𝙾𝚌𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝙴𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜

𝙵𝚒𝚟𝚎

Wind moves off the ocean and I continue to battle the blonde strands from my face. I had considered braiding my hair. It would have been practical. But I thought I looked prettier with my hair down, I even put textured spray throughout. You know, to give me that beachy look. But I could have saved myself time. The weather is doing it all on its own. I look like a mess to be honest. I'm wearing boardies and a bandeau bikini top, the latter barely covering the acne between my breasts. I dabbed concealer onto it – and onto my face as well – but when this bikini top inevitably shifts, Mick could see the sizable pimples upon my sternum.

Yay.

Mick carries the food we bought down from the cafe strip. Before the lagoon, I lay out my woven blanket.

"You're smart for bringing that," Mick says, "I didn't think to bring anything to sit on."

"It's just a habit to remember at this point," I shrug, "I go to the beach just about everyday."

"You're in a bikini just about everyday?" Mick says, his grey eyes catching my own.

I give a laugh, "I'm in sportswear most of the time. Billie and I go running on the beach most mornings."

Mick and I sit down on the blanket, and Mick dishes out the chicken, chips and salad.

"Did you end up going to Gabriel's last night?" I ask. The boys had a gathering there last night.

"Yes, and I got smashed – I'm a bit hungover," Mick replies then asks, "Do you drink?"

"Alcohol?" I question, immediately feeling stupid.

"Yes," Mick answers.

"No..."

"You seem confident," Mick says to me, "You in that bikini at the back-to-school party – wow."

I push my hair over my ear, "Thanks..."

"You must get into that bikini and tan."

"No, I'm pretty light-skinned..."

I couldn't make eye-contact with him. My entire body wanted to blush. I look down at my lap but I just take note of my chest acne behind my bandeau. I pull up its middle.

"What made you interested in me?" I ask. One minute, I've barely held a conversation with a guy and the next, I'm on a date with one.

"The bikini. You looked really good in it at the twins' beach party."

"Oh."

"You look good in your bathers now. I'll take a story for my Insta?"

With that Mick takes out his phone, his thumb pressed on the screen. He moves it from myself out to the lagoon. I just hope I look good.

"You say I seem confident but I don't feel confident in just a bikini," I admit, "Hence the board shorts today."

"But you'd look hot in one."

I look out into the lagoon then back at Mick. "What career are you wanting to do after school?"

"I want to go into engineering," Mick answers.

"What field of engineering?" I ask further.

"Whatever will make me the most money. I want to go into mining. What do you want to do?"

"Marine biology. Though I need an ATAR score of 80 to go to UWA."

"I need an ATAR score of 90 to go to Curtin. I failed one of my English exams last year and when I asked my teacher about it, she told me I needed to talk about my feelings. I'm a guy; I'm not good at talking about my feelings. Though I improved for my next exam and I passed. I believe nothing's impossible."