Page 46 of Falling Again

“Okay, okay, I think I’ve decided,” she says from behind the curtain before flinging it open. I nearly fall off the corn cob stool at the sight of her.

My gaze goes from her feet, where she’s wearing white sneakers and frilly socks, to her legs, which are bare except for a tiny black pleated skirt. She’s paired the skirt with a pink tank top and a white men’s button-up shirt tied around her waist. Her curly hair is braided into two pigtails secured with little pink scrunchies at the ends.

“Hit me, baby, one more time!” Chloe says and points to nowhere in particular, but gives me a wink. I swallow and take a deep breath in, discreetly adjusting myself on the stool.

“Chloe, you look insane,” Annika says. “Every dude at the party is going to want your number. This look is beyond hot.”

“Yeah, Chloe, what Anni said,” Reid says, looking up at the ceiling.

“Tyler, what do you think?” Chloe asks me, fiddling with the edge of her skirt.

“Can I have your number?” I ask boldly, feeling my face flushing with heat, and it must catch Annika off guard because she lets out the biggest laugh I’ve ever heard. Though, I wasn’t joking.

“Okay, Tyler. Put on your costume now.” Chloe grabs my hand and pulls me toward the dressing room. I try to ignore the tingles left in the wake as Chloe releases my hand.

It doesn’t take me too long to change. I unbutton my plaid shirt and slip on the blue T-shirt before replacing my plaid shirt. I button it up most of the way, but push the shirt together so I can give a reveal. I look in the little shell-shaped mirror in the dressing room, returning my glasses to my face and coiffing my hair so that it’s a bit higher.

I exit the dressing room, looking at the motley crew before me and am met with blank, unamused faces.

“You didn’t even change!” Chloe says. But I hold up a finger to the group, reach for the top of my plaid shirt, and pull it open, revealing the white-and-red Superman logo on the bright-blue shirt. Everyone lets out a collective “Ahh!”

“This is the most Tyler costume ever. Minimal effort, yet you look incredibly handsome,” Reid says, shaking his head.

“You look handsome too, Gomez,” I say to him.

“Get a room, you two,” Annika says, going back into the dressing room to change back into her other clothes.

We all change out of our costumes, check out, and finally make our way to the beach, where we set up our picnic. Reid sets out the sandwiches he picked up while we were finishing up at the thrift shop and we spread out on the blankets we brought from our rental.

Annika is sitting up, hugging her knees, and looking somberly toward the ocean. Reid and Chloe seem unfazed by her behavior, but it seems odd to me. Although the four of us are close, Annika and I spend the least amount of time together, so I have a hard time reading her.

“Annika, you good?” I say, scooting next to her and mimicking her posture.

“Hmm? Yeah, I’m good. This beach is where Reid and I had our first date. Brings back memories,” she says, turning toward me and then back to the ocean.

“Good memories, I would think?”

“Our first date was the most perfect date ever, but I came here many times after because I screwed things up. I also found my love for photography by coming here and taking pictures of the ocean.”

“I recognize the beach from Chloe’s paintings,” I say to her. “She told me she used your photos as references.”

“She always manages to turn something difficult into something beautiful.” Annika muses.

“I feel the same way about Auburn Hills. About feeling like there aren’t any good memories there.” I say trying to divert the subject away from Chloe. I can’t quite tell how Annika would feel if she knew I’d want to be more than friends with her best friend.

“Really? Why? It’s your hometown. I figured you’d love it there.” Annika turns her head to me with a puzzled look on her face.

“Well, I didn’t really move back by choice. My parents died, and I moved back to take care of the ranch and ended up just staying. But I have great memories of the town and the people I love there. It’s bittersweet. I always thought I’d do more.”

Annika nods, smiling softly. “I guess we could take Chloe’s advice and make new memories.” She stands up and walks over to Reid, who is nearly asleep. Despite it being October, the sun is warm, and plenty of people are at the beach. Reid opens his eyes and shields them from the sun with his arm. Annika reaches down and grabs his hand, pulling him up. They start spinning around in the sand, laughing.

“Sing to me, Reid Taylor Parker!” Annika shouts, and Reid starts belting “In Too Deep” by Sum 41.

Chloe is lounging with pink heart sunglasses on, eating a sandwich bigger than her head. I grab one labeled turkey and take a spot next to her as we watch Annika and Reid’s performance. She has the biggest, brightest smile on her face. I take out my phone, snap a few photos of them, and then turn it to Chloe, who takes a giant bite of her sandwich as I hit the shutter button. I pocket my phone and extend my hand to Chloe, who looks at it momentarily before smiling and taking it. We spin together, dancing playfully. My hand grazes her waist and her head knocks back in laughter. I join in on singing with Reid, and Chloe looks at me, her expression turning to shock.

“Whoa, you can really sing!”

“No, no, I can’t.”