Chapter 8

Chapter 2

The group chat exploded at 8:03 a.m.

KAI:
BEACH

MIA:
No

KAI:
BEACH

JAMES:
BEACH

NOLAN:
BEACH

MATEO:
BEACH

MIA:
Traitors.

AMANNI:
I’m already getting ready

MIA:
YOU TOO?

AMANNI:
🏖️

NEVAEH:
It is eight in the morning

KAI:
Exactly

NEVAEH:
People should be asleep

KAI:
Beach!

NEVAEH:
No.

KAI:
Beach

NEVAEH:
Stop saying beach like it’s a valid argument

KAI:
Beach..

Three hours later—

Somehow Nevaeh was at the beach.

Against her will.

Mostly.

Okay, maybe not entirely against her will.

The ocean stretched endlessly under a bright blue sky.

Waves rolled onto the sand.

Children screamed.

Music played from somewhere nearby.

And Nolan was already being dramatic.

“The sun is attacking me.”

“You’ve been here four minutes.”

“The attack was immediate.”

Mia rolled her eyes.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“I know.”

Meanwhile, Kai and James were arguing over where to set everything up.

Mateo was carrying half the supplies.

Amanni was taking pictures of literally everything.

Normal behavior.

Nevaeh adjusted her sunglasses and looked toward the water.

She actually liked the beach.

Just not the getting-ready-for-the-beach part.

Or the driving-to-the-beach part.

Or the crowds.

The actual beach was nice.

A voice appeared beside her.

“You came.”

Nevaeh looked over.

Daniela.

Of course.

“You sound surprised.”

“I am.”

“You forced me here.”

“I didn’t.”

“My friends did.”

“Our friends.”

Nevaeh immediately pointed.

“Let’s not get carried away.”

Daniela laughed.

And for some reason Nevaeh didn’t immediately find it annoying.

Weird.

Very weird.

They walked toward the others.

Neither noticing Kai watching from a distance.

A grin slowly appearing.

Mateo saw it.

“Oh no.”

“What?”

“Whatever you’re thinking.”

Kai looked innocent.

A dangerous expression.

“I haven’t done anything.”

“That’s exactly what worries me.”

An hour later—

Everyone was scattered across the beach.

James and Kai were attempting volleyball.

Poorly.

Very poorly.

Nolan had somehow started talking to strangers.

Mia was judging everyone.

Amanni was collecting seashells.

Daniela was tanning, of course.

And Nevaeh was sitting on a towel with a book.

Naturally.

She’d lasted exactly fifty minutes before pulling out a book.

A personal record.

Daniela noticed immediately.

Because of course she did.

She’d been noticing everything lately.

Unfortunately.

She watched Nevaeh turn a page.

Then another.

Then another.

Completely ignoring the chaos around her.

The beach.

The people.

The noise.

Everything.

Gone.

Like she’d built an invisible wall around herself.

Daniela couldn’t stop smiling.

It was such a Nevaeh thing to do.

A beach full of activities.

And somehow she’d chosen reading.

Ridiculous.

And kind of adorable—

Nope.

Daniela sat up immediately.

Absolutely not.

That word was banned.

Forbidden.

Illegal.

She was not describing Nevaeh as adorable.

Ever.

Again.

Never happened.

A few minutes later—

Nevaeh looked up from her book.

Only to find Daniela staring.

Again.

There she was.

The staring.

It was becoming a thing.

A very weird thing.

Their eyes met.

Daniela immediately looked away.

Too fast.

Suspiciously fast.

Nevaeh frowned.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because Daniela never looked away first.

Ever.

Yet lately?

She kept doing it.

Weird.

Really weird.

Nevaeh decided she was going to figure it out eventually.

Not because she cared.

Just because she hated mysteries.

Obviously.

Meanwhile, Daniela was staring at the ocean.

Or pretending to.

Because the real problem sat twenty feet away with a book in her hands.

And every day it became a little harder to ignore.

Not impossible.

Just harder.

Which was unfortunate.

Because the beach trip had only just started.

And before the day was over—

Something was going to happen that neither of them saw coming.

