California Dreaming

by Stacey Johnston

  “You wish, fuckface.” Luke is the one who has a comeback. As I said the banter comes easy between us - between all of us. Offense is never taken.

  With all greeting aside, we head toward the beach. It about a twenty-five-minute walk from Luke’s, and I’m itching to get there now that I know my sexy little brunette is already waiting for me.

  “I’m meeting up with Katie today, so play nicely” I direct at all three of the boys, although it’s really aimed at Luke.

  “She isn’t bringing those stuck up friends of hers, is she?” Luke asks, elbowing my side. I consider torturing him, for no other reason than it’s always fun fucking with him but decide against it.

  “Nah man, she says they think you three are dirty, and they are truly pissed at the way they were dismissed yesterday,” I finally say, putting him out of his misery.

  “Thank Goodness,” I hear Kyle say. “If I had to listen to that chick talk again today, I would’ve lost my shit. She was so fucking boring.”

  That cracks me up - he’s never had time for chicks who like to talk. He seems to prefer the quiet ones. God knows why, though. He won’t get anywhere with a chick like that. The other two do a little hallelujah dance on the spot, which cracks me up even more.

  “There is something wrong with you lot. Don’t ruin this for me. I’ve got her right where I want her” Raising his hand, Luke gives me a high five and then brings it down to slap my ass.

  “One day, those games of yours are going to come back and bite you in the ass,” Kyle lectures, the sudden smirk playing across his features alerting me he isn’t finished yet. “You will meet your match one day, and I will worship the ground she walks on.”

  Yeah right - like that will ever happen. I’m not even going to humor him with a response.

  Dick...

  As we keep walking toward the beach, I hear Luke and Stephen calling out amen.

  I have better things to do than to listen to them try to rile me up all day. I have a warm body to get my hands on.

  Kyle

  Oh boy, that was funny. Ben won’t accept that one day, he will meet his match. I wasn’t lying when I told him I would worship the ground she walked on. It will take one sassy chick to bring that boy to his knees.

  I can’t wait!

  When we hit the beach, Ben heads off looking for Katie, leaving the rest of us to our own devices. It would’ve been a cold day in hell for me to go near him today. Knowing my luck, those prissy friends of hers will show up.

  “I’m heading over to the café for food, any takers?” I hear from behind me. Turning around, I see Stephen and Luke looking at me expectantly.

  “Getting food sounds like a great idea. I’ll come with you,” I call back to him. Luke nods, motioning for me, and Stephen to follow.

  Grabbing a booth at Penguin Café, we wait for Doreen. Not only is Doreen one of the waitresses here, she is also one of the owners. Her husband Bob is the fry cook here, and it’s his food that keeps us coming back. The aroma drifting from the kitchen is always mouth-watering. They make this amazing breakfast sandwich called a Penguin Melt. It has egg, bacon, onion, spinach, and tomato in it. Combine that with a banana milkshake, and I’m in heaven. There’s also a quirky vibe to the place that grows on you. While the food is what brings us back now, what originally attracted us was the jukebox. It reminded us of one of those fifties cafés. I always feel like I am in Al’s from Happy Days. I know the TV show well because my mother is a huge fan. I swear, that woman has the whole set of DVDs.

  Penguin Cafe has booths alongside the wall with tables and chairs lined up horizontally next to them. I generally prefer to sit on the stools at the counter so I can see outside the window. The quirkiness I mentioned before comes from the massive amount of penguin pictures they have lining the walls. My favorite random thing about the place is the penguin clock at the end of the counter. I once asked Doreen about it, and all she mumbled was that it added character to the place.

  She wasn’t wrong.

  “Looks like Ben lucked out after all,” Luke mumbles, a smirk appearing on his face. I glance up just as Ben walks through the door with his latest girl toy. Spotting us, he heads our way with a very shy looking brunette in tow. She doesn’t strike me as his type, but she is gorgeous to look at. He isn’t normally attracted to the quiet ones - that’s more me and Stephen’s type.

  This should be interesting.

