Ximena and I laid down on the beach chairs with the umbrellas shielding our eyes from the blazing sun. Oliver and Sadaf were spread out on beach towels, with Oliver in trunks and Sadaf in a bathing suit that covered everything but her face, hands and feet. Brice, Tyler, Mi Yun and Estella were playing volleyball. Tyler and Mi Yun on one team and Estella and Brice on the other.

I tried my hardest not to look their way. Not to hear their laughter, or Brice and Estella chuckling at each other.

I had no right to feel this way.

The boys and I had decided to spend the day at the beach with Estella and her friends, and I brought Ximena along since she was in town for the weekend.

"Eres bueno, Jax?" Ximena asked with her glasses slanted down.

"Bien," I responded.

I wasn't good. I thought seeing Brice and Estella together would get easier with time. It didn't. I hated the way they looked at each other. The way they talked about each other, and man, did Brice talk. He talked about things I didn't want him knowing. Like how amazing of a kisser she was. How soft she was. Or how feisty she could be. I knew all of this. I didn't want him to know, too.

"Yes!" Estella shrieked while jumping up before high-fiving Brice. "We did it, babe."

I wrinkled my nose. I never knew I would hate the word "babe."

"Yes, we did," Brice said while approaching her. Oh, no. He grabbed her, planting a hand on her lower back while the other cupped her cheek, and then he laid one on her.

I looked away while some of the others "ooh'ed." When I glanced their way, they were still kissing, as if following each other's lips.

I couldn't take this anymore.

As soon as the pair pulled apart, I grabbed Ximena and smashed her lips to mine. The "ooh's" continued. Ximena froze at first, but she adapted and kissed me just as hard. I caressed her cheek and held onto her hair, imagining she was someone else.

When we parted, Ximena watched me with a smirk. "What was that about?"

I adjusted myself on the chair, staring ahead. "Don't worry about it." 

A shadow came into my line of vision, and I looked up to see Brice. He held a crooked smile. "Competing with me, Velasco?" My gaze moved to Estella, who was frowning at me.

She thought she was the only one who could kiss other people?

"You're not the only one with a girlfriend, Abrams," I said.

The frown deepened into Estella's forehead while Brice chuckled. "Okay, then." He nodded with his lips curved downwards. "Let's settle it." He walked backwards towards Estella, and he wrapped his arm around her. "Let's see who has the badder chick."

Ximena rolled her eyes, but I smirked. "How're we going to figure that out?" I stood up and pulled Ximena up with me. We approached the two.

"Shoulder wars," Brice said. "Estella versus Ximena. Two out of three."

Ximena sighed. "This is juvenile."

Estella narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, 'cause you're so mature."

Ximena smiled with a hint of mischief. "I am, little girl."

Estella's nostrils flared, and I almost winced. Ximena shouldn't have said that. Taking about Estella's age was a sensitive topic.

"It's on," Estella said before walking past me, making sure to bump into my shoulder.

"Oooh," Oliver said with his fist to his mouth.

"Enough, Oliver!" I said, and he and Sadaf glanced at each other, snickering.

"Coming, Velasco?" Brice waved me over as Estella and Ximena were already in the water.

"This will be interesting," Mi Yun said as she and Tyler left the volleyball court to join Sadaf and Oliver.

Brice and I faced each other with Estella trying to hide her glare towards Ximena. I was trying to contain mine towards Brice.

"Okay," Brice started, "quite simple. Estella and I against you and Ximena. Estella and Ximena fight. Whoever knocks the other off one of our shoulders two out of the three times, they win."

"So, we do nothing," I said. "The girls do all the work."

"Pretty much," Brice replied. "This is to see the baddest chick, not the baddest man." He smirked. "Be grateful, Velasco. I don't have to show you up."

"That's a lot of trash-talking there," Oliver shouted from the shore.

I fake-chuckled before dropping my expression into a frown.

"Okay," Brice said while clapping his hands. "Let's get started."

Brice and I got into position, and Ximena and Estella got on our shoulders. Brice and I slowly came up with our hands on their thighs. We moved a little closer.

"Okay, one," Brice said, and Estella and I briefly held eye contact. "Two."

Mi Yun stood up and started to clap. "You got this, Es!"

"Three!"

