The Beach(:

A Chapter by Autumn

Chapter Three

Ryan pulled out of the parking lot and drove out onto the road as I pulled my phone out off of the dash board and texted Ashley:

We will b there in bout 10.

I slid the phone back onto the dash board smiling at Ryan. I reached and turned the dial on the radio up. The music was booming in the car as we rode down the highway. I tapped my foot to the beat of the bass against the foot board. We were almost to the beach and I began to get anxious. I could smell the water and see the sun reflecting off of the beautiful waves. Seagulls swarmed the ocean in the distance. I smiled wide and Ryan chuckled, he knew how much I loved the ocean, yet the water alone.

Ryan began to pull into the parking lot by the beach. I opened up my door and got out before Ryan even turned off the truck. He smiled and shook his head side to side when he shut it off and got out.

He grabbed his new shorts and went to the restrooms to change while I got the things out of the truck. I grabbed my bag of stuff and took off my shoes and put them down the side of it. I put the towels over the side of it and grabbed my cell phone and put it in there also. I stood there for a few minutes as the wind through blew my hair. I finally came back to my mind and I looked down to see that I had goosebumps on my arms. I chuckled to myself and a gust of wind blew and made the towel fall off my bag. I bent over to pick it up and I felt something lightly grab my waist. I stood up so fast it made my head hurt and I squeaked in the process. I turned around to see Ashton standing there smiling, trying his hardest not to laugh.

I whimpered a little saying, “That was not funny. You almost gave me a heart attack.”
I bent over to pick up the towel when I heard Ryan say, “I have to say that was pretty funny,” he handed me his change of clothes, “Will you put these in the bag too please?” he smiled kissing my cheek.

I did as he asked then draped the towel back over the bag, “Well I didn't see anything hilarious,” I shut the door with my free hand.

Ashton chuckled more as Ryan replied, “I didn't say hilarious. I said funny.”

“Okay whatever,” I rolled my eyes.

“No not whatever,” he imitated me, “I love you and I don't like it when you're mad.”

“I'm not mad but I don't like it when people do bad imitations,” I said turning around and walking towards Ashton.

I looked at Ashton, staring at him. He was just as gorgeous but in a different way. I've always had a crush on him but I have always denied it to everyone because I didn't want Ryan to ever find out. People always called Ashton “emo” but I liked him. He was very skinny, his black hair hung in front of his face a little bit and he had two piercings in the bottom of his lip, one on the left and one on the right centered; snakebites. He wasn't really tan but he wasn't a ghost either, he was about the same height as me; five-six. Hes got the most beautiful brown eyes ever and he's been my best friend for a long time. He's one of the most random people I know, but I've learned to deal with it.

I kept staring at his body thinking how cute he was, Ashton just stood there looking back at me.

I thought to myself, He's dazzling me with his beautiful body, it's so not fair!

“You okay Kaylee?” Ryan asked as he kissed the top of my head.

Ashton looked away as Ryan kissed me. I always thought Ashton had felt the same way about me as I had about him, but sometimes I thought different.

“Yeah, I'm fine Ryan,” I said facing Ryan but looking at Ashton, who was turned away, walking towards the beach. I was trying so hard to focus on talking to Ryan instead of Ashton's body.

Ryan grabbed my hand and we walked behind Ashton.

“Ashton?” I called smiling.

“Yeah,” he spun around.

“Can you carry this for me?” I motioned to the bag that was beginning to grow heavy in my hand.

“Yeah, me and my manliness can carry it just fine,” he said with a big obnoxious smile on his face.

I handed him the bag and his eyes got huge as if it was really, really heavy.

I giggled at him covering my mouth with my free hand.

“Kaylee?” Ryan asked, rolling his eyes unimpressed by Ashton.

“What?” I asked, me and Ashton both looking at him.

“I forgot my surfboard,” he sighed.

“Then go get it, I won't miss you too much,” I laughed and he laughed nervously. I think he really didn't want to leave me with Ashton.

“Okay, I'll meet you on the beach,” he told me, letting my hand fall from his. I watched him for a few seconds then turned back to Ashton.

“Gosh, whats his problem?” Ashton said raising his eye brows.

“Sadly, he doesn't like my friends, including you,” I sighed and began to walk again beside Ashton.

“Why?”

“I wish I knew.”

We were almost to the shore I could see Erika and Bryan from where I was standing. Erika was wearing a black, red, and white striped bikini and Bryan was wearing a pair of black swimming shorts with flames going up the leg.

I seen Bryan sitting beside Erika finishing up a lotion job on her, they were so cute together. He set the bottle of lotion in a dark blue and green bag.

I just then realized someone was missing, “Where's Ashley?” I asked Ashton.

“Oh, she went home,” he said sighing.

“Why?”

