NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6: The Sun of a Beach
Lee woke up at six-thirty AM on the dot, as always, prepared her breakfast, and sat back to enjoy the silence of the early morning. A silence that would, hopefully, endure throughout the day.
With classes out of session for today and tomorrow, Lee could enjoy a brief reprieve from the apocalyptic cycle that defined her academic career. She didn’t know why the daily doomsday skipped days when class was out of session, but she chose not to look a gift horse in the mouth. She thought about studying for her classes, or perhaps doing some of her clerical duties as a TA. Vell could probably use a few more explanations of the time loop's mechanics as well, while she was at it.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing notifications of her phone. Lee grabbed it to find that the group chat had sprung to life.
vharlan03:
so
day off
i kinda don’t know what to do with myself
HARL33:
i know what i wanna do
Lee:
Oh dear.
HARL33:
BEACH PARTY!!!!
vharlan03:
idk if I want to hit the beach it seems like it’s gonna be really crowded
HARL33:
BEACH PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!
Lee:
Don’t mind her Vell
She’s just going to keep repeating Beach Party with more and more exclamation points until she gets what she wants.
HARL33:
BEACH PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
vharlan03:
I see
I guess I could do the beach
HARL33:
BEACH PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lee:
You can stop that now dear, I believe we’re all on board.
HARL33:
BEACH PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sry it takes a long time to hold down the ! button
hell yeah
ill go clear us a spot
see u on the sand u sexy bitches
Lee set her phone aside and focused on preparing for her day in the sun.
True to her word, Harley had cleared the group a sizable space on the beach, directly in front of the water. Considering the crowd that occupied the rest of the shoreline, it seemed to be a miracle that Harley had claimed so much space. Nobody bothered questioning how she’d managed to pull it off, as every square inch of sand turned out to be very much needed. While Lee had come alone, bearing nothing but a chair and a towel, Vell had dragged along an entire gaggle.
“Hey guys,” Vell said. “I hope its okay that I brought, uh, everyone.”
He had been obligated to mention the day’s plans to Joan, who was now apparently his girlfriend, something Vell was still wrapping his head around. That info had somehow spread outwards to his roommates, as well as Freddy Frizzle.
“Did I ever say this was a private beach party?” Harley asked, leaning heavily into the sarcasm. “The more the merrier.”
The extra people were no problem for Harley, but the crowded beach did present at least one logistical problem.
“Where’s everybody sitting?” he asked. He then gestured over to his shoulder to a cooler and a large metal contraption he was dragging behind him. “I need a lot of room to set up this grill.”
“Where did you get a grill?” Luke asked.
“I packed it,” Renard said.
“Didn’t you say last week you only remembered to pack one pair of underwear?”
“Yeah.”
“But you packed an entire grill?”
“Yeah.”
Renard stared forward with the same contented smile as always. Luke sighed.
“Alright man, just cook something delicious.”
“Always do,” Renard said. “I hope everybody’s feeling Mediterranean, because I’ve got a recipe for Greek grilled chicken kebabs I’ve been dying to try.”
Vell and Harley exchanged a knowing look. Renard had died for stranger things than a kebab recipe. While he set up the grill, and managed to stay alive doing it, Vell took a moment to sit in the sand next to Harley.
“So, what are your big plans for the beach party?”
“Sit around and generally be the sexiest woman on the beach,” Harley said. She would’ve said sexiest person, but Luke was here and even Harley knew she couldn’t compete with his level of handsome. “Other than that, just relax.”
“Is that all? I mean, uh, you seemed pretty excited about it on the phone.”
“I’m still excited,” Harley said. “I look great in this one-piece, I might play some volleyball, I’m gonna eat some kickass kebabs provided Renard doesn’t blow up the grill-”
A very bright flash of red light boomed from somewhere behind Harley. She took a moment to sigh.
“Did he-?”
“No, actually,” Vell said. ‘There was a big fireball, but I think it was on purpose. Like a hibachi grill sort of thing.”
“Oh,” Harley said. “Cool. Anyway, I like the beach, and most importantly…”
Harley pointed towards the far side of the group. Lee was sitting in a lounge chair, with her feet up and her eyes locked on the waves, looking more relaxed than Vell had ever seen her. With the sun shining down from above, the waves lapping a the shore in front of her, and surrounded on all sides by friends, Lee looked utterly content.
“That dumb bitch doesn’t know when to relax,” Harley said lovingly. “So every now and then I make her.”
“I see.”
“Lee likes the ocean and I like wearing swimsuits,” Harley said. “It works for both of us. How’s it working for you?”
“Oh, I’m having fun.”
“Cool. You want to go swimming?”
“Sure,” Vell said. He looked up towards the rest of the group. “Joan, Freddy! Want to take a swim?”
“Uh, yes, okay, give me a minute,” Freddy stammered, as Joan nodded. “I always have to psych myself up a bit. The ocean freaks me out. It’s so full of life and darkness and-”
Harley nodded understandingly at Freddy’s mild fear, then turned to Joan.
“Joan, help me throw Freddy in the ocean.”
“Okay.”
“Hold on, what-”
Lee’s relaxation was only briefly interrupted by the arcing sound of Freddy’s shout, followed by a small splash.