Estella and Ximena grabbed onto each other's shoulders, and they started moving, trying to knock the other off. Brice and I were trying to maintain our balance without moving too much as to knock the girls off.

"Come on, girls!" Oliver shouted.

"This is ridiculous," Sadaf said. "Why is this happening again?"

I couldn't agree more as Estella and Ximena kept trying to push each other off.

"Fragile masculinity," Mi Yun said. "That's why."

I almost laughed, but I stopped myself, so I could be as stable as possible.

Then Estella hit the water with a splash. "Es!" Sadaf and Mi Yun hollered while Ximena's arms went up.

"Yes!" Ximena said with a chuckle as Brice helped Estella up. "That's how it's done, little girl."

"Ximena," I said, in a warning tone.

Estella slit her eyes at her. "I'm not a little girl." She pushed the hair out of her face as she got back on Brice's shoulders.

"You good, babe?" he asked while patting her thigh.

"I'm fine," she said with her eyes locked on Ximena. "Let's go."

We went again. The grabbing and pulling and pushing continued, and my shoulders were killing me. I wanted someone to fall already, so this game could be over. I didn't even know why I was doing this. I wasn't trying to prove Ximena's "badness." I didn't know why I was doing a lot of things.

"Shit!" Ximena shouted as she landed in the water.

"Yeah!" Brice yelled. "Good job, babe."

Estella giggled while I reached out my hand to Ximena. "Who's the little girl now?" Estella mocked.

Ximena glared at Estella as I pulled her up. "One more try," she said.

We were back at it again, and based off Brice's expression, he was tired, too, and we weren't even the ones fighting.

"Is this for fun, or is this for something else?" Oliver asked.

"I don't know," Mi Yun said. "I was wondering the same thing."

"I don't see the thrill in being thrown into below room temperature water," Tyler said.

"I agree," Mi Yun replied.

Then with an aggressive shove, Estella threw Ximena into the water. She landed—hard. "Ximena," I called out to her, helping her sit up.

Estella squealed as Brice removed her from his shoulders. When her feet touched the ground, she threw herself into his arms. "We won!"

"You did amazing, babe," he said while pressing his face into her shoulder.

When Ximena stood up, I tried hard not to stare at the two in front of me. "Well," Ximena said, "that was a bust."

She walked to shore, and I was grateful that she led me there, too. I peeked back to see Estella looking at me. I faced forward once we reached the sand, and Oliver patted my back. "You did great, man."

Tyler looked our way. "He stayed in one position."

"Tyler!" Oliver scolded.

I agreed. I didn't do anything, but the loss still hurt. I lost something—someone—to Brice. They looked good together. They were good together.

I reclaimed my spot next to Ximena, who was drying off with a towel. "Sorry for bringing you into that."

She shrugged. "It's all good. It was kind of fun. You win some, you lose some."

"Wasn't that a little harsh, Es?" I overheard Mi Yun saying. I looked over to see the two girls standing near the stairs talking.

"Just a friendly game," Estella said.

Mi Yun shook her head with wide eyes. "Didn't seem so friendly. We both know it's more than that."

Before they could glance my way, I quickly looked forward. By then, everyone went back to what they were doing. Except now, Estella and Sadaf started to walk along the beach while Oliver took Estella's place playing volleyball. As Estella walked, I tried not to fixate on her. Her hair was wet, but she didn't look like a wet dog. Far from it. The sun highlighted her skin, and her real hair clung onto her neck and shoulders.

She took out her braids a week ago. It didn't matter how Estella made her hair. She was gorgeous. I wanted to kick myself for these thoughts. Anything involving Estella, I wanted to kick myself for. I didn't know if I hated the way I felt or if I loved it. Either way, I was tired of Estella Gillon taking up—.

"Ow!" Estella screeched, and all of our heads snapped in her direction. Estella was on the ground clutching onto her left foot as Sadaf knelt next to her.

"Estella!" Brice and I shouted at the same time as we ran towards her. He was right behind me, but I was the one who knelt beside her as he stood in front of her. Mi Yun and the other boys were running our way.

"What happened?" I grabbed her foot to examine it, and she released her hold.

"I think she stepped on something," Sadaf said.

That was when I saw the gash in the sole of her foot. Brice rubbed his neck with a wince. "Damn," he muttered.

