to address the family behind us while we hop aboard, the scent of a promising summer thick in the air.

 ---

Summertime means sunshine and sunshine means the perfect time for a popsicle, whether its in the park, the beach, or, in our case, on an enormous ship. Which explains why Makayla and I are sprawled across Adirondack chairs on the ship’s deck, our lips sodden red and our fingertips burning cold. We have a full view of the ocean in all its vast blue splendour, but right now, the only sight Makayla has got her eyes on is a certain brown-haired, green-eyed college student.

“Hey Towel Boy,” she calls. Wesley jogs right over, like an obedient little puppy. “What time does your shift end?”

He consults his watch. “In fifteen minutes.”

“Great. Wanna have dinner afterwards? My treat. You look like you could use plenty of chill time,” she simpers.

At this point I look down and concentrate on my popsicle, because I know that if I look at either of them, I’ll burst out in laughter. I mean, don’t get me wrong; I know it’s true that Wesley’s been running around practically the entire ship the whole day, fulfilling errands, but if I have to visually watch their flirt fest unfold, there’s a hundred percent chance I’ll snicker. And I don’t want that happening because Makayla’s plotted out every move she’s going to make to so much precision that I’m honestly starting to wonder if my best friend is secretly Hitler (minus the ruthlessness and the moustache; I’m just referring to how tactical he was) or worse, Sheldon Cooper. Seriously; she made a flowchart and everything.