before standing.
“Ye--yeah,” I said, trying to take a deep breath and steady my quickening pulse. “It’s not good.”
He looked down at me for a few seconds too long and I couldn’t find it in me to break our gaze.
“Hey! Lexie! You coming?”
The moment--whatever it was--fell victim to Joey’s shouts. He stood a few yards away, hands on hip, staring at Anthony and me.
“Oh!” I said, feeling my cheeks flush as though I’d been caught doing something I knew was wrong. “Yep! We’ll be right there!”
Anthony smiled down at me and it felt different, like it was a secret smile meant to convey more. What more was, I had no idea. But I was pretty sure there was something stirring with Anthony Killeen.
We approached Joey’s car, where he stood tapping his foot against the gravel. Pia already sat waiting in the backseat.
“I guess I’ll get in the back,” Anthony said, and I figured he didn’t want to appear rude calling shotgun.
“You look cute,” I said to Pia, who was dressed in a navy-and-white striped sundress. I was pretty sure I detected a hint of mascara on her lashes and gloss on her lips. I frowned as I slid into the front seat. “What’s the occasion?”
“Can’t I just want to look nice?” Pia said. “I didn’t realize you cared so much.”
I sighed, deciding to drop it. If Pia said that she’d only dressed up for herself, then I had no reason not to believe her. Even if it did seem pretty weird.
“You girls ready to get going?” Joey climbed behind the wheel.
“How far is this place, anyway?” Anthony asked, stretching out his legs and placing a pair of sunglasses over his eyes. He looked gorgeous sitting there, comfortable and relaxed, like he didn’t have a care in the world.
Joey opened his mouth to reply as he flicked the left blinker and swung out onto Central Avenue but Pia beat him to it.
“Maybe ten minutes,” she said. “It’s pretty close. You’ll like it, though. And I brought you an extra turkey sandwich.”
Anthony rewarded her with a wide grin. “Thanks, Lexie mentioned you would. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Oh, it was nothing! I love to cook, really.”
I frowned slightly and glanced at Joey, who was looking at Pia in the rearview mirror with a strange expression on his face.
“I don’t know how much cooking goes into turkey sandwiches, but still. It was cool of you.”
Pia beamed at him as he sighed happily, draping his arm out the window in the breeze.
We were headed to a small beach just off the northern coast of Fresh Water Island and it was a favorite place to hang out for Pia, Joey, and me. Whenever we were bored of the beach on Gull Boulevard and couldn’t think of anything else to do, we’d head over here, spread out our blankets and swim, eat, and maybe play a game or two of volleyball if Joey remembered to grab what we needed.
Joey drove to the small parking lot that gave way to sand a few feet in front of us.
“I remembered to grab the volleyball stuff,” he said as we grabbed things out of his car.
Pia turned around and grinned at Joey, her eyes lighting up up. “Yes! I’m so excited! We can finally play a real game.” She dropped her bags onto the sand, removed her dress to reveal a new red bikini, and went to grab the collapsible net from him.
“Need help with that?” Anthony asked, placing his own bag next to hers.
“Oh, I’m sure I do!” Pia said as he rushed over to take the heavy set from her. “Thanks, Ant.”
Ant? Ant? Since when was he Ant? I sighed and began to arrange my beach towel.
With my busywork finished, I glanced over at Pia and Anthony, but they clearly didn’t need any help from me. The net stood ready to go as they looked at one another and laughed.
“You guys coming or what?” Anthony called
“Ye--yeah,” I said, trying to take a deep breath and steady my quickening pulse. “It’s not good.”
He looked down at me for a few seconds too long and I couldn’t find it in me to break our gaze.
“Hey! Lexie! You coming?”
The moment--whatever it was--fell victim to Joey’s shouts. He stood a few yards away, hands on hip, staring at Anthony and me.
“Oh!” I said, feeling my cheeks flush as though I’d been caught doing something I knew was wrong. “Yep! We’ll be right there!”
Anthony smiled down at me and it felt different, like it was a secret smile meant to convey more. What more was, I had no idea. But I was pretty sure there was something stirring with Anthony Killeen.
We approached Joey’s car, where he stood tapping his foot against the gravel. Pia already sat waiting in the backseat.
“I guess I’ll get in the back,” Anthony said, and I figured he didn’t want to appear rude calling shotgun.
“You look cute,” I said to Pia, who was dressed in a navy-and-white striped sundress. I was pretty sure I detected a hint of mascara on her lashes and gloss on her lips. I frowned as I slid into the front seat. “What’s the occasion?”
“Can’t I just want to look nice?” Pia said. “I didn’t realize you cared so much.”
I sighed, deciding to drop it. If Pia said that she’d only dressed up for herself, then I had no reason not to believe her. Even if it did seem pretty weird.
“You girls ready to get going?” Joey climbed behind the wheel.
“How far is this place, anyway?” Anthony asked, stretching out his legs and placing a pair of sunglasses over his eyes. He looked gorgeous sitting there, comfortable and relaxed, like he didn’t have a care in the world.
Joey opened his mouth to reply as he flicked the left blinker and swung out onto Central Avenue but Pia beat him to it.
“Maybe ten minutes,” she said. “It’s pretty close. You’ll like it, though. And I brought you an extra turkey sandwich.”
Anthony rewarded her with a wide grin. “Thanks, Lexie mentioned you would. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Oh, it was nothing! I love to cook, really.”
I frowned slightly and glanced at Joey, who was looking at Pia in the rearview mirror with a strange expression on his face.
“I don’t know how much cooking goes into turkey sandwiches, but still. It was cool of you.”
Pia beamed at him as he sighed happily, draping his arm out the window in the breeze.
We were headed to a small beach just off the northern coast of Fresh Water Island and it was a favorite place to hang out for Pia, Joey, and me. Whenever we were bored of the beach on Gull Boulevard and couldn’t think of anything else to do, we’d head over here, spread out our blankets and swim, eat, and maybe play a game or two of volleyball if Joey remembered to grab what we needed.
Joey drove to the small parking lot that gave way to sand a few feet in front of us.
“I remembered to grab the volleyball stuff,” he said as we grabbed things out of his car.
Pia turned around and grinned at Joey, her eyes lighting up up. “Yes! I’m so excited! We can finally play a real game.” She dropped her bags onto the sand, removed her dress to reveal a new red bikini, and went to grab the collapsible net from him.
“Need help with that?” Anthony asked, placing his own bag next to hers.
“Oh, I’m sure I do!” Pia said as he rushed over to take the heavy set from her. “Thanks, Ant.”
Ant? Ant? Since when was he Ant? I sighed and began to arrange my beach towel.
With my busywork finished, I glanced over at Pia and Anthony, but they clearly didn’t need any help from me. The net stood ready to go as they looked at one another and laughed.
“You guys coming or what?” Anthony called
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