"Estella, you okay?" Mi Yun asked with the boys behind her.

"I'll be fine," Estella said. "Go play your game. Jax and Brice are here."

I dug into the sand to pull out a broken bottle. "This is it," I said before handing it to Sadaf. "Can you throw this away?"

"Yeah," she said, and she stood up to do just that.

"I'm fine," Estella said as Mi Yun sent her a look. "Go."

"Okay." Mi Yun continued to send her side eyes while Oliver and Tyler were already gone. "If it's not, shout."

"Go," Estella repeated, and Mi Yun listened this time.

Brice shook his head. "There was a party here last night." I started to massage Estella's foot, anything to take her mind off the pain. She sent me a small smile, and I returned it. "Some idiot probably broke a bottle and left it." He looked to Estella. "How you holdin' up?"

She giggled, but I knew it was strained. "Hurts, but I'll live."

"You better." Brice bumped his foot against her uninjured one, and she smiled.

I cleared my throat. "I have a first aid kit in my truck. I'll take you."

I stood up and pulled her up with me. "I'll take her," Brice said. Estella lifted her hurt foot up while I supported her. "Just tell me where it is."

"Brice, I don't have time for this." With Estella's arm wrapped around me, I wrapped mine along her waist. "I'll take her, be quick, get it done and over with."

Brice narrowed his eyes. "She's my girlfriend."

The anger started to boil. "I'm very aware of that because you love to remind people."

We glared at each other. "Velasco, I'll take her."

"Estella's foot is hurt," I reminded him. "She's in pain, and you're here arguing about this?"

"Velasco—"

"Brice, enough," Estella said, drawing both of our attention to her. "It's not that big of a deal. It's Jax's truck, he knows where the first aid kit is. Let him take me."

Brice hesitated, but as he continued to look at Estella, he smiled. "Okay." He tapped her nose. "I just want you better." He rested his hand on her cheek and kissed her on the lips. I looked away because the kiss wasn't overly long, but it wasn't short either. "Okay?" he asked when he pulled away, and she nodded.

"Let's go." I started to lead her away, so I wouldn't have to see anymore. He released her.

"Take care of my girl, Velasco," Brice hollered as we walked off.

I waved him my hand to show I got the message. When we reached Verda, I opened the trunk and helped Estella sit in it. When I got the first aid kit, I stood in front of her and started getting to work. As I worked on her foot, her eyes watched through me. When I looked up to catch her staring, it confirmed my suspicions.

"What?" I asked.

"Sadaf likes you," she said. "She thinks I should be with you."

I finished tying her foot in the ace bandage. "Really?" A part of me reveled in that information. I moved closer as her feet came down. "Do you want to be with me?"

An unreadable expression crossed her face. "It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does," I said. "Answer the question."

She was silent at first. "Why do we do this, Jax?" I didn't say anything. "Why do we know it's not going anywhere, but we keep acting like it will?" Her eyes were starting to water. "Me and you will never happen, so let's start acting like it'll never happen."

"I hate seeing you with him," I confessed. "He's my friend, and you were once my friend, but I hate seeing you two together."

"We are friends," she said, and I shook my head.

"The way I feel about you, that's not how you feel about friends." I shouldn't have said that, but it just came out.

Estella took in a deep breath. "Why do you say things like that?"

"Things like what?" She had all of my attention.

"Things that give me hope," she said. "Things that I can't stop thinking about because they make me feel good and make me want to be with you."

I moved even closer to her. "So, you still want to be with me?"

She pushed me back. "Brice could see."

"I don't care," I said. "You want to be with me."

"Like I said, it doesn't matter." She hopped off the trunk, wincing.

"Estella!" I grabbed her so she could balance off me. "Take it easy."

"Let's go back," she said, trying to hop towards the beach. "We're done here."

We weren't. I knew we weren't done. But I respected her decision. "Get on my back." I moved in front of her with my arms back. I leaned down. "Come on."

She hesitated, but she got on my back, holding onto my shoulders as I supported her with my hands. "I got you," I said as I walked us back to the others. She rested her head on my shoulders when her arms moved around my neck. "I'll always have you."

"I know," she said in a soft voice.

That was all the comfort I needed. Things weren't okay now, but they would be. I would always have Estella.