Once again, I've woken up to the familiar blue room with the same two hosts.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room," Igor said.
"Congratulations; you have overcome yet another big obstacle," Margaret said. "We were never in doubt that you and the bonds you have formed had what it took to take down your adversary."
"Rather than read your fortune today, I suggest you use this time to take a step back and relax. After all, a bit of restoration is in order after the many battles you have had."
"We will be in contact with you should we need your audience. You would do well to take care of yourself."
"Well then, until we meet again."
Episode 16
A few days have passed since the battle with Beastmon. Due to the number of students that were absent or missing during the finals, the school decided to cancel all summer classes so the student could recuperate. Instead, the materials that they missed would be covered in the first week back from school with the makeup exams occurring after school.
Interestingly enough, our school was not the only one hit with the odd absence of students. Apparently, there were other schools within the Tokyo prefecture that faced a similar abnormality. In fact, there were multiple hospitals that housed the unconscious students. Thankfully, Beastmon laid her headquarters where we fought her. Those students have since woken up after its defeat and were on the road to recovery.
The good news throughout all of this mess was that it was summer vacation. This meant one thing only: going outside and expelling as much energy as you can all day every day. That should have been the plan for me. However, no one informed me of this atrocious heatwave that plagued the city. I would be more than happy to run out and play a few games with my friends, but my body could only take so much heat.
I was lying down on my bedroom floor, staring at the ceiling. For some reason, seeing the ribbons blow from the AC of my room mesmerized me. As I was blankly drifting off into space, Kari's discouraged face entered my field of vision.
"What are you doing," she asked.
"Nothing," I replied.
"I know that, but can you not do it with that dumb look on your face?"
"What does it matter to you?"
"It matters because it's my turn to clean the house. Now, hurry up and move aside. I can't believe your room is so messy. Don't you ever bother cleaning it?"
"Hey, it's called controlled chaos. I like my room as is."
"It could be a little cleaner, you know."
Suddenly, my phone vibrated. I checked to see what was going on.
"Hey, everybody," Mimi texted. "Are you all busy today?"
"What's the matter," Sora asked.
"I'm thinking about going to the beach today," Mimi replied.
"Right now," Izzy questioned.
"But, it's so hot outside," Matt replied.
"Isn't that reason enough to go," Sora asked.
"Exactly, Sora gets it," Mimi said.
"I'd be down for it," TK said.
"I don't have any plans," Sora replied.
"I'd rather make music in my room than go to the beach," Matt replied.
"I'll find a way to get my brother out of the room," TK said.
"Hey, Tai, are you and Kari coming," Sora asked.
"I don't see why not," I replied.
"I think it sounds fun," Kari replied.
"Where should we meet up," TK asked.
"I was thinking about going to Izzy's place and then taking the train together," Mimi explained.
"Is that okay, Izzy," Sora asked.
"I don't mind," Izzy replied. "I'm in my office anyway, so it's more convenient if you guys came here."
"Then, that settles it," TK said.
"Great, let's meet up in an hour," Mimi said. "I can't wait to show off my cute swimsuit to everyone."
"Is that the real reason you want to go to the beach," Matt asked.
"Don't forget to bring sunscreen," Sora said. "It's very hot today."
"I have a cooler in my office if you guys want to pack any beverages with you," Izzy said.
"I wonder if the beach has any beach umbrellas for rent," TK said.
"We could probably find a place that has a shade somewhere," Kari replied.
"Should we buy a watermelon," TK asked.
"Maybe it would be easier if we got one from a grocery store near the beach," Sora said.
"Aren't stores and restaurants in the beach usually pricy though," Matt asked.
"That's the magic of it," Mimi replied.
"What about some beach volleyball," I asked.
"Is there even a net there," TK asked.
"We don't necessarily need a net to play," Kari said.
"By the way, I know it' sudden, but do you have your swimwear in the office, Izzy," Sora asked.
"I'm sure there are stores there for me to buy something," Izzy replied. "I was in need of a new one anyway."
"Alright, it looks like the plan is coming together," Mimi said.
"Can we still not go," Matt asked.
"Matt, you're going," Sora replied.
"I'll make sure he goes," TK said.
"And I'll make sure my lazy brother goes, too," Kari replied.
