The Beach

     How many months have passed, and Nick is still driving us in going to school and sending us home. Caroline got so upset when she learned that Nick became my close friend.

      There are times Caroline cornered Nick and asked him to have a date with her, but Nick always turned her down. That is why I became instant popular because of him. I noticed a lot of guys are checking me out, and girls are looking at me with jealousy in their faces, because they believed that Nick and me is an item, but they are wrong, we are just friends.

The popular girls keep their distance from me, because they know Nick will get angry if they do something bad to me like they used to do with other girls whom they think a threat to their popularity. I don't want to be popular, I just want to be with my friends.

Since the arrival of Nick my nightmares were gone, or it is just a coincidence, but I am glad because it really scared me to the extent that I don't want to sleep anymore. I can sleep more than eight hours during weekends, and I am so happy with my progress, having those dreams made me restless and I felt so tired all the time. Those nightmares made me lose all my positive energy.

My birthday is one month away, and my friends are ecstatic about it. Nick promised to bring us to the beach. To be honest, I am also excited, it has been so long since I experience the cool breeze of the ocean. My friends are more delighted about it, they can't stop talking about our upcoming trip.

"I think we need to go shopping, and buy some things for the beach, what do you think girls?" Cindy asked us.

     "Don't be so excited about it ladies, my parents don't know about it yet, so let us wait for their decision on this matter." I said to them.

      "Well, actually Mal I talked to your Dad last night, and I asked permission about us going to the beach with our friends, and he said yes." Nick interjected into our conversation.

       "Wow! That is great news, so let us go to the mall now." Said Lina.

       "Really Nick?" I asked him with a broad smile in my face.

     "Yes! But it is an advanced birthday celebration, since your parents want to spend time with you on your natal day, and he warned me not to spend overnight, because he doesn't want you to sleep in a hotel, all we need to do is go to the beach early so that we have a lot of time to enjoy ourselves." Nick said looking at me fervently.

     "It is still good news as long as you can celebrate your birthday with us, we don't really care if it is advanced or post celebration, day or night as long as we are together." Cindy said happily.

      All my friends agreed with a smile on their faces. I feel so lucky to have met Nick, for how many times I asked my parents to attend the beach party but to no avail even with Freda.

      We go to the grand arcade after our last period. Nick bought our bathing suits. He also paid for our snacks. We insist on paying, but he always gets ahead of us, it makes me feel frustrated.

     "Look, Nick your parents will get angry with you for spending so much money on us. We have an allowance, you know, let us pay for our own meal sometimes." I said defeated since he is so stubborn.

     "Malia, relax I am only spending my savings, I work during summer vacation, and during my spare times, you don't need to worry, and besides, they will be very happy if they know I am spending it with you." He says winking at me.

    The girls chuckle when they heard Nick's response to my protest. I shut my mouth, and continue to eat the lasagna on my plate. He wiped the sauce on the side of my mouth with his handkerchief.

    I automatically get the handkerchief from him. I feel conscious the way he looked at me, and I like Nick as a friend I don't want to give him false hope. Well, He never told me he likes me, but I can feel it with his actions.

     Nick drove me home as usual, after he left my parents tell me about the beach. "Malia Nick asked me to bring you to the beach to celebrate your birthday in advance. You should thank Nick for his concern about you, at least now that he is your friend I am not so worried that something might happen to you." Dad said.

      "Okay, Dad! Thank you for allowing me to go to the beach with my friends. I just want to ask you, Why are you so worried about me?" I asked him while looking into his eyes without blinking.

     "Nowadays Malia there are a lot of crimes, I just want to keep you safe you know." Dad said, looking at me with concern, and then he got up and go to the kitchen.

     The day of our trip to the beach, Nick change his car into Lexus GX that made all my friends including me amazed, because he wants us to be in one car. His family is totally loaded.

     "Wow! Nick, your car is awesome, is this yours? Asked Freda.

"Yeah! A gift from my uncle. He said in a nonchalant way.

      The music is blasting in the car stereo while my friends sing along. After one hour and a half, we arrived at our destination. We check in first and put our belongings in the room.

    We change our clothes into swimsuits, and go to the beach, we put our towels in the sand, and we begin to put sunblock into our skin.

"Are you really okay with this set up Nick? Being the only guy in the group?" I said to him.

"I don't care as long as I am with you Malia besides, I enjoy the company of your friends." He said to me while adjusting his shades.

"Okay! So what are we waiting for? Let's hit the water guys while it is still high tide." I said to all of them.

     We stayed in the water for so long, it seems the sun gives me a gift for it hides under the clouds the whole time we are in the water. I can't remember the last time I have this kind of enjoyment.

     Nick is really adorable, I like him the way I like Freda. He makes me feel how to be a normal teenager, and he was able to break the wall my parents built for me from the outside world.

Our lunch is so lavish, Nick ordered a lot of food. "Nick, this is too much for all of us, how could you order all these foods?" Freda asked Nick in astonishment.

"I want Malia to remember this day, She deserved all the extravagance this mortal world can offer." Nick said earnestly.

    "Wow! It sounds like you don't belong in this world Nick." Lina said while laughing.

    "Where are you from rich boy? From another world?" Jane joked at Nick.

"Who knows, maybe I am not really from this world, what will you do if I am not human after all?" He asked us with a broad smile on his face. All of us laugh, as we continue to eat our food since we are all starving, we stayed on the water for so long playing different games that we lost track of the time.

After we eat our luxurious meal, we stayed at the poolroom and drink some beverage, we played billiards and dart. Our final game is beach volleyball. I teamed up with Freda and Jane.

Our opponent won the game, since Nick is with them, his reflexes are great and his height is an advantage. It earned Lina and Cindy a hug from the handsome guy himself, and they both giggled with excitement.

"Thank you so much Nick, you don't need to pay for everything, I really had fun, and all the girls had a good time. I don't really know how to thank you, Nick."

"You are really sent from above. I never expected that my senior year will be this exciting and fun because of you." I said to Nick before I got out of his car, when we arrived at our house.

"Don't mention it Malia, as long as you are happy, I'll do everything for you. Have a good sleep Mal, I know you are tired. Bye Malia!" He said smiling at me.

I get inside the house after Nick left, and I shower and change into my pajamas. I lay awake on my bed thinking all the activities we did at the beach, I am so tired, but I have never been this happy for a long time.