South Beach

by Aimee Friedman

  "Wait. He came all the way down here just to find you?" Holly was confused.

  Alexa laughed. "Yeah, get this, Hoi. He saw the bikini contest on Pulse! That's how he knew -- "

  "Him, too?" Holly gasped. Had everyone in Oakridge seen her on TV? How humiliating.

  "Why? Who else saw it?" Alexa asked, excitedly.

  To Alexa's astonishment, Holly's face turned pale and her lips trembled. "My parents," she whispered. When she removed her sunglasses, Alexa saw that Holly's eyes were bright with tears. "My parents!"

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  Holly repeated, in a near wail. The sunbathers near them cast glances at Holly, but she carried on. "Oh, Alexa -- my mom left me this mean voice message yesterday, and then Grandma Ida told me and they're so angry.... They're definitely going to ground me...." She paused for a shaky breath. "And then I kind of broke my cell phone so I haven't called them back yet, and I don't know what to do.... " She put her head on her knees, and let out a sob.

  "You broke your cell phone?" Alexa asked, taken aback by Holly's freak-out. "Is that why you didn't return Diego's call?" The question slipped out before she was able to stop herself.

  Holly looked up, squinting at Alexa. "How did you know he called me?" she demanded suspiciously.

  Alexa took a deep, fortifying breath. Quickly, she told Holly about seeing him -- and leaving him -- on Lincoln Road. Alexa didn't offer the details of their conversation, or describe the heart-wrenching effect Diego had on her. But she was careful to mention that Diego told her about kissing Holly, back in the day.

  Holly's face flamed, and she studied her knees. So Diego did remember their kiss. That knowledge suddenly filled Holly with a degree of comfort, and she felt some of her bitterness melt away.

  "He was my first kiss," Holly admitted bashfully, looking down at the striped pattern on her towel. "It

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  was ... pretty meaningful." Diego would always be her first kiss, but he was no longer her only kiss. Holly reflected. And, she realized, there were probably more kisses, from other boys, for her to look forward to.

  Holly raised her head to meet Alexa's gaze. "I think I hoped for something more with him this time around." She shrugged. "And that's why I got all psycho when I saw you guys together." As she was speaking, Holly understood how greatly she'd overreacted at the Delano. Her perspective had been so skewed. "I'm sorry," Holly finished, looking at Alexa sincerely

  "No, I'm sorry," Alexa said softly "I acted like a complete bitch to you."

  "But I was sort of being a baby," Holly said, with a short laugh. "When Diego and I were talking at the Delano I should have known the score. It was pathetic -- we had nothing to say to each other." Holly shook her head at the memory, then studied Alexa. "But it wasn't like that with you and him, right?" she forced herself to ask. Alexa and Diego's connection might have been painful to acknowledge, but Holly knew she had to face reality. "You guys had, like, stuff to talk about?"

  Alexa rolled a few grains of sand between her thumb and forefinger. "I guess we have a lot in common," Alexa said quietly. She was trying to sound nonchalant, but she knew her flushed cheeks betrayed

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  her true emotions. She could feel Holly studying her. "But it doesn't matter," Alexa went on, looking up to smile at Holly. "I'm off boys. All boys. You were right, Hoi. I go through guys like crazy. It's not healthy or something."

  "Did I say that?" Holly asked, knitting her brows together. "Oh, you mean when I called you a --" Her eyes grew round and she clapped a hand to her mouth, looking embarrassed. "Alexa, I was so mad I didn't know what I was saying...."

  "Well, I didn't mean to say all that horrible stuff about -- why we stopped being friends," Alexa said guiltily, her face still warm.

  "It was pretty upsetting." Holly shrugged. "But what you said was also this total wake-up call. That's why I ignored the parent issue yesterday. When my parents get all overprotective, it makes me feel like a two-year-old. I don't want them to have that hold on me anymore."

  "But, you know what?" Alexa said thoughtfully. "I think if you called them back today, and actually confronted the issue ... that would be the most mature thing you could ever do."

