too young for this

chapter 17 | chocolate cookies

"She's not picking up," I say, gnawing on my lip as I listen to the hollow ring of the phone.
My eyes travel over Mari and Jamie who wait for me to alert them if Charlotte answers her phone.

I place it down onto the bedsheets, saying, "We can just call again later."

They nod and Valentina suggests from the edge of the other bed, "Let's go swim! It is the whole point of a beach."

"That sounds fun," Alexi says, smiling.

"You guys know we don't have swimsuits, meaning we'll have to wear our underwear," Mari says, furrowing her brows.

"I have tons of swimsuits, and so does Lexi. We can lend you all some." Val says, digging in her bag of clothes.

She pulls out a couple sets of bikinis, the bottoms look a little too small for me and the tops too big.

Valentina has a much shorter frame than me and a wider chest, whereas I have a longer torso with quite a flat chest in comparison.
Nonetheless, I take a black pair, walking into the washroom to change hurriedly.

I slip off my skirt and t-shirt, replacing them with the small pieces of cloth.

I laugh audibly as I study myself in the mirror. The bottoms fit okay but the top looks like I could fit a whole circus in the negative space.

I hear Val in the other room asking, "What is it?"

"My tits are way too small," I say, grinning wildly.

I open the door, pinning the fabric to my skin with my fingers so as to not display anything without meaning to.

"As you can see," I say, posing dramatically.

Mari muffles a giggle with the palm of her hand, "I'm sorry, it's just, the word 'tits'. I can't take it seriously."

Val lets out a snicker while Jamie's lips part in a jovial smile. Alexi eyes me. To say he was blushing would be under-exaggerating, his face was red like cherries, hair tumbling over his brows, parted in the middle.

Suddenly shy, I grab one of my black bras, slipping back into the washroom and unclipping the top. I shrug on my normal bra, eyeing myself in the mirror.  My hair is crusted with salt from the ocean, frizzier than usual.

I step out again, "Alright, I'm done."

I sit down on the bed, beside Alexi. Jamie turns around to face me, looking down at me. A look I can't decipher plays across his face. He swallows audibly, turning away.

I look down hurriedly, dragging my fingers through my hair as to detangle the strands.
I begin to braid my hair at the back, the motions of my fingers feeling natural after doing so for my whole life.
I tie it off with a rubber band from my wrist.

The others get dressed, one by one taking their turns in the washroom. Eventually, we're all stepping out into the sun.

I step with the rest of them towards the beach, where many others swim in the water, play music, kiss, and tan. My nerves are buzzing radically, enticed by the memory of last night.

I beam, slipping off my shoes and wiggling my toes in the rough sand.

Looking behind me, Mari has taken Valentina's hand in hers and is guiding her into the water. Val's ears redden to the color of roses as she looks at her in complete admiration.

Jamie also watches them, head tipped slightly with a look that told one that his heart was aching.

Suddenly, Alexi comes up behind me, bolting into the water and jumping in with a loud splash.