The water sparkled with reds and pinks. With the sun sinking into the sea, the world was lit in an almost dreamy light. We settled on a private beach located near cliffs and jagged rocks. It wasn't the best place to catch a wave, but at least it wasn't littered with noisy children.

Amelia and I laid our beach towels onto the folding chairs. I dug in my bag for sunscreen. The sun was dying, but I didn't want to chance getting burned.

"I'll put some of that on your back and then you can do mine," Amelia said, taking it from me before I could reply.

I sat on my chair with my back to her. She pushed my hair to the side and spread the lotion on all the skin my powder blue bikini didn't cover.

"By the way, how was that guitarist last night?" I asked, eyeing a couple in their early twenties holding hands as they walked down the beach. They stopped briefly and kissed as water rushed over their feet.

How romantic...I'm going to be sick.

She clicked the sunscreen closed and placed it next to me. "Syd, I can't believe how gorgeous he was!" she said, walking to her chair in front of me and sinking into it. Her long eyelashes fluttered as she blushed. "I talked to him all night. He's been playing lead guitar for five years now. His band is going on tour soon, so I gave him my number. What did you do at the club while I was with him?"

I ran my hands through my hair as I watched the couple disappear further along the coast. "I had a few bites..."

It was my first night at a club and I already had a summer boy. Not a bad start.

She poked my arm. "I've been your best friend since we were kids. I shared my pudding with you in fourth grade." Her eyes narrowed. She was trying to act like my big sister. "I know when you're withholding info from me, Syd."

I shrugged, rubbing my eye. "It was pretty basic. One guy left his girlfriend to dance with me. While we talked, another cut in and we hooked up in the bathroom. Then a girl kissed me."

Though it wasn't as bad as waking up to a strange girl in bed with you and having no memory of all the events that occurred, like last year.

"Wait, a girl kissed you?" Only Amelia would get hung up on that piece of the story.

I grabbed a strand of my hair, studying the ends. "Yeah, she did," I said dryly.

Amelia bounced in her chair and giggled. "Why? Were you giving off some kind of vibe?"

I frowned. I didn't like breaking down my nights into play-by-plays. "Not that I know of. What difference does it make? I get hit on by all kinds, girls and guys. I wasn't feeling it, so I left and found you."

"Wow, Syd. You know, we should kiss at the next club. It's a turn on for some guys," she said, laughing. Then she snorted. Embarrassed, she covered her face with her hands.

"Damn, one night in a club and you're thinking up plots to pornos. I don't know what to do with that." I grabbed the sunscreen. "Spin around," I ordered, standing up.

Amelia gave her back to me and moved her hair. "Your bikini is coming untied."

She crossed her arms as if her top was going to fall off at any moment. "Can you fix it?"

"Mmm-hmm," I said, rubbing the last pool of sunscreen onto her shoulder. I grabbed the strings and tied a strong bow.

She turned to face me. Her bikini was white with blood red Hawaiian flowers plastered all over it. She pulled her top up, trying to make her breasts fit in better.

I threw the sunscreen back into my bag and sat in my chair again.

Out on the water another couple who looked to be in their forties playfully splashed each other. Then he grabbed her, dunked her under for a heartbeat, and brought her back up. They kissed passionately, like a cover of a romance novel.

When did this beach become a couple magnet? I saw them all over, lying in the dying light, giggling to each other. I was sure one couple was fucking under a towel. Two teenagers kept brushing each other's hands and sharing flirtatious smiles. My stomach knotted itself up at all the affection being shown.

Amelia spotted the couple in the ocean and sighed. "That's a life goal right there."

"Hardly. Love isn't real." I cackled at the thought.

She gave me a pointed look, but didn't argue. My anti-love wasn't new to her.

I drifted back to last night with...what was his name...Mike? That sounded right. My body loved the touch of his rough hands on my skin.

I never wanted love. Those fantasies were for fools and little girls who watched too many Disney movies. All I needed was a good fuck and that's what summer was for.

