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Blake Hamilton looked like a beautiful statue—dark hair disheveled, blue eyes bright and wide. His gaze landed on Lena first. She was gaping at him. Next, he looked at Alissa, who was fidgeting furiously with the lace hem of her floral printed shirt. And then his gaze fell on me. His left eye twitched just slightly before he quickly turned to face Jesse and plastered on a smile.

Great. He still wouldn't smile at me.

"Hey Jesse," he said.

"Um, hi?" Jesse replied, his eyes darting between Blake and Alissa.

He was probably waiting for her to erupt into sobs.

"You ready?" Blake asked, trying to sound casual and failing spectacularly.

"Ready for what?" Jesse asked nervously.

"Beach break, of course."

Blake's blue eyes flickered over to Alissa for a split second. I was the only one who caught his moment of weakness, and the expression on his face told me everything. He was furious. And I would be, too, if I caught my girlfriend making out with a guy named Ethan who wears board shorts and fist-pumps to Ariana Grande.

"Oh!" Jesse exclaimed, eyebrows shooting up. "I forgot about that. Yeah, I'm ready for a beach break. Um, Lena?"

"What?"

"Do you guys want to come?"

I knew he was only trying to be nice, but the kid was an idiot if he thought Alissa wanted to be around Blake Hamilton—or vice versa. They were both obviously uncomfortable. Not to mention, it seemed like drama, fistfights and crying girls seemed to follow him wherever Blake went, and I wanted no part in any of it.

"No thanks, Jesse," I said before Lena could reply.

Blake's eyes snapped onto me. My face went up in flames.

"But Waverly, you should go!" Lena argued.

"What?" I choked out.

I gave Lena a are-you-out-of-your-fucking-mind glare, but she didn't pick up on it.

"Alissa and I need to get back to the bookstore, anyway. You should go down to the beach," she suggested, carving out a spoonful of double chocolate fudge ice cream. "I mean, seriously. This is like your second day in town. You should spend it at the beach, not in a dark, stuffy bookstore. Besides, Jesse can teach you how to play beach volleyball!"

Jesse shot me an apologetic smile.

"I don't think that's such a good—" I began.

Lena frowned. "Why not, Waverly?"

Because I can't swim.

"Well..." I struggled to think up an excuse.

"You should go," Alissa squeaked. In unison, everyone turned towards her. Her head was down as she played with the lace fringe on her shirt. I felt a little bad for her, even if she was a cheating, sobbing emotional wreck.

"Fine," I sighed, "I'll go."

"Can you hurry it up a little?" Blake asked.

He was glaring at me.

Didn't see that coming.

"Don't get your panties in a wad," Jesse mumbled as he pushed his chair back, the legs screeching against the tile floor. I let out a nervous giggle as I jumped up from my seat and trailed behind Jesse, sort of like a lost puppy, and caught Blake rolling his eyes before he stormed out of the ice cream parlor.

"What's up his ass?" I asked before I could stop myself.

Lena sighed and told me, "We've been trying to figure that out for years."

Jesse snorted.

"He's been bitter ever since his dad married Chloe."

"What?" I frowned. "I thought Chloe was his mom."

Lena snorted. "Are you kidding? Chloe's, like, thirty-five. She's his stepmom."

"Oh," I said. Why hadn't I noticed it before?

"Come on, Waverly!" Jesse called.

I blinked, snapping out of my epiphany, and saw that Jesse was already halfway through the door of the ice cream parlor. 

"I'm coming!"

Together, we stepped out into the scalding Florida sunshine. Jesse walked ahead and fell in step with Blake, but I stayed a few feet behind the two of them, glaring up at the cloudless sky. Why couldn't it just rain? Then it wouldn't be so hot anymore, and I would have a good excuse not to get anywhere near the ocean.