"It's the beach. Of course, I'm not going to turn it down," I said.
"Didn't you just want to laze around and do nothing a second ago," Kari questioned.
"Hey, don't go and tell them that," I replied.
"Matt could learn something from you," TK said.
"Watch it," Matt typed.
"Okay, let's prepare ourselves and meet up at Izzy's office in an hour," Sora said.
"Sounds like a plan," I said.
"This is going to be so much fun," Mimi said.
Once we arrived at Izzy's office, we got on a train and headed towards the beach. Not to my surprise, there were several people on the train who also had beach gear with them. Once we made it to our stop, we walked towards the shoreline. As expected, the beach was filled with people. The sands were decorated with an assortment of beach towels as people lay on them to tan or watch as the scenery unfolded before them.
Once we managed to find a decent spot near the ocean, we went to the locker rooms to get changed. I volunteered to watch our spot as the rest of them prepare for the summer fun. As I was laying down our various towels and setting up our bags, I heard someone call out my name.
"Hey, Tai, over here," Davis said, as he ran over to me.
"Oh, hey, Davis," I said. "I haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?"
"Absolutely awesome," Davis exclaimed. "It's a beach. Who could say no to the beach?"
"Davis, can you please stop running away like that," Yolei said. "I swear, for someone about to graduate from middle school, you haven't grown up at all."
"Oh, hello, Tai," Cody said. "It's good to see you again."
"Looks like the gang is all here," I said.
"Davis couldn't stop talking about wanting to come here today, so we invited as many people as we could," Yolei explained.
"It was rather sudden, too," Cody added. "We barely had time to prepare."
"Oh, come on, it's hot and humid today," Davis said. "Isn't this the perfect time to go to the beach?"
"You sound just like Mimi," I said.
"Are Mimi and the others here," Yolei asked.
"Yeah, everyone is pretty much here," I said. "I'm sure they would be happy to see you."
"It'll be good to see everyone again," Cody replied.
"If I'd known you guys would be here, I would've asked if you wanted to come with us," I said.
"It's quite a coincidence that we managed to get here at a similar time," Cody said.
"Did you guys take the train," I asked.
"No, I have an uncle who drove us here with a van full of our stuff," Yolei replied.
"I figured as much," I said.
"Davis, why are you fidgeting around like that," Cody asked.
"Are you kidding," Davis said. "If Tai is here, that means Kari is here. And if Kari is here, that means she'll be here in her swimsuit. Oh man, I can't wait to see how cute she looks."
"Calm down, would you," Cody asked.
"Your perverted face is despicable," Yolei said.
"Hey, I'm a healthy boy," Davis said. "What's wrong with getting excited over something like this?"
"I see you three are getting along just fine," I said.
"Over there; I see them," a female voice said.
"We've finally caught up," a boy said.
"You'd do well not to leave us out of your sight like that," another female voice said.
Three unfamiliar faces walked up to Davis and the others. One of them was a tanned girl with shoulder length, brown double Dutch braided hair, a nasal strip, a beige sleeveless top, and blue jeans shorts. Another was beautiful girl with long, curly blonde hair, a dark brown headband, a straw sunhat, sunglasses, and a dark brown sundress. The third was a boy with short, blonde hair, a mahogany t-shirt, and dark grey shorts.
"Sorry about that," Davis said.
"You should be," Yolei replied.
"Are they friends of yours," I asked.
"They're exchange students from our school," Davis explained.
"Hello," the tanned girl said. "My name is Rosa. Pleased to meet ya."
"So, this is the legendary Tai everyone is talking about," the boy said.
"Have we met," I asked.
"Not formally," he said. "My name's Willis. Perhaps you've heard of me."
"Right, you're Izzy friend," I replied.
"Correct," Willis said. "I'm also really good friends with Davis."
"Yeah, you wish," Davis replied. "Look, just stay out of my way, and everything will be fine."
"See, we get along well," Willis said.
"Hey, stop ignoring me," Davis replied.
"What's their problem," I asked.
"They're both trying to go after Kari," Cody explained.
"I heard it's an everyday occurrence," Yolei said. "Did Kari never talk to you about it?"
"I guess she's not that bothered about it," I replied it.
"I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Yolei said.
