One Last Vacation

“Yeah we danced on tabletops, and we took too many shots, think we kissed but I forgot! Last Friday Night!”

Skyla gazed out the window of Khloe’s Mustang as Jackie and Elise sang along to the music at the top of their lungs. She hoped that the serene, picturesque view of the beach would ease her mind more than the twelfth overthetop pop singalong would stress it out. It did somewhat.

The four women had looked forward to this day for years. When they all met in middle school, they determined that as soon as they all turned 21, they’d book a fancy beach getaway and have the summer of their lives. And now, Skyla, the youngest of the four by a few months, finally hit that age. Thanks to Elise’s vacation planning skills and a few connections they were able to find the perfect spot. Spotless sandy shores, fun kitschy outdoor bars, and a spa not too far away from the small timeshare house Elise’s family had a stake in. It was everything the girls had wanted and more, frankly.

“You having fun back there?” Khloe smiled as she looked at Skyla from the rearview mirror.

“Can’t you tell by how loudly I’m singing along?” Skyla quipped.

“She loves it, she’s just too cool to show it,” Elise ribbed as she poked Skyla in the side. “Hey, I said if you knew of any stations that played the music you liked, you were free to switch over.”

“Yeah, you said that knowing full well that the radio doesn’t play the music I like,” Skyla grumbled.

“Let’s drive in silence for now. We’ve had the music on for a while,” Khloe offered as she turned the radio down.

“No, please, don’t stop for my sake,” Skyla droned, clearly not meaning it even a little.

Still, she couldn’t help but blush at Khloe’s thoughtfulness. It’s things like this that made Skyla wonder how the four ever stayed friends this long in the first place. Khloe was the total picture of a cool girl: fashionable, nice to everyone, and never seemed to be worried about anything. Any girl would be jealous of her long, flowing dark hair and beautiful green eyes. Not to mention her tattoos adding to the trendy image.

Then there were Jackie and Elise. Jackie was a total musclehead in every meaning of the word: loved sports, worked out every day, and didn’t seem to have a shred of selfawareness. It was her who kept insisting the four hang out back in middle school, and that certainly stuck. Despite her short blonde hair and sporty clothes, her body made it abundantly clear that she was all woman.

Elise, meanwhile, had too much selfawareness, and simply chose to tease others on purpose. She was pretty and curvaceous enough to get away with it, and she knew it. Between her coquettish attitude, voluminous red hair, and her parents’ money, she had always been popular with boys. And she certainly indulged in that.

Meanwhile, Skyla was always aloof and not willing to open up to others easily. She trusted the other three, but even that took some time. She often felt like others didn’t understand her, be it for her unconventional interests, her conservative sense of style (chinlength hair and oversized sweaters for as long as the others had known her), or her general inability to express her emotions.

Of course, her feelings for Khloe were one such emotion. Skyla had had a crush on Khloe basically since they met, though she didn’t realize it until high school. She knew her place, though. There was no way she’d risk her friendship with Khloe by flying too close to the sun. Besides, Skyla was happy that popular girls chose to hang out with her in the first place. The constant comparisons from others never bothered her much; she was just happy to be included. That didn’t happen often before she met them.

“Man, this is going to be great!” Jackie declared as she stretched her arms. “I’ve so been looking forward to bar hopping with my girls!”

“Is that what it is, or do you just want to show off your summer bod?” Elise snickered.

“Well yeah, obviously, that too,” Jackie grinned as she pounded her abdominal region. “I’ll try not to take all the attention from the rest of you, don’t worry.”

“There’s no way you actually brought a onepiece swimsuit, did you?” Elise asked.

“What? Of course not,” Jackie boasted. “But I didn’t paint my nails at all. That should give the rest of you a fighting chance.”

“And we appreciate your generosity,” Khloe played along.

“Wait, you never paint your nails,” Skyla pointed out.

“See, even when we’re not at the beach, I’m still looking out for you three,” Jackie laughed.

The rest of the drive was largely uneventful, and as the sun set over the horizon, the four friends arrived at the timeshare.

“Now, I know it’s not quite as luxurious as you all expected,” Elise humblebragged as she unlocked the front door. “But here it is! Make yourselves at home!”

The group walked inside, greeted by charming decor one would expect from an upperclass beach house. The front room was a combination living room and dining room, with the kitchen a little further back. The house branched off into a hall on either side.

