"Man, the weather's great. It's a good thing we picked today for the beach trip," I said as I walked.
"Yeah, the weather is pretty nice," Tristan replied.
It was Saturday, the first day of Spring break.
It was also the day we picked for our beach trip.
Both of us wore t-shirts and swim trunks. The only difference was that I brought a backpack.
I pulled out my phone and texted the group chat I made that Tristan and I were close by.
Soon, we arrived at the beach.
It wasn't anything special, just a beach we found on coney island.
Taking a step onto the sand, I felt the grainy texture slowly creep onto my sandals.
'This place seems pretty nice…'
Looking ahead of me, I saw the vast ocean past the sand. The water seemingly glowing with an ethereal light.
There were other people at the beach, but not many, considering most people went to a more popular beach nearby.
But out of the people I did see, there was someone I recognized.
'Is that…?"
The figure noticed Tristan and I, and quickly approached us.
"Hey guys!" Nishimoya greeted us.
"Nishimoya? Your parents let you come?"
She nodded happily.
"I gathered my courage and asked for once. After a really long debate, they let me go out just once since my grades improved," Nishimoya explained.
"That's great," I replied.
"Nice," Tristan added.
"I can only stay for a few hours though so let's make the most of it," Nishimoya added.
Tristan and I nodded in unison.
Suddenly, my mouth twitched.
'Ah, this is weird…'
Once I took a proper look at Nishimoya, I realized she wore a blue one piece bathing suit, matching her eyes.
I never saw her show that much skin before, so it was slightly uncomfortable.
"Look, Soriel's here," Tristan called out.
Turning my head, I noticed Soriel's arrival.
"Hi everyone! And it's great you were able to make Nishimoya!" Soriel exclaimed in delight.
We greeted her back and Nishimoya explained her situation.
While she did, I noticed Soriel was wearing a yellow bikini.
'Why does she have to be so pretty?!'
I felt my body slightly warm up just by looking at her.
"Lock in," Tristan whispered in my ear.
"You right," I said as I regained my focus.
I took my bag off and took out a blanket.
Then, I laid it out on the sand and placed my backpack down.
Nishimoya and Soriel placed their bags down as well.
"Alright, let's get to swimming already," Tristan said as he took off his shirt and walked to the water.
"Sounds good to me!" Soriel replied, following after Tristan.
That left Nishimoya and I.
I stayed back because I hadn't been to the beach in years, so I wasn't sure about going in the water yet.
And I assumed that Nishimoya hadn't gone swimming very often either because of her parents.
That's why I quickly thought of something.
"Wanna go in together?" I suggested.
"Yes please," Nishimoya answered.
I took off my shirt and threw it on the towel.
Ever since I started working out, I noticed I was starting to get a little better physique wise.
I was still skinny, of course, but at least now I looked a bit better.
I still hated the way I looked though.
'Eh, who cares. I'll worry about that later.'
Regaining my clarity, the two of us went in the water together.
"IT'S FREEZING!"
Turns out, I forgot how cold water felt when you first got in.
"Chill out. It's not even that cold," Tristan replied.
"Shut it you deranged nihilist," I retorted.
"No, you dramatic buffoon," Tristan snapped back.
I began to splash water on him and he began to splash back.
As we hung out, I made sure to watch our stuff vigilantly.
But then, I realized something.
'I forgot sunscreen! Dammit! Why am I such a…'
Splash!
A small splash of water drenched my face, cutting off my thoughts.
As I looked towards the source of said water, my eyebrow twitched
"What the..? What was that for, Soriel?!" I exclaimed.
"You looked like you were thinking negatively so I stopped you," Soriel replied.
I stared at her and blinked a few times.
Then, I splashed her on the face.
"Hey!" Soriel screamed.
We began to exchange a series of splashes with each other.
**
"Yo, I'm gonna get some food. You wanna come, Nishimoya?" Tristan said as he walked out of the water.
We had been swimming for a while and we were all getting pretty famished.
"Okay," Nishimoya replied, following Tristan.
Now, Soriel and I were left in the water alone.
"Do you wanna sit on the towels and dry off while we wait for those two?" I suggested as I swayed in the water.
"That sounds good," Soriel answered.
The two of us walked over to the towel I laid out and sat down.
As we sat, I felt the water dripping off my skin and onto the towel along with the cool breeze which caused me to shiver.
There were a lot less people now and the sun had started to set.
Soriel and I gazed at the sunset in a peaceful silence, admiring the way it's warm glow reflected onto the ocean.
It was a comforting sight.
And then I had a random thought.
"Hey Soriel?"
"Yes Elliot?"
"How come you don't skip classes anymore?"
I had been wondering about that for a while but I only remembered to ask at that moment.
Perhaps I could've picked a better time for it though.
"Well…" Soriel began, turning her head to look at me.
Noticing this, I reciprocated her gaze.
"I saw how much you cared about your grades so it made me care a little more too," She said with a smile.
Her smile was as warm as the sunset.
That warmth touched my very soul.
And for a few moments, I simply stared at her.
Then, I flashed a smile of my own.
"I'm glad that my glorious and determined spirit was able to motivate you," I boasted.
Soriel giggled.
The two of us went back to being silent.
And when we did, I felt our fingers touch.
I was going to pull away but I noticed Soriel didn't seem to mind.
So I continued to speak, as if nothing was going on at all.
"Speaking of academics, I think I'm going to change my approach slightly," I said.
"How so?"
I took a silent deep breath and continued.
"I'm going to strive to get the very best grades possible. Not just focusing on beating the others, but beating myself…"
My smile grew slightly wider.
"I'll aim for the sun so that even if I fail, my fall will be softened by the clouds," I declared softly.
To become extraordinary.
So much so that I'd surpass everyone else.
That way, even if I didn't achieve the impossible goal I set, I'd still be ahead of everyone else.
"Oh wow, I didn't know you liked metaphors Elliot," Soriel commented.
My eyebrow twitched.
"Be quiet!" I snarled.
Soriel laughed. She laughed so hard she began to tear up.
Seeing her like that, I laughed too.
We laughed hysterically together until the others came back.
And even when they did, I continued to laugh.
I ate and I joked and I ate some more.
And I laughed until I couldn't laugh anymore.
Why wouldn't I laugh?
I was with my friends. The same people who brought so much joy into my life.
So I laughed.
I didn't have to worry about the past or future, the way I looked or the way I talked, my grades or my chores.
I enjoyed the present.
Because I was blessed to have it.