"i haven't been on the beach in ages." cassie grinned with the side of her hand against her forehead, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"college life." vanessa sighed and folded her arms together against her chest.

"are you even going to swim in the water?" alex smirked at cassie and raised one of her eyebrows.

"of course i am." cassie huffed and looked to the sides. "where are the boys?"

"mason forgot his phone in his dorm, so they hurried back a while ago. should be here... now." vanessa smiled and glanced behind her shoulder, where matt and mason approached them.

"okay, let's start with finding a spot." alex proclaimed, surveying the beach and the people on it. she then walked over to an area and put her towel down.

everyone else just mirrored her movement and cassie pulled her fingers through her hair as she looked up at matt. he sent her a soft smile and bent his legs upwards, resting his arms against his kneecaps.

"you guys brought a ball with you, right?" vanessa asked the boys and raised her eyebrows.

"how could i forget? you sent me ten messages about it." mason smiled sarcastically while putting the ball in the middle of them.

"matt?" cassie said quietly and poked his arm. "could you come with me for a moment?"

"mhm, yeah." matt nodded as he stood up, reached out his hand to help her on her feet and then left the group with her. "what is it?"

"i haven't told alex yet. have you?" she asked and folded her arms together while they wandered along the coastline.

"about... us?" he scrunched up his face questioningly, and she nodded. "no. i figured we should talk about it first."

"we need to tell her. we can just say that we kissed and that's basically it for now." she suggested, glancing up at him.

"twice." he smiled cheekily and looked down at the sand to avoid seeing her eyeroll.

"right, twice. anyway, do you think that's enough to say to her? she won't shut up for minutes." she laughed and pulled her fingers through her hair.

"considering it's the truth, i would feel safe to conclude that that's enough."

"oh jesus christ, vanessa's going to rub this in my face and be so annoying." she moaned and rubbed her temples with a sigh.

"why?" he chuckled and gave her a funny look.

cassie inhaled deeply and pressed her lips together as she gazed up at him. matt waited patiently and raised his eyebrows, automatically slowing his pace down.

"because she's like your sister, only worse. when i tell her about you and i, she's going to literally squeal. why? because she ships us. to her, this..." she explained, moving her finger between them to gesture. "... was inevitable."

"i like her."

"of course you do. she ships us."

"sweety, you obviously liked me before you even knew me." he smirked and slid his hands down his pockets.

"okay, first of all, i did know you. second of all, not fair. at least you knew who i was. i had no idea who you were." she muttered and nudged his body with hers.

"valid point. but you judged me way too quickly."

"let's kill this topic, shall we?" she smiled cutely and pulled her fingers through her hair.

"as you wish. will you swim today?" he asked and looked at the ocean with squinting eyes.

"probably not. i'm not really a swimming person." she sighed and bit on her thumbnail.

matt turned his head back to her and almost frowned. he wasn't going to question her; for all he knew, there could be a severe reason as to why she doesn't swim. or she was just a boring, tanning person. not that he could believe she'd rather tan than swim.

when he cracked a little smile, cassie slowly and barely tilted her head to the side, studying his face. puckering the slightest with her lips, she narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head. she was now sure he'd force her in the water somehow.

"okay, understandable. not everyone loves to swim. i mean, you wouldn't want to get bitten by a shark?" he teased and quickly jumped to the side when she raised her hand to hit him.

"stop! not funny." she exclaimed and glanced behind his shoulder at the ocean. "god, now i'm definitely not going in."

"cass!" he snickered and grabbed her head gently. "it's like a one in a million risk that that's gonna' happen. and besides, we're right by the beach. you'd have to go a lot deeper than this." he grinned and pointed towards the people swimming.

"i get it. i just don't like being in the water that much. i'd rather play volleyball or something like that on the sand. but of course i'll take a dip when it gets really hot."

"then we'll play some volleyball, and maybe a card game. come on." he assured her before throwing an arm around her shoulder and returning to their friends.

"finally, you're back." vanessa clasped her hands together, standing on her knees. "is anyone thirsty?"

"very." both alex and mason answered at the same time and nodded.

