The sun was high, casting a warm, golden light over the sand as Tori, Cat, Andre, Beck, and Jade sprawled out on the beach. Seagulls glided overhead, and families dotted the sand with beach umbrellas, kids laughing as they built sandcastles or chased each other near the water. The smell of sunscreen and warm sand filled the air, and the sunlight made everything seem to shimmer.
The gang lounged close to the shoreline, where the sand was cool and damp beneath their towels. Tori was half-buried in the sand, thanks to Cat's elaborate "beach art," while Andre strummed a few chords on his guitar, filling the air with a mellow tune.
"Man," Andre said, looking up from his guitar, "I don't want this summer to go by too fast. Before we know it, you'll all be scattering across the country for College."
"Yeah you academic nut jobs," Beck joked, stretching out his legs and digging his toes into the sand.
"Sorry we have better things to do than traipse around the country in that rust bucket you call an RV." Jade replied from under her beach umbrella, sunglasses on and book in hand.
"I'm so excited for you!" Cat beamed at him, ever the juxtaposition of her girlfriend. "You're going to see do many things, have adventures and meet so many people! Maybe you'll even meet…someone with fluffier hair than you!"
Jade snorted. "Or he'll get his RV stuck in the middle of the desert."
"Hey," Beck replied, smirking, "I know how to handle sand. And I'll have my guitar, so if I get stranded, at least I'll go out with a good soundtrack."
Andre grinned, shaking his head. "So, is that still all to your plan? You're just gonna wander around the country? Man, that's kinda crazy, but also…kinda awesome."
Beck shrugged, looking out at the waves. "Something like that. I want to see the mountains, camp under the stars, drive through places I've never been. I might even visit some of the music cities, like Nashville or Austin. Just…take it all in, you know?"
Cat's eyes sparkled with wonder. "I think that sounds perfect! Just you and the open road. You could even stop at every single famous food place, just for fun!"
"Trust Cat to turn a road trip into a food tour," Tori teased.
"Well, food is an important part of travel!" Cat defended, crossing her arms and pouting for a second. "Plus, Beck's gonna need snacks if he's driving around all the time."
Beck laughed, nodding. "Good point, Cat. I'll keep a stash just for you when you come visit me in the middle of nowhere."
Jade leaned back on her elbows, her face a mixture of exasperation and a hint of concern. "Just don't get too attached to that nowhere. You might find you like it a little too much and never come back."
Beck looked over at her. "Nah. I'll always come back to see you guys. Even if I get, like, obsessed with mountain life or something, I'll still swing by LA. I mean, where else can I get sarcasm with a side of sand?"
Jade rolled her eyes but didn't argue, a faint smile betraying her amusement.
Tori sighed, picking bits of sand off her towel. "Well, just make sure you keep us updated. I want pictures. Lots of pictures. I want to see every tiny town and mountain you find."
"Oh, trust me," Beck said with a grin, "you'll all be the first to know if I find any weird roadside attractions or haunted motels."
Cat gasped again. "Haunted motels! Beck, you have to go to one of those and take ghost pictures! And I wanna be there! I could be, like, your ghost-hunting assistant!"
Beck chuckled. "Noted. If I need backup in a creepy motel, Cat, you're first on my list."
Cat bounced up. "Yaaay!"
As they continued to lounge on their towels, Tori turned to Cat. "So, how did your test session go at the record label?"
"Oh! It was fun," Cat replied, her eyes lighting up. "I got to sing on this song with a rapper called Myles Mason- I think that was his name I didn't check!"
Andre's eyes went wide. "Wait, Myles Mason? Are you serious? The guy's got so many hits! You didn't tell me thats who the rapper on the track was!"
Cat looked a little confused but nodded. "I couldn't remember his name when I called your yesterday, I'm not even sure of it now."
Beck, intrigued, pulled out his phone and opened up his music library. "Wait, I think I have a track of his on here. Lemme play it for you guys."
He tapped play, and out played 'The Spins' Cat's face lit up in recognition, eyes wide. "Oh my gosh, this is his song? I didn't even realise it was his! I've heard this one."
Andre threw his head back in laughter. "Of course it's his song! That's his signature style—you know, chill beat with those deep lyrics? Classic Myles!"
