Island Girls (and Boys) (4 page)

O
ur usual shift was ten until four, but with the shortage of campers, Mrs. P cut us loose at three. The evening crew would arrive soon, and it was slow enough that she could handle things until then. She had Amy close down the snack bar. A metal fencelike barrier slid from one side of the building to the other, keeping people out of the snack area while letting them play in the arcade area.

We climbed into Amy�s car. Me in the back, because I rode in the front on the way to work. Even without all the boxes and bags, it was still cramped.

�What are we going to do when we get home?� Amy asked.

�Change into bathing suits and hit the beach,�
Chelsea answered. She looked over her shoulder at me. �Right?�

She was asking me?

�Sure. I�d like to be a little tan by the end of summer. If I start now with just a bit of time in the sun each day, I should be able to spend more time outside without burning. Peeling skin is the absolute worst.�

�Do we get a discount on things we buy in the campground store?� Chelsea asked.

�Yeah, but everything is more expensive on the island,� I said. �Even with a discount. Maybe we should plan on going back to the mainland once a week for major shopping.�

�We could make a night of it,� Amy said. �Catch a movie or whatever.�

�We�d need to go to the matinee,� I said. �When tickets are cheaper.�

Chelsea turned around in her seat, straining against the seatbelt to face me. She moved her sunglasses down her nose so she could peer at me with her piercing violet eyes. �Why are you so worried about every penny?�

�Because we have bills to pay, and our parents
aren�t here to hand over a twenty if we need something.�

�So we go see them if we run out of money. It�s not like they�re in another country.�

I wanted to pound my head against the back of her seat. �I�m trying to prove that I can live on my own.�

�Me, too,� Amy said. �No emergency trips to our families.�

With a heavy sigh, Chelsea pushed her sunglasses into place and twisted back around. �Okay. It just seems like undue hardship to me.�

�Think of it as an adventure.�

�An adventure in poverty,� Chelsea said. �Doesn�t really appeal, you know?�

�I think it�ll emphasize our resourcefulness,� Amy said.

She turned the car onto the sand-packed road that led to our house. Past the Coast Guard station. One of the Coasties waved at us. We waved back.

�Think they�d give us a ride in the Coast Guard boat?� Chelsea asked.

�I doubt it,� I said. �But the campground
rents sailboats at the marina. We can use them for free if they�re available.�

�Those little things bobbing in the water?� Chelsea asked.

�They hold two people. I took one out last summer. They�re fun, and pretty easy to handle.�

�I�d rather have a big boat with lots of guys around who know what they�re doing,� Chelsea said.

�Who�s here?� Amy asked.

I looked through the windshield. I could see a black truck parked near the house. A guy stepped out.

Chelsea released an earsplitting squeal. �It�s Noah!�

She had the door open before Amy brought the car to a stop. She leaped out, ran to Noah, and threw her arms around his neck. His went around her waist. And then they were kissing like they�d stepped into make-out central.

Amy twisted around and looked at me. �Well, this is a surprise.�

�No kidding.�

�You�d think she�d tell us if she knew he was coming.�

�You�d think.�

Amy turned the car off. �She had to know. Otherwise, he wouldn�t have known where to find us.�

�Yeah.�

�I guess she didn�t
have
to tell us he was coming.�

�No. But she didn�t
have
to keep it a secret either.�

�Too bad he didn�t come yesterday. We could have used his truck to get everything here in one trip.�

�Yeah, it would�ve been nice,� I said.

We climbed out of the car, slamming the doors extra loudly to give warning that we were on our way.

But Chelsea and Noah were caught in a lip-lock that seemed to know no end. I didn�t want to be rude. I cleared my throat. �Hey, Noah!�

He pulled back. �Hey, Jen. Hey, Amy.�

He was really cute. Tall and lean, with dark hair and eyes.

Chelsea wrapped her arm around his waist, and he anchored her up against his side. Like he�d topple over if she weren�t there.

�This is a cool place,� he said.

�You�re going to love it,� Chelsea said. �Come on. I�ll show you my bedroom.�

 

Chelsea showed him �her� bedroom with the door closed.

After nearly half an hour, Amy and I got tired of waiting for them to emerge from their cocoon. We changed into our bathing suits and headed out.

The beach was totally open and almost deserted except for a couple of little kids running around near one of the other beach houses. We laid our towels on the sand. I�d slathered a huge amount of suntan lotion on my body before I�d left the house. So I sat on the towel, reached into my beach bag, and pulled out a romance novel. I rolled over onto my stomach, rested on my elbows, pushed my sunglasses farther up the bridge of my nose, and started reading.

