Where Two Collide

Chapter Fifty-Four - Alice

Chapter Fifty-Four

Alice

We claimed an area of the beach, the whole stretch of which belonged to Ashton's dad's hotel which overlooked the whole thing. The usual crowd from school helped me set up, and by the time we were done, it looked like one of those over the top tiki party's they throw for tourists at a resort abroad.

There were strings of flowered fairy lights surrounding the area which we'd propped up on bits of driftwood. We dotted pretty lanterns, more colourful flowers and little tiki figurines around the beach for added effect, and we'd set up one of those long plaster tables for snacks and drinks, which I'd then wrapped a grass skirt around to make it fit the aesthetic.

I'd made a punch, which Rachel had immediately spiked with a whole bottle of rum, and the boys had brought a huge keg that they were now trying to figure out how to tap, whilst a massive set up speakers Dan had brought down blasted music at us.

It had been beautifully sunny all day and I was enjoying the feeling of sand between my toes as I walked barefoot around our little camp. I was wearing an off the shoulder dress covered in large pink flowers, the skirt was flowy and billowed as I walked, it made me feel like I was on holiday. It was still spring, so although it was warm, it wasn't quite sunbathe in your bikini weather.

"Happy birthday!" people shouted at me as they started to arrive. Most had brought their own drinks. Any excuse to get completely wasted.

I smiled back and gave them a wave before heading to top up my punch in my pineapple shaped cup. I'd pretty much invited everyone in our year and the year above us, as generally a lot of them were friends or friends of friends, and I really didn't like leaving people out. I was starting to regret it now though, as the bonfire was surrounded and our party over spilled out onto the rest of the beach.

I saw Cat wander in with Travis, she looked completely uncomfortable with the growing numbers of people, and for the second time that day I felt guilt. I should not have made her come.

Cat was holding a huge roll of paper, and I watched as she unfurled it and Travis helped her fix it between two of our driftwood posts. She had made the sign!

Written in beautiful calligraphy was Happy Seventeenth Birthday to the Attwood Twins, followed by lots of tiny sketches matching my beach theme.

Travis stepped back to admire the work and gave Cat a thumbs up, and she grinned back at him in a way I rarely saw her do with other people. I wished she would date him; they would make such a great pairing and he really wasn't bad looking.

I plonked myself down on the sand between two pink paper lanterns and stretched my arms out behind me. There were clouds rolling in over my head, plump grey ones. I hoped they'd keep going, rain would completely ruin the theme I was going for here.

I was sat back, enjoying the melody of Symphony by Clean Bandit drifting from the speakers. That's when I heard the whispers. There was a group of girls stood just behind me, on the other side of one of the strands of flower lights, somebody said my name and my ears pricked up to the conversation.

"I don't think it was as bad as Alice made out," a girl's voice whispered. "I think she's just an attention seeker, so she's just been making out like it was this big dramatic thing when it probably wasn't really anything at all. There probably wasn't even a car, she probably just tripped on a road or something."

I felt my cheeks burn. Were they talking about the car accident? I'd barely said a word about it to anyone, most of what had gone around the school was stuff that Owen had said, but now apparently, I was the one looking for attention?