I followed Jesse and Blake until we reached the edge of the beach, where the concrete street gave way to rolling sand dunes. The two boys scrambled over the dunes and headed down towards a volleyball net that had been erected on the beach just a few yards up from the water. I stopped at the edge of the sand and shoved my hands into the pockets of Rachel's khaki shorts.

Jesse turned over his shoulder and frowned when he saw I wasn't coming.

"Get over here, Waverly!" he hollered.

Blake glanced back at me, eyes narrowed in the bright sunshine.

I tried to smile at Jesse.

"Coming!" I called back, my voice shaking.

I couldn't tell, but I think Blake scoffed.

As I started trudging through the sand, my stomach twisted in a sailor's knot. I would be lying if I said I wasn't panicking. What if Jesse and Blake knocked a ball out into the water and told me to jump in and get it before the current carried it out into the Atlantic Ocean? I'd sink like a rock.

And Blake Hamilton would laugh at me as I sank.

"Do you know how to play?" Jesse asked when I reached the net.

"No. But it's okay! I'll just watch."

"I can teach you!" Jesse offered.

Blake mumbled something under his breath, but I couldn't catch it because his back was turned towards me as he tightened the ropes on the net.

"No thanks," I insisted.

Jesse laughed and slung one long, tan arm over my shoulder affectionately. When Blake turned to face us again, his eyes landed on Jesse's arm and he scowled. Did he even have any other expression?

"She doesn't have to play," Blake said. "Just let her sit it out."

"She has to play!" Jesse argued, "We need four to play. Ethan said he'd get here—"

"Ethan?" Blake growled, "You invited Ethan to play with us?"

Jesse nodded.

I felt like slapping him upside the head for being such an oblivious idiot. But I decided against it—I'd leave that job to his sister.

"Why?" Blake demanded.

Jesse shrugged. "Because he just got a new volleyball, and mine was deflated. I didn't feel like pumping it up."

"I don't want to see that asshole's face—"

Blake was cut off by a loud, whooping cheer.

A muscular boy with a volleyball tucked under his arm came barreling over the dunes, kicking up sand behind him. It was Ethan; I recognized his short-cropped hair, pointy nose, and affinity for board shorts in atrocious colors. Today, they were turquoise and covered in tiny red cartoon turtles on surfboards.

"Ethan!" Jesse greeted.

Blake's arms were folded tightly across his chest. He looked like he wanted to punch something. And I was the closest thing. So, as inconspicuously as possible, I took a large step away from him, just so I was out of his reach. I really didn't need to get into a fistfight with someone who had fifty pounds on me.

"What's up Blake?" Ethan called over Jesse's shoulder, his voice a little bitter. He wasn't over the fight, and by the looks of it, neither was Blake. I glanced between the two of them, a little worried they might charge each other and start another brawl.

Blake tipped his chin up at Ethan but didn't say a word.

"Ready to play?" Jesse asked, blissfully unaware of the tension.

Ethan nodded down at the volleyball tucked under his arm. "I was born ready."

It sounded like he was challenging Blake, but I'm not certain since I don't speak testosterone. The two boys glared at each other for another drawn-out moment before I cleared my throat. Ethan's dark, beady eyes landed on me. He looked me up and down, but obviously didn't find me worth hitting on, so he turned back to Jesse.

"Who's she?" he asked, pointing at me.

I'm standing right here. Literally, right here.

"That's Waverly," Jesse said. "She's here for the summer to visit her aunt."

Ethan grunted and looked me up and down once more.

"Hi," I said politely.

"Yeah, hey. Can we get this game started?"

Looks like I made a friend.

"I call Waverly's on my team!" Jesse exclaimed, tugging on my arm. I let out a yelp of surprise as he dragged me onto the other side of the net, leaving Blake and Ethan to stand beside each other on the other side of the net.

"I don't want to be on his team," Blake growled, tilting his head towards Ethan.

Ethan nodded in agreement.

"Fine," Jesse sighed. "I'll take Ethan."

"Wait, why do I have to take her?" Blake protested.

