Chapter 17: The Beach, Part Two

Kate: The Beach, Sacramento: 10:58am: 15 June

Taking the taxi to the beach was a pain in my ass. Claire kept bitching at me for everything, and Ethan wouldn't talk to me. We got there and found a pretty big group of people, then Claire asked if they knew Ren Stevens, then this guy named Larry pointed to a few people a little further down the beach, then asked Ethan to play Frisbee with him once he realized we were here for Ren too.

Ren's older brother, Donnie said he and her younger brother Louis were about to carry a cooler and some other stuff down to them, and we could go with them. He wanted me. I had halfway unbuttoned my shirt, and I was wearing the shortest shorts possible. I was pretty sure that Ethan and I had broken up, unspokenly. It was the silence. It meant he broke up with me, and I was happy, and available. This Louis was the same Louis that the girl Tawny had introduced me to that day in the mall. This was an extremely fucked up situation. All of it. I didn't see Lizzie anywhere, or Tawny, but he looked at me very suspiciously as we walked, and didn't say a word to Claire or myself.

"None of those asses would come over and say hi to the birthday girl." Donnie said to Ren when we reached her, and the two other girls with her.

"It's fine, I'm going over there in a minute anyway." She said, seeming ok with her neglect. If it were me I would have been pissed. Everyone should have gone to see her before playing and whatever.

"Oh. Cool." He said, dropping the cooler, and all of the towels and clothes he was taking over that belonged to everyone else. He seemed to take it as his cue to run back to the volleyball group.

Claire turned and watched him. She wanted him, Ethan, and Larry. That whore. She could have them all for all I cared, though how I was dressed would make people believe otherwise.

"Hey…" I said to Ren, and I moved all of the things Donnie dropped, and sat down next to an African-American girl that looked asleep. I held on tightly to my bag with my towel and things in it, not sure what to do with it.

"Happy birthday, Ren." Claire said, "Ethan ran off to go play Frisbee with a fine looking guy named Larry."

"Larry is fine." She smiled.

"I'm going to go over there and watch because he has his shirt off, and oh yeah…I met this girl named Mandy, who said she would come at some point. Is that cool?"

"Mandy?" She asked. Her tone was strange, and the girl sitting next to her looked up at Claire suspiciously, along with the girl who I had thought was asleep. She managed to open one eye, at least. They knew Mandy. The situation was becoming increasingly more fucked up. I didn't think it could get any more fucked up, but it could.

"Yeah. Mandy Sanchez." Claire said, not noticing their reactions.

"Uh…" Ren muttered, "Did you tell her this was my party, and like…say my name?"

"Nah. I just said it was a party, why?"

"Um…" Ren's friend elbowed her, and said something in her ear, then she said, "It's fine."

"Sweet. I'll be back in a while." She smiled kindly, and still didn't seem to notice how everyone else was reacting.

Once she walked away, the girl next to me sat up, and said, "Oh shit, Ren!"

"Yeah…"

"Do you guys know Mandy?" I asked.

"Do we know Mandy?" Ren's other friend laughed, then loudly said, "She only stole Ren's boyfriend in eighth grade."

I laughed a little because it was silly to dislike someone for something I middle school, "That was a long time ago."

"Yeah…" Ren seemed a little bothered.

"I don't really like her…" I said, unsurely, "If that makes it any better…"

She sighed, then straightened herself up quickly, "I'm sorry. I didn't introduce you to my friends…seeing as you aren't even from here. This is Ruby." She nodded to the loud, pale girl, "And this is Monique."

"I'm Kate."

"Kate?" Ruby studied me for a moment, and everyone sat in silence, obviously wondering what the hell she was thinking, just like I was, "Do you happen to know a little blonde girl named Lizzie?"

I blinked. She knew Lizzie too. Before I could come up with anything to say, Monique commented, "Lizzie is so sweet."

Ren laughed, "Not since she's been spending so much time with Tawny."

"Tawny mentioned a Kate to me too…" Ruby seemed to ponder more.