  "You think?" Holly gave a sigh, but she knew Alexa was right. She couldn't hide from them forever. "Is it stupid that I'm scared?" she asked, fiddling with her silver ring.

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  Alexa smiled. "Nah. I mean, your parents are pretty ..."

  "Scary?" Holly offered, rolling her eyes.

  "Intense," Alexa said, remembering Mr. and Mrs. Jacobson with a dash of fondness. She'd always half-envied the attention they lavished on Holly. "Listen, would it help if I stuck around while you made the call? Or would you rather have some privacy?"

  Holly thought back to how she'd missed Alexa's comforting presence yesterday during the voice mail debacle, and she shook her head. "Privacy? Are you crazy? I'll need all the support I can get."

  The girls headed to the News Café on Ocean Drive for a big lunch -- which, to Holly's relief, Alexa insisted on paying for. Over burgers and salads, they filled each other in on more missing details from their day apart. When the girls had finished their meal and their gossip, Holly slid her battery back into her cell phone. Alexa patted her hand across the small table.

  "I think you should call them now," Alexa suggested gently.

  Holly glanced around; the outdoor café was crowded with other diners, but thankfully the tables immediately around her were empty. Holly didn't want anybody to hear her in case she started to cry.

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  Before she punched "1" for her home number, she looked at Alexa.

  "What should I say?" Holly asked nervously.

  "Tell them that you're sixteen years old and responsible and you can take care --" Alexa stopped. When they were younger, she had loved telling Holly what to say and do. Now, that dynamic felt wrong to her; Holly had to figure this one out for herself. "Hoi, you know just what to say," Alexa amended. "You don't need me."

  "We'll see about that," Holly muttered, holding the phone to her ear. She listened to the line ring. She bet her dad was cleaning out the hall closet, while her mom was in the kitchen, paying bills. Josh was probably holed up in his bedroom, practicing his Torah portion.

  "Jacobsons," Holly's father chirped, picking up on the second ring.

  Holly tensed up. This is it, she thought. Instinctively, she reached across the table and took hold of Alexa's hand.

  "Dad?" Holly asked tentatively.

  "Holly? My goodness, Holly where have you been?" her father demanded, managing to sound angry and relieved at the same time. "Your cell phone keeps going to voice mail, and every time we call your grandmother, she tells us you're out."

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  "I've been, um, busy." Holly began, instantly flashing on an image of herself dancing on the bar at Yacht.

  "I'll say," her father replied. "Mr. Berger from down the street called us on Monday night, swearing his daughter saw you on television. When your mother and I turned on the TV, we couldn't believe our eyes. Lynn!" he called, and Holly heard a loud crash in the background. "Oh, darn it. Lynn! Pick up in the kitchen. It's Holly!" There was another crash.

  "What's going on?" Holly asked, making an anxious face at Alexa.

  "I'm cleaning out the hall closet," Holly's father explained. "The vacuum cleaner almost fell on me." Then Holly heard the click of her mother picking up the extension in the kitchen. Holly rolled her eyes at how accurate her image of her parents had been. She was positive this conversation was going to be a nightmare.

  "Well, well," Holly's mother was saying. "Look who decides to finally check in."

  "I meant to call sooner -- " Holly tried to explain as Alexa nodded encouragingly.

  "But let me guess," her mother cut in. "You were having too much fun prancing around on television half-naked."

  "Easily a million people must have seen you," her father added before Holly could respond.

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&nb
sp; "You should be ashamed of yourself," her mother insisted.

  Check, check, and check, Holly thought wryly. Her parents were, once again, acting exactly as she'd predicted. She always felt so defenseless when they ganged up on her, two against one. But when Holly looked across the table at Alexa, she felt newly confident. She wasn't alone.

  "I'm sorry you're upset," Holly replied at last. "But I didn't do anything wrong." She couldn't believe how calm and articulate she sounded. "I wasn't actually naked. And besides -- " Holly gave Alexa's hand a fast squeeze. "A lot of people, um, said I looked good." Holly's heart was hammering as Alexa gave her the thumbs-up sign with her free hand.

