The morning sunlight spilled through the curtains, painting gold streaks across the room. I blinked a few times before realizing Kevin was still asleep on the other bed — sprawled carelessly, his arm hanging off the edge, his hair all messy but somehow still perfect. For a second, I just watched him breathe quietly. His face looked softer when he slept, almost peaceful. It was kind of cute… annoyingly cute, actually.
Today was the day of the big pool party. Everyone had been talking about it for weeks — our last day of summer before classes started again. I rolled off the bed and looked through my clothes before settling on a light blue top and skirt set, both trimmed with small pearl designs that shimmered faintly when I moved. It matched the ocean perfectly. I smiled at my reflection, adjusted my hair, and turned toward Kevin.
"Kevin," I said softly, nudging his shoulder. "Wake up. It's already morning."
He didn't even stir.
"Kevin," I said louder this time, shaking him gently. Nothing. The guy could sleep through an earthquake.
I sighed dramatically. "Okay, you left me no choice."
Plan B.
I grabbed a small wooden piece that had fallen from one of the room's decorations and dropped it onto the floor with a sharp clack! Then, before he could react, I let out a loud, terrified scream.
"AHHH!"
Kevin shot up instantly, eyes wide, hair sticking in every direction, looking completely panicked. His pale face was so full of alarm that I couldn't help it — I burst out laughing, clutching my stomach.
"Oh my god, Kevin! You should've seen your face!" I gasped between laughs. "I wish I'd recorded that!"
He blinked, confused, then frowned as realization hit. "You— You scared the life out of me!"
"That was the point," I teased, still giggling. "Now hurry up and get ready, it's getting late!"
I grabbed my beach bag and left the room before he could throw a pillow at me.
Outside, the sun was already blazing. The place was more of a beach resort than a pool, really. I didn't understand why everyone kept calling it a pool party when the main attraction was literally the ocean. But whatever — names didn't matter. The air smelled like salt and sunscreen, the wind was warm yet refreshing, and laughter drifted from every direction.
Tables lined the beach, loaded with food — pizza, roasted chicken, lechon, rice, fries, ice cream, juices, sodas, and all kinds of colorful dishes. The kind of buffet that made your eyes light up before your stomach even had time to catch up.
I made a beeline for the pizza. "Priorities," I murmured to myself, grabbing a slice and taking the first glorious bite.
As I chewed, I scanned the crowd and caught sight of Michael. My mood dipped slightly. We hadn't spoken properly since… well, that night. The night I'd turned down his confession.
Still, I didn't want things to stay awkward. I set down my plate and walked toward him.
"Hey, Michael!" I called, smiling.
But he didn't smile back. In fact, he barely looked at me before turning away, pretending not to hear.
My smile faltered. "Michael?" I said again, stepping closer. "What's wrong—"
He walked faster.
Okay. That was rude.
I hurried after him, confused and a little hurt. But before I could catch up, someone grabbed my wrist. I turned and found Kevin standing behind me, his brows drawn together.
"Where are you going?" he asked, his tone sharp but calm.
"Uh…" My mind scrambled for an excuse. "Restroom," I said quickly.
He let go of my hand, suspicion still flickering in his eyes. I didn't wait for him to ask more questions.
As soon as I could, I slipped away and followed Michael again, weaving through the crowd until the noise faded. He finally turned, his face set in irritation.
"Why are you stalking me, Kate?" he snapped.
"I'm not!" I said, taken aback. "I just wanted to say hi. You're the one ignoring me."
He looked at me with a bitter kind of hurt. "Just stay away from me."
"Michael…" I started, frustration bubbling up. "I rejected your proposal, yes — but that doesn't mean we can't even talk! That's not fair."
"Just leave me alone," he said coldly, shoving past me.
I stumbled backward. My knee hit the rough edge of a wooden crate, and pain shot up my leg. I winced but forced myself to stand again.
By the time I straightened, he was already walking away.
Fine. If he wanted distance, he could have it.
But the sting in my chest stayed.
I limped back toward the main area, scanning for Kevin. He'd probably gone off somewhere — he always disappeared when I needed him most. I looked around for his best friend David, but he was too busy stuffing his face with food to even notice me. Typical.
Then a thought hit me — a bad one. What if Kevin was with his ex?
The idea made my stomach twist. That girl. I didn't even want to remember her name. The thought of her being near him made my blood boil. If she even dared to look at him again… I clenched my fists, trying to calm down. I wouldn't let her. I couldn't.
As I turned down one of the quieter paths behind the resort, I heard voices. Raised voices. Angry ones.
I moved closer, heart pounding.
What I saw made me freeze.
Kevin was hitting Michael. Hard.
"Kevin! Stop!" I screamed, running toward them.
Kevin froze mid-swing, his knuckles bleeding slightly. He looked up at me, breath ragged, eyes burning with fury. Michael was slumped against the wall, holding his jaw, blood staining his lip.
"Why do you always hate Michael?" I shouted, stepping between them. "What's wrong with you?"
Kevin's jaw tightened. "How did he even dare to push you?" His voice trembled with anger.