"i can get some drinks from the café." cassie offered with a shrug and looked at everyone.

"what café?" matt asked and frowned down at her.

"em–"

"go get us some drinks!" alex cut her off with a smile and waved her arms to the side.

"okay, thanks for letting me finish." cassie deadpanned and shook matt's arm off of her. "what does everyone want? there's juice and smoothies."

all four of them politely made a request each. cassie mentally wrote them down and put her shoes back on, sharing a look with alex.

after a few seconds, she finally walked away from there and towards her job. she entered slowly, smiling at emmett who noticed her after a while.

"hey, what's up?" he asked and mixed something.

"i'm just here to make and steal a few drinks, if that's alright." she sheepishly smiled and placed herself beside him.

"ah, stealing from your own job? ouch." he made a dramatic face and poured the drink in a big glass. "to who?"

"well, we're a company of five..."

"is vanessa with you?"

"yeah."

"i'll get some carrots."

cassie laughed as he disappeared to do that and then began with the other drinks. she gazed at some of the customers and put her hair up in a ponytail meanwhile being there.

"you know, i really love working here sometimes." she uttered when he came back.

"might be why you haven't quit yet." he retorted with a wide smile and began chopping the carrots a bit to make it easier.

"you know who you remind me of? chandler bing." she laughed and put the back of her fingers against her mouth. "especially with that smile. although, you've got more childlike features. and you're younger."

"was that supposed to be an insult?" he frowned, slightly pouting.

"what? no, i like chandler. i think everyone should have a chandler bing in their life."

"then i'm glad i can help." he mockingly bowed before continuing to work.

"can i ask you something?" she mumbled and finished the second smoothie. "how exactly do you know matt?"

"uh... we got to know each other maybe... five years ago now? we met through other people. both of us had a pretty... bad phase, and the first thing he said to me was, 'can i borrow a cigarette?'."

"wait, he used to smoke?" she asked and looked at him. "and what bad phase?"

"maybe i shouldn't tell you this. i mean, if he hasn't then he probably doesn't want me to. but he only smoked for, like, one month, tops. and he was barely addicted."

"i hate it when you tell me a but not b." she murmured and finished the last drinks. "however, you're right. and i haven't really known him for that long yet, so."

"how long have you known him?" he asked quietly and frowned at her.

"well... technically, around a year. and he's my roommate's brother, so he wasn't exactly a stranger." she answered, putting the drinks on a tray.

"then you've known him for quite a while."

cassie gave him a quick look before taking a steady hold of the tray. emmett just shrugged and put a towel over his shoulder, looking over at the tables.

"i'll talk to him later. thanks for the drinks, em." she smiled and he followed her outside.

"no big deal, cassandra. say hi to your boyfriend from me." he playfully winked, and she just tilted her head to the side.

"he's not my–"

"say hi to matt from me then." he chuckled and raised his eyebrows.

"we're just not titled or exclusive yet, that's all." she mumbled and received an eye roll back.

"so... you've kissed?" he asked with barely squinting eyes.

"exactly. we've kissed." she smiled, nodded and turned around to walk away.

"enjoy the drinks, and please come work soon!" he called after her as he raised his hand in the air.

"i'll see what i can do." she called back and hurried over to the beach.

the four others had been talking while she was gone, and then played some card games. matt enjoyed the beach a lot, and he actually thought vanessa was cool.

cassie carefully joined them again and quickly thought about which smoothie that belonged to who. after figuring it out, she seized the first one and handed it to alex.

"one strawberry and banana smoothie for you, one carrot juice for you — still gross, by the way — a triple-berry blend for mason, and a cherry-vanilla for matt." she handed each drink with almost an automatic smile and then sat down with hers.

"wow. you really sound like a waitress." mason laughed and looked at her.

"i do work at the café where i got the drinks." cassie said with a sloppy shrug and tucked some hair behind her ear.

"wait, you have a job?" matt butted in with a surprised look on his face.

"i don't work there every weekend. it's a very chill job, i can go when i want to." she explained vaguely and drank her mix.

