Obviously, we got there before the others.

Daniel parks his car a few meters away and I rush towards the beach, my hair blowing widely while I lift off my thin cardigan, tossing it onto the sand along with my shorts.

I wasn’t ashamed of my body as I used to be in the past so when I look back to find Daniel was engrossed in a conversation with Alex I was a little annoyed.

Alex doesn’t even look the slightest bit interested until he notices that I'm watching them.

“Hey, Alex join me in the water!” I call over, trying to get him to out himself.

“No thanks, I’ll just lie in the sun and enjoy my conversation with your charming boyfriend.” He says back, leading Daniel to sit on the blanket. Mary just sits on the sand. I grit my teeth.

Mary was like his evil sidekick or something!

I remove my hair-tie, letting my long scarlet hair flow down my back before entering the cool water.

“Why the hell did we come to the beach if no one even wants to swim,” I grumble under my breath, watching Daniel and my ex—who was a guy in disguise—from the distance.

Could this situation get any worse?

The thing was I couldn’t just walk over to Alex and blow his cover or my photos would get leaked. Also, I actually want to see if Daniel really does want me as much as I thought he did.

Deep down I want him to make the right decision without me needing to be a clingy girlfriend.

I had to make sure Alex thought I was comfortable with the whole situation. That was sure to get on his nerves.

Through narrowed eyes I watch as each wave overlaps one another, sending the white bubbling crests slanting, masking the shore with the transparent fading water. The forever stretching sea is masked with an apricot color, beautiful and flowing into turquoise.

I dip my head back in the water, my eyes fluttering shut as I kick my feet back and forth. I stay like this for a while before I feel someone tap my shoulder.

I turn to face Clark. She’s wearing a two-piece, the bottom piece is a skirt and obviously, it was black.

“You’re here like a loner,” she states, splashing me with water and making me get a mouthful of salty liquid. I splutter and she laughs more before I splash her back.

We do this for a while before I’m begging for her to suddenly release me from the headlock I find myself getting into. “You’re crazy,” I tell her when I pull away and Clark shrugs.

Hunter and Hayden are swimming over to us while Jack is having a good time with Mary, building sandcastles and finding seashells and whatnot. I find myself frowning when I see Daniel is still talking beside Alex who is now on his phone.

He’s probably just nodding to everything Daniel is saying and letting it out the other ear. It reminds me of how unaffected I was by Daniel in the beginning.

I can't believe I actually gave in.

Hunter was a tall thin guy, his body was almost similar to Alex but he had more muscles. On the other hand, Hayden looked eye-widening. Which wasn’t a word but when you saw him your eyes had to widen, maybe even a little.

There were drops of water sliding down his toned abs as he ran a hand through his wet black hair, talking to Hunter with a carefree smile on his face, dimples puncturing his cheeks.

He is always so carefree.

Clark caught me staring and nudges me in the ribs. “Girl, what was that?” She asks, grinning after she clearly caught me checking him out.

“Nothing,” I push her into the water and she falls under when Hayden and Hunter finally reach us. I smile sheepishly at them when Clark struggles to emerge from the water glaring my way.

I try my best to ignore her while Jack makes fun of her, telling her she can’t swim.

When Hayden looks at me, whatever they were saying falls away, not reaching my ears.

“So you and Daniel know each other more than I would’ve thought,” I say, looking at him as my arms swirl in the water around me back and forth, appreciating the coolness on my exposed skin.

“You’re always asking me to talk to you but you never seem to mention anything to me.”

“I didn’t think it mattered,” he says, inching closer to me. “Our fathers are really close and we kind of grew up together, it isn’t that big of a deal.” He shrugs and my eyes flicker at his arm he was flexing as he ran his fingers through his wet hair once again, trying to get the long strands away from his face.

He was so much taller than me and so much bigger than me. I kind of found it attractive. I was snapped out of my thoughts when Hayden splashed me with water.

“Hey!” I exclaim, trying to get the water out of my eyes and my face just to glare at him before I splash him back. Hayden’s splash was much harder and did more damage than mine, which just made him laugh.

“Sorry, you were staring.” He says in-between laughs, his teeth on full display, one of his canines sinking into his lower lip. He laughs with one of his hands nearly covering his face so his dimples are a little hard to see.

I was surprised when I got the urge to move his hands from his face.

“No, I wasn’t!” I protest splashing him again.

“It’s okay to admit you were enjoying the view.” He drops his hand to say, his lop-sided grin showcasing his adorable dimples. Why couldn’t he be ugly? It would be so much easier to talk to him if he was just ugly.

“Actually,” I start, looking over his shoulder. “I was enjoying that view.”

Hayden spins around to see Daniel walking across the beach with two drinks in his hands.

“You’re enjoying the fact that Alex girl is clearly stealing your man.”

I gape at him, slapping his arm when he says this and he raises his hands in surrender. “I was just joking.”

“No you weren’t, it’s obvious,” I say, all aspects of my face dropping. He was right. Daniel was with Alex all day, giving her all his attention even after my attempts to make Alex look odd for not changing into his swimsuit.

In the end, Alex had me again.

“Hey,” Hayden says, his hands cupping my cheek to make me look up and face me. It was only then that I realize we are completely alone in the water. Jack and Clark had left us ages ago.

“Don’t feel bad, Daniel wasn’t worth it.”

