Forgotten

Chapter 7

Chapter Title: Before the Sun Sets

When I finally fell asleep, I slept like a baby. My mind wasn’t weighed down anymore—not now that I’d found Jacin. I couldn’t stop thinking about the text messages we exchanged last night. I bit my lip, blushing at the memory. We had been blatantly flirting.

I wondered how tonight would go when we saw each other face-to-face. People always seem braver over text. I already felt shy just imagining what it would be like to look him in the eye after everything I said last night.

I got up and took a warm shower, then put on my turquoise bikini. I folded the matching chiffon scarf into a triangle and tied it behind my back, letting the tip drape down to my waist. My front was mostly covered, but my back was entirely exposed. Still, it’s not like I was going out in public—the driver would drop me at Liara’s house, and from there, we’d head to the beach.

I threw on a pair of high-waisted jean shorts, tucking in the front corner of the scarf. They were shorter than I was used to. I slipped into my matching flip-flops and moved on to the next task.

Now that I was ready, I walked to my closet to look for an outfit for tonight. I had no idea what I wanted. It needed to be beach-appropriate, cute, and just a little sexy. I wanted to impress him. He’d seen me in casual clothes—I wanted him to see me when I actually made an effort.

I stood there for ages, unable to decide, so I finally grabbed a bunch of options and tossed them into my bag. Liara would have to pick for me. I was too invested. You know how it gets—It is like where they zoom in on an object and ask what it is, and no one guesses right. It proves that when you’re too close to something, you can’t see it clearly. That’s exactly how I felt.

I left my hair loose to cover my almost-bare back, then rushed downstairs, eager to get going.

“Breakfast!” I heard my father call from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw him heading toward the stairs. I waited for him.

I had hoped to skip breakfast today—Lyssa had been looking for something to use against me, and I thought maybe I could avoid her. But breakfast is a rule in our house. It was my mother’s tradition, and I loved that my father had continued it even when he was grieving. It used to be comforting—until Lyssa entered the picture.

We walked into the dining room where breakfast was already set. It’s always ready by 7 a.m., before school. My father prefers to be in the office by eight. Lyssa was already waiting.

"What are you wearing? I can see straight through that top—if you can even call it a top. There’s barely any fabric!" she snapped the second I walked in.

"It’s not a top. It’s my costume’s chiffon scarf. I’m just using it as a top. What do you want me to wear to the beach—a jumpsuit?" I replied, taking my seat at the far end of the table. I wasn’t in the mood for a heavy breakfast, so I pulled the muesli, dried fruit, and yogurt closer and began eating.

"Aren’t you going to say anything about your daughter’s attire?" she asked my father.

He looked at me, then back at her. "She looks like she’s going to the beach," he said simply, then returned to his breakfast.

I wanted to laugh. She really needed to learn to choose her battles. My father was clearly tiring of the constant nitpicking. Still, I knew this would cost him later.

I finished eating as quickly as I could. The whole meal was tense. I honestly think she just misses being young. She could still be doing beach days with friends—but instead, she married an older man and spends her time scolding his daughter.

When I was done, I rushed out of the house, grabbed my bag, and jumped into the car. I didn’t want to be late. We still had to stop at Liara’s house to pack for the day. Luckily, we’d already grouped and organized everything—now we just needed to load it.

The driver felt like he was crawling. I wasn’t sure if I was more excited about the beach itself or about seeing Jacin tonight. Maybe I should text him.

[I’m on my way to Liara’s house. I’ll see you tonight at six.]

Now I just had to wait for his reply.

We pulled up at Liara’s house. I jumped out and knocked on the door. She opened it, already looking beach-ready—her brown hair tied in a high ponytail. She wore a two-piece swimsuit with strings crisscrossing her waist and a short jean skirt over the bottoms.

“I just need to finish my scrambled eggs. My dad made me breakfast before they left for work,” she said.

Her parents share two cars. When she started driving, they gave her one and began carpooling to work. Her dad now drops her mom off first and picks her up later—just so Liara could have the car. They both work longer hours now, taking extra Saturday shifts so she never has to go without.

“Okay, take your time,” I said, sitting down beside her at the kitchen counter. She passed me a glass of orange juice.

I sipped quietly while she finished her meal. When she was done, she rinsed her plate and our glasses, and then we headed to the garage to load the car.

We packed our supplies. Once we had everything, we set off.

