South beach (10 page)

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exposing her midriff. She noticed that Colby and his friends were now all holding shot glasses full of tequila.

"Can I do some off your stomach?" Colby asked. "I'm just gonna get some salt and limes from the bar."

Alexa paused for a moment, considering. It would be kind of funny to have Colby licking salt off her belly. But then she looked across the room and saw Holly, standing by the bar. For a second, she and Alexa made eye contact, and then Holly looked away again. Alexa felt a flash of sobriety. Was Holly
judging
her? For an instant, Alexa saw herself through Holly's eyes: trashed and half-clothed and lying on a table in front of three horny boys.

"Get away from me, you gross-out morons," Alexa managed to say, standing up and pushing Colby aside. She flung her hair back, readjusted her top, and made her way toward the bar.

At the bar, Holly gazed sadly into her glass of water. Alexa was out there having a blast -- hooking up with boys, dancing, being wild -- while she was stuck in a corner, playing the wallflower role to the hilt. Holly wished some of Alexa's sparkle and spontaneity might rub off on her. She just felt so bland.

"Hey," Alexa said, appearing beside her. She looked a little woozy, Holly noticed.

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Alexa reached for her clutch, which she'd stashed in the corner. "Do you want to head out?" she asked Holly.

"Aren't you having fun?" Holly asked, gesturing to the dance floor.

"Of course," Alexa lied. "But you need to end the night when it's at its peak. Stay out any later and you're, like, desperate."

"I guess," Holly said, her eyes scanning the dance floor for Aaron. He was nowhere to be seen. She shrugged, and slid her bag onto her arm. "Okay. Let's go."

They left Ohio's, waved to the bouncer, and walked slowly back to the Flamingo. This time, Holly noticed that the silence between them didn't feel uncomfortable. They were just being quiet, letting the ocean breeze wash over them. The loud music from different clubs blurred together as they passed. It felt good to be getting away from that blur, for now. Holly looked at Alexa. Her eyes were half-closed, and her hair was tousled.

"I can't believe you made out with all those boys," Holly said to Alexa quietly. She felt dumb bringing it up, but her curiosity was nibbling away at her.

"Only two," Alexa sighed. She'd done better. Once, on a good night in Cannes, she'd kissed five.

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Two more than me,
Holly thought. Maybe she should have let Aaron kiss her. But, no. Her first instinct had been right. It was Diego's kisses she wanted to savor. If only she knew for sure that she'd be seeing him before she went home.

"But it felt... not as good as I'd thought it would," Alexa added, startled by her own honesty. "I mean, at first it was great. But then, I don't know. I wish I hadn't been so drunk." She wasn't sure why she was saying these things to Holly. They were things she wouldn't admit even to Portia. What was
with
her tonight?

It was Ohio's, Alexa told herself as they walked into the Flamingo. The place was off. Not her. Tomorrow night, they'd go someplace much more glamorous and classy. Then, she'd be back to her old self.

After all, she couldn't leave South Beach without breaking her Cannes record.

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CHAPTER SIX

Looking for o Boy

"How hung over do I look?" Alexa asked Holly the next morning. They were on the beach, sprawled out on towels while the ocean lapped at their toes. It was another blindingly gorgeous day.

"Not bad," Holly said, taking off her sunglasses to get a better look at Alexa. "Maybe a little tired." Alexa was wearing a canary-yellow string bikini. Her hair was swept up in a bun, and with her oversize shades on, she looked like a mysterious old-time movie star.

"Well if I'd gotten more
sleep ...
" Alexa said in an accusatory tone. She shot Holly an evil glare, then tilted her face back up toward the lemony sun.

Much earlier that morning, Holly's miniature travel alarm had gone off, startling both her and Alexa

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awake. When she was going to bed at two a.m ., Holly had ambitiously set the alarm for seven thirty, thinking she'd go for an early run on the promenade along the beach. Of course, she hadn't counted on feeling like utter crap when the alarm went off. Alexa, pissed, had thrown her lone pillow at Holly's bed, and was unable to drift off again. Holly turned off her alarm and fell into a restless sleep, deciding she'd go for a run some other day. Now, four hours later, both girls were groggy and grouchy -- and Holly was feeling guilty about her laziness.

