Yohanna and Alex: Chapter 2: [part one]

                        The Beach PARTY





     

  Eric opened my door Lucy behind him, “welcome back,” he practically yelled, and then everyone came out of their hiding space and the bright lights that decorated anything that they could be hanged on shined. Eric opened my door and held me by my waist, this caught me of guard. I knew that he knew about my crush on him, but he never had reacted like the others, everyone else that I dated reacted to the way I looked, the way my body looked. He never did he was kind of departed from me for him it was like I was always on the spotlight, a spotlight that he didn’t like,  he didn’t like crowded places, and ever since I came here I’d had a crowd. I loved attention, but not because of my body I hate that kind of attention. I liked the kind of attention I got for the things I did like, help at school, plan parties like these, being crazy like Lucy, and being myself, happy, energetic, and never really showing a frown, not because I didn’t want to but because a smile was easier to show than explaining the reason for my frown. Many times my smiles were frowns but no one noticed, not even Lucy.
  “Hey pretty girl,” Eric said bringing me back from my thoughts. I loved that he called me pretty girl it was something he only did when we were alone or around our friends.
  “Hey,” I whispered quickly turning to Alex. He was in the trunk of my car leaning on the edge. I let loose of Eric’s arms and went to him, I knew I had to be nice, but that wasn’t part of my personality, I mean at least not being nice to him wasn’t. So why was I being nice? Had I changed my mind about him? No. Absolutely not, but still I walked to him.
  “I’m going to introduce you, even though I think you already know everyone here,” I said with a small smile, not a fake one like the ones I usually had but a real one, one that I never really showed anyone.
  “Yep,” he said “even though some people stayed away.”
  I already knew who he was talking about, and he knew that I knew who he was talking about, but he still turned to Lucy. I turned with him feeling something strong inside me, but I wasn’t sure of what it was. I stared at Lucy; she was thin like me we were the same size in jeans, not so much in shirts my breasts were a little bigger than hers, but that wasn’t what made us different. She was light and her blue eyes were like the sky while my hazel eyes were sometimes as dark as the sand in the beach. Her black hair made her look even more pale while my burgundy hair made me look lighter but not pale. She was a few inches taller maybe only two but she was still taller than me. She hated that it made her not be able to wear hills. As I thought this I reminded my self to take off my hills I never walked in the sand with any kind of shoes on. As I did this Lucy and Eric came to us. I’d forgotten the coldness that April still had in Michigan, especially at night. I hadn’t picked out a great night to wear a strapless shirt and a skirt.
  “Hey is he with you?” Eric asked. I took it as a double question like am I with him or did he just tag along.
  “He just came along, Lucy you know Alex my new roommate,” I stopped when I saw the expression on all the people around me all of my friends, what had I said?
  “Well she has her own room and a lock,” Alex assured that made Eric and Lucy loosen up. I thought about it for a while and laughed too loudly. They all started to pick me up in hugs, I usually got scrunched by two people at the same time which didn’t hurt because I knew that they were happy to see me, I had been gone for a almost two years.
  “Are we going to stand here in the parking lot, or are we going to party?” Bruce asked loudly.
  “We are going to party,” I yelled back with as much enthusiasm as Bruce, jumping on him.
  “Hey sis,” he said kissing my forehead. “Welcome back, we meaning I missed you,” he whispered in my ear so that no one could hear.
  “I missed you more,” I whispered back, after a moment I added “Um do you think you could put me down I am wearing a skirt,” I reminded him.
  “Don’t tell me you guys didn’t bring bathing suits it’s the beach,” he reminded everyone else.
  “Oops guess I forgot,” I replied only to him.
  “Oh,” was all he said, he put me down gently so no one could see anything. I thought about it why had I said that? Its not like these people haven’t seen me in a bathing suit, wasn’t it the same if I was wearing my underclothes? I always wore a two piece it shouldn’t be any different, then I remembered the only person who hadn’t seen me in any kind of clothes, Alex, he’d only seen me in the clothes I wore yesterday and the one I wore and was wearing today.