"Oh yeah…" Something seemed to click with Ren, "She did mention a Kate. Kate was the girl from the mall that day…" She looked at me, "We met at the mall the same day that Tawny met a Kate at the mall, and you said you had a weird experience with a girl at the mall earlier. Did she happen to-"

"Holy shit…" I muttered. They were putting all of the pieces together.

"This is so insane!" Squealed Ruby.

"All of you people are all…like…connected…" Monique was shocked.

"I know you know Lizzie." Ren said, "But did Tawny…touch you inappropriately or anything? I can explain that. She is really completely harmless. It was a bet she made with Louis."

"Mostly harmless." Ruby corrected. "She molested me too."

"She…no…she was ok…sort of." This was terribly confusing.

"That was why Louis was being so weird around you!" Ren said, seeming to have an epiphany.

"Yeah…I met him that day too…"

"So…did Tawny kiss you?" Asked Ruby, very curiously, "She kissed me too, and Monique. Not Ren. She won't kiss Ren."

"I dunno why not." Ren acted offended.

"I more kissed her actually." I said. Everyone here seemed pretty cool, and I didn't have to lie for them to like me. It felt funny.

"Where did Louis go anyway?" Monique asked, and looked around.

He was nowhere around. He had pulled the cooler under the umbrella, laid out his towel, then vanished. I shrugged, as did everyone else.

"Ah well. Not important." She rolled over onto her stomach, and became silent.

"How exactly do you know Lizzie?" Ren asked, after a while, "Her friends don't seem to like you that much."

"I was friends with her…a long time ago…"

"Do you play volleyball?" Ruby asked, taking off her top.

"I can…I suppose…"

"Me and Ren are about to go and join in. You can come…or sit here while Monique sleeps."

"I'm not asleep." She mumbled, "I'm tanning, dammit."

Why would a black girl try to tan? I don't get it. I looked over toward the volleyball net, and saw things I didn't want to see. I expected to see them at any moment. I had a feeling this would all go to Hell in a very small handbag, very soon. "No…I…I think I'll just chill here."

"Why?" She seemed disappointed as she took her shorts off.

"Yeah. Come on, Kate. Lizzie's over there." Ren made a pouting face as she got up and stretched.

Yes, I knew Lizzie was over there. That was precisely why I did not want to go over there. I was trying to prolong the inevitable, and let this semi-happy little moment continue as long as it possibly could, "Nah…I-"

Ruby grabbed my arm before I could do anything, "Take off your clothes and come on. The boys'll love you. You're a cutie, and we already know that Tawny thinks you're hot."

"She's taken." Ren corrected.

"No…I'm actually not, but-"

"Come on, Kate! Boys!" Ruby tugged on me more, and I stood up.

"I-"

"Did you break up with that guy?" Asked Ren.

"Sorta…"

"Come on and find a new one." Ruby said, and yanked me to my feet.

"Ruby!" Ren yelled, "She might not be like you!"

"Look at her shorts, and her cleavage. She's wants to get some!"

"No, I-"

Ren was attempting to defend me, "See!"

"But she should still come play volleyball!"

"Stop being so loud!" Monique screamed over them.

There was a moment of silence, then someone said, "Oh my God, no. You have to be kidding me."

We all looked and saw Lizzie, Tawny, and Miranda. It was the latter who had spoken.

"I knew I saw Ethan, and I figured she had be somewhere close!" She continued.

"Kate?" Tawny said, recognizing me.

"Kate?" Lizzie said afterward.

I stood there, not sure what to do. Ruby let go of me, and Monique sat up again.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Miranda snapped.

"I…"

"I invited her." Ren said, "I had no idea you knew each other…I mean…what are the chances. It's really kind of neat that the Kate you know happens to be a Kate I met, and invited to my party."

"No, it isn't neat at all."

"Miranda, chill out." Lizzie begged.

"No."

"I'm…um…going to go over with Claire…" I said, taking a deep breath, "Get out of my way, McGuire." I pushed past her, and hoped I wouldn't start crying. Then walked toward Claire, who was sitting on her towel watching Ethan and Larry. The semi-happy moment had come to an end.