The drive wasn’t long, and since we were early, we got an amazing parking spot right in front of the beach. But no sooner had we stepped out of the car than Mika attacked us with a dramatic hug.

She wore a swimsuit under a sundress and a knee-length coat. She hated the cold—I couldn’t wait to watch her dip into the freezing water.

“You’re late! You said to meet at eight. It’s already 8:30. I could’ve still been in bed!” she groaned.

“It’s my fault,” I admitted. “I had to have breakfast with my father and Lyssa. Of course, she had something to say about my outfit.”

Only I knew about Liara’s situation, and I wasn’t about to explain. Mika wouldn’t get it—she’s used to everything being done by staff. She’s not mean, just... unaware. I, on the other hand, knew the full extent of how hard Liara’s parents work. And I envied her life deeply.

Besides Mika and Liara, we’d also invited Zielle, our little ball of energy. I considered inviting a few more people, but I didn’t want the beach day to turn into a full-blown party. My night already had, but I didn’t mind anymore, not with Jacin showing up.

Zielle arrived just as we were unpacking the car. She wore a long-sleeved chiffon cover-up and practically bathed in SPF 50. With her white-blonde hair and porcelain skin, she didn’t take chances. Her excitement, though, could rival a child on Christmas morning.

She and Mika carried the cooler while Liara and I took the rest. I loved curling my toes into the damp morning sand. It’s easier to set up when the sand is still firm, not loose and hot like later in the day.

We set everything up quickly, then grabbed bottles of water before heading out into the sun. After drinking, we stripped down to our swimsuits and helped each other with sunscreen.

Zielle tied her wide-brimmed hat under her chin to avoid losing it in the surf. Mika, determined to tan, used minimal sunscreen and planned to rent a sun chair.

Finally ready, we sprinted into the sea. It was a tradition—no hesitation, just run straight into the icy waves. The last one in had to buy the ice cream later.

I was first in but lost my balance halfway and fell, forfeiting my chance at first pick for volleyball. It came down to Liara and Zielle, both slowing to avoid falling. Liara ended up winning.

Once we were all soaked, we turned on Mika, who tried to escape. She fought us off but ultimately ended up drenched like the rest of us.

The next hour was pure fun—diving under waves, riding them, laughing. I'm fine with shallow water, I don't go deeper than my middle then I start getting paranoid about what could be lurking in the water.

Eventually, we dried off and rehydrated with fruit salad under the umbrella. Mika sunned herself on a towel, and Zielle stayed in the shade. Liara and I sat on the blanket.

After eating, we reapplied sunscreen and started a volleyball game. Liara and I dominated all three rounds. Others joined in as the day went on, and Zielle got extremely competitive.

Later, Mika bought us ice cream as punishment for losing the wave dash. I chose a sugar cone with vanilla ice cream and caramel drizzle. It was perfect.

As we lay back on the blanket, basking in the sun, I found myself thinking about the evening—wondering how tonight would unfold once Jacin arrived.

Before leaving the beach, we took one final dip to cool off.

I was the first in the water and I must say that it was freezing I’m not use to it anymore, but I pushed through. I made it in until half of my body was underwater and then I fell which means I couldn’t win first place. First place get’s to choose first who they want in their volleyball team. If I win I choose Liara, if she wins she picks me, but if Zielle wins she chooses on of us. They always try to split us up because we are a winning team. It was a battle between Liara and ZIelle both going slower as they didn’t want to trip and forfeit this opportunity. In the end Liara was hit by the wave first as she was a few steps in front of Zielle. Once we were wet we ran after Mika who put up a great fight, but in the end we managed to drag her into the water. We then just had fun. We dove underneath the waves, sometimes we rode them out. It was fun, I knew I was going to have to do this more often. I found myself drifting with my eyes closed. Every now and again Liara would grab my ankle to pull me back in when the waves tried carrying me out.

We took a break and went to dry off and eat our fruit to build up our energy. Mika laid down on the towel and caught some sun as we ate while Zielle sat under the umbrella with hers. Liara and I sat on the blanket. When we were done we re-applied our sunscreen and then we went out to play volleyball. Liara and I won all three the games, other people joined in on the games as time went by. It was fun Zielle really got into it she is very competitive. After that we went for ice cream, Mika treated us. It was nice to get a bit of sugar in since we had been eating healthy all day, because the last thing you want is to be to full when you are on the beach. I took a sugar cone with vanilla ice cream that was covered in caramel. When we were done we just hang out on the blanket. Before leaving the beach we took a dip to cool off.