"Rachel, it's nothing." I mumble to her. I just had a nice hot shower and am currently sitting on my bed in the hotel room, eating away on butter flavored popcorn while watching some comedy that is playing on the TV.

However, due to Rachel constantly questioning me we haven't being able to watch it in peace.

She scoffs, "Yeah right. You like him Sophie. Just admit it."

I pinch the bridge of my nose, "Even if I did like him- which I don't- he doesn't like me, Rach. He's Alex Rosewood; player of Ridgevale High. The guy every girl wants."

"And the guy you're lucky enough to already have."

I give her a "seriously?" look and she smirks. "You didn't see how cute you guys were while you were messing around on the beach today. It was adorable."

I blush. "Exactly. We were just messing around. Nothing more." I say softly before popping another popcorn into my mouth.

The truth is, it wasn't nothing. Whether I was the only one who felt it or not, I know that there was an unknown emotion in the air; one I wished to decipher. The thought of me having feelings for Alex has always being absurd but as time has gone by, that idea doesn't seem too impossible anymore. And it scares me.
It scares me a lot.

I've had boyfriends in the past but none were ever serious. I didn't like them enough to want to have a serious relationship.

But Alex is another story.

No. I tell myself. I don't have any feelings towards Alex. Rachel is just putting ideas up in my head.

I shake me head to get rid of my thoughts and Rachel eyes me curiously, "Coming to the realization?"

I look at her, my face emotionless, "I don't like Alex."

And hopefully that's the truth.

****

"Prepare to be beaten." Martin teases Alex who simply roles his eyes.

"We've been over this Martin. I'm a better surfer."

I laugh as the two continue to bicker while Cole makes sure the surfboards are secure atop the car.

"They're both terrible surfers." Nina whispers to me which causes me to laugh. "Really?"

"Nah," She grins, "They're both just as good as each other."
I nod in understanding, fixing the large hat on top of my head. I forgot to pack a costume so I'm stuck with a bikini this holiday and I'm slightly self-conscious about that. However, I'm adamant to not let that deter my good mood.

Along with my large hat, I have a beach dress over my bikini and flip flops on my feet. All in all; I'm beach ready.

"Alright, can we leave?" Cole asks us all. Martin and Alex stop bickering and we all walk towards the car.

"I'm driving." Cole announces as he takes the drivers seat.

Martin pouts, "No fair! I was supposed to be the designated driver!" He whines.

Nina pinches his cheeks mockingly, "Don't worry, you can drive us back."

He swats her hand away as she sits next to him and pouts again, "Now I have to sit next to this bafoon." He gestures to Alex and Alex puffs his chest out and hits it like a gorilla.

I roll my eyes and look out the window as we start our five minute drive to the beach. Alex takes the seat besides mine which causes me to smile softly. However, I notice Dylan at the back of the car, typing away on his phone and blatantly ignoring everyone. Why come  if you aren't going to spend time with your friends? Honestly. I will never understand this guy and his flawed way of thinking.

"Excited?" Alex asks, grabbing my attention.

I nod, "Yeah, it's being a while."

"When was the last time you surfed?" He asks curiously.

I frown, "I don't remember. Freshman year?"

He recoils in shock, "Why did you stop?"

I shrug, swallowing the lump in my throat. "It reminded me a lot of my dad. And I guess I didn't want to be reminded of him."

He nods in understanding, his eyes softening with sympathy.
"What made you willing to give it a shot now?"

I frown at the question due to the fact that I don't know the answer.

"I can't keep letting my past control me." I answer more to myself than him. He smiles with a nod.

"You have reached your destination." Cole says in the same clipped tone as one of a GPS, cutting my conversation with Alex short. We all climb out, the warm air sticking to our skin once again and making me feel oddly uncomfortable. Alex and Martin take the surfboards off the roof of the car while the rest of us get our bags out of the car. Mine is a simple shoulder bag that my mom bought for me in Africa when she went there once on a business trip and I cherish the brightly coloured fabric that showcases the rich culture of the African continent.