"You like Malibu so far?" I asked, trying to get those couples out of my head.

Her eyes were on the ocean as small waves crashed on the warm sand. "Of course I do. The guys are fucking hot! I can't believe this is my first summer in Malibu with you." She fanned herself with her hand. "Some of the guys are, like, heart stopping hot. I can see why you always come here."

I smiled. "Aren't you glad you didn't sign up to do that summer camp job again?"

"Yeah, being a counselor wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. Those tween girls go crazy. Last year, someone caught the deck of a cabin on fire. This summer I want to have fun and be foolish," she said, stretching her arms over her head.

"You've come to the master," I said, holding my hand to my chest.

"Do you wanna surf? I need to get back in the water. Can't believe I haven't touched a wave since last summer. And to think I used to live in Florida and no one could keep me away from the ocean." She shook her head and looked at the horizon. "I want to get some waves in before the sun is totally gone."

She searched the open ocean again, wonder in her eyes. Her hair was a little frizzy from the drive here and without makeup, her freckles contrasted with her skin, appearing like sprinkles spread across her face and over the bridge of her nose.

"Night surfing isn't that bad if the moon is bright," I said, leaning back in my chair. The salty breeze licked my skin. I wanted to enjoy the moment.

Amelia clicked her tongue. I didn't have to look at her to get a glimpse of her signature glare. Narrowed eyes, a pouty set of lips, and flushed cheeks. "Surfing at night is dangerous. Haven't you seen Jaws?"

A laugh burst from my lips before I could swallow it. "Have you? That movie is so fake, Amelia. A real shark can't do half of what Jaws can."

An annoyed look crossed her face, but she quickly hid it. "Whatever, it's still unsafe. We could be pulled out to sea and drown because no one could see or hear us to help."

I let out a breath. "Fine, let's go then."

She jumped up and grabbed her board that was stuck in the sand behind our chairs. "I'll race ya!"

My senses were a bit rusty from being in Arizona for the past nine months, but my body knew how the ocean worked. I caught wave after wave like I've done for countless summers. The water was like riding a bike; the skill came back when you needed it to.

After a few big waves, the ocean turned a bit flat. Using my board as a mini boat, I lay on my back and watched the birds fly above me. Amelia was still riding the smaller waves the last time I looked at her.

The silence was cut by her shrill screams.

I shot up like a rocket, thinking the worst. She was a few yards away, waving her arms above her head and looking at me with a frantic expression. Her lips moved, but I couldn't make out any words. I scanned the water for a fin or a large, dark body, but didn't see anything. Fear sent a chill through my body.

She lay on her stomach and paddled toward me. I stayed put and kept looking at the water, wishing she hadn't brought up Jaws earlier.

"There's some...cute...boys coming...over here," she said, gasping for air.

The waves softly rocked my surfboard. "That's why you freaked out? Boys? God, I thought there was a shark."

She laughed at me. A roll of a wave made her grasp the board a little tighter to keep from falling off. "Really? Wow, Syd, and you thought I was paranoid for bringing up that movie."

"Shut up. If you wanna go flirt, then go. I'll be right behind you."

She nodded and turned around to head back to shore. I noticed she kept moving her head side-to- side. If I didn't know any better, she was looking out for a shark too.

Once ashore, Amelia tucked her board under her arm, but didn't walk directly to the guys. We never went to them, the guys always came to us. That way we had control.

I tied my hair in a ponytail with the purple hair band around my wrist. The boys spotted us and smiled. They saw a couple of hot girls and their dicks led the way.

"Hey, girls, what's up?" the boy with sandy blonde hair and red trunks asked. He hugged his board under his arm. It had a dragon on it and looked custom made.

I took him in. He was super tall and thin, so Amelia's type. As if on cue, she sighed.

"Just catching some waves. I'm a bit rusty," she said in a low voice, attempting to be sexy.

So she was going for the old I-need-you-to-show- me-some-surf-tricks route. Classic. I hated pretending that I wasn't a pro, but guys loved to feel needed. It helped their fragile ego.