I was completely lost in the story when Amy asked, �Do you think they�re in love?�

I pulled myself back to reality and looked around. I couldn�t figure out who she was talking about. Finally I looked at her. �Who?�

�Chelsea and Noah.�

�Sure looked like it.�

�I knew they were dating, but I didn�t realize it was serious enough that he�d come down here to see her.�

�Looked pretty serious,� I admitted.

�What�s he doing for the summer?�

I shrugged. �I don�t know. I think he actually lives somewhere near Fort Worth. Chelsea hasn�t told me a lot about him.�

Amy grinned. �Except that he�s hot.�

I grinned back. �He is that.�

�Does it bother you not to have a boyfriend?� she asked.

Her brow was furrowed. Even though she was wearing sunglasses, too, I could see that she was serious about the question. Her brown eyes were lost behind the shades but I could feel her studying me, and I knew my answer was important.

�Sometimes, sure. But I figure when we go off to college, we�re going to meet so many new people. By Christmas, we�ll both have boyfriends. That�s why I wanted to spend this summer with you and Chelsea. Just the three of
us. When we go off to different schools in the fall, our lives will change so much.�

�But we won�t change,� Amy said.

�Of course not. Just everything around us.�

�I�m cool with that. But sometimes I get scared. I want to hold on to what we have, but it seems like parts of it are already going away. I mean, look, Chelsea isn�t here.�

�Noah will leave soon, and then she will be.�

�You�re right. I�m worrying for nothing.� She unclipped her hair, ran her fingers through it, then re-clipped it. �Those guys you mentioned earlier, the bikers��

�They�re not really bikers. I don�t think. Not like Hell�s Angels or anything.�

�Whatever. It just got me to thinking. I thought this was going to be the summer of us girls.�

�It is, but I didn�t think we�d have a full guy embargo. After all, we want to party some, and that�s more fun with guys around.�

�I guess.�

�I�m not going to get serious about anyone,� I assured her. �Especially a camper who�s just passing through.�

�Even if he�s Orlando Bloom hot?�

�Not even then, because campers don�t stay.� Mrs. P�s warning echoed through my mind. Not that I�d really needed it. I�d met enough guys last summer to know that flirting with the campground employees was just a game for campers, a part of summer fun.

�Hey, girlfriends!�

We both looked over and saw Chelsea walking toward us.

�There, see,� I told Amy. �Noah has left already.�

Chelsea knelt in front of us. �Since Noah�s here, let�s go out tonight to celebrate.�

Okay. So Noah hadn�t left.

�To celebrate what?� Amy asked.

�Anything! Everything! The beginning of summer. Our independence. The fact that I�m madly in love!�

�I�ll have to count my change first,� I said, grinning. �See what I can afford.�

Chelsea laughed. �I�ll treat.�

�No way. But you�re right. We need to celebrate the beginning of�everything.�

W
e ended up going to the Sandpiper, a restaurant in Surf Town right on the beach.

We sat outside at a table on the wooden deck. I watched the waves lapping at the shore, and tried not to notice the way Chelsea kept sneaking a sip of Noah�s beer whenever the waitress wasn�t around.

�So your grandparents aren�t going to check up on you?� Noah asked.

He had his chair tipped back against the railing. Totally relaxed. Yet his arm was slung around Chelsea, holding her against his side. I wondered if she was going to put her plate on his chest so she could stay in that position to eat once our food arrived.

�They trust us,� I told him.

�Totally cool. So you can do whatever you want?�

�Sure. Within reason.�

�Awesome.� He bent his head and kissed Chelsea.

A long kiss. And then they both started making these harsh-breathing sounds like they were trying to move furniture around. Totally disgusting. And inappropriate.

�Would you like some privacy?� I asked.

Noah lifted his head. He gave me a killer grin. �Nah, man, we�re just playing catch up. You know how it is.�

�Actually, she doesn�t,� Chelsea said. �She doesn�t have a boyfriend.�

Okay, this was just getting ridiculous. She�d never been like this before. Bragging about something. Trying to make us feel like we weren�t as important.

�Bummer,� Noah said.

�Not really,� I said. �I have total independence right now. I can do whatever I want without having to worry about anything. I�m
completely happy.�

�Me, too,� he said and went back to kissing Chelsea.

I wondered why I had thought this was going to be a getting-to-know-Noah type of dinner, talking about our summer, sharing our plans. Instead it was an extension of what had happened in the front yard.

I looked at Amy. She rolled her brown eyes. Apparently, like me, she was wishing we�d stayed home to dine on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

The waitress arrived with our food. I�d ordered popcorn shrimp. Tiny little fried shrimp. They came in a basket with fries.

The waitress set the Admiral�s Feast�every seafood imaginable spread out on two platters�in front of Noah.

