Here's more.. well, yeah.
Enjoy, and thank you!
Hold On
“I still can’t believe you talked me into going to the beach,” Ren grumbled as she and her friends all piled into Kevin’s jeep. She was certain they’d already planned for this trip for when she’d come back downstairs she noticed their bags in the corner waiting for hers to join them.
“Oh psh, it’ll be fun,” Ashley said, her mind already on the shirtless boys she hoped to see soaking in the sun’s rays and showing off their muscles. Melissa had her iPod blasting and was bobbing her head to the song she’d selected. Ren just rolled her eyes, snapping her seatbelt on with a click as she sat in the front with Kevin.
“Do you really not want to go to the beach?” Kevin asked Ren, his eyes searching hers for the answer. She refused to look at him, not wanting to spoil his and her other two friends’ plans. She really would like nothing more than to read her book. As lame and pathetic as she often felt like that made her, it was the truth. There was nothing all that special about the beach when it was as easily accessible as it was to her. The waves were nice, and the way the sun made the water sparkle was beautiful and fascinating, but she never really enjoyed it.
“I want to spend time with you guys.” She said after a moment, pulling her thick red hair into a ponytail and sighing. “So if that means the beach, let’s go.”
Kevin needed no further encouragement, starting the jeep with a swift turn of the key. As the engine rumbled to life Ren played with the station tuner until she found a song she liked. She and Kevin were big country fans, much to Ashley’s disgust, so Ren took an extra pleasure out of blasting the crooning man accompanied by banjos and lyrics of heartache and pain. She and Kevin sang along, their voices meshing together perfectly in a way that can’t be forced or practiced.
The drive was a short one, and by the time the song was finished and the station was giving out its call letters, the jeep pulled to a stop. Ashley jumped out of it with a whoop, dragging Melissa along with her as they scoped out the best spot for guy watching. Even though it was a hobby the two shared, Melissa would probably spend most of her time in the water. She enjoyed swimming and the feel of the water separating beneath her as she dove into it.
Ren sighed again as she leaned against Kevin’s jeep as she waited for Kevin to meet her on her side so they could walk to the shore together. It was an unspoken agreement the two shared; to never walk to the beach alone. Quite often the two were stuck alone together as Ashley and Melissa rushed off to whatever attraction they’d focused on at that moment. But Ren enjoyed her moments alone with Kevin. Out of her three friendships he was the one who knew her best. He could read her like a book, which she was still unsure of whether it was a blessing or curse.
His hand closed around hers, and she fought back the smile that threatened to show itself on her face. Without speaking he comforted her more than anyone could. She was truly grateful to have him as her friend.
When they finally got to the shore they laughed at Ashley’s antics. She was setting up her lawn chair next to the volley ball net where a group of guys had assembled and were about to begin a game. She had her shades on and was ready for the game (or show as she liked to call it) to start. She waved excitedly at the pair of friends laughing at her before returning her concentration to her current favorite sport.
“Sometimes I wonder about her.” Kevin mused as the two spread a beach blanket Ren had brought on the warm sand.
Ren smiled, glancing at Kevin in amusement. “Only sometimes?” He laughed and shook his head. Ren sat on the blanket, shaking off her flip flops and staring into the clouds. It was going to be a hot day, the heat of summer radiating from the sand and the water. But it was cloudy, and Ren amused herself by making shapes out of the clouds. A shadow disrupted her daydreaming and she turned to see Kevin pulling off his t-shirt.
Being friends with a guy certainly had its advantages, and she took in his well-toned chest with interest. She’d seen him shirtless countless times but it still fascinated her in a way. He was tan, but not extremely so, freckles darkening his skin in patches. His collarbone jutted out slightly, and it was one of the things that Ren enjoyed the most about his physique.
She snapped out of her thoughts when a cloud moved, causing the sun to shine in her face. She blushed slightly, and tried to force the thoughts out of her mind. Of course that would be when Kevin sat next to her, throwing an arm around her and asking what she was thinking about.
“Just how that cloud looks like a hippo.” She said, pointing to a particularly fluffy cloud in the sky. He laughed and she could feel his chest move with his chuckle.
“I think I’m going to go for a swim.” She said, getting up and walking towards the water. Kevin nodded, but she was already gone, ready to dip her toes into the water. The sun’s rays had warmed the water, but it was still slightly cool, and she prepared herself before wading in to her waist. She saw Melissa several yards away, swimming vigorously and having a good time. Taking a deep breath she dove into the water, swimming a few feet before raising her head to gather her surroundings. She was surprised to be so close to a small group of people around her age. When she’d started swimming they seemed farther off than they were now.
One of the boys in the group turned and gave her a smile, one she shyly returned. She never really spent much time with boys other than Kevin and on occasion his brothers, so it was awkward. She turned, getting ready to paddle away when the boy asked her to wait.
“Hold on,”he said, swimming over to her. “What’s your name?”
Her green eyes widened at his question. He was decent looking, a wide smile and hair that when not glued to his head due to the water would fall into his eyes. His blue eyes looked genuine and she wasn’t afraid to talk to him.
“Ren.” She said, smiling more confidently. “And you?”
“Jared.” He replied, offering his hand for her to shake. His arms were extremely toned and he was fit, though it appeared to have been an effort instead of the natural way Kevin looked. “Do you want to hang out with us for a while? I noticed you’re swimming alone.”
Ren thought about Kevin sitting on the shore and Ashley and Melissa doing their own things and nodded. She needed to find out who she was besides one of the members of their small group.
And this could give her the chance.
She didn’t see Kevin watching her from the shore with a slight frown but a shrug as he too waded into the water. There were a lot of things she never saw that Kevin did; the gestures, the secretive smiles. He wondered if she ever would.
At this point the reader should be torn between rooting for Ren and feeling pain for Kevin. It’s a plot device often thrown in these types of stories. Who do you root for? You may often feel like Jared is a bad guy, he’s leading Ren on to a path farther away from Kevin and that may not be a good thing. Or you can see that Jared could be a great guy who may help Ren discover who she is. How are you supposed to feel? That’s strictly up to your own choices. No answer is right or wrong. Just speculation. Until you find out that what you think is actually true.