"He had the right to push me," I said sharply, even though my leg still ached from it.
"What?" Kevin's voice cracked. "Kate, this guy will only hurt you!"
"No," I said, the words spilling out before I could stop them. "You're the one who's hurting me!"
That stopped him. His anger faltered, confusion clouding his expression.
"Why are you playing with my feelings?" he said suddenly, the fight leaving his voice, replaced by something raw.
"What feelings?" I asked, frowning.
He hesitated, caught off guard. "I—I mean… the feelings every friend has for each other."
The lie was weak, and we both knew it.
Before I could respond, he turned toward Michael. "You better go back to the room," Kevin said, voice dangerously calm. "And if you ever mess with her again—or with me—you'll regret it."
Michael stared at him, silent for a moment, then spat at the sand and walked away, shoulders stiff with humiliation.
The tension in the air didn't leave when he did. It stayed, thick and heavy between us.
I wrapped my arms around myself and turned away. "I don't want to talk right now," I said quietly.
Kevin exhaled sharply. "Kate—"
"Don't," I interrupted. My throat burned, my voice barely steady. "You think you know what's best for me, but you don't."
He stepped closer, his voice lower. "I just can't stand seeing you hurt. You act like nothing gets to you, but I can see it in your eyes."
I looked at him, eyes stinging. "You don't get it, Kevin. Sometimes caring too much is the problem."
He didn't say anything for a while. The sound of waves filled the silence, calm and endless.
Finally, he whispered, "I didn't mean to hurt you. I just don't know how to stop caring."
I turned away, my voice breaking into something softer. "Just give me time."
He nodded slowly. "Okay," he said. "I'll wait."
Later, when the party music picked up again, I sat alone near the edge of the beach. The sky had turned golden, the horizon glowing like melted honey. Laughter echoed from the others — my friends splashing in the water, taking selfies, joking around like nothing in the world could touch them.
But I felt detached, floating somewhere else entirely.
Kevin had gone quiet after our fight. He hadn't tried to talk to me again. And even though that was what I'd said I wanted, the silence between us hurt more than I expected.
I picked up a seashell and turned it over in my hand, thinking about Michael, about Kevin, about everything that had spiraled so fast. It was supposed to be a simple day — swimming, laughter, food. Instead, it turned into a mess of emotions I didn't even know how to sort out.
Why was it so easy for things to fall apart?
Why did every little thing with Kevin feel like it mattered too much?
The sky deepened into twilight, soft pink and blue melting into each other. I sighed and stood up, brushing the sand from my skirt.
Behind me, I heard footsteps. Slow, hesitant. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"Still avoiding me?" Kevin's voice came, gentle this time.
I stayed quiet.
He came closer, stopping just a few steps away. "I didn't come to fight," he said softly. "I just… wanted to make sure you're okay."
I let out a small, tired laugh. "You punched someone today. I don't think you should be the one worrying about me."
He smiled faintly, though I could hear the guilt in his voice. "You're right. I lost control. But seeing him push you like that—"
"It wasn't about that, Kevin," I interrupted, turning to face him. "You were angry because it was Michael. You've always hated him."
He didn't deny it. "Because he doesn't deserve you," he said quietly.
For a heartbeat, I couldn't look away. The waves, the fading sunlight, his words — everything blurred together until I couldn't tell where the noise ended and my heartbeat began.
"Kevin…" I whispered, unsure of what to say.
He shook his head. "Forget it," he said quickly, forcing a smile. "Let's just pretend today didn't happen."
I wanted to — God, I wanted to. But I knew we couldn't. Not really.
The party lights flickered behind us, laughter rising again from the crowd. But where we stood, a few meters away from everyone else, it felt like a completely different world — quiet, raw, and uncertain.
I crossed my arms, hugging myself against the breeze. "You should go join the others," I said finally. "Have fun. That's what we came here for, remember?"
He hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Maybe later."
As he turned to leave, I called out softly, "Kevin?"
He stopped, looking back.
"Thank you," I said. "For caring. Even when you shouldn't."
He smiled — a small, bittersweet smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "That's what friends do, right?"
And then he walked away.
I watched his figure fade into the lights and laughter, and for a moment, I felt the strangest ache — not from anger, not from guilt, but from something deeper. Something like love, maybe. The kind of love that shouldn't exist but somehow does anyway.
I sighed, sitting back down as the wind played with my hair. The stars were beginning to appear, scattered across the darkening sky. Everything around me felt calm again — or maybe I was just too tired to feel anything else.
But deep down, I knew this wasn't the end of it.
My deepest thanks for reading this story. I've been dedicated to honing my craft through recent creative writing classes, and I hope the improvement shines through! If this tale resonated with you, please consider sharing your thoughts. Your likes, comments, and shares are the fuel that keeps this author creating. Thank you for supporting my journey
guys you have seen my previous chapters I used to use boring words but then I came with a solution to make my English more advance I have been taking creative writing class and now you can see how good is going and maybe the 18th chapter will be coming this night byee!!!!
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