Jade, looking skeptical, narrowed her eyes a bit as the song continued, listening into the lyrics. "So wait… Cat, you're doing a song with him? You?" She tilted her head, imagining Cat's sweet and bubbly, personality with Myles' lyrical choice and introspective rap style. "That's… an interesting mix."
Cat's cheeks turned a light shade of pink, but she shrugged it off with a giggle. "It sounded pretty good! But I'm still waiting for a call to see if they even liked it. But hey, enough music talk- let's play some volleyball!" She suggested, grabbing the ball from beside her an throwing it to Robbie- how promptly missed the catch and let it hit him straight in the face. "Oops!"
"Okay, but who's on whose team?" Andre asked, standing up and stretching.
"Boys vs girls?"
"I think I'll sit this one out," Jade said, not looking up from her book. "Watching you all flail around is way more entertaining."
Beck laughed, shaking his head. "Suit yourself. Just don't laugh too hard when we win."
"Okay then, how about…me, Cat, and Robbie against Beck and Andre?" Tori suggested.
Everyone agreed, though Robbie looked a little uneasy. "Uh…just so you know, I haven't actually played volleyball since, like, fourth grade."
"No worries, Robbie!" Tori encouraged him, giving him a light punch on the arm. "We've got this. We're gonna crush 'em."
They positioned themselves on either side of an imaginary net, marked by a line Beck drew in the sand. Tori served first, sending the ball soaring over to Andre and Beck's side. Andre lunged, hitting it back with an impressive spike.
Cat ran to save it, her hands smacking it upward just in time. Robbie darted forward, fumbling a bit, but managed to tap it over to Tori. She grinned, sending it flying back toward the boys with an almost surprisingly fierce hit.
"Not bad, Vega!" Beck called, scrambling to intercept it and passing it to Andre. Andre, in turn, aimed it low. If it were a real game it would've hit the net- but this was just for fun.
Robbie let out a little yelp and missed the ball by a hair, sending it into the sand on their side.
"Point for us!" Andre cheered, high-fiving Beck.
"Come on, Robbie!" Tori said, laughing but determined. "We're still in this!"
They played on, the laughter growing louder as the game got more competitive. Cat threw herself after the ball more than once, squealing whenever she dove into the sand, unfazed by the sand sticking to her arms and legs. Beck and Andre worked seamlessly, their height and athleticism giving them a bit of an edge, but Tori's fierce serves kept the game close.
A few metres away- Jade was pretending to read her book. Really she was listening to another one of Myles' songs. They really weren't Cat's style. Lord, she didn't even swear let alone sing about the kind of stuff he was rapping about. It hadn't really hit Jade that pushing Cat towards music could make her change her style - and maybe who she was as a person. It was all fun and games at the moment, no really confirmation that any of this would lead anywhere but- testing on a song with a famous rapper? Maybe this was a serious thing for her. There was certainly a lot of thinking, and maybe she'd been too much with just telling Cat to keep going for it, not really considering where it could actually lead.
Back in the game, Robbie surprised everyone by making a perfect save, diving down and bumping the ball up just before it hit the sand. "Did you see that?" he asked, grinning widely as he brushed the sand off his arms.
"Nice one, Robbie!" Tori said, beaming. "We're totally getting better at this!"
Cat giggled as she bent down to help Robbie up. "Yeah! We're unstoppable!"
Jade let out a very loud cackle as Beck sent the ball back over to them, spiking Robbie straight on the head.
"You're just jealous you're not in on the action, Jade!" Tori shouted back, sticking her tongue out playfully.
Jade raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah. Super jealous."
Eventually, with one last high jump and spike from Beck, the boys won the game by a single point. They all flopped back down onto their towels, laughing and out of breath.
"Alright, I'll admit it," Tori said, panting. "You guys were…kind of amazing."
Andre grinned, reaching over for a high five with Beck. "What can we say? We're just that good."
Cat sat up, brushing sand off her knees. "I we need a rematch next time. I'll practice so much, you'll never see it coming!"
"Yeah, sure, Cat," Beck replied with a chuckle. "I'm looking forward to it."
Jade leaned back, watching them all catch their breath. "So are we done embarrassing ourselves with sports for today?"
"Oh, totally," Tori replied, laughing.