Biker Class by Ella Laroche Page B

she was doing
immediately, wiping her hands off on her towel self-consciously.
    "Nothing," she shrugged harmlessly, suddenly very enticed by
a hang glider passing above.
    She shook her head. "Tourist."
    "I'm new and I lived in a place where snow was common almost all
of the time ," she defended, sticking out her bottom lip. "Give me
a break!"
    The warm sun beat down on the both of them, a salty breeze sweeping
by. Melanie's thick hair blew around her face and into her mouth slightly,
making her laugh boisterously. She humorously pulled it from her mouth, making
Rachel snort and roll her eyes. Melanie sighed slowly, watching the waves
lazily weave around it's watery plain.
    "I suppose I can."
    Melanie giggled at her friend's response. They were both sitting on a
towel, side by side , bikini-clad and wearing large
sunglasses, deciding to go cliché today. The sun was making the sand so bright
it was hard to look at, and the Wisconsinite watched in awe as so many people just walked around like this was nothing special. The crystal blue water, the blinding white sand, the gorgeous
weather; were they insane? Did none of them realize that they were in the lap
of luxury?
    "This is great," Melanie expressed her feelings, not taking
her eyes away from the water, smiling brilliantly as a surfer in the distance
wiped out. The sun was like a brilliant, shining ball in the sky, smiling at
everyone. Her smile reflected it perfectly. "Isn't it?" A couple of
running five year-olds ran by them, laughing their high-pitched laughs. Covered
in sand, the small boy and girl chased one another in circles. She watched in amusement.
    The small blonde boy giggled, kicking sand at the little brown-headed
tike he was chasing.
    "Dylan, stop!" she laughed gleefully, barely able to speak
as she held her stomach. The little girl collapsed on the ground in a fit of
giggles. The boy laughed, too, grabbing her hands and pulling her up with all
of his might.
    "C'mon, let's go build sand castles, Ally!" he grinned,
practically dragging her laughing form away to the
other side of the beach. Melanie watched their little forms fade away.
    "Aw, isn't that cute?" she cooed, placing a hand over her
heart. Silence. Melanie's smile shrunk slightly, turning to her friend in
question. Why wasn't she answering?
    Rachel was staring at Melanie, her eyes unreadable behind her shades.
Her lips were pursed, but in an odd smile. She instantly felt self-conscious,
looking down at her body and then to her friend.
    "What?"
    Rachel shook her head, looking away towards a couple walking by.
    "Life so isn't fair," was her brief reply. Melanie opened
her mouth to question further, but Rachel stopped her. "Look at you, Melanie.
Freakin' look at you."
    "Excuse me?" Melanie asked, thoroughly confused. Her tone
easily revealed it. Rachel sighed, almost peeved.
    "It's not fair," she said repeatedly. "Look at
yourself. You're so … ugh! Gorgeous! It is so not fair! And you don't
even realize it or use it to your advantage or anything. And you aren't snobby
about it either! You're nice! Too nice, actually. So I can't even hate you!"
    Melanie laughed doubtfully, looking herself up and down. It was just a
simple yellow bikini, showing off her tan that she managed to get on the rare
sunny days they would have in Wisconsin. And being out in the California sun
didn't hurt, either. She didn't look bad, she supposed, but she was nothing special.
She really had no idea what Rachel was going on about.
    "What– I– huh?" she finished weakly, eyebrows
raised in total confusion. "Don't know how you are seeing that ."
    "And you're humble, too! It never ends, does it?"
    "What are you talking about?"
    "Have you looked in the mirror lately, Melanie?" she rolled
her eyes. "Wanna switch bodies anytime soon, call me. "
    "You are beautiful, Rachel. Don't even think–"
    "Oh, that's a load of crap and we both know it. My scrawny, pale, freckle-covered self. Psh,
please. You can just stop trying to convince me