Again. I'm standing right here.

"Because I called Ethan."

"She doesn't even know how to play!" Blake argued.

"Then teach her!" Jesse replied, pulling Ethan into a team huddle.

I looked up at Blake. 

He glared down at me.

"Should we, um, talk strategy?" I suggested.

"Just stand in the corner," he told me, "and try not to get hit."

"Can do."

I walked to the corner of the court, positioning myself as far from the net as possible. Jesse and Ethan took another minute to talk strategy before they exchanged a stupid secret handshake and Ethan lined up to serve the ball. I sucked in a breath as he pulled back his arm and tossed the ball up.

Wham!

It went soaring over the net. Blake took one step forward and held out both of his arms. I watched in awe as the ball bounced off of his outstretched arms and went flying back over the net. The three boys continued this back and forth until Ethan missed one of Blake's spikes and the volleyball went tumbling through the sand.

Jesse looked heartbroken.

I didn't bother celebrating.

After a few more points were scored, I stopped paying attention and looked out at the crystal blue ocean. Even though the temperature had already started to climb into the nineties, the wind coming off of the water was cool and refreshing. I closed my eyes for a moment and tried not to listen to the rumble of the waves, the squawking of the seagulls flying overhead, and the grunts and cheers of the three idiots standing there with me. If I tried very hard, I could almost imagine myself anywhere else.

"Waverly!"

My eyes snapped open just in time to see a volleyball hurtling towards my head. I let out a little wail of surprise and brought up my arms to cover my face. I wasn't good at the whole self-defense thing, but I knew I didn't want a nosebleed. Luckily, the volleyball bounced off of the side of my arm instead of my face. I watched it fly upwards and then plunge down again, landing about thirty feet out into the water with a small splash. I stared, open-mouthed, as the volleyball surfaced and bobbed in the waves, drifting slowly out to sea.

"Waverly!" Jesse moaned.

"Sorry!" I cried, covering my face with my hands. "I'm so sorry!"

Jesse laughed. Blake and Ethan didn't seem quite as amused. Ethan was frowning out at the ball bobbing in the water, while Blake was glaring at me again.

"It's okay," Jesse insisted. I peeked at him from between my fingers and offered him a grateful smile. At least someone on this beach didn't hate me. "Just go get it for us, will you?"

Never mind. Apparently, Jesse hates me too.

"W-what?"

"Go. Get. It." Blake said, enunciating every word as if he were talking to someone with the brainpower of a chipmunk.

That really pissed me off. He didn't have to treat me like that. 

It wasn't my fault I couldn't play volleyball to save my life.

"Fine," I hissed.

With all the courage I could muster, I marched down the beach towards the water's edge, kicking off my sneakers as I went. But the second I felt the ice-cold foamy water against my toes, I stopped. My stomach dropped into my feet, planting me there.

"Just watch your step!" Jesse's voice called from behind me. "There's a drop off a couple feet out. The water gets deep pretty fast."

Goddamnit.

Could this get any worse?

"Wait! I don't want to get all wet!" I cried.

Blake and Ethan, my fan club, both rolled their eyes at my aversion to water.

"It'd be easier if I just buy a new ball," Ethan mumbled.

That was a good idea. Way better than sending me off to drown.

"You don't want to get wet?" Jesse asked, taking a step towards me.

Oh, no.

I saw it written across his face. That goofy, idiotic grin. The eyebrows raised, daring me to try and run. He started walking towards me, his arm stretched out like he was a flesh-eating zombie and I had the yummiest brains in the world.

"Wait, Jesse—" I began.

I was too late.

Jesse was already charging towards me, laughing his ass off. I let out a desperate scream as his arms encircled my legs and he scooped me up over his shoulder. I felt my feet leave the sand and knew I was doomed. Jesse let out a final laugh as he bent his knees, then sprang up and tossed me out over the ocean.

Next thing I knew, I was flying through the air.

And then I hit the water.

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