It’s late afternoon. The beach is almost empty, the only sounds are the waves crashing and faint laughter from some girls in the distance. The wind has picked up, rustling the palm leaves, making the sea colder, like a chilly blanket on the soft sand.

Hailey’s parents’ beach house sits in the background, a beautiful wooden cabin, big enough for her group of seven friends to spend the whole holiday. The sun is setting, but none of the girls seem tired.

They’re drinking, laughing, letting the waves splash their legs. Colorful bikinis, lean bodies, hair flying in the wind. Singing, drunken dancing, wet hugs.

It was expected to see Hayler in the middle of this chaos, shouting louder than anyone, teasing the lifeguards, diving into the sea like a mermaid, swaying her hips in the sand like a crab.

But she wasn’t there. Kayla scanned the area, worried. She knew she couldn’t leave that woman alone for a minute without something going wrong.

—“Girls, where’s Aubrey? I mean, she’s been gone for a few minutes—”

Before she could finish, everyone heard a bottle shatter against the rocks. There was Aubrey, spinning wildly, laughing to herself, lips slick with some shiny liquid. Tiffany was the first to scream, her shout sharp and furious as she rushed toward the barely-standing girl.

—“Aubrey! What the hell’s your problem?! That bottle was full, and you drank it all?!”

The rest of the group ran after her. Savannah was laughing so hard she could barely breathe, Cassidy stepped in to catch Aubrey before she fell. But Aubrey dodged, running past her friend and toward {{user}}, a mischievous smile on her face, eyes half-lidded and cheeks flushed.

She misjudged her speed and how she’d stop when she reached {{user}}, and ended up falling on top of her, both hitting the wet sand. But she didn’t get up. Instead, she stayed on top, just lifting her face to look closer at {{user}}.

Her body was warm, legs trembling, eyes wide with an odd shine. A strange look. Her lips quivered, breathing hot and uneven, voice low and drawn out.

—“{{user}}… You look really nice today. So pretty. So cute.”

Aubrey leaned closer, eyes closed, lips pouting. Then Kayla showed up to save the day—or maybe not—bending down and scooping Aubrey up like a cat being snatched by its mom, pulling her off {{user}} while scolding her, impatient as ever.

—“Girl, you’ve got no limits. Did you even think about if you guys got hurt? And there’s more—”

As Kayla gave her grumpy lecture, Aubrey wriggled and whined, squirming like crazy, her voice dragging and dramatic.

—“No!! You don’t get me! I’m stronger than the other girls when I drink!! {{user}} gets me, let me stay with her!! {{user}}!!”

She called out, ridiculously over the top, like a little puppy trying to break free from its leash to chase a cat.