Rolling Waves and Sandy Shores [NaNoWriMo Nov 2015]

Chapter TWO

Chapter TWO

The next morning I woke up to Kyle jumping on my bed yelling, "Can we go to the beach?!" I shoved him off my bed and rolled over, closing my eyes again.  "May, please?" I sighed and threw off my blankets, getting out of bed.
"Fine, we can go to the beach, but we need to find out how to get there first, Kyle.  Also, see if Ian and Tom want to come with us." Kyle ran out of my room cheering, and went to ask my mom where the beach was.  I ran a hand through my hair and approached the box containing my clothes. I rifled through it for roughly ten minutes, pushing aside everything that wasn't a bathing suit.  I was beginning to think I was looking through the wrong box when I finally found what I was looking for.  It was a white bikini that I only liked because it showed off my tan, which wasn't so great at the moment considering summer had just began. I quickly put it on, and threw my hair up in a bun. I went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth, and then looked in the mirror.  I had mid-back length black hair and turquoise eyes, which most people don't even know is an actual eye color.  It is, people.  Anyway, I was only five foot three, and apparently done growing, which sucked.  I normally wore black framed glasses, but I didn't want a glasses tan line so I chose not to wear them.  I donned a shirt and shorts over the bikini, and then walked out into the living room.
"May, I'm pretty sure the beach is just down the road.  I'm forcing Ian and Tom to go outside and get fresh air, so they're gonna head out with you.  I'm going to just drive around and get familiarized with the surroundings, because it took me nearly an hour to find the grocery store yesterday," said my mom.  "Here, take this."  I was handed a beach bag, with water and buckets and shovels inside. 
I slung the bag over my shoulder and asked, "Are the boys ready to go? I just want to grab my book, and then we can go."
"I'm ready!" exclaimed Kyle, running down the hall and skidding to a stop by my side.  "Ian is putting on his swimsuit, and I have no idea where Tom is," he informed me with a crooked smile. 
I ruffled his hair and yelled, "I'm leaving!" to the other boys.  Ian smacked open the bathroom door and exited, just as Tom came out of his room.  "Ready to go?" I asked, and walked out the door. 
Tom offered to carry the beach bag, so I shrugged it off and handed it to him, opting to hold Kyle's hand instead.  "Do you think they sell ice cream at the beach?" Ian wondered, trying to balance on the curb of the street.
"If there is, I'm game," I replied.  I was always up for some ice cream.  Especially chocolate peanut butter flavored.  That was honestly the best combination on earth.  Goodbye jelly, chocolate is here to stay. 
The beach turned out to be right down the road, just as my mom had said.  The water was a gorgeous light blue, unlike the gross green water back in New Jersey.  The waves were huge, the boardwalk was absolutely photo-worthy, even the sand was amazing.  There were people surfing, tubing, and water skiing.  Also, to Ian's delight, there was a snack bar that sold ice cream.  I honestly felt like I was in a movie.  Kyle's face lit up, and he ran for the water, but I caught the back of his shirt.  "We have to find somewhere to set down our stuff first," I told him, and the four of us walked down to the water, finding an empty spot near the shore. 
I took off my shirt and shorts, as did Kyle and Ian.  "I think I'm just going to stay up here, maybe do some reading," said Tom.  It was 99 degrees, and I was too hot to complain.  I just nodded and ran into the water along with Kyle and Ian.  The relief was instant, the cool water refreshing against my feet, which had been burning on the hot sand.  I went underwater, and held my breath before returning to the surface, taking in a breath of air.  Ian and Kyle were splashing each other, laughter escaping their mouths.  I shook my head and laughed a little, all while marveling at the gorgeous scene.  The water looked like a postcard, with little colorful fish swimming just beneath the surface.  I was a big marine science nerd, having taken the course as an elective in my freshman year at my old school, which was practically unheard of.  Now I'm 16, and going into my junior year.  Apparently the school year had just ended for the schools in Centerport, so I had the whole summer in this gorgeous place to look forward to. 
I dived under the water and opened my eyes.  The salt in the water burned them, but it was worth it.  The water was so clear, I could actually see the schools of tiny fish swimming together through the water.  I came up for air, only to get a mouthful of water anyway.  I coughed and looked in front of me, only to see Ian getting ready to splash me again.  "You're on!" I yelled, sending water his way.  Kyle joined in on the fun, splashing Ian directly in the face.  I burst out laughing, and we kept splashing until our stomachs hurt from laughing and our eyes stung from the water.
When lunchtime came around, I grabbed Ian and Kyle and we went back to where Tom was sitting with our bag. 
"Do you want to go up to the boardwalk for lunch?  It seems like there's decent places to eat up there," asked Tom.