  "We don't care what 'a lot of people' say," her mother retorted. "We're worried about you, Holly. We saw you kiss that boy. What were you thinking?"

  "I -- I didn't really mean to kiss him," Holly protested, blushing, as Alexa grinned at her. At least, not then, Holly thought.

  "Then who put you up to it?" her father asked, misunderstanding. "Was this whole thing Alexa's idea?"

  "That girl is pure trouble, Stan," her mother said. "Who knows what kinds of other dangerous activities she's making Holly do down there?"

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  "This all seems so unlike you, Holly" her father said. "How are we supposed to trust you again?"

  Suddenly, Holly understood. Her parents still saw her as the skittish, scrawny Holly she'd been when she was little. And when they'd seen her up on that catwalk, that old image had disappeared. The new Holly -- sassy and self-assured -- had taken its place. And they were freaking out.

  But Holly liked who she'd been on the catwalk. It wasn't the wild girl she'd become at Yacht, and it wasn't the hesitant Holly of Oakridge. It was something in between. Something that felt just right.

  "Mom? Dad?" Holly cut in. She took a deep breath, and forged ahead. "Nobody made me do anything. I decided to be in that bikini contest. I can think for myself you know." She felt bold. After arguing with Alexa, and getting rid of Aaron last night, Holly was starting to suspect she could stand up to people better than she'd anticipated.

  "Holly!" Alexa squealed, completely impressed.

  There was silence on the other end. Holly was positive her mother had stormed into the hall with the cordless phone so her parents could stare at each other in horror.

  "And I'm not doing anything stupid," Holly went on, remembering how she'd pushed Aaron away from her in the pool. "You have to trust me. You've always

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  taught me to be responsible, right? Besides," Holly added defiantly, "it's spring break. I'm just having fun."

  Alexa nodded emphatically. "Tell them you're supposed to go crazy on spring break," she whispered. Of course, Alexa couldn't help thinking that the only crazy thing she herself had done on spring break was ... be less crazy.

  Holly shook her head at Alexa. She knew that would be pushing it with her parents.

  Holly's mom and dad were still silent on the other end. Finally, her mother spoke. "I drove to Myrtle Beach with some friends for spring break when I was in college," she said thoughtfully. "But we were twenty, not sixteen."

  Did she have a few spring break adventures of her own? Holly wondered, suddenly a little curious about her mother's past.

  "We don't want you to not enjoy yourself," Holly's father was saying, sounding less angry than before. "We only want to know that you're being safe and smart." He cleared this throat. "Actually, Holly, would you mind putting Grandma Ida on the phone? I just want to make sure she's okay with all this."

  Holly froze. Had she survived the showdown with her parents only to get busted for the Grandma Ida lie?

  "Grandma Ida?" she mouthed to Alexa in desperation.

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  Alexa didn't miss a beat. "Mah-jongg," she mouthed back.

  "She's playing mah-jongg with friends." Holly told her parents. She gave Alexa a big smile. "I'll tell her to call you when she gets in." Holly was so thankful to have Alexa there with her.

  Holly's parents confirmed that they'd be meeting her at Newark on Friday morning, and that they'd continue their discussion then. Holly said good-bye and clicked off, triumphant. Her parents might still decide to ground her when she was back home, but that didn't matter. The point was, Holly had faced her fear head-on. And talking to the 'rents hadn't been a nightmare at all. Maybe things always seem scarier in your head, Holly thought.

  Alexa leaned across the table and planted a kiss on Holly's cheek. "See? You did it, Hoi. And you were so inspiring." Alexa had never seen her old friend pull herself together so well; over the course of these past few days, she seemed to have blossomed.

  "I literally could not have done it without you," Holly replied truthfully.

  "All I did was let you crush the feeling out of my hand," Alexa teased, sliding her fingers out of Holly's grip.

  Holly giggled. "And you came up with that last-minute mah-jongg save."

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  "Well, you were, like, on a roll, being so honest!" Alexa exclaimed. "I was terrified you were going to spill the beans about the Flamingo."