"You don't remember me, do you," the other girl said, taking off her sunglasses.
"You do look familiar," I said. "Wait, you're the girl I met in France. Catherine, right?"
"So, you do remember," Catherine replied. "That's good. I thought you've forgotten about me."
"How could I not," I replied. "You're more beautiful now than when I last saw you."
"That's good to know," Catherine said. "I do love a man who remembers me."
As I was blushing red, someone pinched my cheek.
"Ow, what was that for," I asked.
"Nothing in particular," Sora replied.
"You wouldn't have done that without a reason," I responded.
"And you're an idiot for not knowing why she did that," Matt said.
"Excuse me," I retorted.
"Hey, it's the cool guy," Rosa said. "Hello, cool guy."
"Do I know you," Matt asked.
"You don't remember me," Rosa questioned.
"Can't say I do," Matt replied.
"We met at Mexico, remember," Rosa said.
"Mexico," Matt said. "Oh, right, we did meet someone at Mexico. What was your name again?"
"Rosa," Rosa replied.
"Right, that sounds familiar," Matt said. "You're Japanese is pretty good."
"That's because I've been practicing," Rosa replied.
"Good for you," Matt replied.
"Hey, it's Yolei," Mimi said. "Hi, Yolei!"
Mimi quickly ran up to her and hugged her while the rest of the team followed behind her.
"Mimi, it's good to see you," Yolei replied.
"You're not hurt or anything, right," Mimi asked.
"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern," Yolei replied.
"Are you sure you're fully recovered," Izzy asked.
"I should be able to handle this," Yolei replied.
"Willis, what are you doing here," TK asked.
"I came with everyone else," Willis replied.
"Who invited him over," TK asked.
"I did," Catherine replied. "Davis told me about it, and, in return, I told Willis about it. Is there a problem?"
"Nope, no problem at all," TK quickly said. "If you invited him, that I guess that's acceptable."
"This is why boys are so annoying," Kari said.
"Looking good, Kari," Willis said.
"Yeah, you look amazing in your swimsuit," Davis added.
"hearing you say that gives me shivers," Kari replied.
"Hello, everyone," Derek said, running over to us.
"You're here, too," I asked.
"Did you invite him, Yolei," Sora asked.
"Yes, I did," Yolei replied.
"Should the two of you to be out like this," Matt asked.
"It's boring just to stay at home and recuperate," Derek replied. "Besides, I think I will replenish my energy more if I start swimming in the ocean."
"As long as you feel up for it," Sora said. "Just try not to strain yourself too hard, okay?"
"It's gotten very lively here, hasn't it," Cody said.
"You don't have to tell me that," I replied.
"Alright, let's make this the best beach day ever," Mimi shouted.
"Yeah," everyone shouted.
After everybody gathered and mingled, we went our separate ways to do a plethora of activities. Derek was teaching Matt how to ride a surfboard. Davis, Yolei, TK, Kari, Rosa, and Willis were playing beach volleyball. Sora and Mimi were snorkeling. Cody and Izzy were building sandcastles. Catherine was sunbathing. As I was returning to our usual spot after a quick swim out in the ocean, I saw two guys trying to converse with Catherine.
"Hey, hot stuff, you alone," one of them asked.
"We're about to go get something to eat. Want to come with us," another one asked.
Catherine ignored them.
"Come on, babe; it'll only take a minute," one of them said.
"We just want to get to know you better. Join us," the other one replied.
Again, Catherine ignored them.
"Hey, are you listening to us," one of them shouted.
"What's your problem," the other yelled.
"Hey, what are you guys doing," I said, running over to them.
"Tai," Catherine said.
Catherine jumped towards me and grabbed my arm. I felt something very soft envelop my elbow.
"Hey, Tai, those guys couldn't stop bothering me," Catherine said, squeezing my arm tightly.
"Tch, she's got a boyfriend," one of them said.
"Lucky," the other one replied.
The two of them walked away from us. Once they were away, Catherine let go of my arm.
"Sorry about that," Catherine replied.
"No, it's fine," I replied. "Those guys were bothering you. I couldn't just leave you be."
"Those guys are disgusting. Clearly, they have other motives in mind. If they were straight up about it instead of beating around the bush, I would have said something to them."
"To be fair, you could have at least said 'no.'"