"Sorry," Holly said defensively as she readjusted the straps on her Speedo. "I'm just trying to keep healthy and active." Ever since Alexa had rescued her outside Ohio's last night, Holly had been feeling a bit warmer toward her old friend. But now; her irritation had returned.

Oh, please,
Alexa thought, reaching for the large iced cappuccino she'd stuck in the sand beside her. Being healthy was so not the point of spring break. Leave it to holier-than-thou Holly to try to stick to her exercise regimen, even after a night of drunken debauchery. Alexa took a long sip from the straw. It was her third coffee of the morning, but it wasn't helping. Her head still throbbed and she felt fuzzy, as if she were experiencing the world through a layer of cotton.

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"I need a little hair of the dog," Alexa mused aloud.

"Hmm?" Holly asked, distracted. She'd seen an olive-skinned boy coming out of the water, and thought, for a moment, that he was Diego.

"Another drink," Alexa explained patiently. "Like a mimosa or something."

"Oh." Holly squinted at the boy, confirming it wasn't Diego. He walked past Holly's towel to his waiting girlfriend, who said something to him in Spanish as he approached. Holly glanced around the beach. It was still relatively early, but the stretch of creamy white sand was dotted with serious sunbathers -- all toned and bronzed. Holly felt very pale and freckly amid all the golden brown bodies.

"Plus, I have to pee," Alexa complained. "Stupid coffee." She stood up and flung her empty container into the nearest trash bin.

"Do you want to go back to the Flamingo?" Holly asked. They'd walked to a beach that was several blocks north of the motel, not wanting to see any of the kids from the night before.

Alexa couldn't bear the thought of facing Thomas. She shook her head, remembering how drunk and red-faced he'd looked in the bar. "I need a break," she groaned.

"Maybe we can go to one of those places back there," Holly said, rolling over and pointing to the

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grand hotels along the boardwalk. "They'd probably let us use their bathroom, right?"

Ooh,
Alexa thought, intrigued. She'd been dying for a chance to get into one of those fabulous retro-glam hotels, especially after enduring almost a full day at the Flamingo. Brushing her teeth in the teensy hallway bathroom that morning had been anything but fabulous.

They put on their flip-flops, stuffed their towels into their beach totes, and trekked over to the boardwalk. Alexa spotted a sign for a hotel called the Oceania and pointed it out to Holly. Behind the sign lay a winding path that led off the boardwalk. Alexa and Holly exchanged a quick glance, then, in silent agreement, stepped off the boardwalk and onto the path to the hotel.

The path led to an elaborate, palm tree-bedecked fence. The fence door opened easily from the outside, so Alexa and Holly simply slipped in, and found themselves inside a jaw-dropping pool area. In the center was an L-shaped, bright blue pool with painted tiles on the bottom. Alexa remembered the mildly gross pool at the Flamingo and wanted to die. Here, reed-thin women in gold lame bikinis floated in the glimmering water on inflatable rafts, sipping fruity cocktails and dozing. Around the pool were an array of hammocks and cushioned lounge chairs where

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other lucky, pampered guests munched on hors d'oeuvres brought to them by uniformed waiters. The whole area was surrounded by giant palm trees and exotic plants, which gave the place a tropical, rainforest feel.

Alexa and Holly exchanged another glance, and this time they were both grinning. Alexa had arrived at her South Beach fantasy.
This
was where she should have been staying. And, by the looks of it, Holly was just as enchanted by the scene before them.

"Forget the beach," Alexa whispered excitedly. "Let's hang out here!" She wanted to dip her toes in the cool, chlorinated water, and have one of the waiters bring her frozen grapes on a platter. Her hangover seemed to have magically disappeared.
All I needed was a little luxury,
Alexa thought.