"okay, i have to ask. what are you drinking?" alex pointed at cassie's glass and waited curiously.

"it's pomegranate and orange." she answered slowly and made a face.

"that actually sounds tasty. can i try?" matt asked and stretched his hand out.

"mhm." she smiled while handing it to him. he tasted a little and then frowned with his lips, weakly nodding.

"it's really tasty."

"i first had one when i was in turkey with my family. it's more common there, i think."

"i say we finish the game and then swim." mason uttered and picked up his cards again. everyone agreed by doing the same, and cassie watched quietly by while they finished their game.

"god, you're such a cheater." alex murmured with a weak smirk.

"am not." matt objected and crossed his arms together.

"right." she deadpanned, and they continued.

mason and vanessa were the first to run towards the water, and then alex. matt stood up and reached his hand to cassie, but she just twitched the corner of her mouth to the side.

"i'm not really in the mood..."

"come on, cass. just a quick dip, please?" he sighed, giving her a pleading look. "is it still about the sharks thing?"

she exhaled before grabbing his hand and standing up too. he took a step back as she grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it off, tossing it on the towel. he tried not to stare, so instead he gazed at her face while licking his lips and took off his own shirt.

"no, it's not." she smiled sarcastically and kicked off her shorts. "whatever, i'll take a dip. and i'll even race you to the water, and win."

matt barely had any time to register what she said before she darted off towards the ocean. he made a brief face and then jogged after her, caught up with her and used his arms to lift her up.

cassie squealed and grabbed his shoulders instantly. when the water reached his knees, he surprised her completely by throwing her in it, a huge grin on his face.

after swimming back up to surface, she sent him the deadliest glare she's ever pulled. he just carelessly shrugged and then shielded his face with his arms as she splashed water on him.

"hey!" he laughed and did the same.

"you twat!" she exclaimed and folded her arms together. "it's freezing."

"i'll warm you up." he wiggled his eyebrows, causing her to slowly giggle and shake her head.

"no thanks, i'll pass." she smiled, but dropped the smile once he neared her.

"are you sure about that? i'm warm-blooded."

"matt–"

before she could even finish, he wrapped his arms around her and tightly hugged her to be annoying. cassie sighed and awkwardly patted his back, wryly smiling.

"see? not so bad." he grinned and looked at her.

"it's weird." she stated and moved her hands before deciding to just place them on his hips. "and we were suppose to swim, weren't we?"

"right. where are our friends?" he laughed and looked around, until his eyes landed on the three people throwing the ball back and forth.

"there, but they seem to be just fine without us." she smiled and stretched her shoulders upwards.

"look at you, wanting to be alone with me." he smirked happily.

"that's not what i said." she made a funny face and folded her cold arms together. "you really went from a rambling, nervous puppy to a cocky jock."

"okay, the thing is, i need to be the second option, otherwise i won't be able to talk to you without messing up my words. but you're right, i don't know what happened." he laughed, causing her to smile a little.

"well..." she started, half-playfully caressing his cheek. "i like the nervous one more. let's join our friends, shall we?"

"yes. yes we should." he nodded and turned his head to look at them.

cassie was the first to walk over to them, pursing her lips as vanessa smiled at her. to matt's luck, he was hit by the ball on his forehead instantly.

he made a low sound while putting his hand against his forehead. vanessa covered her mouth with her hand to stop herself from laughing, but cassie did it out loud anyway.

"oh my god, i'm sorry!" vanessa apologized and had a slight worried expression.

"it's fine, don't worry." matt chuckled and glared at cassie.

"it's not exactly the first time it happened." alex commented with a shrug. "matt's face is a beach ball magnet."

"that doesn't sound too nice." mason grimaced and cocked his head to the side.

from there, the group continued playing their game. cassie discreetly sneaked away and placed herself on her lounger instead, putting all the empty glasses back on the tray.

tucking some hair behind her ear, she looked over at the ocean and cracked a weak smile. it wasn't like something had happened in the past; she just didn't enjoy being in the water that much. she felt slightly uncomfortable too, and it was cold.

matt had noticed she left the second she did, but he figured that she might want to just sit alone for a brief moment. he decided to approach her after a few minutes, receiving a soft smile as he did so.

