"Yes, yes," Bonnie says. "We can also bring the soccer ball."
"If we leave soon," Erin says, "it won't be too busy on the beach. It's already getting hot outside. Is everyone happy to do that?"
I hum in agreement while the others say yes, and after finishing breakfast, we disappear to our rooms to grab our stuff.
*
An hour later, we arrive at what the cousins pronounce to be the best beach in town. Rather than a straight strip of sand below the cliffs, this beach curves inwards, as if someone has taken a bite out of the cliffs and filled the space with soft, golden-white sand.
A wooden staircase leads us down to the beach, and even though it's before midday, there are already a few groups here. Closest to where we decide to settle is a group of people in their early twenties. I wonder if it's a quadruple date or a friend group who all ended up dating each other. Two straight couples lie together, a woman lays her head on her girlfriend's chest and two men hold hands as they sit in the sand.
We lay out our towels, and Erin pulls a large container of sunscreen out of her tote bag. Kennedy helps me apply sunscreen to the parts of my back I can't reach.
"Mm," I say, as she rubs in the sunscreen. "You could make a living as a masseuse."
She laughs before finishing and getting me to help her. I spread the sunscreen across the back of her neck, her shoulders, and her back, careful not to touch the strings of her bikini.
She's wearing a sage-green swimsuit that matches her complexion. The first time I saw her in it — during the summer holidays, at her pool — she told me it was made by an eco-friendly fashion brand and the bikini was made of plastic bottles or something. I was only half paying attention, my focus on how hot her body looked.
That day was the first time we went beyond kissing since Kennedy's parents were out. I'd fooled around before — never with girlfriends. I hadn't had a girlfriend since Year 8, and everyone knew that didn't count — but at parties and stuff, but Kennedy hadn't. Despite that, she'd been eager, and from that day on, we were excited to do anything together.
And we did. Except for sex. It shouldn't be so goddamn hard to do it, but it's true. At one point, I suggested we just do it in my car, parked on some random outskirt of town.
Kennedy considered it for a moment — you'd think girls would be grossed out by something as unglamorous as a car for losing their virginity, but Kennedy was always keen — but then decided she'd rather a comfortable bed and risk the chance of being caught.
And now we're here, on holiday. We need to discuss it in more detail, how we're going to have sex without anyone finding out. I still need to buy condoms.
Now, I finish with Kennedy's sunscreen and kiss the back of her neck. Beyond her, I see Liam helping Bonnie with her back, the pair of them laughing. Erin throws them a soccer ball, and Bonnie catches it with her free hands.
"Let's play," Liam announces, finishing with Bonnie's back and straightening up.
"Sport is not my forte," Kennedy says as we walk up to them.
"But you're competitive as hell, so that makes up for it," Liam says. "Let's go play over on that stretch there," he says, pointing to a slice of beach shaded by the cliffs, the sand darker from where the tide has washed over it. "We can draw lines in the sand for the goals."
"How are we going to split up teams?" Bonnie asks, throwing the soccer ball up and down as we walk over. "It's an odd number."
"We'll try to even it out by skill," Erin decides. "Everyone, say your skill type."
"Horrendous," Kennedy says.
Bonnie laughs. "Me too."
"I played in high school, but I'm super rusty now," Erin says.
"Curtis is the best," Liam says, jabbing a thumb in my direction. I look at him, surprised, and maybe it's because of Liam's odd kindness, or maybe I don't like having attention on myself, or maybe I want to get revenge on him for putting pressure on me, but I say, "Liam is just as good at me. He's quick." Long legs and all, I think, looking at them. His legs are slimmer than mine, though still toned with muscle. Sand gathers on his bare feet.
"Alright, how about Kennedy and Curtis, then Liam, Bonnie and me?" Erin suggests.
"But you have three people," Kennedy says.
"We can adjust the teams if someone wins too easily."
Everyone nods and starts drawing lines for the court. "What's the plan?" Kennedy asks me as we crouch down to draw the centre line.
"One of us can play defence, the other forward. The defence player will also play goalie."
"You be forward."