At first I didn't think they'd bite, but I was wrong. They came closer, and the boy who first spoke to us went to Amelia.

"I can show you some tips. Been surfing all my life," he said proudly.

"Yes," Amelia said excitedly, dragging the poor boy to the ocean.

Rolling my eyes, I turned toward the other boy. He was tall, but not über tall, like the other guy. His muscles moved like liquid as he approached me. I had the urge to touch his abs and see if they were as firm as they appeared. His hair was tussled and golden brown, as if sun-kissed. His board was a light blue with black stripes. It was a good brand, but a basic print.

"Do you need surfing lessons too or are you here in support?" the boy asked me. His silver eyes mirrored the moon, sending shivers down my shine.

"Umm...I was wanting to be surfing..."

What the hell did I just say?

His eyes sparkled with laughter, but he didn't mock me. "I can teach you some tricks if you want."

I looked at him closer. My stomach fell to the sand. He was the guy I bumped into at that club who didn't bother giving me a second look. He kept walking as if I was just another body in the crowd, no one worthy of his attention.

"Were you at Club Purple last night?"

He tilted his head. "Yes, how did you know?"

"I ran into you and we kept going the same way and then—"

"Oh, right," he said, nodding as if it all made sense.

But I was still lost. Why wasn't he looking at me like the other guys did, like I was the only sin he wanted to taste?

He stretched his arms in front of him and said, "You never said if you'd like a surfing lesson."

I dug my toe into the warm sand, creating a hole. "Sure...Wait, I don't even know your name."

He smiled, revealing perfect teeth. "The name's Jason, and yours is...?"

That boy's smile was contagious. I had to give him one back. "My name is Sydney."

"Pretty name. Shall we get to our lesson before the sky turns black?"

"After you," I said, motioning him to go ahead of me.

He led me to the ocean. "Okay, get on your board. I want to see how you stand on it."

I sat with my legs on either side of the surfboard. I won a surfing competition a few years back, but that wasn't what I should be focusing on. My brain felt fuzzy as he watched me, and somehow I almost slipped off the board as I moved to stand.

Jason touched my leg before I was on my feet. "No, that's not how you stand." The sun highlighted the water droplets in his hair. He shook his head and stood. "See?"

Yeah, I see you have a sexy body. Maybe you could be one of my summer boys?

"Umm..." I said, readjusting my bra, but he didn't look at my breasts. Instead he sat back down and stared at the horizon.

"You'll get the hang of it. You surfed before, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

A smile took his lips. "It's like riding a bike. Wanna go over how to take a big wave?"

Damn. The boy compared surfing to what I like to compare it to. How ironic.

He explained all the basics I already knew. I fought the urge to confess I had a first place trophy in surfing and simply listened as he rambled on.

"Lay on your stomach." I did and he moved closer, touching my upper arm. "You paddle out further and we'll find a promising wave. Then turn toward shore and stand, angling your board along the shoreline. Before you know it, you're gliding across the surface. Once you master that, you can go into the barrel of the wave or ride backside."

I nodded along and grabbed a baby wave, riding it in like a kid riding over a small hill with their bike.

"That's good. Let's try doing a backside," he said, running a hand through his short, wet hair. "I'll go first." He demonstrated surfing with his back to the wave, a move I'd known for ages.

I glanced over my shoulder and noticed Amelia was getting real close to her guy. She had on her flirting smile and batted her long lashes. As for Jason, he was acting more like a teacher. He always found ways to touch my body to get me into the right position, but his fingers never lingered. He'd meet my gaze, but dropped it like I could turn him to stone. What was his deal? I was going to find out, even if I had to resort to using my wicked ways and make his body tell me what he wouldn't.

"Your turn," Jason said.

He paddled out to sea and searched for a wave suitable for me. Looking over my shoulder, I found Amelia kissing her guy. They sat on a board interlocked in each other's arms. I didn't know she had it in her. It was kind of shocking.

"Sydney, what's the matter?" Jason came back and found what I was looking at. He chuckled. "Guess their lesson is over."