  “Thought I’d find you lot here,” Ben declares, squeezing into our booth beside Luke. His pretty little date has squeezed in opposite him, next to Stephen and me.

  “Aren’t you going to introduce us?” Luke grunts gruffly. Her eyes had been fixated on the table since she sat down until that moment. When she looks up, she has the prettiest green eyes I have ever seen.

  “My name is Katie,” she replies, her tone flat and harsh. “And yours is?”

  Whoa, so the girl does have a voice. Even with Luke glaring at her, she doesn’t waver. Okay, maybe she isn’t as shy as I originally assumed.

  “Ignore him, that’s just Luke,” Ben answers, not allowing Luke the chance to speak. “And sitting over there is Stephen and Kyle.”

  Relaxing her expression, she turns to us and says hello.

  “What can I get you all?”

  Saved by the waitress. Thank God.

  “The usual, please,” I call out. “Thanks, Doreen.”

  “You got it, Sugar,” I hear her say before she turns to the others. Once our orders are taken, our table once again grows silent.

  “So, what are you all doing today?” Katie asks no one in particular, trying to break the silence.

  “Working on the sun tan and perving,” replies Luke, minus his previous attitude.

  “Watch out for Susie and the girls. They will be down here soon as well.” At that, Luke grumbles, which makes me smile.

  “What end will they be on?” he asks.

  “Just down from here,” she quickly remarks. Looks like we will be moving further south down the beach today.

  By the time our food comes out, we have relaxed and fallen into easy conversation with Katie. She seems nice enough, but we know better than to get too close because she won’t be around too long. Once she and Ben are finished with their food, they rise to leave.

  “It was nice meeting you all,” Katie says. “Will you be sitting with us on the beach?” she asks as they turn to leave.

  “No,” I answer. “Sorry, but we aren’t looking to run into your friends again today.” She gives us a small smile before following Ben out the door.

  “How did Ben attract a good girl like that one?” Stephens questions once they are gone. Turning back to face us, Luke shrugs his shoulders.

  “Just lucky, I guess. Let’s get out of here.” Nodding, I follow them out of the booth. After paying for our food, we head toward the beach.

  Unexpectedly, the beach is crowded with bikini-clad bodies lining the sand a hell of a lot earlier than normal.

  Am I missing something today?

  It’s definitely warm outside, but I’m not usually one for checking the temperature. If the sun is out, and I don’t have to be in school, then I am here at the beach. I’m not one of those surfer types - like the guys who have no brains at all, but I like to sit on the sand and watch the waves. It’s calming. Even though I spend just as much time in the water as I do out, it’s relaxing to simply sit and watch the water, especially when the sun starts to go down. That’s one of the reasons we are always late. Well, that and our penchant for being distracted by the tourists.

  Dealing with the tourists, well that never gets old. There is always someone who wants to know if you are a local or wonders if they’ve seen you on TV. Sometimes we say yes, milking it for all its worth, offering to show them around. Luke’s our charmer - the one who draws them in. He could lead anyone to believe that butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. I mean, how can someone that sweet be so filthy? What bullshit!

  There is nothing sweet about him. He is always l
ooking for an in, a way to get what he wants. But even so, the little old ladies who come to town to enjoy the sun and quiet love him.

  Our main gig is acting as unofficial tour guides. We offer to show them things you can’t find on a map for a small fee. It works every time. You have to feel them out what they really want first - find out exactly what type of excitement they are after, so you can find the right location in which to take them. That’s what Luke is for. He has a knack for getting anything out of anyone. Once we know what to target, the rest is easy.

  For today, though, I am going to sit my ass here on the beach and soak up the sun. There is no shortage of hotties strolling around in front of us, so I doubt I will get bored too easily.

  “Ha, I knew it,” an excited Luke shouts.

  We have been lying here for the last couple of hours when Luke’s phone dings.

  “What do you know?” asks Stephen. He sits up, dazed. He has been asleep for the last half an hour.

  “Ben wants our help. His girl’s friends have shown up, and he needs an out.”

