Sun-kissed Ch.3

When I tell you how much I love my best friend, Sadie. I love her more than myself at some times in life, I would die for her. I would even live for Sadie Ross. She's always made me feel like it was us against the world. We have been friends since the fifth grade now we are going into our sophomore year, it was me and her. Well, she would always have another best friend, but I was never jealous cause I was the one who watched her go through a different friend every month. No friend was around long enough for me to remember their name. Sometimes someone would come back to her and they would be friends again, but not for long. I stayed though, just me, I was the one who never had to come back every other month.

"OH MY GOSH!"

"AH!" The screams of two happy teens echoed through the parking lot of the Sheetz gas station.

"WE ARE GOING TO THE BEACH!!" Sadie yelled.

"Both of y'all shut up, you're being loud," my mom said.

"We are going to the beach!" I yelled quietly as we both hopped in the backseat of the car. Me and Sadie gave each other a long hug. I hadn't seen her in almost two months, that was a very long time for me and her.

"I'm going to run to the bathroom before we leave. Lock the car till I get back." My mom said before putting the last suitcase in the trunk, and then shutting the door.

"Omg, Sadie. I have so much to tell you." I pulled away from her to lock the car doors, then faced her again. The excitement was very noticeable to us, and we both had a lot to tell the other.

"Is it about Lorenzo?" She asked. "Or his cousin\~" Sadie laughed. She talked about liking Lorenzo's cousin ever since we all got on Facetime with each other,  but I knew she never actually did like him; it was more of temporary amusement for her. Lorenzo's cousin, Toby, was also very sheltered and would never meet Sadie's needs.

Even though her guess about what I needed to tell her was right, her saying his name just made my heart ache.

"It's about Lorenzo..." I was quiet for a good three minutes. What was I supposed to say? I had so many questions and needed advice. Going to Sadie about relationship advice was probably not the best idea, she had only been in one relationship and it was for a week. She also had struggles with guys, theyd always make her feel special, and once she tried to commit they would fuck her over and ghost her. Aside from that I Honestly, just wanted to bawl my eyes out in her arms, but I wasn't going to do that. I wasn't going to cry.

My mom knocked on the car window for us to unlock the door.

"The damn toilets were out of order so we are gonna stop at another gas station in a few.” she hopped in and put the keys in the ignition. “Y'all ready for the beach?" My mom said excitedly about our free full week in Cherry Grove, North Myrtle.

"Heck yeah, I am!!" Sadie said, matching my mom's excitement. Sometimes I feel like Sadie is my actual sister. My mom treats her like her own daughter. I'll tell you now I've never had a friend this close to my family.”What were you saying about Lorenzo?" Sadie asked.

"Why are you talking bout Lorenzo?" My mom asked, damn Sadie. I felt a lump in my throat, I couldn't tell my mom that I didn't like him anymore; she'd kill me after all the time and money she invested in us hanging out. It didn't matter what I thought about Lorenzo I had to make my mom happy, it's the bare minimum I could do for her after everything she has done for me. If I'm Being honest I never enjoyed hanging out with him. I always felt easily annoyed and quiet around him, that didn't matter though, it's selfish of me to not return the love Lorenzo has given me.

"Oh, I was just gonna say I miss Lorenzo." I lied.

"Don't worry y'all are going to the museum in two weeks, I planned it!" She said.

"Oh, thank you, Mom..." I looked over at Sadie trying to signal I wasn't done talking, but her oblivious self was already hanging her head out of the window taking road trip photos to post about the beach. Man, I love that idiot.

Three hours later, "We are here ladies, wake up!" My eyes drift open to Sadie’s head pressed on the window, sleeping. so peaceful.

"SADIE WAKE UP WE ARE AT THE BEACH!" I shouted in her ear. Sadie jolted up from slumber and swung her hand at my face.

"OMG! Don't ever tell in my ear again!" She yelled. I cupped my hand over my now-burning cheek.

"We are at the beach!” We laughed as our heads pressed together watching out the window to see our gated condo complex.

"WE ARE AT THE BEACH!" She pulled my face in closer to hers, "YAY!" Sadie opened the door, and a rush of salt water smell in the warm air filled our noses, My home. The beach is my home. Finally, after a whole school year of being tormented by everyone, and the stress of stupid grades, and academic and athletic validation, I made it. I made it to my happy place.

