“Elisa come on, the water is great!” your best friend Brooke called to you. You shook your head from your position under her mom’s huge beach umbrella. “Maybe later, I’m tired.” You said, stretching out to lie in the sand. You were on a spring break trip to Los Angeles with your best friend and her mother. You had just arrived early this morning so you had no idea how Brooke had as much energy as she did. You were absolutely exhausted. You had just begun to doze off when you felt something hard land on your stomach. “Ow!” you cried, sitting up quickly. There was a football lying in your lap. “I am so sorry!” you heard a male voice call from a few feet away. You looked over to see a blonde boy wearing neon pink swim trunks running in your direction. You quickly stood up, brushing the sand off of your legs. “It’s ok, I think I’ll live.” You said, smiling. You tossed him the football. He was grinning at you. “We’re short one person if you’d like to come play with us.” He offered. You paused for a moment, thinking. Brooke’s mother had given the two of you a strict ‘no boys’ policy while you were on this trip. But she was at the hotel right now taking a nap so… “I’d love to!” you replied, following him back in the direction he’d come. “I’m Ross.” He said, glancing over at you. “Elisa.” You replied. “Ross what took you so long!” you heard another male voice boom. You looked up to see a brunette that closely resembled Ross standing a few yards away from you. “That’s Rocky, one of my older brothers.” Ross said quietly. “I was recruiting a new player!” he said louder, directing it to Rocky. “Well hello new player.” Rocky said flirtatiously as you approached. You blushed, looking over at Ross. He glowered at Rocky, throwing the football at him as hard as he could. “Hey man, chill. You saw her first.” Rocky said, winking at you before turning and walking over to a group of three people standing nearby. There was a blonde girl & boy and another brunette boy. “Elisa this is Rydel, Riker, and Ryland. Guys, this is Elisa.” he said, introducing you as you approached the group. “Are you all related?” you asked, looking around at the group. They all shared a strong family resemblance. Ross nodded. “Yep. Riker’s the oldest and Ryland’s the youngest. And then we’re all in the middle.” He said, gesturing to himself, Rydel, & Rocky. “Since you brought in a new player do you want to start over?” Riker asked. Ross shrugged. “Sure, whatever you guys wanna do.” He said. The teams were divided into Rydel, Rocky, & Ryland against yourself, Riker, & Ross and the game began.
**two days later**
“So when are you going to see Ross again??” Brooke asked eagerly. The two of you were sitting in Starbucks eating breakfast. Her mom was back at the hotel, again. “I don’t know…should I even bother? I mean, I don’t live in L.A. and your mom was pretty adamant about the ‘no boys’ thing. I don’t want to get in trouble.” You said, taking another bite of your blueberry scone. She waved a hand dismissively. “I wouldn’t worry about mom. I don’t think she was that serious. Besides, she’s been spending most of her time in the hotel spa. She’s so relaxed I doubt she would even notice if one of us disappeared completely.” You laughed. “Somehow I doubt that.” “Did you get Ross’s number?” Brooke asked, turning the conversation back to Ross. You nodded. “I did.” She bounced in her seat eagerly. “Well?? Have you been talking??” You took a sip of your drink. “We have.” You replied coolly. You took another bite of your scone before continuing. “He wants to hang out tonight.” Brooke squealed in delight. “You have to go!” she insisted. “But your mom-” “Elisa I am more than capable of distracting my mom for a few hours so you can go see Ross.” she reminded you. You sighed. “I guess it’s worth a shot…” you said, a smile beginning to form on your lips. Brooke beamed. “Awesome. So here’s the plan…”
Later that night, you and Brooke were back in your hotel room with her mother. You were in the bathroom, getting ready to go out with Ross. You quickly threw a bathrobe over your clothes and pulled your hair up into a bun so her mother wouldn’t be suspicious. You stepped out of the bathroom to see Brooke, also in a bathrobe, standing at the foot of the bed. “Mom, Elisa and I are going to the spa. Do you want to come?” she asked. Her mother shook her head. “No thanks honey, I’m exhausted. I’m might go to sleep early tonight. You girls have fun.” You and Brooke nodded and quickly stepped out into the hallway. Once you were in the elevator, you took off your robe and handed it to Brooke. “That was easier than I thought.” You said, taking your hair down and running your fingers through it. She scoffed. “I told you!” She took your flats out of her bag and handed them to you. “Where is Ross taking you?” she asked. You shrugged as you slipped your shoes on. “I have no idea. We’re walking, wherever it is.” The elevator stopped at the lobby and you both got off. “What time do I need to be back?” you asked. “I would say midnight, just to be safe. I’m pretty sure mom’ll be asleep soon but I don’t want to take any chances.” She quickly hugged you before walking in the direction of the spa. “Have fun!” she called over her shoulder. You walked out of the hotel and stepped onto the sidewalk. You saw Ross across the parking lot, lounging against a concrete pillar. “Hey Elisa!” he said, greeting you with a hug. “Hey Ross. So where are we going?” you asked. He shook his head. “It’s a surprise.” He said mysteriously.
An hour or so later, you were sitting on the beach with Ross. He had set up a picnic down by the water. It was late so there was no one else on the beach. “Ross this was amazing!” you gushed, looking over at him. The moonlight reflected in his brown eyes, making them sparkle. He smiled and looked down, blushing slightly. “I’m glad you liked it.” He said shyly. You frowned slightly, thinking about having to leave in a few days. He seemed to be thinking the same thing. He looked back up at you. “Elisa I don’t want this to end when you go back home. I really like you. I’ve never met a girl like you before. I know it’ll probably be hard, long distance and all… But I want to make it work.” You nodded. “I want to make it work too Ross.” He smiled and leaned in toward you. Just as his lips touched yours, your phone rang. You recognized Brooke’s ringtone. “Uh oh.” You mumbled, fumbling for your phone. You knew she would only be calling if it were an emergency. “Hello?” you answered. “Elisa we have a problem! My mom decided to come down to the spa after all! You need to get back here NOW.” You stood up quickly. “Crap, I’ll be there as soon as I can!” “Hurry! I told her you were getting a massage so that should buy you about 15 minutes.” You hung up and turned to face Ross. He was standing now as well. “I’m about to get busted big time…I have to get back to the hotel!” you groaned. “Let’s go!” he said, taking your hand and running back up the beach.
Ten minutes later, you both arrived breathlessly at the hotel. You had run the entire way back. “Can’t…breathe…” you panted, doubling over. Ross sat down on the sidewalk, breathing heavily as well. “You better…get back inside…” he pointed out. Brooke came walking out the doors. “Elisa thank God! I told my mom I was going to the bathroom.” She said, tossing you your robe. You quickly slipped it back on & pulled your hair up again. “Come on, I bribed one of the workers to sneak us back in through the back door so mom won’t see us. Let’s go!” she urged, tugging on your arm. Ross leapt up from the sidewalk. “So…can we do this again sometime?” he joked. You laughed as he leaned in to quickly peck your lips. “I’ll see you later Elisa.” He said, turning and walking back down the sidewalk. Brooke grinned as she dragged you back through the hotel doors. “Tell me EVERYTHING…”