The thing about Kai’s friend group was that they couldn’t sit still for longer than twenty minutes.

It was physically impossible.

Which meant Nevaeh’s peaceful reading session lasted approximately twelve minutes.

Then James appeared.

“Get up.”

“No.”

“Get up.”

“No.”

“We need one more person.”

Nevaeh didn’t even look up.

“No.”

James grabbed the corner of her book.

Dangerous move.

Very dangerous.

Slowly, Nevaeh lowered the book.

James immediately regretted existing.

“No.”

“Please.”

“No.”

“Please.”

“No.”

“Please.”

“James.”

“What?”

“I will bury you in the sand.”

James pointed toward the volleyball court.

“Mateo already said no.”

“Good.”

“Mia said no.”

“Smart.”

“Amanni disappeared.”

“Understandable.”

“You’re my last hope.”

Nevaeh sighed.

Why was she friends with these people?

Actually.

Why?

Five minutes later she was standing on the sand holding a volleyball.

Against her will.

Mostly.

As well as Mateo and Mia.

Ammani also appeared when she heard Nevaeh was joining in.

Kai clapped his hands.

“Okay!”

Nobody listened.

“Okay!”

Still nobody listened.

“OKAY!”

Finally.

“Teams.”

This immediately became a problem.

Because everyone wanted different teams.

And because Nolan believed he was secretly an Olympic athlete.

He wasn’t.

Not even close.

After three minutes of arguing, Kai pointed dramatically.

“Me and James.”

“Unfair,” Mateo said.

“How?”

“You’re both terrible.”

“Wow.”

Then Kai pointed again.

“Nolan and Mia.”

“Fine.”

“Mateo and Amanni.”

“Cool.”

That left—

Daniela.

And Nevaeh.

Silence.

Kai froze.

A grin slowly appeared.

Oh no.

Mateo noticed immediately.

“Oh no.”

“What?”

“Don’t smile like that.”

Kai ignored him.

“Daniela and Nevaeh.”

Nevaeh groaned.

Daniela groaned.

At exactly the same time.

The group burst out laughing.

“See?” Nolan said.

“Same person.”

“Shut up,” both girls replied.

Again.

At the same time.

This made everyone laugh harder.

The game started.

And immediately Daniela discovered something important.

Nevaeh was competitive.

Extremely competitive.

The first clue came when James accidentally scored a point.

The second clue came when Nevaeh glared at him like he’d committed a crime.

Daniela blinked.

“Are you okay?”

“No.”

“It was one point.”

“I know.”

The way she said it sounded personal.

Daniela tried not to laugh.

Failed.

Five minutes later—

Nevaeh dove for a ball.

Actually dove.

Sand everywhere.

Hair everywhere.

Chaos.

The ball flew back over the net.

Mateo missed it.

Everyone cheered.

Nevaeh jumped up.

“YES!”

Daniela stared.

Because this wasn’t the Nevaeh she knew.

This wasn’t the quiet girl sitting in the corner.

This wasn’t the exhausted girl hiding inside hoodies.

This wasn’t the sarcastic girl rolling her eyes.

This was…

Happy.

Actually happy.

Laughing.

Shouting.

Grinning.

The realization hit unexpectedly.

Daniela had never seen Nevaeh like this before.

Not once.

And suddenly she couldn’t stop looking.

Unfortunately—

That was how the disaster happened.

Because Daniela was busy watching Nevaeh.

Instead of the volleyball.

“Daniela!”

Too late.

THUMP.

The ball smacked directly into Daniela’s shoulder.

Hard.

The entire beach exploded with laughter.

Daniela stood frozen.

Horrified.

Offended.

Personally attacked.

Nevaeh doubled over.

Actually doubled over laughing.

“OH MY GOD.”

Daniela pointed.

“Don’t.”

Nevaeh couldn’t breathe.

“YOU DIDN’T EVEN TRY.”

“I WAS DISTRACTED.”

“BY WHAT?”

Daniela froze.

The entire world froze.

Everybody froze.

Even the ocean.

Probably.