  "Please," Holly said, shaking her head. "These are my parents we're talking about! One thing at a time."

  After the girls left the News Café, they strolled back to the beach with their arms lightly linked, enjoying the mellow afternoon sunshine on their shoulders and faces. Holly was reluctant to interrupt their moment of silent bonding by reaching for her cell phone again. But she had to call Grandma Ida to relay the latest about her parents, and ask for that loan.

  Fortunately, Holly's chat with her grandmother was a brief one. They made plans to have dinner in South Beach that evening so Grandma Ida could pick up her Pontiac, lend Holly the money, and hear all about the girls' week. Holly shut her phone with a satisfied sigh.

  "Where are we meeting Ida?" Alexa asked as they meandered down the promenade.

  "Puerto Sagua, a Cuban place," Holly replied. At the same instant, both she and Alexa made the mental leap to Diego. And Holly realized there was still one more call to make. But this time, she decided, she shouldn't be the one making it.

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  "But I don't think you should come with us," Holly said.

  "Why not?" Alexa asked, startled.

  "Because there's someone else you should probably see," Holly explained, finding Diego's number in her cell. "Alexa, I want you to call Señor Mendieta. You know he called me yesterday, but I think it's pretty obvious who he really wanted to talk to."

  Alexa shook her head as a blush slowly warmed her face. "Holly, can we both just forget about Diego? It's too messy --"

  Holly gave Alexa a long, steady look. "Alexa, I am on my way to forgetting about Diego. But I don't think you are, no matter what you say about being 'off boys.'"

  Alexa didn't respond. She did want to see Diego again. She wanted to stay in touch with him in some capacity -- even just as a friend.

  At the sight of Alexa's scarlet cheeks, Holly felt even more confident that she was right. She could always talk to Diego another time. But, judging by the look on Alexa's face, she needed to be in touch with him -- the sooner the better. Diego and Alexa her two old friends -- together made sense to Holly now, even if that realization was tinged with a bit of sadness.

  "Look," Holly said, pushing her cell phone into

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  Alexa's hand. "You convinced me to make a scary phone call today, right? So ... consider this payback." Holly held her friend's gaze, serious, for a long moment. "Okay?"

  A smile of comprehension bloomed on Alexa's face. On the beach that morning, she and Holly had each said that they were sorry. But Alexa supporting Holly during the talk with her parents, and Holly now encouraging Alexa to call the boy she'd once loved, were their true ways of apologizing.

  "Okay," Alexa said softly, accepting the cell phone. She hoped her expression conveyed the depth of gratitude that she felt toward Holly for showing such maturity.

  "I think I'll give you some privacy now," Holly said over
her shoulder, starting off down the promenade. "Meet me back on the beach, okay?"

  Alexa clutched the cell phone, insanely nervous. Last night, she'd told Diego that they shouldn't see each other again, but now here she was, calling him up. What would he make of that? What would she make of that? Friends, Alexa told herself firmly. I'll say we should be friends.

  Alexa wasn't quite sure if she was acting wisely, but it was too late to stop now. She was already clicking on Diego's name and holding Holly's phone to her ear. It

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  was as if Alexa were being driven forward by an irresistible and irrational force. Because, even though she still felt a little confused about the whole boy issue, Alexa was absolutely clear on one thing: She couldn't go back home without seeing Diego Mendieta one more time. She only hoped he'd want to see her, too.

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  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Meant to Be

  That night, after Holly left to meet Ida, Alexa stood waiting outside the Flamingo, fiddling with the gold bangles around her wrist. Her nervous hands had to play with something, and the bracelets were her only accessories. Alexa was deliberately keeping her look simple that night; she wore a silky, daffodil Betsey Johnson slip dress and gold ballet flats, and her freshly washed hair spilled down her back.

  During her slightly stiff conversation with Diego on the phone that afternoon, Alexa made it clear to him that she wanted nothing more than friendship, but mentioned that she wouldn't mind seeing him again -- just for coffee or whatever. Diego had suggested a casual dinner, and offered to pick Alexa up at the Flamingo, since the café he had in mind was

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