"Uwaaaahh, [Name]-Chan is exposing so much skin!" Ughhh, that Nagisa. Just when you were trying to approach the water without being seen. But instead, he blurts that out and runs right at you, "Hey hey, you have really nice curves. Don't you guys agree?"/Crud.\ You couldn't look at them, really. Not with all this red on your face. And right now, all eyes were on you. /I want to disappear…\. You knew it wasn't true though, he was just being nice.
"Yeah, I guess so." Your eyes widened at Rin's unexpected comment /He actually agreed?\, "What? Don't look at me like that. It was just a compliment so don't think much of it." He scoffed and went to grab a beach ball. "Whatever let's just play some volleyball!"
"Ehhh, Rin-Chan is so mean." Nagisa mumbled before following the others to play.
'Don't think much of it,' he said. Yeah, easier said than done.
"No worries." A warm hand made its way onto your shoulder, and you veered your head to face a pair of green eyes. "Rin has an odd way of expressing his thoughts. Besides…I think you look do good in that swimsuit. Bu-but in a nice, and non-perverted kind of way!" He said while frantically waving his hands in the air. A hint of blush on his face. /Seriously! How can someone so big be so darn cute!\
You giggled a little before speaking, "I really appreciate your comment, Tachibana-San." His face tensed up for a moment at the mention of his name; as if it somehow bothered him; but his expression steadily grew into a sweet smile.
"Well, let's join the fun, shall we?" You nodded and followed behind.

Twenty minutes of splashing went by, and despite all of your previous expectations, you were actually having fun. The pressure of being surrounded by the opposite sex was gradually dissolving. You didn't know what exactly it was about these guys that made you feel so…natural. So secure.
Ever since you could remember, being in crowds was always a disaster for you; always afraid of embarrassing yourself, of getting crushed by those around you. It was natural for human beings to insult each other, and make fun of other people once they mess up. It was, without a doubt, your biggest fear; to be shunned and made fun of. These guys, however, they just made you smile without a reason, even if you were nervous around them. But, why?
"[name!]" Gou called from the shore. /When did she get out of the water?\ , "Could you help me with the cooking?" You nodded in agreement and headed to her direction.
"What's for lunch?" You rubbed your shoulder, sore from hitting all those high balls.
"We're going western style with some old fashioned hot dogs." She suddenly stopped and looked around; as if to make sure that no one would hear what she was going to say, "So, who's body do you like the best?"
"Huh?"
"You know what I mean! Which of the boys has the best build? In my opinion, you should go for Onii-Chan. He has the greatest biceps." You were confused; and for a moment, it was almost as if you could see the sparkle in her eyes when she spoke about muscles.
"I-" You stared at the boys who were laughing and enjoying themselves; some heat rose from your cheeks, "-I don't think I'm qualified to answer that."
Gou frowned at your reaction, "Don't be like that. Come on, you must have a favorite muscle."
"Well…" you mulled it over for a few moments "…I do sorta have a thing for backs."
The hairs on the back of your neck stood up, at the very moment her face morphed from sweet and innocent, to utterly evil and mischievous. "Gou?"
Without a word she turned and yelled, "Makoto sempai!"
"Gou, what in the world are you-?" Makoto was now looking at your direction and you could feel a heaviness in your stomach. /What is she doing?!\
"Please come over for a minute!"
"Gou please don't." Your heart began to race, already aware of her intentions. Makoto approached you, and Gou grabbed your wrist as soon as she sensed you walking away.
"Do you girls need anything?" He asked puzzled.
She glanced at you one last time before answering, "Could you please turn around and flex your back muscles for [name]-Chan?"
"EHHHHHHHHH!?" You and Makoto bellowed in unison.
"That, that's a bit too much!" You tried to keep your cool, but to no avail. The heat on your face grew redder and redder.
"Nonsense! Sempai, if you please."
He looked just as confused as you felt; but who wouldn't with such a ridiculous request!
"S-sure…" /HE AGREED?!\ He did. Turning around with hesitation, he wearily did as he was told. And right there before you, were the most glorious back muscles you've ever seen in your entire life. Every single curve, every nook and cranny was heavenly. /Woah.\
"Do you mind if she feels it?" /Huuuuh?!\ You shot a glare at Gou, letting her know that she was really crossing the line.
Makoto thought about it, and finally agreed, "I-I guess so." The redness in his ears has clearly visible. /Dammit, Makoto, you're not making this any easier for me!\ He was waaaayyy too adorable for his stature. At first, you hesitated, but…he did say you could, right? You had his permission. /Oh, what the heck.\ You decided to go for it. Slowly, you stretched your shaking hand, until there was skin contact. His muscles flinching at the touch.
"Oh WOW." The words seemed to slip out on their own. But there was no helping it, it felt amazing!
"What's going on here?" Haruka appeared out of nowhere, making the two of you jump. /SHOOT, they saw all of it didn't they?\
"H-Haru! It's really not what you think! Come on, why don't we go eat?"
"Heh, well it seemed pretty clear to me that you were getting pretty comfortable with the new girl." Rin grinned.
"I-It was all Gou's idea!" You said in the attempt of clearing things up.
"Yeah, but you were the one who decided to go for it. I never made you do it, you know?." Gou remarked. You stammered, desperately looking for a reasonable counterattack. In the end, however, you surrendered relentlessly. /There really is no winning against Matsuoka Gou, is there?\
"We can talk about it later, let's just eat, I'm starving!" Nagisa broke the tense air and you all decided to listen to his advice. You just hoped that 'later' didn't come any soon.

