The Dangers Of The Damaged ✔︎

36 ↝ Brunette Rapunzel

"Yeah, when your heart's broken,
And he leaves, leaves the scars open,
Drunk crying on his shoulder,
That's when you get a little colder."
Colder - Nina Nesbitt

"Why did the monkey cross the road?" Kye snorts, grinning wildly as he widens his eyes at us.

"Why?" I humour him, setting down my beer bottle on the sand next to me.

It's nearly midnight, and the party's still going strong. A few minutes ago our group gathered around the bonfire, sitting on small stools and rocks just to hangout. I'm on my fourth or fifth drink, and I can already feel the alcohol buzzing in me.

"Because the chicken retired." Kye announces the punchline, looking extremely proud of himself.

Normally, he would've gotten teased for that lame joke. But at this point, since most of us are drunk, or atleast tipsy, we'll laugh at everything and anything. So, Kye got a roar of laughter as a response to his joke from our friends, including myself. Even Hunter, who's been stone sober, manages to crack a smile. Kye grins, satisfied by our reactions.

"You guys wanna go to the boardwalk?" Leo asks, gesturing with his head in that direction. The boardwalk has a long line of cute little shops, diners and cafè's, all facing the beach. There's a band playing music outside one of the restaurants, and foreigners and locals alike are wandering around the boardwalk, enjoying the food, music and gorgeous atmosphere. It looks extremely inviting.

Everyone agrees, so we all gather our things and walk together towards the boardwalk area that's only a few feet away from where we are. Our group walks in pairs most of the time, and now is no different. As we walk down the bustling street, Hunter gravitates towards me and falls into step beside me.

We walk past a small tattoo parlour that catches my attention. The front wall is entirely made of glass, providing a clear view of the inside, and I can see people getting tattoos done. Neon signs hung on the brick walls of the parlour, from quotes to shapes and symbols like hearts and stars. Muffled music plays from the inside, and I'm immediately intrigued by the place. Hunter notices my interest, but doesn't say anything as we keep walking.

"I would fucking kill for a cheeseburger right now." Miles groans, slipping an arm around Nessa's waist.

"I see a diner there," Isabelle points to a place a few feet away, where a neon yellow sign reads 'SUNNY DINER'

"Let's go check it out, I'm starving too." Kye finalises, sauntering towards the diner, and the rest of us follow him. The diner is beach themed, with bright yellow walls, fake palm trees placed in every corner, and outdoor seating on the back patio that opens up to the view of the beach. A waitress in a bright yellow sundress ushers us towards a table on the back patio, and we take seats, me in between Kye and Hunter. We're given menus to surf through while our waitress, Jenny, brings in our drinks.

Kye leans back in his seat, stretching his arms out above him. "That party was pretty great, huh?"

"You spent the whole night checking out asses. Of course it was great." Leo comments, to which Kye just shrugs, grinning wolfishly.

"What are the plans for tomorrow?" Kiara directs the question at Nessa, once the waitress walks away after taking our orders.

Nessa takes a sip of her iced tea, thinking. "Beach, and then lunch somewhere? And we could have a barbecue at night."

"Sounds great," Isabelle smiles, leaning her head against Leo, who ruffles her hair lovingly.

"I spied a few surfboards in that storage closet earlier today," Kye says, playing with the straw in his drink.