"Great. The first full day on this godsforsaken island and it looks like there's going to be a hurricane," I groan as I perch on the edge of the bed, rubbing my fists over my eyes.

Glancing at the clock on my bedside table, I see it's 9:30am. I never sleep this late, but after my track and field meet in the middle of the night, I guess I needed the extra rest. But it doesn't look like it's 9:30am; it looks like it's barely daylight out, it's so overcast and cloudy.

I had been ready for tropical island weather, making it hard for me to choose what to wear after I hop out of bed and dress for the day, finally tugging on leggings and an oversized, off the shoulder sweatshirt. Oh well. Today has to be better than yesterday.

I throw all my belongings I need for the day—including my inhaler—into my mini backpack and head down to the sunroom—thankfully a different room from last night's horror show—hoping for something good for breakfast and maybe a chance to chat with Elias.

But when I get downstairs, I find that only one of those things is likely to happen as I grab a pastry from the middle of the table and an iced coffee to wash it down with—Elias is nowhere to be seen. In fact, there are more than a couple people missing from breakfast. And I thought we were supposed to eat all meals together.

Everyone seems to ignore me, not so much as sparing me a glance as they carry on with their meal. I wonder if it's the witch's hat that turned them all off from me. The costume was ridiculous compared to all their evening gowns and suits, but how was I supposed to know that no one would dress up? A petite woman with lavender hair and a button nose locks eyes with me. I take a chance and wiggle two fingers at her in a shy greeting. She lifts one side of her mouth in a smile, and I push my luck further.

"I love the color of your hair. I used to try to dye mine pastel colors, but it never took. I was told it's because my hair is too close to gray."

She tilts her head to the side and with a small voice says, "I've never dyed my hair."

I tuck my lips between my teeth, hiding my shock that she would so blatantly lie to me. Thankfully, she doesn't get a chance to notice my disbelief because Lorelai breezes into the dining room in a bikini under a see-through sarong tied around her hips.

"Good morning, beauties! Who's up for a swim today?" she asks, almost like she is singing the words.

I scrunch up my nose and look around, in shock that anyone is nodding in response to her request. "Umm, Lorelai, have you looked outside?"

"Yeah, why?" she asks, taking a mimosa from the table next to the window.

"Oh, no reason. Just that it looks like it's about to storm. Like, gale force winds, severe weather warning kind of storm." I don't even mention the missing people...most notably, her best friend.

"Nonsense. It's just overcast. It's a perfect day to relax on the beach."

There's no use in arguing because I've received some of my worst sunburns on cloudy days. She has her mind made up. And by the way the others react, they share her sentiment. I don't want to be the one known as the party-pooper. Besides, more than a few of the men in the room are very attractive...almost too attractive. I was too nervous to notice it last night, but every single person here could grace the cover of any fashion magazine. I can't miss out on an opportunity to see if I might mesh well with one of them. It is the reason I'm here, after all.

"All right, if you say so. Just let me go change, okay?"

"Make it quick; I need my water time," she says, sipping on her mimosa and leaning against the doorframe.

Cramming the last bit of pastry in my mouth, I nod and breeze past her. "Be right back."

When I get upstairs, I look back and forth between the black, lowcut one-piece and the shiny, rose-gold string bikini that leaves very little to the imagination. Drawing my bottom lip between my teeth, I think back to what one of my friends I graduated with said before I left.

Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Talk to the guy you wouldn't ordinarily talk to if you were at the bar. Wear the string bikini. Do the smoky eye for dinner every once in a while.

I sigh and grab the rose gold bikini, and five minutes later, I'm back in the foyer where Lorelai is waiting for me. I adjust my coverup, still feeling pretty nervous about this revealing as all hell scrap of fabric called a bathing suit. Coming up behind her, I tap her on the shoulder and say, "Hey, I'm ready."

"You look smoking hot in that!" She grabs my shoulders and forces me to twirl. "I'm starting to wonder if the hat last night wasn't just an attention getter. I didn't take you as the type that likes to steal the show, but maybe you are."

My cheeks flush and I know the pink in them is even darker than this bathing suit. "Th-thank you? No, I—I really didn't want to call attention to myself in the hat, I swear. That was mortifying." I look down at myself and cock my head to the side. I really do look pretty good. "But this? Yeah, this looks good, doesn't it?"

"It'll look better with you sprawled out on a towel watching the waves." She takes my hand and pulls me out the front door.

I have to admit that for it being so gloomy, it is a beautiful day. The clouds are high and continuous, just enough to block out the harsh rays of the sun. Palm trees sway in the warm breeze, and the bright orange, purple, and yellow of the tropical flowers are so vivid. I didn't get to appreciate just how beautiful the island is when I first arrived.

Lorelai and I follow a path of planked wood down to the shore. Everyone is already lounging on chairs with umbrellas or splashing in the aqua water. Even in the dim light, the shade of blue is breathtaking as it laps at the white sand.

I do a once-over of everyone, noticing a tall man with a ripped body and sandy blond curls. He looks my way and flashes a smile that's brighter than the veiled sun. The man next to him wears bright yellow board shorts that complement his dark brown skin. He nudges the blonde with his elbow and wiggles his eyebrows, teasing him for his blatant flirtation. I have to say that I don't mind the attention of either of them, but the words that flow from my mouth seem to say differently.

"Where is Elias?"

Lorelai rolls her eyes as she tosses her beach bag on one of two lounge chairs. "He isn't a morning person, or an afternoon person for that matter. I tried to get him to come, but he'd rather stay in his room."

I shove down the disappointment that bubbles up inside me. "Well, today, that may be my fault."

Her head snaps toward me and one perfectly sculpted auburn eyebrow practically hits her hairline. "How do you mean?"

My jaw drops when I realize what she thinks I meant. "Oh! No, no. Not that! I had a bit of a freak out last night. I thought there was someone in my room." I hold up my hand when she opens her mouth to retort. "I know. You don't have to say it. It was stupid. But I ran outside and didn't have my inhaler. I had a minor asthma attack and he carried me back to my room and stayed with me until I was ready to go to sleep." I roll my eyes and push my hair off my forehead, wishing I had brought a hair clip, rubber band, anything to get it out of my face. "It was just another humiliating moment to add to yesterday's list."

She leans back with a huge smile on her face and rights her sunglasses on her nose. "Elias stayed until you fell asleep. That's very un-Elias-like."

That piques my curiosity. "What is Elias-like?"

"Quiet, standoffish, brooding."

I snort before clearing my throat. "He was those things too. Is he also really fucking bossy?"

She lowers her glasses and gives me a look that says that is an understatement. "He has a tendency to like things a very specific way, bossy is a good word for it. But if he spent time with you that tells me that you intrigue him. I've never witnessed that before from him. And we've been friends for a very long time."

My heart speeds up but I don't show Lorelai any outward sign that I'm feeling any type of way about Mr. Broody Bossypants who can't be bothered to come check on me the morning after my brush with...well, with needing my inhaler.

"I don't know about intrigue. I think he just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to keel over."

"You should take that as a good sign, Cora. Can I call you Cora?"

I open my mouth to tell her it's fine. I always wanted people to call me by Cora when I was younger, but it never stuck. I don't get a chance to let her know since Buff and Blond and Hot Yellow Trunks strike up a conversation with us.

I try to engage, but Lorelai carries most of the conversation. My head is too busy recalling what happened with Elias last night and everything Lorelai told me about her best friend. I was going to try and to keep my distance, not wanting to be on the receiving end of his surly attitude again, but I can't help but to think I might give him another chance to make a good impression on me. Perhaps I'll dazzle him with a bit of my newfound self-confidence during dinner tonight.