"Do you honestly think they will take that as an answer?"
"Probably not."
"Exactly. I want chivalrous men, not horny boys."
"Like TK's grandfather?"
"That's right. We need more men like him in this world. Honestly, are there any good single older men in this beach? All I see are naughty boys or men with wives and kids. Then again, I could go after single fathers. There should be some around here."
"Are you not getting along with the students in your class?"
"That's not the real issue. People only come up to me because of my looks. They don't care about my feeling. I mean, just look at those boys as an example."
Catherine pointed out to the group playing beach volleyball.
"Yes, another win for us," Rosa said.
"Good job, team," Yolei said.
Kari, Yolei, and Rosa gave each other high fives.
"We couldn't win a single game," Davis said.
"We couldn't even get a single point," TK replied.
"It's all your fault, Davis," Willis said.
"My fault? How is it my fault," Davis asked.
"Clearly, you were the weak link of the group," Willis continued.
"You weren't much help either, you know," Davis retorted.
"Oh yeah? Who was it that stood there with a dumb look on his face as the ball got spiked in his face."
"That's because Kari was spiking the ball, and she looked so beautiful doing so."
"You're ridiculous."
"And what about you? Every time you tried to spike the ball, you always land flat on your face."
"If I spiked the ball, I might hit Kari, who was always there to block me. Besides, getting close to her that way allows me to get a really good look at her."
"You dirty piece of trash!"
"What'd you say?!"
"Both of you, knock it off," TK said.
"Boys," Kari sighed.
"You see, those are the kinds of classmates that I have to deal with on a daily basis," Catherine said. "It can get really tiresome, if you ask me."
"Still, I think it should be okay if you gave them a chance," I said. "They mean good at heart."
"Yes, but they'll still be boys to me."
"I'm sure you'll find something good out of them."
"I hope so."
"Tai, come over here," Mimi said, waving at us. "The corals here are amazing."
"Well, I should get going," I said.
"Have fun," Catherine replied.
"You should hang out with your colleagues more," I told her. "You'll see that there's more to them that meets the eye."
I headed over to Mimi and Sora and put on a pair of snorkeling goggles. Mimi wasn't kidding. The area she and Sora were snorkeling at was beautiful. I spent a few minutes there before returning to the beach. I noticed that the volleyball game was over, and the group talked about doing other things.
"Alright, I'm going to the vending machine to buy us some drinks," Willis said.
"Are you treating," Rosa asked.
"Of course," Willis replied.
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Yolei replied.
"No, no, I insist," Willis replied.
"Great, then I want oolong tea," Kari said.
"I want melon soda," TK said.
"Hey, can you get me a…," Davis said.
"Wait, you're paying," Willis said.
"What," Davis said. "I thought you said you were treating everyone."
"Yes, I was treating everyone, except you," Willis said.
"You're going to pay for everyone else but me," Davis questioned. "What's up with that?"
"I don't see the flaw in that," Willis replied.
"Willis," Yolei said.
"Hey, I was just kidding," Willis replied. "What do you want, Davis?"
"Since you're paying, I want two colas," Davis replied.
"Tell you what," Willis said. "If you can finish three, I'll pay for your next three drinks."
"Heh, bring it on," Davis replied. "I can down four no problem."
"Four it is," Willis said.
"Davis, please be reasonable," Yolei said. "Willis, please don't goad him."
"My bad," Willis replied. "I'll be going now."
"Yeah, you better run," Davis replied.
"So, what now," Rosa asked.
"Why don't we go swimming for a bit," TK suggested.
"I'm down with that," Davis said.
"I rather build some sandcastles," Kari replied.
"I want to build some, too," Rosa said.
"I think I'll pass," Yolei said. "I'm pretty exhausted, so I'm going to sit out for a bit."
"Okay, I'll see you guys later," TK said.
"Rest up, Yolei," Rosa said.
"I'll be fine. You guys have fun," Yolei replied.
As the group split up, I walked over to Willis, who I thought needed help carrying all the cans. However, when I got to the vending machine, I saw Willis leaning against the machine as he slid down while heavily sighing.
"Wiliis, are you okay," I said, rushing towards him.
"Oh, hey Tai, what's up," Willis said.
"You just fell to the ground. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just tired."