"sorry, i just–" she started, but he waved her off.

"you don't have to explain if you don't want to. it's quite nice just sitting here."

"yeah, it is." she agreed and fiddled with her fingernails. "i mean, you get the hear the ocean against the shore, people having fun. i can even hear you guys, very clearly."

"we're that loud?" he grinned and studied her face.

"you basically scream when you talk." she moved her head to the sides and then let a low and short giggle leave her lips.

"so... when are you gonna' tell her?" he asked and locked his eyes at alex momentarily.

"when we get back to our dorms."

"okay, sounds good."

cassie smiled again. as she gazed at him, emmett suddenly made his way to her mind. she slightly frowned and parted her lips, their previous conversation suddenly bugging her.

"hey, matt?"

"mm?" he mumbled and looked up at her with a weak, half smile.

"you know how i have the bad habit of biting my nails?" she remarked, and he nodded. "well, do you have any bad habits that i haven't noticed yet?"

"uhm... not that i can think of right now, but i probably have a few. why?" he frowned and intertwined his hands together against his lap.

"do you smoke?" she asked bluntly, not able to think of a smooth way to put the question out there.

"what? where did you hear that?"

"matt, it's a simple question."

"no, i don't. why do you believe i do?"

"did you use to smoke?" she continued stubbornly, gazing at him. he sighed and rubbed his face before answering in defeat.

"yes, i used to smoke for like, two weeks, if even that. alex couldn't have told you this because she doesn't know. who told you, cass? and why does it matter?"

"it doesn't– matter... i just wanted to know. someone mentioned and–"

"who mentioned it?" he pressed, staring at her with his big eyes. she felt so small all of sudden and scratched the top of her arm.

"just a friend. emmett." she finally gave in, watching as his face turned blank.

"okay. i used to smoke for the shortest time. please don't tell alex."

"i won't. but can you at least tell me if there's something else i should know?" she murmured and swallowed.

"thanks, and yeah."

unfortunately, the two couldn't carry the conversation on because their friends returned to them. the group played some more card games and simply hung out by the beach until it started getting late.

cassie walked back to the café with the tray while the others picked up their things. she didn't talk to emmett at all, and quickly left the place.

as alex finished showering, cassie pulled up her legs against her chest and thought of a way to drop the news. the blue-eyed girl began talking about something cassie couldn't really focus on at the moment.

"matt kissed me." she blurted out. alex practically froze and slowly turned around, disbelief all over her face.

"he what now?"

"he kissed me awhile ago, at the coffee shop. we're... not really exclusive, or a couple, but he likes me. and you know i like him."

"oh my god." alex grinned and lifted her hands in the air beside her. "oh mt god, this is amazing, cassie! i can't believe it actually happened."

"yeah, i– it is, i guess. i'm still not over the whole thing, you know." cassie smiled and pursed her lips.

"oh, my babies." alex pouted with a hand against her chest, causing her roommate to roll her eyes in a silly way.

"okay, mom. i'm gonna' sleep now. will you tuck me in and sing me a lullaby?" she joked and laid down on her bed.

alex snorted, but sat down on the edge of the bed anyway and did tuck her in. the brown-eyed one frowned and then closed her eyes as she shook her head.

"prepare yourself for a lullaby, sweetie. i just have to think of one. oh, i've got one!"

"alex, please–"

"hush little baby, don't say a word. mama's gonna' buy you a mockingbird. and if that mockingbird don't sing and the ring don't shine, i'm a break that birdie's neck..."

"you know you just started singing eminem, right?" cassie uttered with raised eyebrows.

"i know, plottwist. i wanted to make a little change." alex smiled proudly and sat more straight. "seriously, shush."

"oh lord."

"mama's gonna' buy you a diamond ring. and if that diamond ring turns brass, mama's gonna' buy you a looking glass..."

cassie turned to lay on her side and closed her eyes. alex continued singing lullabies until her friend managed to fall asleep, despite alex's horrible singing voice.

-

a/n

this absolutely sucks