"Sophie!" Martin calls out and I take my surfboard from him, clutching it under my arm. We all walk onto the beach and place our bags and what-not down. Since it's only Tuesday, there aren't as many people as there would be on a Saturday or Sunday. But there are still quite a lot of people nonetheless.

Christina and Nina straighten their towels out and take a seat as do I. Dylan pulls out a pair of earphones and in a single gesture, he blocks us all out; listening to the music flowing through the device. Martin and Alex take their shirt and shoes off along with their sunglasses while Cole and Rachel take a seat on their towels, pulling out a packet of jelly beans.

"You coming Soph?" Martin asks.

I nod, "I'll catch up."

He nods and Alex smirks, "Afraid of competition, huh?"

I roll my eyes with a smirk of my own. "We'll see about that."

They laugh as they make their way to the water and I turn to Nina and Christina who are smirking mischievously at me.

"What?" I ask in confusion.

"You and Alex seem to be getting really close, huh?" Nina grins. I sigh deeply. Not this again.

"If you're going to go on about how I have feelings for him and how we're soon going to be more than friends, then you can stop right there because it isn't true." I ramble. Christina and Nina raise their eyebrows in shock before Nina smirks, "We weren't going to say any of that."

I roll my eyes, standing up and dusting myself off while I'm at it. "I'm going to go catch some waves."

They laugh at my annoyance and despite myself, I'm smiling too. I pull my hat off and set it down on my towel before flicking my flip flops off and then hesitantly taking my dress off which reveals my simple mint coloured bikini beneath it.

I grab my surfboard when I hear a wholf wistle from behind me. I roll my eyes at Rachel's tease and they all laugh. I jog down to the water, my surfboard placed securely under my arm and the excitement bubbling up inside of me.

Alex and Martin aren't too far in so I start walking throughout the water, my surfboard floating by my side. They seem to be debating over something.
As if he can sense my presence as I reach them- Alex turns to face me. His chest is bare- his abs on full display as water trickles along it down to his swim shorts. If his sharp jawline and muscular figure wasn't any indication of his abs then I don't know what is.

His hair is wet from the water, sticking up in different directions only making him look even hotter.
His holding his board in front of him as Martin is sitting on his; waiting to catch a decent wave.

When he sees me his eyes travel down from my eyes all the way down to my waist, as the rest of my body is under the water. His gaze lingers a second to long on my stomach and I blush crimson.

Martin coughs awkwardly and Alex meets my eyes. "Finally coming to surf?" He smirks. I nod my head. "You go first, We'll wait up." I climb onto my board and start paddling forward, my nerves sky high with excitement. When I see the wave coming I grin to myself, "This is it." And I push myself off of my board, standing up properly and moving along with the wave. I hear Alex and Martin cheer me on but it's all a dull blur as I focus on what's in front of me.

I struggle to balance properly the whole way but I do so nonetheless, flicking my board here and there and laughing at the feeling of adrenaline.

When the Wave finally dies I fall off of the board, hitting the water. When I come back up for air, I can't stop myself from smiling. I thought I would be out of my groove but clearly I'm not. I push my now soaking wet hair, back and reach for my surfboard.

When I search the landscape for Alex, I catch the sight of him surfing a huge wave. He surfs effortlessly and ends the wave off with a confident smile. When I see him come up for air, I paddle towards him as Martin tackles the next wave.

"Hey." I say breathlessly.

He looks over at me, his eyes twinkling with excitement. "Hey."

I sit on my board beside him and watch Martin fall off his surfboard which causes me to laugh.
"You weren't kidding when you said you guys were good surfers." I chuckle. He grins at me, "Could say the same thing about you. After so many years of no practice and you can still surf like that?" He whistles with a shake of his head.

"Are you admitting I'm a better surfer?" I tease with a smirk.

He smirks back at me, "Don't get ahead of yourself." I playfully swat his chest and he laughs.

