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not beta'd

Word Prompt: Heart

*this storyline will also be known as Crystal Beachin'.

It was going to be a-friggin-mazing.

Three months in tropical paradise or whatever? Yes please and thank you, Bella thought, humming while she shaved. She squinted, making sure not to leave any patches. Nothing worse than frolicking on the beach with hairy legs. Although, come to think of it, she hadn't spent much time on beaches in her life.

Forks could be lovely in the summer, but for the most part it was so darn dreary and gray. Bella loved rain as much as any Washingtonian, but she was read for a switch up.

So when Rose had called the week before and said they'd gotten the jobs in Florida, Bella could scarcely believe her luck.

She and her two BFFs had just graduated high school, and would now spend the summer in Destin, Florida, working as waitresses at a beach side restaurant owned by Rose's Aunt Claire. Rose had done a little traveling in her day, but Alice and Bella had never been further east than the Mississippi.

(Actually, Bella hadn't even been that far.)

No sooner had she emerged from the shower, her phone began ringing in earnest.

Damn Alice and her rap ring tones. No matter how many times Bella switched the songs, Alice came behind her and adjusted them to suit her more…urban tastes.

"Hey girl!" she squealed, for once on the same page as Alice, emotionally.

"Hi!" Alice squealed back. "You just about ready?"

Bella laughed, rolling her eyes. Alice had been packed for days.

"Pretty much. Just getting dressed now."

"Well, hurry up. Rose is going to be there in like, five seconds."

"Then lemme get off the phone," Bella said.

"Kay! Bye!"

Alice must have been psychic or something, because seconds later Rose called. "I hope you're ready because I'm pulling up now."

"I'm…almost ready," Bella grunted, trying to pull on a pair of shorts with one hand. "Just…come up when you get here!" She clicked off before Rose could harass her and finished getting dressed.

Despite the frantic pace of the morning, the three girls were in the sunniest of moods as Rose's father drove them to Sea-Tac Airport.

They chattered incessantly in the car, the airport, on the plane, and finally, in Florida.

"Oh, my goodness… that was the longest trip of my life," Rose groaned as they teetered from exhaustion near baggage claim.

Because they had left that morning and gone east, they'd crossed through several time zones. Bella's internal clock was all messed up. It was night time now, and she was ready to drop in to the nearest bed and pass out..

"Rose?" A voice called. "Is that you, honey?"

The girls turned to see a tall, tanned blonde approaching them with a huge smile on her face.

"Hi, Aunt Claire!" Rose cried, hugging the older woman.

"I can't believe you're finally here!" Claire said, squeezing Rose tightly. "Bella, Alice – welcome. You girls have loads of luggage, I'm sure…"

"Yes, we do," Alice said brightly. "And thank you so much for having us come... we're beyond excited!"

Bella grinned, too tired to do much more. "Yes, thank you."

"Psh." Claire waved them off. "I'm going to grab one of those guys with the cart thing to help with the bags. Stay here."

Eventually everything was loaded into Claire's disturbingly huge SUV. Or, as she called it, her SAV – Suburban Assault Vehicle. She explained it came in handy when dealing with groceries or last minute things she needed for the restaurant. Destin was about fifty miles from the airport in Panama City, but Claire spoke the entire time about all of the fun things there were to do over the summer.

Bella started to doze. Alice shook her awake when they reached the neighborhood where the beach house was located.

Bella drew in a quick breath. Even in the dark, the houses were gorgeous.

"This one is called Crystal Beachin'," Claire said, pulling in to the driveway of a large, two story house. "We're friends with the owners, so we got a great deal."

"It's…huge," Bella said, getting out.

"Yes, well, normally it's for much larger groups but… you know. Only the best for Rosie and her friends," Claire gushed.

The house really was lovely, all bright colors and wide open spaces, huge windows and a pool in the back. It was, in a nutshell, ideal for a summer vacation full of sun, fun and –

"Debauchery," Rose cackled, tossing the last of her things on to a bed. "This place is just made for it."

Claire had eventually left the threesome to their own devices, saying she'd be by in the morning. She lived a couple of blocks away with her fiancée.

Alice shrieked from somewhere downstairs. Seconds later she came dashing up the stairs and leaned in to the bedroom Bella had chosen. "Omygod," she panted.

"What?"

"There is totally an appropriate pole near the pool."

"Ha," barked Bella. "There is nothing appropriate about what you want to do with that pole."

"Shut up," Alice sighed, flopping back. "I'll have you twirling 'round that thing by July."

Alice had been taking burlesque classes in Port Angeles since the beginning of senior year. Her parents didn't know about it, and by this point, she was a total vixen on the stripper pole.

"Like I said," Rose said, sitting beside Alice. "Debauchery. No guy is going to be able to risk a house full of hot, nubile girls."

"Gross," snickered Bella, even though she secretly agreed. She tended to fake the funk and be all faux-innocent about such matters, whereas Rose just said it like it was.

In bed later, Bella snuggled down deep in to her blankets. The girls didn't start work until Monday, and she looked forward to spending the next day on the beach with Alice and Rose.

What she wanted most of all, though, was for someone to make her fall head over feet. She wanted the fling, the summertime romance, even if it meant letting someone in to her heart.

just so you know, this storyline is going to be corny, horny, angst free, and ridiculous. rife with cliche and silly situations, questionable dialogue and men in construction hats.

also, this is the real crystal beachin'. http:/www(dot)vrbo(dot)com/70219 replace the (dot)s with actual dots. anyway, some fandom girlfriends and i stayed there last fall, and that's where we came up with all sorts of ideas for this cheestastic fluff/crack fic.

so much fretting over the angstier plot lines! goodness. hopefully the pure idiocy of crystal beachin' will counteract the sadness.