�Wicked awesome,� Noah said. The front legs of his chair hit the planked flooring with a resounding thud that shook the deck.

Chelsea looked startled, as though she hadn�t expected him to make a move toward his food�casting her aside to do it.

�I can�t believe you�re going to eat all that,� Amy said.

�Just watch,� he said.

�I�d rather not,� Amy replied. She started eating her salad.

�All men have large appetites,� Chelsea said. �Especially Noah.� She looked at him like he was some sort of superhero.

�So what are you doing this summer, Noah?� I asked. Trying to be pleasant. Trying to care. He was, after all, Chelsea�s boyfriend. And she was one of my best friends. If he was important to her, he was important to me.

�Hanging out with Chels.�

Smiling, she snuggled up against him, while he kept eating.

�What else?� I asked.

�That�s pretty much it.� He looked at her. �I missed you, babe.�

Then he kissed her again.

 

�Chelsea had a lot of nerve making us split the bill three ways,� Amy said, as we were walking back to the beach house.

Chelsea had insisted that because Noah had driven us to the restaurant, we should buy his dinner. The Sandpiper was a whopping one and a half miles from where we were living. How much gas had it taken?

Rather than cram ourselves back into the cab of his truck, Amy and I had decided to walk.

�I know,� I said. But I�d paid up, because I didn�t want to get into an argument at the restaurant.

�My salad was four bucks,� Amy said. �His feast was thirty. Then his dessert and all those beers�we should have said no.�

�Then we would have looked like jerks, because she made the suggestion with him sitting right there.�

�I think Chelsea�s parents gave her money for the summer. All I have is what I�ve saved up, plus what I make at the campground.�

�We were being nice.�

�We were being chicken.�

I looked over at her. Her sunglasses were perched on top of her head, holding her hair back from her face.

�We just didn�t want to get into a fight,� she said.

I nodded, hating that the truth made us sound so weak. �I know.�

�Does she seem different to you?�

�It�s just�� I began.

��that she has a boyfriend and we don�t?�

I laughed. �Exactly.�

We walked along in silence for a while. Or as silent as it can be when you�re on an island and the sea is roaring around you. Twilight had arrived and stars were starting to pop out in the sky.

�What do you think he meant when he said he was spending the summer hanging out with Chelsea?� Amy asked.

�I guess he�s going to come see her a lot.�

�I�m not jealous that she has a boyfriend,� Amy said.

�Me either� is what I said. Although a small part of me was a teensy bit jealous. The island could be a romantic place. Walking in the pale moonlight along the sandy beach with a guy�

I found myself thinking of deep blue eyes, gazing into mine, a crooked smile�

�But it�s supposed to be
our
summer, right?� Amy asked, dragging me back to reality. �You, me, Chelsea.�

�Right. This is supposed to be, like, a long good-bye.�

�Isn�t that the name of a movie?� Amy asked.

�I think so, yeah. We�re shoring up memories.�

�Memories of spending all my money on Chelsea�s boyfriend.�

�You could have said no,� I told her, tired of the subject already.

�But I would have looked cheap if you didn�t say no.�

�No, you wouldn�t have.�

�Yes, I would. And then she would have been mad at me.�

�But now you�re mad at me for not saying no.�

She shuffled along for a little while before saying, �Yeah, a little.�

�I can�t read your mind, Amy. I didn�t know it would bother you this much.�

�Doesn�t it bother you?�

�It did when she first suggested it. But we paid. So now we move on.�

�I guess. But next time, I�m going to say no.�

�We�ll both say no.� And I would. I felt like Chelsea had taken advantage and put us in an awkward position. I�d be ready next time. I hoped anyway. I wanted to change the subject. �Want to stop in the video store and get a chick flick to watch tonight?�

�Definitely.�

It had grown darker by the time we selected a couple of movies. We paid the rental and headed back out. We walked up the road and saw the beach house, the lights from inside spilling out into the night. It was a welcoming sight. And I was filled with contentment and peace. We�d had a few rocky moments yesterday and this evening, but that was to be expected. We�d all done countless things together, but we�d never lived together.

Amy and I went inside, climbed the stairs, and went into the living room. The TV was turned to a baseball game. Noah was sitting on the couch, his bare feet on the coffee table. Chelsea was tucked up against his side.

�Hey, y�all,� I said. �We were thinking of watching a movie.�

Noah looked blankly at the two DVDs I held up. �I found a baseball game,� he said.

�Right,� I said. I thought about calling for a vote, but no way was Chelsea going to vote with me and Amy. Then we�d be tied. And have accomplished nothing.

�Maybe we�ll watch them later,� I offered.

�There�s a Bruce Willis movie on later,� he said.

I hit the DVD cases together. They made an echoing clapping sound. �Maybe tomorrow then.