“I.. I think she was sick or something,” he said trembling as he spoke.

“Oh.”

We were still walking as the sun shone bright in the nice summer breeze and you could hear the waves splashing against the shore.

“Kaylee?!” Bryan yelled. I haven't seen him in a long time it seemed.

Ashton leaned towards me a little and whispered, “He misses you.”

“Hey Kaylee,” Erika waved.

Bryan ran over and hugged me picking me up and squeezing me. I tried to wave back but I was in mid air and kinda afraid of being dropped.

“I missed you,” Bryan exclaimed.

Ashton chuckled some, “See I told you.”

“Told you what?” Bryan asked being nosy.

“Nothing you need to know,” Ashton laughed teasing Bryan. “Its top secret,” he whispered.

Bryan felt left out because Ashton wouldn't let him in on our secrets so Bryan took the defensive side as he always did, “You have the girl carrying your stuff for you, Kaylee?”

“Oh girl now, I see how it is,” Ashton said lightly throwing my stuff onto the ground towards Erika, chasing after Bryan.

I could hear Ashton yelling at Bryan,” If I'm a girl why do I have a penis?!”

Bryan running in full sprint mode from Ashton yelled over his shoulder, “'Cause you're a transvesdiet you homo!”

That's the typical Bryan and Ashton for you. I chuckled to myself, they were so funny.

I seen Ashton dive onto Bryan's back, tackling him in the distance. Everyone in a fifty foot radius was staring, pointing, and talking about them I knew it and could see it.

“They haven't changed a bit,” I said still looking in the distance at them but talking to Erika.

“Yeah, I know,” Erika said simply.

Erika is a small quiet girl. She hardly talks but when she wants to talk she can really get going. I have known her for a very long time, she and I have never been real close with her but she has always been one of my friends.

“Hey babe,” Ryan came walking up behind me with his surfboard, smiling.

“You were gone so long I almost forgot about you,” I said teasing him.

A frown formed on his face so I reassured him that I was only kidding.

He stuck his board into the dirt and came over and kissed me. I kissed back at first then he started to push really hard against my lips. I pushed him back off me.

“Stop it.”

I knew what he was doing. He was trying to make Erika feel uncomfortable, he knew how much she hated being around people when they were "macking" she called it.

I glared at him and he put on another big obnoxious smile.

“Not funny,” I hissed at him through my teeth.

Ryan started to walk towards his surfboard as I looked at Erika. She was looking down, she looked so sad. Ryan can be a sweetheart but he also could be an a*****e too.

I took my towel off my bag and laid it beside Erika's on the ground

“I'm gunna catch some waves hon,” Ryan pulled his surfboard out of the dirt and ran towards the water. He threw the surfboard into the water and jumped on top of it. I didn't pay anymore attention to him while he was in the water.

I turned towards Erika my back facing the water, “You okay?”

She looked up from her hands she was fidgeting with, “Yeah, why dose he do that?”

I sighed not having a specific answer, “ I don't know. He has his a*****e moments I guess.” I tried a fake smile, which made her smile too.

I grabbed my sunglasses out of my bag and slid them onto my face. I was starting to sweat from the heat so I grabbed the bottom of my shirt and began to slide it over my body when I heard someone whistling at me from behind. I pulled my shirt over my head and turned to look behind me to see Ashton with a gigantic smirk on his face. I giggled some to myself, “Oh knock it off.”

If Ryan had heard Ashton whistling at me Ryan would have beat the crap out of him. I shuddered at the thought of it. I don't know why Ashton doesn't think Ryan is scarey, he is a big monster compared to Ashton. I wouldn't want to see them in a fight, actually if they did get in a fight I probably would have to break it up if I could.

I shook the thought from my mind as Ashton said, “Can't I whistle at the hottie on the surfboard?”

I knew Ashton was whistling at me and not Ryan because he hasn't dated a guy in four years. All the other people he dated had been girls, which wasn't that many.

I slipped off my shorts and fixed the bottoms to my bikini and laid back. The sun felt good on my stomach, I haven't did anything so relaxing in a very long time.

Ashton sat down beside me and I asked teasingly, “What do you want?”

“Okay whatever, then I'll leave,” Ashton said sadly.

“I'm just kidding, chill,” I said as I fixed my sunglasses.

“I can't chill when its ninety degrees outside,” he said smilingly.

I giggled to myself saying, “Okay, you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he chuckled out.

Just then I realized Erika had left. I sat up looking around the beach for her I didn't see her but I did see a couple of girls looking at Ryan on his surfboard. Oh, what they would give to be me.

I looked around more for Erika when Ashton realized it, “What's wrong, Kaylee?”

“Where's Erika and Bryan?” I asked looking at him.

“They went for a walk,” he laughed, “They're talking.” After he had made his comment he made a kissy face, laughing more.

