Chapter 13

Those words echoed in my head all the way to the beach. "Let's go find you a date." The more I thought about them, the more I wanted to reach over and punch Ashton in the nose. He made me feel like I was incapable of getting any kind of date. True, my date with Jude was an utter disaster from the start, and I should've had him take me home before we reached Breezeway. But, then again, maybe a tiny part of me hoped he would've seen how great I truly was and we'd be heading to the beach today.

"I hope you're going to unbutton your shirt when we get out of the car." Ashton raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"We're about to get out of the car at the beach, and your shirt is buttoned up over your bathing suit top. Do you see anyone else out here looking like that? Besides,  how do you expect to get a date?" He raised an eyebrow and opened the car door. He got out and opened the back door to get his duffle bag. "Are you coming?" He closed the car door.

I looked down at my button-down shirt and started to unbutton it as I opened the car door. I didn't know why I felt so self-conscious about my bathing suit top, seeing as I would be on the beach with my friends and everyone else. I reached behind Ashton's seat, grabbed my bag, and adjusted my bathing suit top. I exited the vehicle with my head held high; it was time to stop being shy, Gemma.

Ashton walked around the front of the car. "Better." He smiled when he saw I had unbuttoned my shirt. "C'Mon, let's go." He lowered his sunglasses off his head.

"Hey, Hughes! You playing football or not?" One of his jock buddies yelled, walking up behind us.

"I'm heading that way."

"Great! See you in five." He walked past us, glancing down at my boobs.

I glanced down at my bathing suit top, then at the back of his friend's blonde head, walking away from us. "Ew. He just looked at my boobs."

"See, what did I tell you? If there's one thing I do know. It's that most guys like to look at boobs. So, you're welcome." He smiled.

"I didn't say Thank you." I rolled my eyes.

We kept walking toward the beach, and once we got to the edge of the parking lot, I headed toward Chloe and Sarah. They were mixed in with the other girls from school lounging on the beach, working on their tans, while the boys were getting ready to play a football game. I was scared to remove my shirt once I reached the blanket because I was unusually pale for living in Santa Monica. I wasn't so pale that the sun would reflect off my skin, but I wasn't tan like my friends either, who liked to come to the beach quite often once the weather turned nice.

"You two conspired against me with Ashton...Really?" I glared down at them, hiding behind their dark sunglasses. I put my bag beside the blanket and removed the button-down shirt. "You left me at the house with him too." I sat on the blanket beside Chloe in her white and pale blue striped bikini. I couldn't help but notice how pale I looked beside her perfectly tanned body. I wanted to run out onto the beach and dig a hole to hide in. I loved my friends, but it was hard to keep my self-esteem up around them. I felt like Ashton was setting me up for failure being out here with my hot best friends. What guy in his right mind would look at me with Chloe and Sarah next to me? Again, this made me want to punch Ashton in his face; so much for feeling self-confident.

"Everything okay, Gem?" Chloe asked, lifting her sunglasses.

"Uh...Yeah." I scooted down on the blanket and laid back. Was everything okay, though? I've enlisted the school's man-whore to help me get a date for the school dance coming up in a few months. So, technically...No, everything wasn't okay. It was about to blow up in my face; I just hadn't realized it yet.

We talked for a while, making sure to roll over every thirty minutes so we wouldn't burn. Then, while we were on our stomachs, I took that time to read, letting Chloe and Sarah talk amongst themselves. And that is when I saw him...Jude. I had looked up from my book for a split second right as he walked by with that bitch server from last night. She was giggling, hanging onto him as if some girl would come up and snatch him away from her.

"Is that the bitch?" Chloe asked.

"Huh?" I pulled my eyes away from them and turned toward Chloe, who glared at them. "Yeah, that's the server from last night." I glanced in their direction as Jude kissed her, then walked away to join the other guys in playing football. She had her blonde hair down and was even more tan than I was; no wonder I lost him to her. And she filled her bathing suit a lot better than I did mine. I took my sunglasses off and tossed them to the side, dropping my head down where my forehead rested on my forearms.

"Gem, what are you doing?" Chloe asked.

"Wallowing in self-pity," I mumbled, not raising my head.

"What?"

"She said she's wallowing in self-pity," Sarah said.

"I know what she said." Chloe snapped.

For some reason, hearing the words come out of Sarah's mouth sounded silly, and I started laughing. If they sounded ridiculous to me, I could've imagined how they sounded to Chloe. I lifted my head, still laughing. I opened my mouth to say something to Chloe when she jumped up and started walking toward the server from last night. Sarah and I turned, looked at one another, and then quickly got up and hurried after Chloe. Sarah let things fly out of her mouth, but Chloe was the one we really had to watch. She would be the first to start something, and we'd drag her away before she got in trouble.

"Hey! Who do you think you are coming here with Jude?" Chloe hollered, walking up to the girl and her group of friends. "You've got some nerve, bitch. Showing your face after you flirted with him while he was on a date with my friend."

"Are you talking to me?" The girl asked, pointing to herself as she got off the blanket.

"I don't see any other slut around here." Chloe raised her arms, motioning them around. "So...Yeah, I'm talking to you."  Chloe placed her sunglasses on her head and stepped closer to the girl. Her three friends scrambled to get up off the blanket, almost knocking each other down.

Sarah busted out laughing. "I don't think we have anything to worry about with them. They're going to knock themselves out just trying to get up." She shook her head in disbelief.

"Sarah...Shh..." I hissed through gritted teeth.

"Oh, Gem. Calm down. What are they going to do? Fall over each other, trying to get to us?" She giggled.

"Hannah! What's going on?" Jude asked, running over.

"Fuckin great." I rolled my eyes, turning my head toward the guys still playing football.

"Gemma and her friends are harassing me."

My head spun around as I stared at her in disbelief that she had the fuckin nerve to say I was over here causing trouble. I opened my mouth to say something when a hand clasped over it from behind me. I knew it wasn't Sarah or Chloe because they were still beside me, which left only one person. I had no idea why he'd covered my mouth, though.

"Jude, maybe her friends were sticking up for her because you deliberately brought Hannah here to rub it in Gemma's face," Ashton said from behind me.

"What the fuck, man? Is that what you think I did? I didn't know she was going to be here. She never comes to the beach."

"You were on a date with her last night, then ditched her to be with Hannah. I don't care who you are; that's a dick move. C'Mon, Gemma. Let's get out of here." He grabbed my hand and led me away from the drama. "Jude's a dick. I should've never let you go out with him."

"Stop." I broke free of his grasp. "I don't want to leave."

"You want to stay?" He turned, crossing his arms, turning his head toward the ocean as the waves crashed to shore.

"I can't keep running every time someone upsets me. So go back with your buddies; I'm going to join Chloe and Sarah. Don't worry about me. I will catch a ride home with one of them and see you later at the house. Thanks." I smiled and headed back to join Chloe and Sarah on the blanket.

Author's Notes:

Good for Gemma, not letting them chase her off like that.

If you like this chapter, please show it some love. Thanks! Amber.