Ever Since That Day In California

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We stand in a line with paper plates, I can hear growling stomachs while we wait.

A hand violently pulls me out of the line and takes me away from Gray Sebastian Dean, "Chevy, this is Jeff and Kennedy Dean. Jeff and Kennedy, this is Chevy Faye," Summer points to a beautiful bright-redheaded girl and a slightly taller and broad blonde guy wearing glasses. Dean, they share a surname with Gray.

The redhead - Kennedy - extends her hand towards me, which I hesitatingly take. The guy, however,  says hi and continues to wrap his hand around Summers waist. I look back at the line - or more specifically, back at Gray Sebastian Dean, who is already staring at me, he's further down and closer to the grill.

"We saw you speaking with Gray Sebastian Dean," Kennedy's voice forces my head to swivel back to the scene before me. I don't answer, my throat is dry and my chest feels constricted.

"Is there a problem with that, Kennedy?" Summers threatening voice asks Kennedy as she unravels herself from Jeff's hands and comes over to my side where she slings her arm over my shoulders, supportingly. She raises her eyebrow in Kennedy's direction, which results in her smirking and rolling her eyes.

"Gray Sebastian Dean going for a non-Cali girl, would've never guessed it," Kennedy whispers under her breath but I hear her. 

Summer doesn't seem to notice as she spins me around, locking her arm with mine.

"I'll take you back to your man," she whispers playfully in my ear as we slowly stroll towards Gray.

"I have a boyfriend," I tell her, once again.

"So you say," she giggles, "Gray Sebastian Dean is a fine fellow," she says in a really awful British accent.

"Don't you think it's strange that everyone calls him by his full name all the time?" I ask her before we reach the person we speak of. She only smiles, sends a silent nod of acknowledgment in Gray's direction, let's go of me and starts to make her way back to Kennedy and Jeff.

"Kennedy allowed you to come back," it's more of a statement than a question. I turn to face him but he's staring off into the distance.

"No one controls what I do, Dean," his gaze meets mine. He looks as though he's about to say something but is interrupted as we reach the end of the line. He places his plate in front of him and the barbecue guy puts a 2 huge steaks, two bratwursts and 2 buns on it. He looks over to me expectantly.

I make my way around the barbecue guy to dish myself a salad, that no one seems to have touched at all. I like vegetables, I may be a minority in that department but I don't care, I'm also a vegetarian. 

I look around intensively, I've never eaten on the beach but is it not sort of impractical? I'm not sure about these people, but I don't think I really enjoy taste of sand in my food. I'm not speaking for everyone else's tastebuds though.

Everyone who was given their  meals all go back to sitting in a circle by the fire. I, however, am still Chevy Faye and Chevy Faye does not simply 'sit with people'.

Instead of walking back to the bench. I walk towards the shore, not close enough to be engulfed by salty water but enough to enjoy my time.

I sit down, admiring how carelessly free the ocean is.

Not even 10 seconds pass until I feel someone sit down next to me. I have a feeling it's the party's namesake. It might be because I'm a psychic but cynics will say that it's because of those chino pants of his that enter my peripheral vision.

"If I didn't know any better, I would think you're trying to get away from me," he mutters as I sigh, "but that can't be right because I'm Gray Sebastian Dean and girls don't do that," I pick up the sarcasm but don't give him a response. I take a bite of my green fresh lettuce and tomato, maybe if I stuff my face he won't expect an answer.