I nodded, turning to face him. Jason shook his head and looked at me. "Do you want to call it a night? We can meet up again if you'd like."

Was this his way of getting my number? He was smiling at me, but not in the usual I-want-your-body smirk. It wasn't sex filled. His lips didn't want to taste mine. It was as if he was truly my teacher and I his student. Had the world turned upside-down when I wasn't paying attention?

"Sure, it's getting late," I said. Amelia deepened their kiss as his hand ran down her back, inching toward the strings to her top.

"Amelia!" I shouted. The maternal instinct in me had to stop the madness. Amelia didn't know what she was getting herself into. She was new to the one- night stand lifestyle.

She jumped. "Jiminy Cricket! You scared me, Syd."

"Sorry, but it's time to go. We can reschedule." My skin burned when Amelia flashed me the evil eye as she moved off of the boy's board and back onto hers. The four of us paddled to shore without a word. The tension was thick enough that I could cut it with a knife.

Her guy cleared his throat and said, "We can finish your lessons some other time. Perhaps we should swap—"

"Let me go get my cell phone," Amelia said, running toward the car and leaving me alone with two guys.

"I never caught your name," I said to the guy Amelia was making out with.

He watched Amelia run, probably checking out her ass. He turned his head toward me, his green eyes filled with naughty images of my friend, no doubt. "I'm Hunter," he said, voice emotionless.

"Do you need to get your phone too?" Jason asked, breaking my glare with Hunter.

I pushed back a strand of hair from my face and said, "Oh no, I have a fantastic memory. Plus, I can get it from Amelia if I happen to forget."

"Okay," he said, drawing the word out. He was puzzled by my coldness. There was something off about them. Hunter was too handsy with my friend and Jason didn't seem to be interested.

Before anyone could think of something else to say, Amelia raced back. She was wheezing and folded herself in half at the torso. Her hands were on her knees and all her hair shielded her face. After a few heartbeats, she stood up, tossing her hair fiercely.

"Got my phone," she said, lifting her blue cell for all to see.

The boys told her their numbers and she told them hers. All three of them turned to me. "What? Oh, right." I recited my number. They put it in their contacts and tucked away their phones.

"Good-bye, Amelia. It was a pleasure assisting you," Hunter said, eyeing my friend's body like she was a piece of delicious candy.

She giggled, but her laughter ceased when I body blocked her. "'Night," I said harshly.

We turned and I grabbed Amelia's arm to ensure she came with me and not them.

When we were out of earshot from the boys, she yanked herself free and crossed her arms over her chest. "What's the matter with you? That guy liked me and you made me look like a little girl!"

"I was protecting you," I said flatly.

"What? No, you weren't. You were jealous—"

I turned and poked my finger into her chest. "I'm jealous of no one. That boy was a stranger and had you in his web."

"You can't tell me who I can kiss. You fucked a guy in a public bathroom. There's no moral ground for you to stand on, you hypocrite." Her voice was bitter, but it cracked at the end.

"I'm sorry. It's not my place, but I know what I'm doing with guys. There's a way to control them and I don't know if you can do that yet."

She sniffed. "What do you mean?"

I smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear. "You have to know how to wrap a guy around your finger and then you can conquer the world. If you fail, then things can turn bad quickly."

"Let's go home," she said, gathering our supplies from the beach.

We packed up and put everything in the car with a heavy silence around us. Amelia placed her surfboard onto the roof and slammed the door when she got inside.

I couldn't help her. It was something she'd have to learn. No one could teach someone how to have a perfect fling. I slid my board on top of hers and fastened the rack to keep them from falling off. I walked around to the driver's side and opened the door. For a moment all I could hear was the sound of the engine turning over.

Amelia turned up the music, creating a wall between us. She was upset I ruined her summer crush. Maybe she thought I had embarrassed her. Shrugging it off, I lip sang to the song playing and made sure to keep my eyes on the road. If I snuck a peek at Amelia, her grim hazel eyes and pout were going to depress me.