"You didn't have to play until you were exhausted. You could have just…"
"Oh, that's not why I'm tired. I still have enough energy for that. I'm just tired of finding new ways to bicker with Davis. Honestly, it's getting pretty tedious."
"If you're tired of it, why do you continue to do it?"
"It's kind of the norm at this point. I can't think of a day when we haven't argued over something silly."
"Have you ever thought about giving him some positive comments?"
"Why would I? That would be out of character of me, wouldn't it?"
"I'm sure he would appreciate the sincerity over the continuous bickering, don't you agree?"
"I guess."
"Just give it some thought. Not just Davis, but I'm sure the others would prefer if you were more honest with them over finding ways to quarrel with them."
After assisting Willis with the soda cans, I walked around the beach to see how everyone was doing. Yolei, Sora, and Izzy were relaxing at our beach spot. Derek was teaching Mimi and Davis how to surf. Matt, TK, and Catherine were swimming. Rosa and Kari were at one side of the beach building a sandcastle. Cody was by himself, still working on the sandcastle he created with Izzy. After building three buckets of sand on top of one another, Rosa took a few steps back.
"Now for the best part," Rosa said.
Rosa ran up to the towering sandcastle and delivered a dropkick. Sand sprayed all over as she cleanly kicked the middle section of the tower, collapsing onto the bottom layer while the top layer fell on her.
"Rosa, are you alight," Kari asked.
"That was so much fun," Rosa shouted.
Rosa laughed as she rolled around on the crumbled sand. As she was rolling about, she noticed that Cody was also working on a sandcastle. Seeing this as her opportunity, Rosa dashed towards the sandcastle and shoulder tackled it, destroying it in the process. The movement was so fast that neither Kari nor Cody was able to react before Rosa's sudden dash. Again, Rosa rolled around the crumpled sandcastle laughing.
"Rosa, that wasn't very nice," Kari said.
"Huh, what do you mean," Rosa asked.
"Kari, it's okay," Cody said.
"No, it's not okay," Kari replied. "You've spent the whole day trying to make it. You can't let people push you around like that. Rosa, apologize to Cody."
"I don't want to," Rosa said.
"Rosa," Kari said.
"I didn't do anything wrong; I'm not going to," Rosa replied.
Rosa stormed off as Kari and Cody watched on. Concerned, I followed Rosa over to a rocky shore. She was sulking under a large rock.
"How are you doing," I asked.
"I don't know how I'm feeling," Rosa replied.
"It's okay; take your time. Whenever you're ready to talk, I'll be here to listen."
"I didn't mean to cause any trouble."
"But, you know you did, didn't you?"
"Knocking into them was fine when I was smaller. Why is it so different now?"
"You were probably hanging out with your friends or people you knew for a long time. You and Cody have only known each other for a few months. There may be some things he is not used to around you. Granted, Cody is really mature for his age, so his reaction isn't as robust as Kari."
"I guess."
"What I'm trying to say is you should ask before doing what you did. Communication is important for something like this. I'm not saying what you did was wrong. Just think about your actions before implementing them."
"I'll try."
"I'll give you some time to reflect. Don't sulk all day though; we still have a whole beach day ahead of us. Try to make the most of it, okay?"
I handed her a soda can.
"Thank you," Rosa said, taking it. "Do you have one?"
"It was for me, but I figured you needed it more."
"But, now, I feel bad."
"There you go. You're learning. Don't worry; I want you to have it. I can get another one later. I'll see you at the beach."
I headed back to the sandy shore, tickling my feet where the waves crashed against the sand. As I was walking back to our spot, I noticed that Catherine was confronted by two other men.
"Hey, cutie," one of them said. "What's a beauty like you doing all alone like this?"
"Leave me alone. I'm already meeting someone," Catherine said.
"Aw, don't be like that; we just want to have some fun," the other replied.
"I told you, I'm not interested," Catherine continued, trying to walk away.
"Hey, come on, now, wait up," one of them said, grabbing her arm.
Before I could rush in to help her, Davis and Willis stood in front of them.
"Hey, can't you see she's not interested," Davis said to them.
"Besides, you two aren't in her league," Willis replied to them.
"What did you say," one of them asked.
"Just who do you think you guys are," the other questioned.