  Chapter Two

  Ben

  What the fuck, Katie!” I mutter when I spot her friends approaching us.

  We have spent the last couple of hours swimming, sunbathing, talking, and getting to know each other. It’s been going great until now.

  “I’m so sorry, Ben. I had no idea they were coming. The last message I got said they were going to go shopping today, instead.”

  Shopping my ass, I thought. Those bitches just don’t want her to know what they are up to. She is way too trusting.

  “We can leave if you want to,” I offer. Turning toward me, it looks like she is contemplating my offer.

  “No, it’s okay. If I leave now, I will have to deal with them and their questions when I get back to our room.” Her tone is sorrowful. I have no doubt they treat her like shit when no one else is around.

  “If you want out, let me know. I will create a diversion,” I joke with her. At least I manage to get a small smile out of her.

  Turning to face me, she whispers, “Thank you” as her friends descend upon us.

  “Oh hey, you two. Fancy seeing you here,” The blonde one, who was all over Luke yesterday, spews in a sickly sweet voice. “We are all shopped out and thought we would hit the beach one last time before leaving tomorrow.”

  No wonder this chick doesn’t have a boyfriend. Her voice surely grates on even a shy guy’s nerves. She has on the skimpiest bikini I have ever seen, and what little material it does have leaves nothing to the imagination. Under normal circumstances, I would be all over that shit, especially with the way her tits bounce when she walks. The two other girls with her are no better. All of them are out to ruin their friend’s day. Like I said before, they are jealous because the gorgeous girl by my side is with me.

  “Okay, well Ben and I are getting ready to go for a swim,” Katie tells her friends. Her response is a lie, though. We just got out of the water. “Do you want to join us?” she asks. Why would she invite them?

  “Eww, no. You know I don’t like getting my hair wet. It took me forever to get it this perfect. We will sit here and soak up the sun. Have fun, though,” Blondie replies in that horrid voice of hers. I can’t decide if it’s her real voice, or if she puts on a fake one to impress the guys. If it’s the latter, someone should tell her it will only make them run in the opposite direction. With what looks like a fake smile, Katie apologizes for forgetting and tells her friends we will be back soon.

  “What’s with her voice?” I ask once we are out of earshot. “Does she always talk like that?”

  Katie laughs aloud, obviously finding my question amusing. “Yes, but she thinks all the boys love it.”

  Fuck that! I’ll have to congratulate Luke later on dodging the blonde bullet. He would have lost his shit if he had to deal with that on a prolonged basis - or for more than five minutes.

  I don’t know how long we stay in the water, but when we return to the shore her friends are still planted firmly on their beach towels where we left them. I don’t think I can put up with them for long, but how the hell do I get rid of them?

  “We need to ditch them,” I tell Katie as we head toward them.

  “I don’t know how to do that - they will follow us because they’re trying to ruin this for me.” Thank god she knows what they are doing. I’m going to have to enlist some help for this.

  “I have an idea. Just trust me.” Her eyes go wide, but she nods in silent agreement. The less she knows, the less she will have to deal with when she has to head home with them.

  “You two were gone for way too long,” Blondie whines. “I hope you were a gentleman, Ben. I have to protect my friend. She is a virgin, you know.”

  What the fuck, what a nasty piece of work she is, embarrassing her friend like that.

  “SUSIE!” Katie’s voice rises, now into a high-pitched squeal. The blush blooming under her skin should be cute, but all I can see is humiliation covering her face. Why she hangs around with this clique is beyond me. They aren’t her friends. She’s just a convenient toy for them to torture.

  “Why does that matter?” I confront Blondie. “Maybe I like Katie and enjoy spending time with her. I haven’t tried anything. What makes you think otherwise?” Two can play at her game.

  “Your friends are lying, deceitful snakes, and you are guilty of being the same by association,” she replies.

  Her response annoys me. What the fuck is guilty by association supposed to mean?

  “It doesn’t matter what you think of me, I’m only interested in what Katie thinks of me. I have no interest in forcing her to do anything that she doesn’t want to. You aren’t her friends. You’re using her because she has a car. One day, she will stand up and ditch your stupid asses.” My blood is boiling by the time I finish, yet I get no reaction from her stupid friend. She just laughs in my face.