"We'll have to put on our shoes and clothes, but that sounds great."  I sat down, my wet butt and legs probably getting covered in sand.  Ian tossed me my shorts and shirt, hitting me in the face in the process.  "Thanks," I muttered while pulling on my shorts.  I felt something in my pocket, and checked to see what it was.  I pulled out a tube of chapstick, and practically cheered.  I was a big supporter of always having chapstick.  In my opinion, everyone should carry around a tube of chapstick.  Finding it in my shorts was just one of the small victories in life.
Tom rolled his eyes at me and got up, brushing the sand off of his shorts.  He clearly did not agree with me.  Fair enough.  It's his loss, really.  When he gets a girlfriend, he'll want smooth lips, and he'll admit that I was right all along.  I'm awaiting that day.
Anyway, we finished getting ready, and we headed for the boardwalk.  The wood it was made out of was really nice, with no splinters, thank God.  "Can we go there?" asked Ian, pointing at a cute little sandwich shop to our left.
"Yeah, let's go!" I said, and we pushed open the door.  A bell rang as we entered the shop, and the smell from inside was absolutely amazing.  There was a sign saying 'Best sandwiches since forever' on the wall.  The walls were wooden, as was the door.  There was a plump woman behind the counter who waved us over.  The shop was fairly empty, there was only a couple sitting in a booth in the corner.  I walked over to the woman and asked, "How are you?"
"Oh, how polite of you to ask!  I'm just wonderful, my dear.  Now, what would you like for lunch?" She replied, smiling at us.  Her smile was contagious, she had all of us smiling in return.  We ordered our food, and sat down in a booth.  The sandwiches were delicious, I'd honestly prefer them to any restaurant, and I don't think I was alone in that thought either.  Tom, Ian, and Kyle were enjoying themselves immensely.  When we finished, we thanked the woman behind the counter, whose name was Mrs. Jones.
"Can we still get ice cream?" asked Kyle, a pleading look in his eyes.
"I don't see why not.  Ian, do you still want ice cream?" I asked, but Ian shook his head.
"I just want to swim some more.  Those sandwiches filled me up."
"I'll stay with Ian," Tom told me, and I nodded.  While they went back to our spot on the sand, I took Kyle to the snack bar.
"Kyle, it looks like it's closed," I said sadly.  I was looking forward to that ice cream.  The lights were on, and the pretzels and hot dogs were cooking, but there was simply no one working in there.  "I guess we'll have to either get ice cream tomorrow, or we can wait for whoever is supposed to be here.
"Can we please wait? I really want ice cream! Pretty pretty please?" begged Kyle.  How could I say no to an eight year old boy with big blue eyes that stared into my soul? 
"Alright, fine, but we can't wait for too long because I want to swim some more before going home.  Deal?"
"Deal."  There were little round tables around the snack bar, so Kyle and I took a seat across from each other.
"Kyle, turn around for a second," I said, and he did, exposing his bright red back.  "Your whole entire back is bright red, Kyle." I told him.
"How am I going to impress the ladies if my back is red?!  I look like a lobster!" Kyle was mortified, but I couldn't help but laugh.  He was clearly learning from Ian, who was obsessed with impressing girls. 
"Don't worry Kyle, you'll just look like Larry the lobster from Spongebob." I said, and he looked up.
"Larry is so cool!" he exclaimed.
"See, maybe looking like a lobster is a good thing! Larry get a lot of ladies, right?"  Kyle nodded, and I stood up.  "Kyle, we've been waiting for a while and there's still no one here," I said, and walked over to the snack bar.  Those pretzels were gonna burn pretty soon.  Kyle looked over the counter, gazing at the ice cream longingly.
"Fine, I guess we can come back tomorrow," sulked Kyle, crossing his arms in irritation.  I grabbed his hand and turned around, only to hit something and fall.  I fell onto my butt,and looked up to see a girl with shoulder-length brownish-gold hair. 
"I am so sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you, I was running late for my shift at the snack bar! Are you okay?" She stuck out a hand to help me up, and I took it, smiling at her.
"Oh, don't worry about it, I'm fine.  We were actually waiting for you.  Can you get my brother some ice cream?" I asked the girl while she opened the door for the snack bar.
"Of course.  I'm Kate McKenna by the way.  I haven't seen you around here before.  Are you visiting?" She wondered while scooping out Kyle's ice cream.
"Actually we just moved here yesterday from New Jersey.  I'm May, and this is my little brother Kyle.  I have two other brothers, but they're back on the beach."
Kate handed Kyle his ice cream and said, "Are you going to stay here and eat the ice cream?  I can tell you about the town and the people here if you want.  You know, to familiarize you.  It's okay if you say no, I won't be offended." She blurted out, and I smiled.
"Yeah, we were planning to stay and eat anyway," I answered, and she beamed.  I was already starting to like her.