"We're the ones who invited her here," Davis answered.
"I suggest you walk away while you still have a chance," Willis responded.
As the four of them were bickering, TK tapped Catherine in the shoulder.
"Come on, follow me," TK said.
"Okay," Catherine replied.
"Hey, she's getting away," one of them said.
"Oh, no, you don't," Willis said, tripping him in the process.
"Hey, what was that all about," one of them said.
"You know exactly what that was about," Willis replied.
"Why you little…," one of them said, about to engage in combat.
"Touch me, and I'll call for help," Willis said. "There's a lifeguard not too far away from here. I'm sure he has no problem calling the police on you."
"Hey, man, we don't want the police to get involved in this," the other one said to him.
"Tch, you got lucky this time," one of them said.
The two started to walk away.
"That's right; keep walking," Davis shouted at them.
"You barely did anything," Willis said.
"Speaking of, what were you trying to do, provoking him like that? He could have really hit you."
"I've dealt with guys like him. That was nothing."
"Still, that was dangerous. I don't know about you, but I'm not the best brawler, so I don't know if I'd be helpful at all."
"You were willing to get down if things went south? I would've loved to see that. I should have thrown the first hit."
"That's not the point. You're my best friend, so I hate to see you get hurt over something dumb like this."
"Wow, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."
"I'm serious."
"I know you are. Thanks, Davis. I'm glad to know that there's someone like you watching my back. You're a good friend."
"Now, you're giving me goosebumps. Why are you acting so friendly?"
"Trust me, if you were a girl, I'd be a lot nicer to you."
"Now you're giving me the creeps. Speaking of which, where's Catherine?"
"That's right. She was taken off with TK. Where do you think they went?"
"I don't know, but I trust TK more than you."
"I'm not so sure; he's kind of a flirt himself."
"Why can't I trust any of the guys in our group? I wish Cody was the one who took her away. Come on, we're going after them."
"I'm sure they'll be fine."
"Well, thanks to you, I'm not so sure. Come on, let's go already."
"Alright, alright, I'm coming."
Meanwhile, TK brought Catherine over to the shopping boulevard near the beachfront.
"Alright, we should be safe for now," TK said. "Are you okay, Catherine? How's your wrist?"
"It's fine; thanks for asking," Catherine replied.
"Talk about a couple of jerks. I'm sorry you had to experience that."
"I'm used to it."
"Don't you kind of wish it stopped, though?"
"As long as there are hungry men around, it will never stop. I guess it doesn't matter what country I go to. There will always be uncivilized men."
"Well, I may not be like my grandfather, but I do have his charm and charisma. If anyone is bothering you, just let me know. I'll have your back in no time."
"Thanks for the offer. A little extra insurance wouldn't hurt. Speaking of, I'm surprised by the chivalrous actions of Davis and Willis. That caught me off guard. I didn't know they had it in them. Maybe I should have them watch my back as well."
"Trust me, if you ask, I'm sure both of them would be more than happy to obliged."
Back at the beach, Cody was working on another sandcastle when Rosa walked up to him.
"Hey, Cody," Rosa said.
"Hi, Rosa, are you alright," Cody asked. "You ran away pretty quickly?"
"I'm okay. Listen, I'm sorry for breaking your sandcastle."
"Oh, that? Don't worry about it."
"No, I am worried about it."
"No, really, it's fine…."
"So, in return…."
Rosa grabbed a bucket and started making multiple tall sandcastles.
"You can go ahead and kick my sandcastles," Rosa said, showing him her work.
"It's okay; I don't really….," Cody started.
"No, I insist you break them."
"If I topple down those sandcastles, would that stop you from apologizing?"
"Yes!"
"Okay, if you say so."
Cody prepared for a short dash towards the sandcastles. As he was running, he tripped on something. He ultimately lost his balance and fell onto the sandcastle headfirst. Because of how sturdy Rosa made the sandcastle, Cody's body barely made it move. Instead, Cody's weight eventually made the sand sag and crumble as the top portion of it slid off from him.
Amused by the final sight, Rosa laughed out loud. As she was laughing, she backed up and tripped on something, which made her fall back first onto Cody's semi-produced sandcastle, destroying it in the process. Looking at the mess she made, she was about to feel guilty until Cody started to laugh. He was pointing at her forehead where a hermit crab was crawling on her hair. After brushing the crab off of her, Rosa started to laugh as well.
