I loved Lauri, and Danny was ok too, but I kind of wanted to be alone with Ramsey. I didn’t want them there. I was so happy when she said, “Maybe later. We’re gonna smoke first. Do you want to join us?”
“I could always go for a smoke, sure. Hey Kid, what about you?” Ramsey asked.
“No thanks. I’m just going to go in the bathroom and change,” I answered as I walked over to grab my duffle bag. I picked up my white bag and made my way across the small room to the bathroom. I closed and locked the door behind me before I started rummaging through my bag to look for my bathing suit. I had brought a few suits down to the shore with me, but I wanted my orange bikini. It made my boobs look great. When I finally found it, I quickly undressed and put on my bathing suit. After tying both strings on the top of the suit, I lifted each of my boobs, one at a time, to ensure that I was showing maximum cleavage. I stood there and looked at myself for a few minutes in the full length mirror that hung on the inside of the bathroom door.
I don’t know why I always put myself down. Standing there staring in the mirror, I took myself in. I had thick, light brown hair that was curly. I usually wore my hair straight, but it took so long to straighten, so on days like this where I would be in a pool or at the beach, I left it curly. It was just easier. I had inherited my father’s green eyes and my mom’s great smile. My body, like Lauri’s, was toned, however, I wasn’t as tall as she was. I didn’t have huge boobs, but they were big enough and my butt was the perfect bubble. And I had a savage tan at the moment. I was looking good. I guess everything that happened with David ruined me and everything about me. Not that I was ever overly confident in myself, but after that ordeal, I lost the person that I used to be. I needed to find her and get her back.
I could hear muffled voices through the door and realized that I had been in the bathroom way too long. I grabbed the jean shorts that I had on all day and slipped them back on. I found a white tank top and threw that on as well. I put the contents of my duffle back in the bag and opened the bathroom door.
Ramsey was off of my bed and now sitting on a tweed chair, smoking a cigarette. Lauri and Danny were sitting up in their bed, taking turns smoking out of her bowl.
Lauri exhaled as she said, “Want some, Ka?”
“No, not right now. Maybe tonight,” I answered as I wondered why Lauri continued to ask me if I wanted some because I always turned her down and I always would turn her down. My father always said that marijuana is a gateway drug, and he branded this statement into my brain. I quickly turned to Ramsey and asked, “Almost ready?” I couldn’t wait to get out of there. I knew it was only pot, but I was always uncomfortable around drugs, maybe because my father is a former addict. I hoped Ramsey wasn’t really into this scene because I wanted to have fun today, not sit around and watch people get high.
“Sure thing,” he said as he put his cigarette out. He stood up and stretched his hands above his head again, and again, I caught a glimpse of those abs.
I grabbed my beach towel off of the back of the chair and placed it in my beach bag. I threw in my wallet and room key as well.
“So, we’ll see you guys later?” I asked.
“Yeah, you’ll be down by the pool, right?” Lauri asked.
“Yeah, and I have my key so you don’t have to sit in here and wait for me, ok?”
“I know, Karen. Try to have some fun.”
Ramsey chimed in with, “Seriously Lauri? She’s hanging out with me. Of course she’s going to have fun.”
“Don’t have too much fun, Ramsey,” Danny demanded.
“Whatever you say boss. Let’s go, Kid,” he replied, and with that Ramsey grabbed my hand and headed for the door.
3
As the door closed behind us, Ramsey made a left out of room 208 and headed down the crowded hall towards the stairs. As we walked, guys called out, “Way to go, Ramsey,” while the girls shot daggers at me with their eyes. Becoming uneasy, I squeezed his hand and right away he became aware of my feelings.
“Don’t worry, Kid. I won’t let go. Don’t let them bother you,” Ramsey assured me as we finally made it to the stairwell and walked down the two flights of stairs into the parking lot of the Seashore motel.
“Pool or beach?” he asked.
“Pool then beach,” I replied.
“I like it. Let’s go,” he said as he began to lead us to the back of the motel where the pool was.
Prom weekend at the Jersey shore was just like Cancun during spring break. This simple fact was never more apparent to me than when we entered the pool area. There were 18 year olds everywhere. The majority of the guys at the pool were pretty buff and tan. Some of them stood in front of a group of girls and flexed their muscles, while others tried their luck the traditional way, with cheesy pick up lines. The girls sat on their lounge chairs with their hair and makeup done so flawlessly as if they were going to a club rather than sitting by a pool. Every last one of them had skimpy bikinis on, that showed off their overdeveloped bodies. The only thing that was different here than in Mexico was that the pool in Mexico was a lavish free form pool and the Seashores, a mere rectangle. There was also a swim up bar in the pool in Mexico, and here, everyone had coolers next to their chairs. As if my self confidence hadn’t been at an all time low, it just hit rock bottom.
As I took in the scene, Ramsey opened the white gate that gave us access to the pool deck. When we stepped in, hand in hand, I could feel eyes on us and knots beginning to build in my stomach as the gate closed behind us.
“I see my boys over there, come on,” he said as he led me toward his friends.
All eyes were on us as we approached. There was a mix of girls and guys, some familiar and some not so familiar. Ramsey was a gentleman and introduced me to every last one of them. I felt so out of place with my jean shorts and flip flops but for some reason, standing there holding Ramsey’s hand, I felt like I had the best accessory at the pool that day.
Billy, Ramsey’s best friend as he introduced himself, handed me a beer and said, “So how do you guys know each other?”
“I’m friends with Lauri Ryan. I came down here with her and Danny last night.”
It was few seconds before he answered and said, “Oh, now I know who you are. You’re her friend who lives in Queens, and comes up on the weekends, right? You and your boyfriend just broke up, right? I heard you were gonna be here this weekend,” Billy said, licking his lips.
“Yeah, that’s me I guess,” I said before taking a swig out of the brown bottle that was handed to me.
“So how is it that we’ve never met before?” Billy asked again.
“I have no idea. Do you ever hang out with Lauri?” I asked him right back.
“Not really, why?”
“Well then, I guess that’s why we’ve never met, wouldn’t you say?”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. She hangs out with that dickhead Danny. I don’t know why he thinks he’s so fucking cool just because he sells pot. I think he’s a loser,” Billy rambled on.
“What?” I naively questioned.
Ramsey intervened by saying, “Ok, have another beer, dick. Me and Karen are going in the pool. Come on, Kid.”
“Sounds good,” I said. I turned to one of the familiar girls, Erin, and asked if she would watch my beer and my bag.
“No problem,” she said, as I placed my bag on the lounge chair next to her.
For a second I forgot that I needed to take off my tank top and shorts before I got in the pool. I hated this part about going in water because it always reminded me of a strip tease. First you pull