Chapter 6: Sand Castles

Angel floated calmly on the surface of the water, holding the hand of Collins, who stood nearby. "You want to build a sand castle?" he asked.

"Sure," Maureen answered, playing with a shell in her hands. She handed it to Mark, who tried to fit it together with the one in his hands.

"Wanna race up the beach?" Mimi asked, seeing how far out they were. Roger looked up and calculated, also.

"OK," he told her, "but I hope you know that I'll win." He grinned.

"You're on!" Mimi challenged, and got into a starting position. Roger followed suit.

Mark stood in front of then with his hands in the air. "On your mark," he announced, "Get set," he dropped his hands, "Go!"

The two set off, sprinting freestyle towards the sand. Everyone turned to watch the tight race.

"I hope he knows," Angel giggled, "that Mimi was on the high school swim team."

"Yeah?" asked Collins, watching the race still.

"Yeah," his lover answered, breaking out in a smile. "We were on the same team for about a week," he explained, "until the coach realized how funny I looked in a one-piece."

Everyone turned to the drag queen in awe, and simultaneously broke out in laughter. A scream turned their attention back to the beach. Roger lie on the sand, panting, and Mimi danced and jumped around next to him.

"I won!" she called to them, although they already knew. The five in the water headed to joint the two on the beach, as they regained the stamina.

"You see," Mimi was explaining to Roger, "girls always win."

"No they don't!" he told her. She just grinned.

"Sand castle-building contest?" she offered.

"You're on!" he agreed.

"Boys versus girls," she challenged, knowing that he could never turn down such an offer.

"Where do I sign up?" he asked.

"Yay!" Maureen shrieked, "This'll be so fun!"

"I think I'll sit this one out," Joanne mumbled, "I need to catch up on some reading." Maureen didn't fight, so the lawyer went to the picnic site, and returned with a book and a beach blanket. She spread out the towel and laid down, flipping through the pages of her novel.

"Teams?" Mark asked, shaking the water off his glasses.

Mimi thought a moment, and announced, "Maureen, Angle and I, against you three."

"Great!" he exclaimed.

They started off fiercely. The guys decided to set up a large fortress, and build inward. Collins dug a moat, as Roger build the fort walls, and Mark formed the watch towers. The girls started to build up with a thick frame. Mimi patted the large castle body, as Maureen made pillars and towers. Angel brought over wet sand to make the walls stronger, able to hold up better. After a few minutes, and guys' sand piled began to crack and fall over, while the girls' stayed freestanding.

"I think that means that we win," Maureen pointed out, when the last of Mark's towers fall over.

"Oh yeah?" Roger asked, standing and shaking off the sand. He whispered to Collins and Mark, and they eyed the castle mischievously. The three of them ran over and leaped onto the sand kingdom, stomping it to the ground.

"Roger Davis!" Mimi yelped, tackling him.

"Mark!" Maureen shouted, chasing him into the water before knocking him down.

Collins turned to Angel. "You're going to make me fall, too, aren't you?"

"You know it, Tom Collins," he smiled. He ran after his lover, who didn't run. As soon as Angel got to him, he grabbed Collins' neck and kissed him fiercely, sending them both into the ocean's surf. They both sat up, laughing.

"Faggots!" a voice called to them. All seven looked over to see a young man and a girl standing there, looking disgusted. "Freaking queers!" he called again.

Angel stood and approached him. "What's the matter, baby?" he asked them, "never seen a real man before?"

"AIDS spreader!" He shouted at them. Joanne stood and walked over to the three.

"What you're doing, young man," she said to him sternly, "is stereotyping."

"It's true," the girl defended.

"Is it?" Joanne asked, and turned to Maureen. "Baby," she asked, "do we spread AIDS?" Maureen walked over to her lover, and threw a loving arm around her waist.

"Not to my knowledge," she answered, her gaze fixed on the two.

Mimi walked over to her friends, and gripped Angel's hand. "I have AIDS," she said, "but I'm straight. Odd, huh?"

"Yeah," Roger agreed, placing his arm on the dancer's shoulders, "odd."

"But what I don't get," Collins added, wrapping his arms around Angel's waist, "is why you have a problem with that?"

"Yeah," Mark finished, grabbing hold of Joanne's hand, "what's your problem with that?"

The two looked at the fortress of seven standing before them, frightened.

"Freaks!" the boy shouted, and they ran down the beach.

All of the friends stood there for a minute, before breaking into laughter.

"Homo-phobe," Maureen sighed.

"Punks," Collins laughed. They all walked back to Joanne's blanket, laughing, but beach feeling a little hurt inside.