Dreamland

At The "Beach"

We'd arrived at the man-made beachy area. My friends, Lemon and Autumn, and I began to swim separately, having our own fun. Lemon has beautiful, shoulder-length, blonde, thick hair. She doesn't like it, though. She's dressed in an outgoing, frilly, yellow and blue bikini. It covers more than the average bikini. Autumn has gorgeous, red, wavy hair that trickles down her back majestically. Her freckles decorate her face, highlighting her bright blue eyes. She's dressed in a modest blue one piece suit with black swim shorts. She's insecure about her looks, much like me. I'm 5'4, almost 5'5. My hair is long, brown, thick, and curly. Right now it's tied up tightly on the upper back part of my head. My subtle bangs frame my face. My swimming suit is a modest, plain black one piece. I also have blue eyes that stand out with my dark hair. My hair and my eyes are two things that I actually like about myself.
I lower my eyes to the water lapping around me. It's beautiful and calming. Then I notice something sitting with the sand below that shouldn't be there. It's obviously out of place. I pick it up. What's a hat doing in the water? I look around to find it's owner. Someone stares back, making eye contact with me. He's a pretty boy my age. His hair is sandy blonde and his eyes display a light brown hue. He's sitting on a ledge, like that of a pool, nearby, his feet and calves submerged in the water. His hands were holding him up as he leaned back and watched, but as I approached him, he sat up, his hands folded on his lap, leaning forward. His smile could kill. But boys like that never like girls like me.
"Is this yours?" I tried to sound confident, but I felt as though I owed this boy something because I was somehow inferior to him, because he was pretty. He nodded and reached out, signaling for it, so I handed it to him. I started to swim back. He smirked. He held up the hat like he was about to throw it back into the water. I was unaware that he was looking for my reaction. I was confused and bewildered. Was he trying to lose his hat?
"What are you doing?" I asked in shock. His smirk was fed by my response to his actions.
"What, you don't want to play?" He teased.
Was he trying to play fetch with me, like a dog? My face reddened in embarrassment. He gazed at me knowingly, thinking that he had power over me. I wavered, knowing that if he threw it in, I would retrieve it. When I returned it, he would throw it back in. It was just a game to him, so that's what it should be for me as well. Just a game.
As I was lost in my thoughts, a plop in the water stole my attention. The hat slowly started to sink back to the bottom. It was right next to me. I grabbed it quickly and felt out of control of the situation. I obviously couldn't keep it, so I brought it back to him. Immediately, he threw it back in again, farther away this time. It's just a game. I swam towards it.
Another boy had witnessed and observed the situation. He knew what the boy with sandy hair was doing because they knew each other. It was wrong, so the new boy approached him. He was even more beautiful than the boy with sandy hair, his own hair crow black. His blue eyes glimmered in the light. They were filled with justice, kindness, and respect. He was the kind of guy that all of the ladies fell for. They sought him out, but he never lead them on. He wouldn't play with girls like toys just to abandon them. He wanted a partner, an equal, but this only added to their attraction to him.
As the boy with dark hair approached the boy with sandy hair, I was preoccupied. I didn't know either of them. I didn't hear their conversation.
"Hunter," said the boy with dark hair. "Why are you teasing that girl? You won't follow through. She's not a toy and she's certainly not your pet."
"But she's cuter like this. She's so oblivious and so emberassed. Why do you always have to get in the way of my fun, Gilbert?" Hunter didn't see that there was anything wrong with what he was doing.
"It isn't fun if the other person receives shame from your actions." I approached as their conversation was coming to a close. Hunter was seated, and Gilbert towered above him, arms crossed. They both looked at me, and I paused shyly, looking back at them. They seemed to be arguing or discussing something. Gilbert seemed to win, to which the other boy silently complained. As he left, I was even more confused. What do I do with his hat? What happened?
I unintentionally made eye contact with Gilbert. He smiled at me sadly and bent down, reaching out for the hat. My body automatically responded, handing it to him. He sat it down on the ground and then sat down, his calves and feet sinking into the water. He motioned for me to come closer, so I did. He was older than me and the other boy and he seemed responsible and kind. He put his large hand on my head and started to pet me, trying to comfort and calm me. I don't know why, but it felt nice. The water grazed my shoulders. I closed my eyes.
Suddenly, I felt hands gripping my torso, just below each of my armpits. I hope bed my eyes to find Gilbert sitting me down beside him. It scared and surprised me, but I wasn't opposed.
"Are you alright?" He spoke compassionately, concerned for me. Even though his words and actions were simple, they were sweeter than honey. No-one, not my friends or family, or even past boyfriends, had shown me the kindness that he had in the two or so minutes that I'd known him. I'd never felt warmth like his, like days of the sun beating down on my skin.
"Yeah, um... it was just a game." I fumbled, trying to find the words to speak. He was patient and he didn't make fun of me for taking too long. He just listened attentively.
"No, it wasn't. He was messing with you. He didn't want you for you, he just wanted to play with your feelings and see what he could make you do. And you did what he wanted." He looked as if he was broken, like I'd hurt myself. "Why?"
I didn't have the words to speak. I didn't have the thoughts to think. I didn't know how I felt in that moment. He stood up and reached for my hand. I took his and let him pull me to my feet. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and tapped a few things, then handed it to me. Contacts? Did he want my contact information?
I was confused but I put it in. After I hit the save button, I handed it back to him. He looked over the information and smiled.
"I'll send you a text so you have my phone number and so you know it's me. I'll see you later, Aria."
My heart skipped a beat and my voice refused to respond. What just happened?
Lemon and Autumn joined up with me shortly after, sharing their experiences excitedly. They noticed my change in demeanor but didn't interrogate me over it. I just went along with them like nothing happened, but what happened today had me thinking for days.