Mary Anne

What had I gotten myself into? I knew I only had myself to blame for getting roped into a date with a guy who was friends with the guys Dawn and Kristy had met on the beach. If I had been honest with Kristy about my relationship with Sam, I wouldn't be getting ready for a date with a guy I didn't even know. Dawn and Kristy had assured me that it was just for fun, but it just didn't feel right to go out with another guy. I couldn't back out now, though.

"You don't need to get dressed up. It's just the Boardwalk," Dawn told me. I'd taken her advice and chosen a pair of khaki capris and a pink tank top. A little after five there was a knock on the door and we met all three guys on the step.

Aidan, my date, was the shortest of the three. His blond hair curled around his ears in a shaggy, grown out look that had "surfer" written all over it. He wore jeans, flip flops, and an Abercrombie T-shirt. Not my type. Not my type at all. I smiled. "Hi. I'm Mary Anne."

Aidan shook my hand. "Aidan. Nice to meet you. I guess our friends really hit it off this morning."

"Yeah," I said. "It looked like they were having a good time." We followed Dawn and Kyle, who were leading the way to the Boardwalk, which was within walking distance. Behind us, I could hear Kristy and Tom chattering away.

"It must have been pretty embarrassing to get beat by a couple of chicks. I wish I could have been there to see it," Aidan said.

"From what I saw," I said "it was a pretty impressive game. Dawn grew up on the beach and learned to play there, and Kristy is just a tomboy. She went to college on a softball scholarship. So yeah, they're tougher than they look."

"And what about you? Are you athletic?"

I laughed. "Hardly. I like to go jogging, and I take a spinning class at the gym, but I stay away from anything that requires coordination. Kristy told me you're a surfer. Have you been at it long?"

Aidan, apparently, had grown up in Santa Cruz and had been entering competitions since he was a little kid. He regaled me with tales of places he'd been and competitions he'd won during our entire walk to the Boardwalk.

There was no admission fee to enter the Boardwalk, but we had to buy tickets for the rides. We ended up getting enough tickets for the major rides, including the Giant Dipper, an old wooden rollercoaster that the guys insisted was one of the best wooden coasters ever. Even Dawn agreed, though she noted that nothing would ever be as good as Space Mountain.

"Are you kidding?" Kyle asked. "Space Mountain doesn't even go upside-down."

"Yeah, but there's nothing like the thrill of riding a fast rollercoaster in the dark," Dawn said.

"Well, why don't we stop talking about it and see for ourselves," Kristy suggested. She and Tom led the way to the Giant Dipper. It was a pretty good ride, complete with a spectacular view of the Pacific from the top, but I couldn't help but wish it were Sam sitting next to me instead of some kid I barely knew. We went on a few more rides, including an incredibly romantic carousel built in 1911, and then decided to break for dinner. There were several food stalls along the Boardwalk. Unfortunately, none of them seemed to please Dawn.

"French fries. Corn dogs. Fried fish. How can you possibly eat that junk?" she sniffed as we checked out the offerings.

"Relax, it's the Boardwalk. It's okay to eat junk food here. No, it's expected to eat junk food here," Tom said.

"She's a vegetarian," Kristy said.

"Well, I'm sure you can find something to eat," Tom told Dawn.

Dawn made do with a bowl of stir fried vegetables and rice. The rest of us lived it up and got hot dogs and fries. Perfect Boardwalk food. "I can feel my arteries hardening already," Kristy taunted Dawn.

"That's not even pig you're eating," Dawn lectured. "That's pig parts. Not to mention cow parts and chicken parts…"

"Is she always like this?" Aidan whispered to me, although he needn't have bothered with subterfuge. When Dawn got going, she was oblivious to those around her.

"Usually she's worse," I admitted. Kristy nodded in agreement. "If you ignore her she'll eventually stop," I added.

After we ate we went to the candy store and watched the teenaged employees pull saltwater taffy. Tom and Aidan both bought bags of the fresh candy, which they shared with me and Kristy as we continued to meander the strip. Tom and Kristy seemed to be getting pretty chummy. They had been flirting all night and were walking very close together. "I want to go on the Cave Train," Kristy announced. Dawn rolled her eyes. The Cave Train was apparently a glow-in-the-dark train ride complete with animatronic cave men and dinosaurs.

"Maybe we should split up," I diplomatically suggested. I wasn't too keen on riding the Cave Train, either. Tom and Kristy headed for the train, while Dawn and Kyle went off in search of more thrill rides.

"What do you want to do?" Aidan asked me.

"I'd kind of like to go on the Skygliders," I said, pointing at the overhead buckets that hung from a wire and slowly transported riders from one end of the Boardwalk to the other.

"Good choice," Aidan said. We found the ride entrance and were soon hanging above the ground in a bright pink bucket. The view of the ocean from so far up, coupled with the lights that were just beginning to come on, was awesome. I sighed, and again wished it was Sam here with me instead.

Maybe it was the romantic mood of the Boardwalk—or maybe he genuinely liked me—but before I knew what was happening Aidan leaned in toward me and our lips made contact. Surprised, I jumped away, putting as much distance between us as was possible in our bucket built for two.

"Dude, sorry," Aidan said. "I thought we were cool." He looked genuinely confused. I guessed he wasn't used to rejection from girls.

I could feel my cheeks flush. "I'm sorry," I said. "You're a really nice guy, Aidan. It's just that I have a boyfriend in Boston. I'm not looking for a summer fling."

"Hey, that's cool," Aidan said. "We can still have fun. Friends only. Unless you have one of those open relationships. You're cute and nice, I don't mind standing in for the guy."

"It's definitely not an open relationship," I said. "Though I am flattered by your offer. I guess." Actually, I found his offer rather skeevy, but I reminded myself he was a nineteen year old guy. I smiled to show there were no hard feelings.

"Whatever. It's cool." The rest of the ride passed in complete silence.

When we met back up with the others, the guys invited us back to their place to drink and watch Happy Gilmore. I was pretty sure Kristy wanted to, but she could tell Dawn and I were ready to call it a night. As we said goodbye, Aidan caught me in a friendly hug. "I meant what I said," he whispered in my ear. "If you ever want to hook up, I'm just down the beach."

"Thanks. I'll, um, remember that," I said as politely as possible. As soon as we got home I went to my room and did what I'd wanted to do all night: I called Sam.