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THE BEACH WAS GORGEOUS. Although I didn't take to the water as Laura had, I thought it would be a great time to catch some rays of sun. I laid my purple towel on top of the white sand, sitting on top of it. My sunglasses were perched on the tip of my nose, watching the waves crash along the coast and Laura splashing in the waters.
The temperature now wasn't burning hot; it was hotter than I was used to but it still felt better than Minnesota. There were screams of joy in the background and cars passing by and I leaned back on my forearms, my eyes closing in the process. The sun beat down and I enjoyed the warmth that it gave off.
A few hours passed and I checked what time it was. Today was an off-day, but I intended to look at the rink before I started warming up tomorrow and actually performed any new programs on the ice. It was all exhilarating, coming across the country and being on brand new ice. I couldn't wait to feel the foreign ground under my skates, feeling the ice crush and break with each time my toepick hit it.
I began to collect my belongings and pulled my shorts on, not bothering to put the shirt on because my bathing suit top covered mostly everything. Only some of my midriff was exposed, but I managed to cover it with my towel that hung over my arm. I waved at Laura to grab her attention, holding her towel up in the air to signal that it was time for us to go.
She caught my eye and trudged out of the water with a groan. Laura walked towards me and grabbed the towel from my hand, drying herself off. There were families passing by and groups of friends that were singing loudly to music booming out of their radios. I rolled my eyes, waiting for the girl to finish situating herself. Laura took about ten minutes to get all the sand off her legs and to dry herself off completely, hopping into her own shorts and sending me a smile.
The two of us walked without talking to one another, enjoying each other's company. I hummed the tune to "Home" from Beauty and the Beast musical, playing with the loose threads of my bag. Neither of us said anything, it was as if we ran out of words because we talked so much in our dorm. I kicked a rock as we approached the dormitory building.
It felt like a treacherous walk from the beach all the way to our own room, and yet it only took fifteen minutes. Our dorm was on the fourth floor and towards the back of the building which meant we passed by many different atheletes, especially my least favorite hockey players. The officials thought it'd be a wonderful idea to put all the Americans on two floors, separated by their sport and a sign. Wonderful idea honestly.
Laura and I made our way upstairs, walking in sync. She waved and greeted people we passed by while I pulled my towel closer to myself. I really wasn't one to talk to strangers willingly unless they approach me first. Laura was always more of the social butterfly whenever we were together, but I still offered smiles to those who we moved past.