The sun was setting. This was the first time that you'd arrive late by hanging out with friends, and that made you happy.
You all lay in the ground; feeling the roughness of the sand against your skin. Sinking in the last gasping breaths of daytime; and being wrapped in the rough sea breezes, that now hinted some cold from the nearing nightfall.
"This feels so great." You whispered.
"That's right, you haven't had many experiences like this, have you [name]-Chan?" You answered Gou with a shake of your head.
"I've never actually had anyone to enjoy things like this with. It's all so foreign to me." An awkward silence filled the atmosphere. /Oops. Maybe I shouldn't have said something so depressing.\
The sudden grip on your hand shocked you, "Don't worry [name]-Chan, from now on, we'll be the ones to fill that empty space!"
"Nagisa…" The word almost came out as a whisper.
"Yeah, we're here for you miss [name]."
"As long as you pay me with mackerel and water, you can ask me for help anytime."
"Count on us, [name]-San."
"I'm right by your side!"
"No need to worry with us around."
Rei, Haruka, Makoto, Gou, and even Rin-San! They all made it clear that they would stand by you. You didn't know them well enough, though. Could you really trust them? Or would they betray you, like all humankind was prone to do? It didn't matter. Just for this moment, just for a today…you decided to believe in their word. It was all you had.
"I'm glad…to..hear that…" The tears were already falling, cascading down your cheeks. /Damn, I got swept away in the moment.\ Even though you hurried to dry them off, it was too late; Gou-Chan was already crushing you in a hug.
"Don't cry [name]-Chan!" But you couldn't stop. You were dealing with emotions you had never felt before. Soon, they all joined in on the hug-sandwich.
"[name]-Chan, [name]-Chan." They all cried out to you.
Your eyes widened, and the tears ceased to fall. /Are they really able to care this much for someone else?\ It was when you realized, that this feeling wasn't bad after all. The feeling of being wanted.
"…pfft!...AhahahHAAhahahahahAHAha!" /Why am I laughing!?\ You didn't really know the reason, but you did it anyways. You kept laughing and laughing uncontrollably. For a moment, they all seemed to be shocked. However, little by little, they joined in. Laughing as hard as they could until they were out of breath.
Amidst all the frenzy, you took a moment to yourself to whisper, "Thank you….all of you."

After all the emotional drama, it was time to leave. Everyone else was packing up and you gathered your stuff to go home. /My swimsuit is dry, so I'll just put my shirt and pants over it.\
"Ahghhh!" A sudden gust of wind rushed by and dragged away your shirt into the water. "My shirt!" You went and jumped into the water. It was cold but you couldn't just walk home half naked. You had to grab it before it went farther into the water.
Makoto notice what happened and yelled at you, "No! [name]-San, it's too dangerous, the tide is too strong at this hour!"
You were sure he was right, but had to get that shirt. I was your mom's favorite shirt and you took it without permission. Besides, you knew how to swim so there was nothing to worry about. That was, however, until you were surrounded by nothing but blackness. Something has pulling you in deeper and deeper. You couldn't quite make out what was happening. Everything seemed to move so fast, it was all like a sudden blur; and wasn't until you felt the shortness of air that you realized….you were drowning.