"We can't use the pool!" Holly protested. She glanced over her shoulder, paranoid, as a waiter sauntered past bearing a tray with hummus and pita wedges. "We're not guests here, Alexa. Besides, I thought you just had to go to the bathroom."

"The trick is to act as if you belong," Alexa replied, pushing her shades on top of her head and striking a supermodel pose. She took Holly's hand and led her past the pool. "They don't know we're not staying here. Come on, let's go inside and find the little girls' room, and then we'll come back."

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The hotel itself lay straight ahead a multistory pink-and-white confection. The rooms all opened up onto delicately latticed terraces that overlooked the pool. As Alexa and Holly neared the hotel, Alexa imagined what those rooms must look like inside: spacious and light-filled, with crisp, king-size beds, plush sofas, plasma TVs ...
Next time,
Alexa told herself.
Next time I'm in South Beach, this is where I'll stay.

But, for now, sneaking in would do just fine.

They walked up a short flight of stone steps and were about to open the hotel's double doors when a dark-haired skinny boy in swim trunks burst out of the hotel, his shoulder knocking against Holly's. Holly's stomach tightened and she stopped in her tracks, glancing sideways at him.

"Diego?" she whispered, hardly able to believe it. Would she really find him so easily?

The boy stopped and brushed his straight hair off his forehead. Holly saw he had narrow green eyes and his nose was larger than Diego's. But she could've sworn ...

"Sorry," the boy said, shaking his head. "Rodrigo." Then he ambled toward the pool, shooting a confused glance back at the girls.

Alexa took Holly's arm and dragged her into the hotel. "Who's Diego?" Alexa asked. "Could you not humiliate us like that?"

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"No one," Holly sighed as they entered the air-conditioned, carpeted lobby. She felt like a humongous fool. Why would Diego be here, in a hotel? He
lived
in South Beach!
I'm an idiot,
Holly thought.

Numbly, she followed Alexa through the lobby, past a tinkling fountain and gilt-framed paintings of seascapes.
Why am I obsessing so much?
Holly obsessed.
I'm thinking every boy I see is Diego.
She waited while Alexa politely asked the concierge where the rest-rooms were. Then, as they left the concierge's desk, Holly noticed a phone booth nearby. On a shelf beneath the phone sat a thick white-pages directory.
That's it,
Holly thought, suddenly relieved. She'd look up Diego in the phone book. That was the mature, logical thing to do -- much more practical than hoping she'd bump into him at random.

But I'll do it later,
Holly thought as they walked into the restroom.
Not with Alexa around.
Before leaving Oakridge, Holly had briefly mentioned to Meghan and Jess that she hoped to reconnect with her First Kiss boy on this trip. They'd thought it was a romantic mission. But Alexa would probably tease Holly mercilessly for harboring a crush on a guy she hadn't seen in three years.
Maybe it
is
borderline pathetic to look for him,
Holly reflected.
But I won't forgive myself if I don't try.

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The ladies' room was just as deluxe as the rest of the hotel, complete with gleaming chrome surfaces, sinks in the shape of swans, a fully stocked table of grooming products, and an attendant handing out towels and mints. After Holly and Alexa were finished (and Alexa had tipped the attendant), they strolled back into the lobby.

"Pool time!" Alexa said gleefully. She'd reapplied her lip gloss and dabbed powder under her eyes and was now feeling much more up to snuff.

"Uh ... give me a minute?" Holly said, tugging on her tote. "I need to call my parents."

In truth, Holly did need to call home -- her dad had already left her two messages that morning -- but she wanted to do a little Diego detective work first. And she was sure that the mere mention of parents would get Alexa out of her hair, for the time being.

"Oh, totally stay here. You do not want to make that phone call outside," Alexa said. "If someone overheard you saying 'Hi, Mommy, how's New Jersey?' that would give us away instantly."

"I don't call my mom
Mommy,''''
Holly muttered. Gould Alexa be any more condescending? And just when Holly was starting to almost tolerate her.

"Right. I'll go outside to snag us a prime spot," Alexa said, walking toward the double doors. She