Eric was about to grab me and I don’t know why, I liked Eric I had the biggest crush in him, but yet I didn’t want him to touch me not today not in front of anybody, so I said
  “Hey I didn’t say you could put me down now how about when you carry me to the beach,” I said to Bruce, he was strong and tall.
He picked me gently and I laughed “Yeah like you ever cared if anyone saw you being harsh with my body,” I said to him, Bruce was always playful with everyone, he use to swing me around in circles until we were both dizzy and fell.
  “Okay then,” he said and he swung me in his arms while he walked to the beach, I was able to get a quick glance at Alex smiling when he saw how Bruce and I got along. Maybe he was smiling at me I wasn’t sure but still I smiled even if he didn’t see it.
  When we got the seashore I saw the bonfire and other people there, someone yelled and Bruce to put me down or I would throw up on him, but Bruce didn’t mind.
  “Hey guys!” I said when I got close enough and Bruce stopped twirling me.
  “Hey pretty face,” a lot of guys said at the same time, I was used to the name calling it wasn’t bad because I knew they meant no harm when they said that, it was like a way for them to describe me, the only one who called me by name was Lucy.
    Bruce put me down and I sat with everyone around me. I was happy to be close to all the people that really loved me; I loved the feeling when I was around them.
  “Hey did you guys miss me,” I asked.
  “It was hard,” a voice I knew replied “there was a substitute, around when you were gone.” Jared finished
  “Oh,” was all I could manage.
  “I am playing,” he yelled “come here and give me a hug you know I love you,” he said. Love was a word we used for everyone we loved each other we all did. I hugged Jared and then he saw Alex and went for him too.
  “Hey dude, what have you been up to?” he asked Alex. He held us both in his arms and I could really feel Alex behind me. I was burning in every spot that he touched me; I don’t know why I felt that way it was as if he was fire burning my skin. When Jared stopped hugging us, I felt relieved that I wasn’t burning, but mad that he wasn’t touching me.
      “So,” Eric said “What happened yesterday we had to cancel our plans?” he asked
      “Oh sorry I had to stay to greet our guest,” I said looking at Alex. Alex just smiled and didn’t say anything; he went of with some of the people he knew. I sat around the people I knew and talked to them for a while. After half an hour I didn’t feel right I glanced at Lucy and gave her a quick signal for her to go to the other side of the seashore. She got up quietly and started walking by her self; I got up after a few seconds and walked with her quietly.
          “What’s wrong?” she asked
          “I don’t know, I feel weird around so many joy, I know its weird but then again I am weird,” I replied.
          “Is it about Alex or is it Eric or maybe something else?” she asked. I couldn’t lie to her I always answered her truthfully, why lie to her when she knew about everything about me, except what she never asked like about my life in California.
        “I think its Alex, I don’t know ever since he came I get these weird feelings, especially when I am around him,” I paused to look at her “what do you think? I think I like him but not sure how.” She stared at me as if hurt but she wasn’t looking at my eyes just at my body.
      “What’s wrong?” I asked her.
      “I’m sorry, I think I like him too” she looked away this time.
      “What? Who?” I asked her, I wasn’t sure who she meant it could have been Alex but no she told me she hadn’t talked to him, but neither had I and I felt this way. She was still silent.