  Pulling out my phone, I punch out a message to Luke.

  Me: I need reinforcements. Need to clear out the trash.

  I hope he doesn’t take all day responding.

  Luke: Help doing what? Are you having trouble getting to third base?

  He can be such a dick at times, always thinking with the other head.

  Me: Katie’s friends are here, and I need to get rid of them.

  Let’s see how he replies to that.

  Luke: Fuck no! Deal with that shit on your own.

  Me: Don’t be a dick. If the three of you come here, they will leave.

  Or at least I hope they will. I’m up shit creek without a paddle if this backfires on me.

  Luke: You owe me for this.

  I chuckle to myself. I already knew I would owe him a favor if he comes through for me. Everything comes with a cost where Luke is concerned.

  Me: yeah, whatever. Just get over here.

  Let the fun begin.

  It takes Luke, Kyle, and Stephen ten minutes to reach us, and as they come into view, I get the desired effect when Katie’s friends spot them.

  “I’m not staying here if they are sitting here as well,” Blondie spits out.

  Thank god! It takes her and her little followers all of about a minute to gather their shit and stand up to leave. “Are you coming, Katie?” She asks. The look she gives Katie annoys me. Blondie is scowling at her as if it’s her fault my friends are here. I didn’t mention my plan to her because I wanted her to be able to look them in the eye and honestly say she didn’t know they were coming, which is exactly what she is doing right now. Although, from the looks of it, they don’t believe her.

  “I invited them,” I call out, drawing all eyes on me. Katie, whose eyes are twinkling with amusement, obviously knew I was up to something. Turning back to her friends, she tells them, “I’m going to stick around for a while. I will see you back at the room later.”

  Fighting back my smile, we watch as they leave, defeated, just as my boys reach us. The mumbling from Katie’s friends has me fighting back laughter.

&n
bsp; “Do I stink?” Luke calls out after them. At that, I can’t help but laugh. He has his hands raised above his head, sticking his nose under each arm, sniffing. Our amusement at his actions only pisses Blondie off more, but I can’t hear anything she is saying over our laughter. Turning to me, he raises his fist to me, and we fist pump. “I’ve taken out the trash,” he declares, making us laugh even harder.

  “Thanks, dude, and be grateful you dodged that one.” He glances at me, his look questioning as I continue. “Her voice is annoying as fuck, man.”

  Laughing again, I hear Katie gasp when he says, “It’s okay, dude, she wouldn’t have been able to talk with my cock shoved down her throat.”

  Slapping my hand to my forehead, I shake my head. “Not helping man.” I can tell from the beautiful blush covering Katie’s face that what her ‘friend’ blurted out about her is, in fact, true. Smirking, Luke turns to fist pump with Kyle before setting his towel down on the sand.

  “Don’t pay Luke any attention, babe. Your friend may be wrong about a lot of things, but she wasn’t wrong about this one being dirty.”

  She lets out a giggle, but little does she realize, I’m no better. “Like you can talk,” Luke mutters low enough that I’m the only one who hears it.

  “Who’s hungry?” I ask no one in particular later in the afternoon.

  We’ve all been hanging out on the sand talking shit since the boys sat with us. When everybody calls out their reply, we pick up our stuff and head to a little café just across from the beach. Their food is nowhere near as good as Penguin Cafe, but it will have to do. I’m more thirsty than hungry, and this place makes the best chocolate shakes I’ve ever had.

  Also, it is pasta night at Luke’s house tonight, and I’ve had a hankering for it all week. It’s sort of a tradition, all four of our families gather on Sunday evenings, alternating houses for dinner. Tonight’s dinner is at Luke’s house, and his mom makes the best pasta I’ve ever tasted. I think her grandmother was Italian and passed on a few recipes. There’s no way I am passing it up. Getting our food and drinks to hold us over until dinner, we head back toward the beach but settle on the grassed area instead.