The Cell Phone Swap

Chapter 4 iAm Going To Kill Him

"Race you to the cove! Loser pays for ice cream!" Nicky yelled as she dropped her belongings on the sand and ran toward the blue waves. Keeley let out a loud groan and chased after her best friend. The two of them dove into the ocean and swam toward the hidden cove a hundred feet off the shore.

Nicky hit the sand first and performed a customary victory dance she had perfected over the years. A minute later, Keeley emerged out of the ocean, huffing and puffing. As soon as she crawled over to Nicky, she flopped on her back and grumbled, "I don't even know why I bother. You always win these races."

Nicky laughed at her friend's suffering. "You know, if you exercised more you might actually stand a chance at winning," she teased. Nicky sat down next to Keeley and stretched out her legs, trying to soak in as much sun as possible.

"I exercise," Keeley protested. "I surf the internet."

Nicky snorted. "On second thought, keep surfing. I like never having to pay for food."

Keeley placed an arm over her eyes, blocking out the blinding rays. "Stingy best friend," she griped under her breath. "Using my laziness to fuel her food addiction."

"That's the only reason why I keep you round," Nicky said cheerfully.

"And here I thought it was for charming personality," Keeley drawled. "I feel so deceived after all these years."

"Well that too," Nicky paused, "but mostly it's for your money," she jokingly confessed.

Keeley huffed. "Some best friend you are. I knew I shouldn't have shared my Gushers with you in kindergarten," she complained.

"It did seal our friendship," Nicky pondered with amusement. "You know I am a sucker for anything with artificial food coloring," she said lightly.

The two were silent for a couple minutes, getting lost in their own thoughts.They listened to the indistinguishable chatter of other beachgoers who were playing in the area.

Nicky finally broke the silence by saying, "Hey Keeley?"

"Hmm?" Keeley asked half-asleep.

Nicky drew her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "I think we should have an adventure before we leave for college next year," she confided to her best friend.

"What do you mean?" Keeley asked confused.

"I mean we should have one last hoorah together," Nicky stated as she stared out at the ocean. "You applied to only East coast colleges. I applied to only West coast colleges," she pointed out. "We should do something big before we separate."

Keeley lifted her arm off her face and turned her head towards Nicky. "Like what? A road trip?" she asked hypothetically.

"That or maybe a backpack trip across Europe," Nicky casually suggested. She quickly glanced at Keeley to observe her reaction.

Keeley shot up to a sitting position. "Europe?" she questioned, making sure she heard correctly. Her face was completely blank, giving nothing away.

"Europe," Nicky confirmed with a nod.

Keeley broke out in a huge grin. "Oh my god! That would be amazing!" she exclaimed. "I would love to visit Paris and London and Venice! Could you imagine all the fun we would have?" Keeley paused for a second, her excitement visually dimming. "Wouldn't it be really expensive though?"

Nicky let out a huge sigh of relief, pleased her best friend was on board with the idea. "It wouldn't be that bad. We could stay in hostels and travel by bus between cities," she explained. "The worst would be the plane ticket but I figure if we search enough in advance, we could get a cheap deal. What do you think?"