The Only One » cth [en]

7. jade loves the sand

"Hey, J. What are you up to?" I straighten my round glasses and stare at my cousin, who bursts into my room without knocking as he's used to.

He lays an arm over my shoulder as he takes a sneak peak at my sketches.

"I have to deliver them tomorrow." I inform him.

"You are so talented, cous."

I take my eyes off the paper and I lift an eyebrow, looking at him expectantly.

"What do you want, Irwin?"

I put my pencil down and he grabs my hands, lifting me up.

"We are going to the beach."

"We who?"

"Me, you and the guys."

"Ash, I really could think of better ways to spend my sunday."

"Jade." he extends my name for a few seconds. "For old times' sake, please? You can bring your drawings. It's March, we have to go as we still can."

"Will you buy me food?" I sigh, already convinced I have to get dressed.

Don't get me wrong, I love going to the beach. We've always spent our lives there when we were younger. Then we all became too lazy to go outside. Especially me.

"I always do. Calum is coming." Ashton winks at me before leaving my bedroom. I roll my eyes. That wouldn't  convince me. I'll keep telling myself that.

We have talked at the phone sometimes since last week. He's really nice. And he laughs at my terrible jokes!

I grab my purple ripped jeans, a grey sweater and my baggy denim jacket, which looks all dirty because I wear it all the time but I don't care. Don't judge me, it's windy already.

I put my a4 sized notebook and my pencil case in my patched backpack and take my phone off my charger, where some light indie rock invaded my spotify. I'm gonna screw my mobile up if I keep doing this.

"Gosh, you girls take so long to get ready." Ash says already waiting in the front porch when I get out.

"It took me 5 minutes to get ready, what are you so worked up about?"

"You'll see. You're driving." The guy in frot«nt of me throws me the keys which, after a bunch of strange hand movements in the middle of the air trying to catch them, I drop.

"Jade!"

"What? Deep down you knew I wouldn't catch it!"

"Fair enough. We're getting Calum first, cous."

"Stop smirking at me whenever you say his name!" I roll my eyes once again and grab the steering wheel with both my hands. 

"Are you into him?" I find myself smiling before denying which takes away my credibility.

"Ashton, stop! Either way you know he would never like me that way."

And when I look at the road, I still can see my cousin cracking a smile.

After Mali brings Calum to our car, we go off to Luke and Michael's shared apartment.

When we came here I insisted Ashton moved in with them, that I didn't mind living alone. Ash said that would be too much testosterone for one house but deep down I knew it was an excuse.

"Jade is driving? Sorry guys I'd rather live than go to the beach." Luke provokes when he enters the vehicle and I have to try my best to peacefully smile and not to kick him out.

"In a country where anyone can be anything, I'll never understand why you chose to be a jerk." I keep my smile on my face when I see him rolling his eyes on the mirror.

I turn on the radio and change it to my station.

"No way we're listening to your shit." the blonde in the back whines and I put 'my shit' playing a bit louder.

"Ashtoooon." Luke keeps complaining and the boy next to me just shrugs.

"It's the driver's pick, pal."

"You didn't strike me as a jazz girl." Calum speaks after a while and I smile.

"Well, I'm more of a jazzy covers girl but we are all a box of surprises, isn't that right?"

Within half an hour we get to our favorite beach and surprisingly, it's not that hard to park.

"We came an hour early." Ashton announces when we all get out of the car.

"That's why I'm always late, you come from the attendance industry." I close up the car and Michael points at Calum's hand with a suggestive smile to which I roll my eyes before offering the bleached boy a light punch.

After a heated exchange of looks between me and the other boys Calum asks "So what did you bring us here for?"

They start walking with stupid smirks on and I groan mentally reaching down for Calum's hand.

"Your hand is cold." I whisper and start walking pulling the asiatic looking boy with me.

"Yours is really warm." he mumbles and I smile, pretending I didn't hear.

Ashton finds us a good spot in the sand, putting down one of our table cloths where we can all sit.  I chuckle when I recognize the piece of fabric.

"Do you guys remember that little acoustic music festival our parents used to bring us to when we were little?" My cousin points to our side where some guys are arriving with two sound columns and I shriek making Luke cover his ears annoyed.

"It's today?" I ask excitedly.

"Yeah, we haven't come in a few years but Roy from middle school invited us because his band is playing."

"They haven't broken up? They were always fighting?" Michael laughs.

It's true, emo Roy was always picking up on his friends and vice versa.

"Surprisingly no. It's kind of a small town punk event, Calum, I thought you'd also like to come."

I turn to Calum, who was sitting next to me, and the grin on his face makes me smile too. I remember my mom used to tell me that smiles, tears and the flu are really contagious.

"Yeah, man, thanks. It must be really cool." 

On my other side is Luke, who has an ass frown on his face.

"What is it?" I whisper to him but he just rolls his eyes. Ugh, asshole.

I put my arms on my sides for support and accidentally bury one in the sand.

I've always been crazy about the sand. I know I find cool what most people find annoying. But I don't mind if it sticks in my hair or in other parts where sand shouldn't be.

"I love the sound of the sea." the dark-haired boy whispers next to me and I find myself admirink how his tone skin looks so much like the sand.