“How could you say that?!” I pull away from him and his hand drops to his side. “Isn’t he your childhood friend? He is worth it and he definitely isn’t like that either, Alex is the one confusing him.”

With that, I stroll out of the water, our shoulders bumping.

I don’t even know why I shouted at him. I guess it was because he said exactly what I didn’t want to hear for the first time.

He made it seem like Daniel and I are already over. ‘Daniel wasn’t worth it.’ I scoff at his words from earlier.

Why was he even saying that?

Daniel was his friend and he was supposed to defend him. I was his friend and he was supposed to leave me at ease, not tell me bullshit like that.

No one understood anything.

This was all Alex’s doing!

At this point, it feels like I'm trying to convince myself though.

The sun kisses my skin as I stand before Alex and Daniel with determination, towering over there figures that lay across the sand. Alex peers up from his phone to look at me with amusement, Daniel with shock and a little bit of unease.

Hayden was already out of the water, walking over to Clark who was sunbathing, Hunter and Jack talking beside her along with Mary.

I know Hayden was a little angry because his jaw was set as he refused to look my way.

“Daniel,” I start, reaching for him and pulling him up. “Swim with me?” Daniel gets to his feet unsurely, taking my hand as I pull him into the water.

I could feel the gaze of two people burning a hole through my head.

Alex and Hayden.

Instead, I grip onto him tighter, my hands around his neck. Daniel smiles back looking over my shoulder. I knew who he was looking at.

Instead of saying something, I did something—that being slamming my lips against his.

Daniel kisses me back and that’s when I realize he neither wants nor needs me at this moment.

Whatever spark we had is gone.

It was just like the moment Alex saw me kissing Daniel. In his hazel eyes, I saw that was when I lost him completely. Alex didn’t want me nor need me at that moment either.

I pull away and Daniel frowns, probably wondering why I did so.

“Charlie?” He asks, trying to lift my chin to face him but I don’t budge. I keep my head facing the water, my tears blending with the ocean currents to make me feel as if they were never there, to begin with.

“I’m sorry but could you leave me alone for a bit,” I say quietly.

“Uhh ok?” Daniel removes himself from me and walks back to the shore. I look up to see Alex is walking back to the car, Daniel running after him—or from his point of view—her.

He tries to explain it to Alex but he’s ignoring him, probably hating his guts for reasons he didn't understand, as he enters the car and shuts it behind him.

“Charlie!” Clark calls from the shore. “We’re leaving!”

I splash the water on my face to hide my fallen tears and flash my best smile. One that hid how I was truly feeling. “Coming!”

…

We decide to go over to Hayden’s beach house; he’s grilling burgers for us at the back while we chill in his outdoor table. It was big enough to fit all of us, a large umbrella in the center to shade us from the sun.

Daniel’s sitting beside me and across from him is Alex who he is constantly trying to start a conversation with. I don’t know why he found her—him—so interesting anyway.

It was so clear Alex wasn’t interested. If only he knew Alex was actually a dude.

I could just imagine the look on his face—pure gold. Then he’d be running back to me.

Did I want him to run back to me if he actually leaves me for Alex who didn’t pay him any attention in the slightest?

No.

Not really.

At least I was sure about one thing.

“Hey, could someone help me put these burgers on the buns?” Hayden calls. Jack, Hunter, and Mary are too busy talking about whose club was better; Daniel was too interested in Alex who was too interested in his phone.

Clark…she was looking at me…

She raised her eyebrows and I suddenly knew what she was hinting.

I stood up and walked over to Hayden to help.

To apologize.

He looks at me with surprise before he brushes it off as we both start to put the slightly overcooked burgers in their buns. It was okay because I thought burgers that were overcooked were the best too.

“I’m sorry I shouted at you.” I begin wearily, putting the cheese on the hot burger so that it could melt atop it before covering it with another bun.

“It’s okay; I shouldn’t have put it that way or said those things in the first place.” He gives a one-shouldered shrug before smiling my way. “I didn’t mean to hurt you Char; I just want what’s best for you.”

“I mean it’s not Daniel’s fault, Alex is super pretty,” I try to laugh it off although it hurt me deep down.

I always did that.

Laughed off my problems.

It was a bad habit, one I needed to stop, I couldn’t continue lying to myself forever.

“What kind of justification is that?” Hayden says, making my eyes snap to his and my dry laughter cut off completely. “Just because Alex is super pretty doesn’t mean he had the right to do what he did to you. No one deserves that. Being played for a fool just until the next best came along? You shouldn’t think that’s okay Char.”

My eyes are wide as I stare up at Hayden.

“Y-yeah.” I nod, blinking, so my tears didn’t fall before smiling weakly. “You’re right.”

“Damn straight I’m right. Now let’s get these burgers over there, I’m starving.”

I smile, trying to take the plates on my arms but don’t nearly manage to take as much as Hayden. We walk back to our friends, who are shouting in happiness, complaining about how long we took.

For the first time, I actually believe I'm going to make it through this.

Through all of this.

________________________

Was anyone else sad when Charlie realized Alex and Daniel don't want her? I was :(

I'm thinking about changing this book to the humor genre instead of teen-fiction, I had a friend that told me the idea of Alex becoming a girl reminded her of White Chicks. Because they also clearly didn't look very feminine but still fooled everyone 😂

Anyway, vote and comment!

Love y'all❤