      “Who?” I asked again, but it was too late Alex, Jared, and Bruce were coming our direction, they were actually shirt less, Jared and Bruce were wearing swim shorts and Alex was wearing boxers. I felt breathless I couldn’t help staring at him only; it was unbelievable how he looked so fine, cute, gorgeous. I realized what was happening, Lucy and I were walking on the seashore we always did that when we wanted to be alone we were holding hands like we always did, we were best friends and nothing could separate us. Bruce and Jared were on the ends and Alex in the middle, they were running now, fast too, Lucy and I tried to run but it was too late they came pounding on us, they were too strong and Alex came in between my hand and Lucy’s and unhooked us it felt bad how that happened as soon as he came Lucy and I were separated. They threw us in the water it was harsh but they were just playing, just like they always did. Lucy and I went back to the shore I noticed her looking at all three at them especially one of them, suddenly I was thrown in the water again this time not so harsh I noticed it was Bruce, he asked if I wanted to change to let my clothes dry of before I went back home. He helped me out of the water and with my shirt, I saw Alex looking at us curious to see what we were doing I pulled Lucy to me as soon as I could and told her to take her clothes off too so I wouldn’t be the only one there who got stared at.
      “What?” she asked.
      “Please,” I begged.
      “Whatever if I get sick it’s your bill,” she said playing.
      “Yeah sure what ever you want,” I replied serious now.
  We both took our clothes off and left our panties in my case and her bathing suit. She shivered and so did I, it was like a reaction everything I did she did, everything she did I did, we were like twins with the same thoughts, same emotions. I decided to get in the water since it was so cold in the shore, Bruce didn’t wait for my permission he just grabbed Lucy and I from our waist and threw us in the water.
      “Is this the playboy beach?” I heard Eric call “Why is Bruce having all the fun?” he asked, I was sure why he meant it, Alex and Jared just stared at us and Bruce, I didn’t care he was my best friend and so was Lucy. Eric came by and swung me around and before I knew it I was on his shoulders and he was playing with me in the water, it was fun I always like the beach and it was fun getting wet, I loved the rain as much I loved the beach it was good for me, with both I felt free. I was laughing now and smiling I was happy again.
      When we got out it was cold I put my clothes back on and so did Lucy, again like a reaction. While I went to the bonfire Lucy went to her car to get her jacket, it was colder than ever or maybe it was just the fact that I had just gotten out of the water and was wearing a skirt and a strapless shirt. Either way it was cold, I saw Alex going after Lucy when she went to get her jacket maybe it was my imagination but I saw him smile, as he looked at my face, at my reaction. When they were back I saw both of them were smiling, it frustrated me not knowing what was happening, for once I didn’t care what she was thinking but what he was thinking, which made me feel bad because she was my friend my best friend, I couldn’t do that to her.
      I saw Bruce look at my face; I could tell he had been looking at me for a while now. I looked away keeping away from his gaze, but before I could look away he patted the spot next to him and smiled. I moved quickly around all the people and sat next to him.
  “Hey I know what’s wrong with you,” he said.
  “Really?” I asked not surprised at all he always knew what was wrong with me, even before I found out. He hugged me and slightly kissed my hair.
  “You know if you like him you should do something or at least tell her before someone gets hurt,” he said.
  “I already did,” I sighed.
  “Wow really I can’t believe she’s still at it though,” he stopped and said nothing more, I waited a little bit more and then realized he thought he had said too much.
  “What do you mean?” I asked
  “Well I didn’t want to tell you, but I guess you will soon know,” he said.
  “What!” I yelled now and Alex and Lucy stared at me and turned their heads at the same time. I was sad my best friend was keeping something from me, I knew about as much as she knew about me and she was keeping a secret from me, I felt betrayed, by her and by him.
  “Come on,” Bruce said “walk with me.”
  I got up slowly and he hugged me tightly, I turned to glance back this time only to see a tear running down Lucy’s cheek and Alex’s frown.
  “Last year,” he started “when he came….well he kind of took your place”
  “I heard that three times now,” I told him in a sad tone that only made him hug me tighter. I heard footsteps behind us and I didn’t even turn if it was Lucy, I didn’t want to see her not now not in some days, and if it was Alex I still didn’t want to turn I detested him, not only for taking my freedom the first day, but for taking something that was more precious to me, my family, yeah this is what these people were to me my family, something I didn’t have back in California.