"That was fucking amazing, Sophie!" Martin exclaims when he reaches us.

I grin at him, "You're not too bad yourself."

He smirks- not as sexy as Alex though- and winks, "I know." I roll my eyes at his ego and they both laugh.

"Next wave?" Alex asks me.

I nod, "Next wave." I paddle towards the next wave and just before I stand up Alex calls out to me. "Be prepared for a beatdown!" I laugh and shake my head at him.

I can do this.

****

As I reach the shore, I grab my surfboard and tuck it under my arm. The boys aren't too far behind, and I can hear Martin whining.

I feel an intense gaze on me and I immediately know it's Alex. I turn to face them, waiting for them to hurry their asses up, when I see Alex staring straight at my legs.

"Eyes up here," I mutter to myself. When he finally makes eye contact with me, I raise a brow at him. All he responds with is a smirk.

"Took you long enough." I say as they reach me. We start making our way up to the others. We've being surfing for about half an hour, while the others have been doing who knows what. I'm surprised they didn't come in and join us but Alex said they usually watch them surf in the beginning.

When we reach our spot, I place my surfboard upright in the sand.
Dylan is- surprisingly- talking to Nina and Christina while Cole tells something that makes Rachel blush.

Oh. My. Chicken. Nuggets.
Rachel just blushed. I smirk at them as I see Cole reach for her hand, playing with her fingers.
When everyone notices our presence, they look up.

"Damn Soph." Christina comments. "I didn't realise that you were that good."

I laugh and shrug. "See you got some new competition." Nina smirks at Alex and Martin.

Martin scoffs, "Sophie ain't got nothing on me." I laugh at his ridiculousness and look at Rachel. I smirk at her and her eyes widen slightly knowing that I caught their little flirting session.

Nina stands up, dusting off the beach sand on her shorts. "Alright, can we go swim now?" She asks everyone. They all rise in agreement and start taking off their clothing to expose their swimsuits. I laugh at Nina's bikini.

"What?" She asks me.

"Seriously?" I giggle again. "You just had to get a bikini that says 'Bitch please' on it?"

She grins mischievously at me, "You know it girl."

"Cole, stop flirting and get over here." Alex calls out to Cole. Rachel blushes and comes to stand next to me as the guys discuss something.

"Don't think I didn't notice." I smirk at Rachel.

She smiles sheepishly, "Notice what?"

"Don't play the innocent card on me, Miss Flirt."

She rolls her eyes, "Oh whatever." I laugh at her shyness and hug her briefly, appreciating the company of my best friend.

When we pull apart. The guys- including Dylan- are watching all of us girls with a naughty smile on their faces. We frown at each other before Nina speaks up, "Why are you staring at us like that?"

Martin shrugs, "No reason."

And then he looks at her seriously, "Except for this." Without warning the boys charge towards us, Alex coming straight at me. Martin grabs Nina by the waist first, tossing her over his shoulder.

I sprint in the opposite direction to Alex, trying to get away. I hear the laughter of everyone behind us as I run into the water. I'm nearly thigh deep when I feel two strong muscular arms wrap around my waist. They haul me into the air and I squeal in surprise, trying to get loose.

I hear Alex laugh by my ear and I continue to squirm, trying to pry his arms off me. "Let go of me you- you- Butternut!"
He laughs louder at my terrible choice of names and I blush.

Due to his laughter, his grip loosens and I make a run for it, only to be grabbed by my wrist. He twists me around, making me hit into his hard chest. I look up at him slowly.

His hand on my wrist moves up to my hands and he grabs it gently, while his other hand is on my waist. If I moved an inch or two closer, our lips would touch. Oh my word. I would be kissing him.
My heart begins to pound faster and I blush.

His eyes scan my face, soaking in my features and just as he is about to say something Dylan and Christina spray water at us, making us spring apart.