“Ashton don't say that Ryan was just being an a*****e to her.”

“Oh, sorry. What did he do?”

I crossed my legs getting comfortable, “He really kissed me in front of Erika, making her feel uncomfortable.”

I was silent thinking about what had happened when Ashton asked, “Kaylee?”

“Yeah?” I replied.

“Can I ask you a question?” Ashton looked down as he spoke.

I smiled at him even though he couldn't see me, “Of course anything.”

Ashton looked up at me, “Do you ever wish he was someone else?”

“No,” I paused for a moment and thought, “Well yeah, but only when hes rude like that though.”

“Really?” Ashton looked at me shocked.

“Mhmm,” I mumbled out.

Ashton is by best friend and I would never lie to him.

I looked in the distance and seen Ryan walking up to me. He walked up to me and kissed my forehead as I handed him a towel to dry himself off, “Thanks babe.”

I could see Erika and Bryan walking along the shore in the distance holding hands.

Ryan sat down beside me on the towel I was sitting on.

I felt kind of bad for Ashton because he had no one. No one even thought of Ashton in a boyfriend kind of way. There was only one person that I knew of.

I laid back again on the towel with Ryan sitting beside me.

Ashton had turned away from me but I could see him looking at me through the corner of his eye, I knew he felt uncomfortable.

“Ryan?” I said as I looked over at him.

“Yeah?” he responded.

“Is your truck unlocked?” I asked curiously.

“Yeah, why?”

“I think my water is in your truck. It was in my bag but it isn't in there now. I'm going to go get it.”

“Okay we hurry back,” he smiled lightly.

“I will.” I turned to Ashton saying, “Wanna come with?”

“Yeah I suppose,” Ashton said as he got up.

I grabbed the extra towel that was laying beside Ryan with which he dried off with and threw it across my shoulders. I grabbed my flip flops and put them on and started walking towards the truck with Ashton. As we left the spot we were sitting at I heard Ryan mumble something under his breath. I kept walking by Ashton's side in silence until he broke it when we were out of Ryan's sight saying, “Why didn't you just have Ryan come with you? He's your boyfriend, not me.”

I chuckled to myself, “Just because he's my boyfriend doesn't mean we are conjoined at the hip you know.”

He smiled some, “It seems, just different, I guess.”

“I actually wanted to talk to you,” I smiled shyly.

“About?” he asked, curious.

“Stuff,” I said simply.

“Like?” he questioned again.

“Well, you were uncomfortable when you were sitting by me and Ryan,” I said as we walked.

“Oh , that was noticeable?” he said looking at me.

“Just a little bit,” I replied with a half smile.

“I'm sorry Kaylee,” he looked down, still walking.

“Ash, don't be sorry. It's my fault.”

His eyes lit up and he stopped walking and looked at me.

“What?” I asked.

“You.. you called me Ash,” he had an ear to ear smile on his face.

“I guess I did, didn't I.”

“You haven't called me that in a while.”

“Yeah I know,” we started walking again.

When we were little I use to call him Ash. When I call him Ash it reminds us of the good times when we were little and we were the closest friends that there could ever be. We told each other everything that happened and everything that we thought; everything.

“You should start calling me that again,” he looked at me as we walked to see the expression.

“I'll try to remember,” I punched him lightly on his shoulder.

He punched me back but lighter, “Yeah, yeah.”

I reached out and I opened the back passenger door looking for my water bottle I came in search of.

“Oh here it is,” I said as I climbed onto the seat and grabbed it off the floor behind the drivers seat.

I climbed back out and handed the water bottle to Ash, “You want a drink?” I closed the back door and opened the front passenger door as he screwed off the cap and took a light sip of the water.

“Mmmm,” he said rubbing his tummy, “good water.”

I grabbed the pack of gum in the side off the door as a bag of white powder fell onto the ground I picked it up not thinking as some poured out, “You want a piece?” I nodded to the gum.

“Sure, of course,” he smiled taking a piece that I handed him and screwing the cap back onto the bottle top. He grabbed the piece of gum and unwrapped it putting it into his mouth and I put the package of gum back into the side of the door, shutting it as we walked back to the shore where Ryan was.

When we got back to the shore Ashton and I sat down beside Ryan. Ashton sat on my left side and Ryan sat on my right. Just as I sat down, Ryan leaned over and gently kissed me on the lips and me, not thinking, kissed back a slight second before I remembered what Ashton had said.

I reacted by pulling out of the kiss a little to fast which worried Ryan. “You okay?”

“Yeah I'm fine, “ I said sheepishly, glancing over at Ashton who was trying to do his best to ignore us by looking away. I leaned towards him and flicked the back of his head,

“Ouch, what was that for?!” Ashton asked surprised.