Because unfortunately…

That was a fantastic question.

A very fantastic question.

And Daniela absolutely could not answer it.

Thankfully James immediately yelled—

“SHE’S GETTING OLD.”

The moment vanished.

Daniela threw sand at him.

Peace restored.

An hour later everyone was exhausted.

They collapsed onto towels.

Drinks.

Snacks.

Complaints.

The usual.

Nevaeh sat down beside Amanni.

Still smiling slightly.

Still energized.

Daniela sat across from her.

Trying very hard not to notice.

Failing.

As usual.

The ocean breeze moved through the group.

The sun sparkled across the water.

People talked over each other.

Laughed.

Argued.

Normal things.

Then Amanni suddenly stood.

“I’m going swimming.”

Nolan immediately followed.

“So am I.”

Kai stood.

“Same.”

Soon half the group was heading toward the water.

Leaving only—

Daniela.

Nevaeh.

And Mia.

Mia looked around.

Then stood up.

“Nope.”

“What?”

“I’m not doing this.”

Nevaeh frowned.

“Doing what?”

“Whatever weird thing is happening.”

Then Mia walked away.

Before either of them could ask.

Nevaeh blinked.

“What was that about?”

Daniela looked toward the ocean.

“Not a clue.”

Lie.

Complete lie.

But thankfully Nevaeh didn’t notice.

Because at that exact moment—

A huge wave crashed into Kai.

And sent him face-first into the water.

The entire beach erupted.

Including Nevaeh.

Including Daniela.

And for a second—

Just a second—

They laughed together.

Not at each other.

Not arguing.

Not annoyed.

Just laughing.

And somehow…

That felt stranger than anything else.

The others were still in the water.

James was losing a fight against the waves.

Kai was pretending he wasn’t.

Mateo had somehow convinced Amanni to race him.

And Mia and Nolan were standing waist-deep in the ocean judging all of them.

Normal.

Completely normal.

Meanwhile, Nevaeh remained firmly planted on her towel.

Oversized t-shirt.

Book.

Sunglasses.

Safe.

Daniela dropped down onto the sand beside her.

Nevaeh didn’t look up.

“No.”

Daniela blinked.

“What?”

“No.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You were about to.”

“I was.”

“Exactly.”

Daniela laughed.

Nevaeh turned a page.

“Go away.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re being boring.”

Nevaeh slowly lowered her book.

“Boring?”

“Yes.”

“I’m reading.”

“At the beach.”

“Exactly.”

Daniela rolled her eyes.

“You’ve been reading for an hour.”

“And?”

“And come swimming.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to.”

Daniela narrowed her eyes.

Liar.

Not because Nevaeh wanted to swim.

Because she’d looked at the ocean at least ten times in the last twenty minutes.

Daniela had noticed.

Unfortunately.

She noticed everything lately.

“Come on.”

“No.”

“Come on.”

“No.”

Daniela groaned dramatically.

Nevaeh smirked.

“Give up.”

“Never.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

For a moment neither spoke.

The breeze moved through the air.

Waves crashed against the shore.

The sounds of their friends echoed from farther down the beach.

Then Daniela tilted her head.

“You actually want to.”

Nevaeh immediately looked away.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

“No.”

“You do.”

“I don’t.”

“You do.”

“I don’t.”

Daniela smiled.

Victory.

Tiny victory.

But victory.

“Then why do you keep looking at the water?”

Nevaeh froze.

Just slightly.

Then groaned.

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.”

“I do.”

Daniela laughed.

And there it was again.

That feeling.

The one Nevaeh couldn’t quite explain.

The one that made Daniela’s laugh sound less annoying than it used to.

Which was honestly concerning.

Daniela stood.

Then held out her hand.

Nevaeh stared at it.

Then stared at Daniela.

Then stared at it again.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“I’ve heard that.”

“I’m not taking your hand.”

“Okay.”

Daniela kept it there.

Waiting.

Patient.

Confident.

Annoyingly confident.

Nevaeh hated confident people.

Usually.

Yet somehow she couldn’t stop looking at her.