"Hey, how about we build a sandcastle together," Cody asked.
"That sounds like a great idea," Rosa said.
"I'm curious how you got the sand packed in the bucket so tightly in such a short amount of time. Can you show me?"
"Sure! In return, I promise not to break it!"
"Sounds like a plan."
The remainder of our beach day went off without a hitch. Catherine was hanging out with Davis and Willis as the three of them played beach volleyball against Mimi, Sora, and Derek. TK, Kari, and Yolei continued to snorkel at various parts of the beach. Matt finally got used to riding on a surfboard. Rosa and Cody made the best sandcastle either of them remembered creating. Izzy went out to the shopping district to buy a watermelon while I looked for a sturdy stick to break it. We ended the day taking turns breaking the watermelon and eating whatever was left over.
Soon, the sun was down, and it was about time for us to go home. After I finished changing to my regular clothes, I stood at the beachfront waiting for the rest of my team to arrive. As I killed time looking through my cellphone, I noticed that Catherine was walking up to me.
"Hello, Tai," Catherine said.
"Hey, there," I replied. "You got out pretty quickly."
"Let's just say I know a few tricks of the trade. I thought about what you said earlier, about giving the boys in our group a chance. I might take you up on that offer."
"That's good to hear. Why the sudden change?"
"I guess I should have known that not all boys are rabid dogs looking for girls to prey on. There are some genuinely nice men out there. Mind you, I'm not going to open up to just about anyone, but if I do see someone my age that has a genuine interest in me, male or otherwise, I might give them a chance. So, thank you."
"No need to thank me. You made that decision, so you should be proud of yourself."
"It's a pity. If you were a few years older and still single, I would have done my best to try and get your attention."
"Are you saying I'm still immature even though I'm a high school senior?"
"I'll leave that to your imagination. I should check on the rest of the girls, though. I wonder what's taking them so long. I'll see you later, Tai."
As Catherine left, Willis was the next person to walk up to me.
"So, you're the first one here," Willis said. "It's no wonder why everyone sees you as the leader."
"I don't think that has to do with anything," I told him.
"Hey, thanks for the advice."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't play dumb with me. I'm talking about keeping my provocation down to a minimum. I think I found a new hobby of telling people how I honestly feel just to see them make weird faces at me for how out of character I am."
"I don't think that's what I meant with my advice."
"So, you do remember what you said. Trying to be clever, huh? You know, I could learn a thing or two from you on how to handle things."
"I'm glad you see me as a role model. I'm not the best at it, but I try to be."
"No need to be so humble about it. You're a pretty good leader, believe it or not."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. Anyway, I'm going to go to the vending machines again and get some drinks for the ride home. You want anything, Tai?"
"I'm good; thanks for asking."
"If you say so. I'll see you in a bit."
As Willis headed off towards the vending machines, Rosa walked up to me.
"Yes, I'm the first one here," Rosa said.
"Actually, there were other people who finished faster than you," I told her.
"Really? But I don't see them here."
"That's because they left to do other things. They'll be back soon. Didn't you bump into Catherine when you came here?."
"Nope. I must have missed her."
"I see."
"Hey, Tai, Cody and I made up, and now, we're good friends."
"Good for you."
"To be honest, Japan was a little scary at first. I didn't know anyone there, and I really missed my friends back home. it was hard for me to get along with anyone. But, now that I've met you, Cody, and everyone else, I realized that I don't have to be afraid anymore. If I want to see my friends, I can always go to Cody, you, and everyone else."
"It might be hard to see me, since we're in different schools, not to mention in different locations."
"Really? No wonder why I never saw you in school."
"Even so, if you do feel like hanging out, Kari, TK, and Davis will be around to give you some company. I'm pretty sure Catherine and Willis are in their class, too. You can ask Cody to help guide you around the school in order to visit them. That way, you won't feel as lonely."
"Good. I'm going to do that, then. Thank you."
"Hey, Tai. Hey, Rosa," Davis shouted.
Davis, Yolei, Cody, Catherine, and Derek walked up to us.
"Hey, guys," I said.
