Blame It On the Beach

Chapter Twenty-nine

I look through my closet before picking out a lacey bralette and a silky black tank top, putting them on as Quinn walks into my room, already dressed.

"Wow, you look good," I tell her, taking in her straightened hair and cropped tank top. "Any person in particular you're looking to impress?"

She sticks her tongue out at me. "You, actually," she says. "Is it working?"

I laugh, putting on a pair of denim shorts. "Definitely."

"Milo's leaving tomorrow," I say as we walk down the stairs.

"I know, he told us," Quinn replies, giving me a sad look. "Are you ok?"

I make a sound. "Yeah, I'm fine," I say, waving her off. "I mean, we've really only known each other for, like, under a month and a half. It's not a big deal."

"That's true, but it's still sad," she says, frowning. "Seems to me like he's the first guy you've really, really liked. Even with James, you didn't seem that into him."

I nod slowly. "I know. And I just don't see anything continuing this year," I say. "I mean, it'd be too much work to be in a relationship when we're in different states."

Quinn is silent for a moment, then she grins widely, shaking my shoulders a little. "Well, you guys have to make the most of tonight, then," she says.

I roll my eyes, but I'm smiling. "You're so cliché."

We walk into the living room to say bye to my parents, and then we walk outside to meet Milo, who waits on the sidewalk.

"I'm gonna miss this house," he says, looking back at his family's house. "It's only been a month and a half but I got pretty used to it here." He holds my hand as we start to walk down the sidewalk.

"Yeah, I'm always so sad to leave," I say, kicking a pebble in my path. "I love it here."

"At least you come over winter break," Quinn points out, and I nod.

"True. It's so nice here in the winter," I say, thinking of the snow-covered lawn and the mint hot chocolate my mom makes. "Are you guys coming for winter break?" I ask Milo.

He shakes his head. "We might come at some point over spring break, but we spend winter break with my grandparents in San Francisco," he replies, and I try to keep my face from falling. "Do you guys come in the spring?"

"If there's a long weekend, then yeah," I say. "But not for spring break. The senior year tradition at my school is to go to P.I. over spring break."

"What's P.I.?"

Quinn and I exchange a glance.

"Private island," I say. "It's the spring break spot for seniors in Atlantis."

"Atlantis, as in the Bahamas?" Milo asks, his eyes slightly widening.

"Yup. It's basically where all the seniors go crazy in their last spring break of high school," Quinn says, as we start to turn onto Annabel's block. "It's a week of straight drinking and hooking up." She looks almost sheepish as she says the last part, biting her lip as she looks between me and Milo.

Milo raises his eyebrows. "Sounds...fun," he says, looking over at me, and my hand in his starts to feel sweaty.

I clear my throat, cursing Quinn in my head for the description.

We've been looking forward to our spring break trip since freshman year, when we first learned of the senior year tradition. Yet now, thinking about the trip, hooking up with random guys, drinking at 10 in the morning... it doesn't seem very appealing to me.