“I don't know, I was bored,” I said giggling, looking at him as he smiled at me.

“Come on Ash, that was suppose to be funny,” I complained.

Ashton let out sarcastic laugh saying, “That was totally hilarious!”

“I know right,” I giggled.

"By the way Kaylee, I'll be getting you back for flicking me, " he put on evil smile as it slowly spread across his face.

"Okay, whatever," I said not beleving him.

"Kaylee?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah Ryan," I turned towards him.

"I'm going to go out to the bathrooms I'll be right back Kaylee, you better behave yourself."

"I'll try my best."

Ryan got up and walked over to the bathroom as Bryan came back.

I looked at Bryan, "Where's Erika?"

"Oh she went for a ride, she'll be back in a little while."

Ashton smiled big. I knew what he was thinking or atleast I thought I knew.

I ignored them for a little while as I layed back and relaxed, as they walked away talking about whatever as I fall asleep under the sun.

I awake again as Bryan and Ashton were laughing behind me. I opened my eyes and seen the sun was starting to set and a cool breeze swept over my body rustling my hair. I sat up and looked at them, running my fingers through my hair tiredly. My eyes focused as I seen Ashton whispering something in Bryans ear. They both looked at me as they laughed harder. I could bearly hear them but I heard my name escape their lips, " I know you're talking about me," I said rolling my eyes.

They competely ignored me and kept whispering to each other, staring at me like creeps. I chose to move my attention to the lake which was beautiful as the sun began to slowly melt over it.

I heard Ashton and Bryan yelling, "One, two, three, go!" They were running over to me.

I turned around as they picked me up, "What the hell?!" They carried me over to the lake trudging through the water.

"You haven't got in the water yet have you Kaylee?" Ashton said as him and Bryan easily carried me into the water with an evil smile on his face.

Oh no! I realized what they were doing now.

"Put me down you two right this instant or so help me I'll hurt you!" I screamed. I wanted to try to struggle more than I already was but I didn't want to fall into the cold water. I knew they were going to put me in the water but maybe I could talk them out of it. I tried to squirm more but Bryan and Ashton had my arms locked into place, I couldn't move. They trudged into the water now up to their waist.

"Put me down!" I regretted saying that once it was out of my mouth.

They both looked at each other and smiled, "Okay." I splashed into the cold water which has been cooled by the sunset. I held my breath as I fell into the water the coldness surrouding me. I stood as fast as I could as wiped back my drenched hair and wiped my eyes, clearing the water from them. The two boys were running through the water slowly as they tried to get away from me. I ran through the water as fast as I could, bringing my legs up high above the water trying to run faster.

"You little-" I cut myself off, stopping while I was ahead.

They were chuckling so loudly I don't think they could even hear me anyways. The breeze felt cold against my skin as the sun sank lower and lower over the horizon as I got to the shore.

Ryan was back, he stood there with one hand over his mouth, trying with all his might not to laugh. My face was red from being upset and I was actually having a nice little nappy under the sun.

I threw my hands up in the hair, "Seriously right now?! Not even close to being funny!"

People from across the beach were starting to pack up and leave. As they did so, they stared at me. The idiot chick with her stupid friends. Hmph. I didn't care. I walked over and sat on my towel and looked straight head, crossing my arms. Ryan walked over and sat down beside me on the towel. He kissed my face all over trying to my me happy.

"Okay Ryan, you can stop kissing me anytime now!"

"Only if you perk up and smile missy."

"Only if you stop kissing my face and getting your drool all over it I might be less annoyed and might be a little easier to "perk up"."

"Haha so funny," he kissed me one last time, "Smile."

I did everything in my mind not to smile. I put on the most pitiful looking sad fake frown I could come up with.

"Can I say something?" Ryan asked, waiting for an answer.

I remained quiet, not saying a word.

"You're even more goregous when you're mad," he chuckled out.

I blushed a light pink, "Okay then I'll do my best to be pissed more often, 'kay?"

He pulled me into his arms and we watched the sun go down. A breeze swept over us again as time went by and the sun disappeared over the horizon. I yawned and looked around to see we were the only ones left on the beach.

"What time is it?" I asked.

He pulled the phone out of my bag and clicked the side button, "About 8."

"Oh."

"Yeah, I didn't think it was that late either."

The breeze blew against my skin and I shiver, goosebumps covering my bare arms and legs.

"You cold?" Ryan asked, running his hand over my skin. It felt so warm at the touch.

"Yeah," I snuggled into him closer.

"You ready to go?"

"Yeah."

I slowly climbed out of his arms and stood up brushing myself off with dirt. I picked up the towel and shook off most of the dirt and folded it in half, then half again setting it in the bad that Ryan picked up. I smiled and he scooped me off my feet, the bag on his arm, carried me to the car, and drove us home.

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