"Today was a great day," Davis said. "Let's do this again, soon."
"I wouldn't mind joining you," Derek said.
"Yes, I knew I could count on you," Davis said.
"Derek, don't encourage him," Yolei said. "Davis, you're pretty tanned. Did you put on sunscreen?"
"That ruins the beach fun," Davis replied.
"Reckless as usual," Cody said.
"You know you're going to feel the burn once you get home, right," Yolei asked.
"It's part of the beach experience," Davis replied.
"I don't wear sunscreen, too," Rosa said.
"See, we're likeminded individuals," Davis said.
"You can't do that, Rosa," Catherine said. "A woman needs to take extra care of her skin."
"I don't really care about that stuff," Rosa said.
"You will when you get older," Catherine replied.
"Hey, looks like the whole group is here," Willis said.
"Hello, Willis, what's in the bag," Cody asked.
"Just a few drinks for the ride home," Willis said. "I bought a couple of random stuff, but I got enough for everyone."
"Sweet," Davis said. "I get first dibs."
"Oh no, you don't," Willis said. "Ladies first."
"Thank you, Willis," Catherine said.
"What," Davis asked. "But all the good drinks get taken first."
"Then, you should have bought something for yourself," Willis said.
"Oh, I just got a text from my uncle," Yolei said. "He said he'll be in the parking lot in five minutes."
"Then, we better get going," Derek replied.
"Speaking of texts, you guys probably aren't a part of our group chat, are you," I asked.
"Group chat," Cody questioned.
"Yeah, Mimi told us about this messenger app where we can quickly message each other as one large group," I explained.
"I remember hearing about that from Izzy," Yolei said.
"Let me see," Davis said. "I've think I've seen other classmates use it."
"So, if you want, we can communicate with each other that way," I said.
"I don't see why not," Willis said.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Derek said.
"Give me a few minutes to download the app," Catherine said.
"But, will Mimi and the others be okay with us joining in," Yolei asked.
"I'm sure they won't mind," I told them.
"That's reassuring," Cody said.
"Well, what are we waiting for," Davis asked. "Let's join this group chat thing."
"I have it downloaded," Rosa said.
"Same here," Derek replied.
"Great, let me see how to add you guys into the group," I replied.
Once I was able to figure out how to add everyone, Yolei received another text from her uncle. As Davis and the others left for the van, the remainder of our group arrived.
"Hey, Tai," Mimi said.
"Hey, guys," I replied. "Thanks for coming up with this idea, Mimi. It was a lot of fun."
"You bet it was," Mimi said. "Let's come back here tomorrow!"
"Let's not," Sora replied.
"I think I had my fair share of beaches for the day," Izzy replied.
"Yeah, I'm completely exhausted," Matt said.
"I'll say," TK said. "You looked like you had a lot of fun riding that surfboard."
"Cut it out," Matt said.
"Why," TK asked. "You looked really cool when the waves crashed onto you."
"I said, knock it off," Matt replied.
"But, you did managed to balance yourself well by the end of it," Sora said. "That was very impressive of you."
"Yeah, well, whatever," Matt said.
"Aw, Matt, are you blushing," Mimi asked.
"Not you too, Mimi," Matt replied.
"Now that I think about it, where's Yolei and everyone else," Kari asked.
"Oh, they already left with Yolei's uncle," I told them.
"You didn't ask them to wait until we said goodbye," Mimi asked.
"Why should I," I asked. "Their ride was already here."
"I'm sure we can always see them again whenever we want to," Izzy said. "There's still plenty of days left until summer vacation is over."
"You're right," Mimi said.
Suddenly, all of our phones vibrated and rang at the same time. We checked our phones to see what was going on.
"That was so much fun," Davis texted. "We should so totally do this again some other time."
"Why is Davis in our chatroom," Kari asked.
"I invited them over," I answered. "Is that okay?"
"I don't see why not," Sora said.
"Yay, our family growing bigger," Mimi said.
"And a little more crazier," TK said.
"This is going to be a little much to figure out," Matt said.
"By the way, we should probably get going," Izzy said. "Our train is about to come to the station, and we might miss it if we don't hurry."
"You're right. Let's get going," Sora said.
We ran towards the train station as the sun continued to set on the horizon.
*To be continued*