Once home she went into her room and locked the door. We should've passed on the damn beach. How long was she going to stay mad at me?

My cell buzzed, alerting me I had a text message.

I grabbed my phone and hit the button so I could read it. I didn't recognize the number. It wasn't any of my friends or family. Who the hell had my number but wasn't in my contacts?

The answer hit me like a hurricane. Jason had my phone number.

Jason: Hey, is tomorrow night 2 early 2 hang out again?

Hang out? Did he want to spend time with me or teach me more dumb tricks? The boy was confusing.

Me: We can surf tomorrow. What time?

I sat my phone down and walked to the kitchen. I'd just opened the fridge's door when my phone went off again. He was fast at texting back.

Jason: How's 4 sound?

I thought for a moment and flicked my gaze upstairs.

Me: That's fine. Is Hunter coming 2?

Jason: No, he's helping his uncle.

My stomach dropped. He wanted to meet me alone? That was intriguing and odd at the same time. What if he wanted Amelia to come too? It wasn't that hard to teach two girls, especially when they secretly already knew how to do basically every trick.

How could I ask him without sounding childish? I stared at my screen. Above me I heard a squeal and pounding. Amelia ran down the stairs with her phone in hand.

"He's going to give us lessons tomorrow!" she said happily.

That answered my question.

"Jason?" I asked, trying to fish for more information.

"Yeah. Hunter can't come, but he can meet us later. Isn't this great?" Her smile was so big it was surprising it wasn't permanent.

I gave her my best poker face. "Oh, yeah, I'm thrilled. You just can't see it."

She shot me a mean look. "How can you be so uptight? The dude likes you and you act like he's nothing."

I sat down at the bar and placed my phone in front of me. "I admit Jason has a nice body, but he's not into me."

Amelia crossed her arms over her chest. "How do you know? You were only with him for an hour or two."

"I have a gut feeling. You only wanna go so you can see this Hunter guy again after the surfing lesson."

She blushed. "Is that bad? I like flirting with him."

"That's not all you were doing," I said, playfully giving her a kissy face.

Her cheeks turned as red as a rose. "He's a good kisser. Gentle, yet—"

I put my hands over my ears. "I don't want details." I dropped my arms to the counter and said, "Just make sure you know what you're doing. It's always best to have the upper hand in these types of situations."

Amelia stood across the bar and leaned in on her palms. "Sydney, I'll never understand your morbid way of seeing relationships and love."

I studied my fingernails to avoid meeting her gaze. "I don't think anyone does. The way I view family is twisted, I know. I can't think of a couple who had the 'fairy tale ending,'" I said, using air quotes. "All I see is violence and hatred that once began as love, so sue me if I think having flings is safer. At least..." I trailed off.

Why was it hard for people to understand I didn't want my heart broken? After my parents' toxic divorce, I saw long lasting relationships as fatal attractions. They were good for a while, but bound to turn evil somewhere down the road.

She looked at me like I was an orphan who'd lost my parents in a tragic fire. "You can't base every couple on your par—"

I winced. This topic always dug into my flesh like daggers. "I don't believe in love. Can't we leave it at that?" My voice was sharper than I wanted it to be.

Amelia reached over and took my hand, a friendly gesture. "Okay, you deserve the right to your opinion. But don't keep your heart locked up forever."

I walked around the bar and hugged my friend. I released her and said, "You're the best." I ran my hand down my face, thankful to stop talking about how I viewed the world. "I'm going to take a shower. Pick out a movie and we can order a pizza."

"I hope one day you learn how beautiful the world can be," Amelia said before walking to my movie collection.

As I climbed the stairs, my thoughts drifted back to Jason. He wanted to teach us the tricks of the trade, but was it out of the kindness of his heart or did he have an ulterior motive?

There was no point in worrying about him right now. I was going to take a relaxing shower and forget about him for the night. Soon I'd be lost in a movie with my best friend while eating greasy pizza. I could think of a few ways a night could be better, but sometimes it was nice to sit at home and simply hang out.