The sunlight caught in Daniela’s hair.

The ocean behind her.

The ridiculous grin on her face.

Like she already knew she’d win.

Which was exactly why Nevaeh grabbed her hand.

Just to wipe that grin off her face.

Obviously.

Daniela immediately brightened.

“I knew it.”

“Don’t make me regret this.”

“Too late.”

Nevaeh stood.

And suddenly became very aware of how close they were.

Not close close.

Just…

Closer than usual.

For a second neither let go.

Then both noticed.

And immediately pulled apart.

Too fast.

Definitely too fast.

Neither acknowledged it.

Instead, Nevaeh grabbed the hem of her oversized shirt.

Hesitated.

Then pulled it off.

Revealing the swimsuit she’d been wearing underneath all day.

The shirt landed on her towel.

Simple.

Normal.

No big deal.

Except Daniela forgot how to breathe for a second.

Mainly because of what Nevaeh was wearing

but party because of the confidence.

The grin.

The way she’d finally stopped hiding behind layers of fabric.

The way she looked lighter somehow.

More like herself.

Nevaeh caught her staring.

Again.

A familiar occurrence lately.

One eyebrow lifted.

“What?”

Daniela blinked.

Fast.

Nothing suspicious.

Nothing at all.

“Nothing.”

“Liar.”

“Probably.”

Nevaeh laughed.

Then started walking toward the water.

Daniela followed.

The ocean rushed around their ankles.

Cold immediately.

Very cold.

“Oh my God.”

“Told you.”

“It’s freezing.”

“Told you.”

Daniela splashed water at her.

Nevaeh gasped.

Offended.

Deeply offended.

“You did not.”

“I absolutely did.”

Another splash.

This one bigger.

Nevaeh retaliated instantly.

Within seconds they were both laughing.

Actually laughing.

No arguments.

No eye rolls.

No sarcasm.

Just the ocean.

The sunlight.

And a strange feeling neither one fully understood.

Farther down the beach, Mia watched the scene.

Then looked at Ammani.

Amanni looked at Mia.

Neither said a word.

They didn’t need to.

Because for the first time—

Daniela and Nevaeh looked like they were genuinely enjoying each other’s company.

And somehow…

That felt like the beginning of something.

Even if neither of them knew it yet.

The problem started when Kai decided everyone needed to play a game.

Which was unfortunate.

Because Kai’s ideas were almost always terrible.

“We’re playing sharks and minnows.”

Nolan stared.

“We are not six.”

“We’re playing.”

“We are adults.”

“We’re playing.”

James pointed dramatically.

“I support the shark.”

“Thank you.”

Nobody knew what was happening anymore.

Five minutes later everyone was standing in waist-deep water anyway.

Because somehow Kai always got his way.

Nevaeh hated that.

“You’re taking this way too seriously.”

Daniela looked over.

Nevaeh was stretching.

Actually stretching.

Daniela burst out laughing.

“Oh my God.”

“What?”

“It’s sharks and minnows.”

“And?”

“You look like you’re preparing for the Olympics.”

Nevaeh pointed at her.

“Winning is winning.”

Daniela shook her head.

“You’re insane.”

“Maybe.”

The game started.

Immediately chaos erupted.

James tripped.

Kai yelled.

Amanni nearly fell over laughing.

And somehow Nolan ended up being the first person caught.

“THIS IS RIGGED.”

“You’re just slow.”

“I’M NOT SLOW.”

Mia laughed.

“You absolutely are.”

Meanwhile, Daniela and Nevaeh somehow kept ending up on the same team.

Not intentionally.

It just happened.

Every round.

Every game.

Every time somebody split the group.

There they were.

Together again.

By the third game, everyone had noticed.

Everyone except Daniela and Nevaeh.

Or at least they pretended not to.

“Okay,” Kai announced. “New game.”

A collective groan followed.

“Pair challenge.”

“Oh no,” Mateo said.

“Oh yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Kai pointed randomly.

“Nolan and Mia.”

“Fine.”

“James and Mateo.”