"You girls bring your bags up to the condo." My mom said opening the trunk of the car. "Then y'all head down to the inlet before it gets dark, I'll pack you guys some smoothies." Sadie hopped out and took our bags upstairs and into the condo. My love for the beach is unexplainable. That condo is my home, and I couldn't say that enough, the peace I had in my heart here is unexplainable. We own that condo and it owns many memories that overflow my heart.

Hauling our bags up ten steps that led to our small but cozy room. I pulled open the door and entered the small room that was a perfect size for us. It had a gray couch with an assortment of blue pillows with hand-stitched shells on them. There was a bamboo coffee table and TV across from it. To the left was the kitchen, it had a stove and fridge but no dishwasher. We normally eat out so dishes are never a drag. I dropped my suitcase and rolled it down the narrow hallway, into my room. For this week it was our room, me and Sadie. My mom slept in the other room that had the master bathroom. We got a smaller bathroom, it was connected to our bedroom.

"Omg, this is so exciting!" Sadie threw herself on the queen bed, she didn't care about messing up the white pillows with light green pom poms on the sides. "I'm so glad I got to do this with you Mariana.." She makes me smile. She sat up and pulled both our suitcases on the bed. Surfing through them she picked out two bathing suit tops. Hers was the light mint green bikini and she chose the orange-pink one for me. We both put on black bottoms.

"You're like the only friend I have to invite."  I laughed while helping Sadie tie the back of her bathing suit. I wasn't lying. I had no other friends that would fit my mom's standards and that I was close enough to bring on a trip like this. Actually, I had no other friends at all.

Once we finished changing and doing our hair in braids, we grabbed the mango kiwi smoothies my mom made and towels. My mom was on the front porch reading a book, Sadie knocked on the glass sliding door and yelled on the other side that we were leaving. My mom thumbs up to Sadie and Sadie makes a heart back with her hands. I put our towels in my mom's white tote bag and slipped on my flip-flops.

Is this relatable in any way, to anyone? When you step on a hot parking lot, it hurts like hell, don’t get me wrong. But it's something about the parking lot for our condo complex, that burn just makes your body flood with the excitement to get down to the waves. Probably because the hot pavement is literally burning the skin off your feet.

“Let's go, Mariana! Don't be so slow!” Sadie rushed ahead of me holding her sun hat from flying off her head. The sun was setting slowly. It was five o'clock in the afternoon. Sadie’s smile has always made me happy, she's like the one person that really Truly understands. Sadie Ross is my soulmate.  A person ideally suited to another as a close friend or romantic partner, that is a soulmate. She is a close friend that is suited for me.

“Wait for me!” I said, chasing after her.  Running across the parking lot and down to the inlet, our feet kicking up sand, Doding any rocks. Once we got to the water Sadie stopped. I kicked off my flip-flops and threw our bag down.

“Wow…” she said gazing into the sunset. “Come on!” she said running in the water. In an inlet, there are no waves,  just the smell of salt, and peace. I laid out the towels and ran after her.

“Don't splash me, I have my phone.“ she said.

“You read my mind, I was just about to…” I laughed. We ran in the water, watched the sun go down,  and made pretty sandcastles with shell decorations. The sandcastles eventually washed away in the small tide. But after our excitement, we were still filled with joy. Our faces were a little pink, the sun was going down so we didn't think to put on sunscreen. Sadie is on her stomach drawing stars in the sand.

“You’re so pretty, Sadie .” I tilted my head off of my arms and smiled at her. She stopped her sketching and smiled at me.

“You’re talking, you remind me of a model.” she let out a small laugh and laid her head down to face me.

“I'm serious Sadie. You have long thick hair and lashes,  your eyes are caramel brown with a little green. You're every guy's dream girl.”

“We are pretty together.” Sadie brushed the sand off my eyebrow and closed her eyes. The wind pushed her brown baby hairs back.

“C'mon let's head back, we can swim in the pool when it gets dark,” I said, crawling to the end of my towel and shaking it to get the sand off. Sadie did the same and tucked the towels along with the empty smoothie cups into the bag.

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