Alex narrows his eyes at Dylan. "Oh, it's on." He says as he starts chasing after them. Although I don't run along, I'm still rooted to the spot, laughing lightly at their retreating figures thinking one thing only:

What the heck just happened!?

****

I run a hand through my wet hair, sighing contently at the strawberry smell radiating off of it due to the shampoo I used. I grab my phone and send my mom a quick message, letting her know that everything is fine and that I miss her a lot.

I made a decision before I came here, not to spend so much time on my phone- worrying about social media or what's going on with everyone I know. I wanted to forget about all the drama with the Elite, with Courtney and the stress that will hit me like a 16 wheeler truck when I get back. If I am using my phone it's either to text my mom or take photos. Other than that, it's being pretty useless.

"That shower is incredible!" Rachel exclaims as she walks into my room. I nod in agreement, not denying the truth; that shower is pretty darn cool. It has a huge shower head and a built-in chair. A chair!? Let's just say it takes a lot of self-discipline and pep talks for me to switch the water off and climb out.

She sighs as she jumps on the bed, making it shake slightly. The whiff of vanilla hits my nose and I narrow my eyes at her. "Did you steal my perfume?"

She smiles sheepishly, "Maybe." I roll my eyes and laugh at her antics. She grabs the remote from my bedside table and switches the 16inch flat screen TV on, surfing through the channels and finally landing on some romance film.

I smirk at her as she gets comfortable beside me, the covers crinkling. "Mmh..." I hum.
"Somebody's in the mood for romance." Her head snaps towards me and if I wasn't expecting it, I would've probably flinched at the abruptness.

"What?" She asks innocently.

I shrug, playing with my pajama shorts. "I just thought I saw you and Cole getting awfully comfortable with one another."
Her eyes widen a fraction and she looks back at the TV.

"Since when were we getting 'comfortable' with one another?"

I scoff, "The drive here, at the beach, at that- exquisite- restaurant." After we had come back from the beach, we all had a quick shower and went down to the restaurant in the lobby for dinner. It was absolutely beautiful- the setting one of blue, grey and white. The cutlery and vases along with all the little intricate decorations were of a shining silver. There were a quite a few customers but the service was really great. And the food.. don't even get me started- I'll just make myself hungry again.

Besides the brilliance of the restaurant itself and the food, it was an awesome evening. But like I said, Cole and Rachel were very close. Not to mention, Alex and I were acting kind of strange with one another; the reason I'm still yet to discover.

"We were not!"

"Were to!"

"No."

"Yes."

"No.

"Yes."

Damm... we're like a bunch of two year olds.

She sighs, her shoulders deflating. "So what if we were?"
I jump excitedly on my knees and grab her shoulders, hugging her tightly and squealing like a teeny bopper. She laughs and pushes me away, a slight pink dusting her cheeks as she does so.

"I didn't confirm anything." She says.

I grin, "You didn't deny anything either." She rolls her eyes and shrugs. I squeal again. "So? Give me details!"

"Not until you spill to me about Alex."

I roll my eyes, "Again?"

"Don't think I didn't notice what happened at the beach."

I recoil, "What happened?"
"You guys totally had a 'couple' moment."

I scoff, "No we didn't."

She smirks, "Really?"

I sigh. "Okay... maybe we did."
Now she squeals and claps her hands excitedly.

"So you like him?"

My eyes widen, "No, Rach. It was just an in-the-moment kind of thing." The truth though, is it isn't. I felt something. And I'm afraid to admit the reality of that.
I can't possibly have feelings towards Alex. They'd only be one sided which means I'd be longing for a relationship that is not possible.

Rachel smiles gently, "I think you do. You're just afraid of admitting that." I stare at the TV, watching Rachel's smile widen from the corner of my eye. "I'm right aren't I? You like him." She asks rather smugly. My eyes drop down to the blankets and then meet hers.

"Yeah, yeah you are."

I like Alex.

Wait. Shit.

Finally!  Was about time Sophie admitted it.
*rolls eyes*

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