“Me and Ammani” 

“You just want a reason to be around her Kai”

Mia teased

Kai splashed her with water

Ammani-  she.. blushed??

“This is the worst day of my life.”

“And…”

His grin widened.

Dangerously.

“…Daniela and Nevaeh.”

The group immediately lost it.

“Of course,” Mia muttered.

“What?” Kai asked.

“Nothing.”

“It sounded like something.”

“It wasn’t.”

Nevaeh narrowed her eyes.

Suspicious.

Very suspicious.

But before she could question it, Kai explained the challenge.

One person had to sit on the other’s shoulders.

The pair that stayed balanced the longest won.

Silence.

Then—

“No.”

That came from Daniela.

“No.”

That came from Nevaeh.

Kai clapped his hands.

“Perfect.”

Ten minutes later—

Daniela was standing in the water questioning every life decision she’d ever made.

“This is a terrible idea.”

“Agreed.”

“A horrible idea.”

“Absolutely.”

Yet somehow they were still doing it.

Because Kai was relentless.

And because James wouldn’t stop chanting.

“DO IT. DO IT. DO IT.”

Nevaeh looked ready to drown him.

Eventually.

Somehow.

Daniela crouched slightly.

Nevaeh stared.

“This feels dangerous.”

“Everything involving Kai is dangerous.”

“Fair.”

A second later Nevaeh carefully climbed onto her shoulders.

Daniela’s hands rested high up Nevaeh’s knee.

And suddenly—

Everything felt very different.

Daniela nearly forgot how to stand.

Which was embarrassing.

Because she’d literally just been standing.

Now she was hyper-aware of everything.

The water.

The noise.

The fact that Nevaeh was right there.

Close enough that Daniela could hear her laughing when James immediately fell into the ocean.

Close enough that she could feel Nevaeh steadying herself.

Close enough that her brain completely stopped cooperating.

“Daniela.”

“What?”

“Focus.”

“I am focused.”

“No you’re not.”

“How do you know?”

“You almost walked into Kai.”

“Oh.”

“Exactly.”

Above her, Nevaeh laughed.

And Daniela suddenly became very interested in the ocean.

Because looking anywhere else felt dangerous.

Very dangerous.

The challenge eventually dissolved into complete chaos.

Nobody won.

Nobody knew the rules anymore.

James accidentally tackled Kai.

Mateo gave up.

Mia threatened violence.

Normal friend group behavior.

By the time the sun started dipping lower in the sky, everyone was exhausted.

They drifted closer to shore.

The water calmer now.

The energy softer.

Less shouting.

More talking.

Nevaeh stood beside Daniela as the others argued about where to get food afterward.

A comfortable breeze moved through the air.

For once neither girl spoke.

Just watched the waves.

Listened to their friends.

Enjoyed the quiet.

Then a larger wave rolled in unexpectedly.

Not huge.

Just enough.

Nevaeh lost her footing for a second.

Her balance disappeared.

Instinctively she reached out.

And grabbed Daniela’s arm.

Daniela caught her before she could stumble.

For a moment—

Neither moved.

The wave passed.

The noise of the group faded into the background.

Nevaeh looked up.

Daniela looked down.

Way too close.

Definitely closer than they usually stood.

Neither immediately stepped back.

Neither seemed to notice.

Or maybe they did.

Maybe that was the problem.

Then James yelled from the beach.

“KAI ATE MY FRIES.”

The moment shattered instantly.

“WHAT?” Kai shouted.

“THOSE WERE MINE.”

The argument exploded.

Again.

And just like that, reality returned.

Nevaeh stepped back first.

Daniela cleared her throat.

The two of them immediately looked toward their friends.

As if they hadn’t just frozen for several seconds.

As if nothing had happened.

As if neither of them felt strangely aware of the other all of a sudden.

And maybe nothing had happened.

Maybe it was just a wave.

Maybe it was just balance.

Maybe it was just a beach day.

At least…

That’s what they both told themselves.

The problem was neither one seemed entirely convinced.

A/N: MAH GAWDDD THE TENSION IS KILLING ME (YAAL THE DATE IS 67) im too old for ts but yuh