The Switch

Chapter 4: Will

Once inside the cinema room, Hayley and I find our seats. We were lucky enough to get four seats all in a row. Despite this being a random chick-flick, it seems pretty popular. Who knows, maybe I'll even end up liking it.

I'm just glad we didn't choose a horror movie, because I'd rather not see my girlfriend huddled up next to another guy–even if that guy is my best friend. Speak of the devil, Kyle and Courtney are entering the row of seats and take the two next to me and Hayley.

Hayley decided that she didn't want popcorn and I didn't really want any either, so we didn't buy any. Kyle and Courtney did and that's what caused them to come in a bit later. Even though I'm pretty sure nothing is going on between them, it's still good that we're all sitting together. That way, they can't sit in the back of the theater and make out like stupid teenagers.

We're all responsible adults, right? We can handle a little bit of fun. Okay, maybe this is slightly reckless but we're still responsible.

The notice to turn off your phone or put it on silent crosses the screen so I take my phone out. I shove it back in my pocket after putting it on silent. The movie starts shortly after that and soon, Hayley is leaning her head on my shoulder.

***

To my surprise, it was actually a decent movie. I was expecting it to be cheesy and overdone. Well, it was cheesy but it wasn't too overdone. I think Hayley was sleeping, though. Some parts of the movie were a bit dull and it gave me the opportunity to watch Kyle and Courtney.

Luckily, they didn't do anything. Per Hayley's idea, we're now walking from our apartments to the beach. She said it was too nice of a day to miss going back so here we are. When we get to the beach, we struggle to find somewhere to put our things. It's pretty crowded right now, which isn't surprising.

"Hayley, do you wanna go to the water while they look for somewhere to put our stuff?" Courtney asks her.

"Sure," she replies before removing her swimsuit cover.

I watch as Courtney does the same and they skip down to the ocean. "Always leaving us with shit to do," Kyle mutters, shaking his head.

With a shrug, I say, "Yeah, but you're willing to do it, right?"

"I guess, yeah."

Looking around, I spot a clear area and rush over to it. Kyle catches up a couple seconds later and puts our stuff down. I sit down on the sand and gaze at the ocean. Hayley was right, it would've been a shame to not come here today.

"Do you love Hayley?" I ask Kyle, looking over at him now that he's sitting next to me.

He looks taken aback by my question. "What?"

"Do you love her?" I come again, pursing my lips.

"Sure I do. Do you love Courtney?"

I lean back onto my hands and stretch my legs out in front of me. "Of course I love her."

Kyle nods, taking in what I said. He doesn't say anything for a decent amount of time. "Why did you ask me that?"

"I'm just curious. She's a great girl, she deserves someone who loves her," I explain.

"Well yeah, we've known her for the same amount of time. I already know that. I do love her," he says, getting defensive.

"Mhm," I sound out.

He turns to me. "Is this about the past day and a half?"

I shrug and he glares at me. "If it is, you have no right to chastise me over it. You've done the exact same things with Hayley that I've done with Courtney."

"Yeah, I'm aware."

Kyle looks back at the ocean. We're quiet for the next half an hour. Neither of us wants to acknowledge that we're both probably in the wrong. We did all agree to this, but it doesn't seem right. I look at the water, trying to spot the girls, but to no avail.

I wonder where they are. It's been a while since they left. I'm sure they're fine, though.

Another fifteen minutes pass of me and Kyle not speaking to each other. He's on his phone now, blocking out the rest of the world. I roll my eyes. Sometimes I wonder why he's my best friend. He's been a dick lately.

That's another thing I wonder about: his mood swings. They've become more and more frequent. Usually, they only last for a day or two, but this one has lasted for almost a week. I get that he's always been a more moody person, but this is getting slightly out of hand. Always acting distant or angry around us.

I can tell that Hayley gets the brunt of his issues. It seems to take a toll on her every once and a while, but unfortunately, I think she's used to it.

Five more minutes have passed. I'm beginning to worry. "Kyle, have you seen the girls since they left?" I ask, breaking the silence.

All he does is grunt, not bothering to look away from his phone. Wonder how he would feel if I dumped some water on him right now. I groan and stand up, starting my search for Courtney and Hayley. Once I'm at the edge of the water I call their names.

No response from either of them comes back. "Courtney, Hayley!" I call again.

Still nothing. I walk down the shore, the water lapping at my ankles. Calling their names again, my worry increases. Kyle finally runs up to me. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for our girlfriends, you idiot," I seethe.

"How long have they been gone?"

I give him the death stare. "Are you serious right now? Are you really that oblivious?"

He holds his hands up as if saying, "It's not my fault!"

With a roll of my eyes, I continue my search. The girls are nowhere to be found. I call their names again just as something grabs me from behind.

I yelp and hear Kyle's girly scream. When I turn around, I see Hayley and also Courtney who's standing behind Kyle. Laughing, I watch as Kyle turns around. "Listen- I wasn't the one who screamed. It was Will."

"Wooow, way to throw a brother under the bus," I say, half-annoyed.

"What? It's true. You screamed," he says, trying to play it off like he didn't just scream like a little girl.

Shaking my head, I shoot back, "Actually, I'd classify what I did as a manly yell. You sir, screamed like a little girl."

That makes Hayley and Courtney laugh. I laugh along with them as Kyle stares us all down. "Oh, come on. Don't be such a grouch, Kyle," I tell him.

He rolls his eyes and starts to walk back to where we put our things. We all follow him and despite his attitude, we enjoy the rest of our day.