Kids In Love (Short Story)

Chapter 2

I awoke to bright sunrays peeking in through the dusty, argyle-printed curtains and groaned. This was not the best way to wake up when your night before was completely hell. I debated on whether or not to actually stand, but decided to once I read on the digital clock beside the bed that it was already half past noon. 

I could feel my bones pop as I stretched, causing me to sigh in both pain and comfort. As I dug through one of my suitcases that I had packed full for something to wear for the day. My actions paused when my fingers skimmed over the material of my swimming trunks. A day at the beach would help me relax from everything that had gone wrong yesterday. 

Without giving it a second though, I pulled on the swimwear and grabbed the keys to that damn minivan before attempting to find my way to the beach. 

It didn't take long for me to find my destination, only about an hour after getting directions from a man who owned a grocery store. There were practically no open parking spots near the water, so I settled for one that was in the far end of the parking lot. I silently debated with myself on whether or not to even go down to the beach. The beach was most likely going to be packed and I know nobody here. As I continued to walk down to the shore, the list of cons was getting longer while my pro list was still empty. 

I wasn't able to think any longer when I felt something smack against the back of my head. I turned quickly to see who had hit me, only to find a blue Frisbee resting at my feet. I bent down to pick it up, and then looked up to see a girl with an apologetic smile spread over lips. 

"I'm sorry, my friend is an asshole," she apologized, motioning towards her male friend before biting her lower lip as she waited for my response. 

I shook my head, "It's fine," I replied, handing her the Frisbee. 

"Thanks," she replied quietly, the air around us becoming awkwardly uncomfortable. 

I nodded my head towards her with a smile before turning and continuing to walk to where I was going before I had gotten clouted with that damn Frisbee. 

I had literally only walked on the beach for the past few hours. I didn't get in the water, but did occasionally get splashed with it by kids that were chasing each other. After all of my walking, I became a bit tired, so I made my way to a restaurant that was on the pier, not bothering to read the name of the place. 

Once I entered the place, I could smell a mixture of seafood and alcohol. It wasn't a bad aroma, but it wasn't the greatest either. 

"Hello, welcome to Bubba Gump Shrimp, just one?" the hostess asked with a perky smile, holding a plethora of menus in her arms. 

"Actually, can I sit at the bar?" I asked, praying that she'd say yes. 

"You can, but you need to be twenty-one to order alcohol," she answered with that same smile, motioning towards the bar as a family with four children walked into the restaurant, drawing her attention away from me. 

I walked towards the back of the bar cautiously as drunken men were yelling at basketball players on the television. Finding a place at the front of the bar, I sat on the stool and waited for the bartender to assist me. 

"Hey!" a female voice called to me, causing me to look up from my hands and to the right. It was the girl whose friend hit me with the Frisbee sitting right beside me. 

"Hi," I replied with a polite smile, glancing back down at my hands. 

"What a small world, I'm Katie," the girl spoke loudly to be heard over the noise in the bar. 

I looked up to see her hold a genuinely nice smile on her lips, causing my own lips to stretch in a grin of my own. When I glanced over her, I could see that she was still in her bathing suit by the way the straps were tied around her neck and how her over-sized t-shirt hung off her shoulders. She was wearing shorts that looked like she had made them herself with a pair of scissors, and her hair was now tied up in a bun.