“I don’t know if I said this already, but there aren’t enough bedrooms for each of us to get our own,” Elise continued. “So we’ll have to pair up. And, well…”

She traced a finger along Jackie’s bicep. That was the other big thing: Elise and Jackie had recently started fooling around. It all started after a drunken sleepover, and Skyla and Khloe didn’t find out until a year later. They both insisted they weren’t an item: just friends with benefits. They also each extended an offer to have a drunken sleepover with the other two, but both Skyla and Khloe declined.

“I don’t mind bunking with Skyla,” Khloe smiled. “You two can have your fun. Skyla and I are out here proving that abstinence is still cool.”

“Heh, yyeah… what she said,” Skyla agreed, avoiding eye contact with the others.

“No need to be jealous,” Elise winked.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that,” Khloe played off. “I’m going to unpack, and then maybe we can figure out something fun for us to do.”

“Sounds good!” Jackie agreed. “Let’s meet on the beach in ten! Break!”

After eleven minutes six of which involved Khloe and Skyla waiting outside Jackie and Elise emerged from the front door in their bikinis.

“Let’s go!” Jackie whooped.

“Huh? Were we supposed to change into our suits?” Skyla asked.

“We didn’t establish that. I think these two just wanted to back us into a corner,” Khloe figured.

“Well, it is the beach. Unless you wanted to go swimming in your big ol’ sweater,” Elise teased.

“We never said we were swimming!” Skyla objected.

“You don’t go to the beach very often, do you?” Jackie asked. “That’s generally what people do.”

“You’re the one who kept going on about bar hopping and stuff. I wasn’t about to show up anywhere underdressed,” Skyla murmured.

“Sky, sweetheart, there’s no such thing as underdressed out here,” Elise assured her. “Well, besides the obvious, but…”

“And even then, that’s still not underdressed when we’re in the house,” Jackie snickered.

Khloe squeezed Skyla’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go change. We drove all the way out here, so we might as well have all the fun we can.”

“…Fine,” Skyla relented.

A few minutes later, Khloe and Skyla reemerged from the front door, now in their swimsuits. Skyla figured it was only natural that she was the only one in a onepiece. As the most petite of the group, she never felt comfortable in anything more revealing than that. She even brought a hoodie jacket to wear over it. Khloe, meanwhile, proudly displayed the tattoos on her shoulders, arms, and torso thanks to her tasteful bikini.

“You’re gorgeous!” Elise complimented the two. “So, what do we want to do first?”

“Well, I can’t remember the last time I went swimming at the beach,” Khloe offered. “Let’s go soak in the saltwater for a bit.”

“Sounds good to me!” Jackie seconded. “Last one there has to pay the bill at the convenience store!” She immediately ran towards the shore.

“Wait, what?!” Skyla reacted. She watched Khloe and Elise run after her, and followed after them.

Elise was the last one to make it into the water, though it was clear she slowed down on purpose. She always liked paying for everyone’s food and drinks when the friends went out. It would almost be patronizing if it wasn’t so convenient, or so the other three always joked.

Regardless, the ocean was refreshing and cordial. A lovely greeting to the girls’ vacation, especially after the day’s drive. The twilight sun hung over the horizon, as though it were taking a dip in the ocean itself. The orange sky was as warm as the water.

Khloe could not admire the view for very long before Jackie splashed her in the face. Jackie’s taunting laugh stopped short when Khloe returned the favor. Jackie sputtered and spit.

“Hey, you got salt water in my mouth!” Jackie objected.

“Shouldn’t have laughed, then,” Khloe challenged.

The two splashed each other back and forth. Jackie looked at Elise. “Hey, help me out, here!”

Elise splashed Jackie. The sporty girl backed up at the surprise pincer attack.

“Hey! That’s not what I meant and you know it!” Jackie cried.

“You wanted help, right? I’m helping you cool off,” Elise cooed.

Khloe glanced at Skyla invitingly. Skyla smirked and splashed Elise from behind. Elise gasped in surprise, then returned the favor to Skyla. Khloe then splashed Elise, followed by an attack from Jackie to Khloe. Eventually, they stopped discriminating between each other and just splashed for the sake of splashing.

This continued on until Jackie dove underwater. When she reemerged behind Khloe, she pulled on the string to her bikini top, undoing it and causing it to fall in the water.

“Whoa now,” Khloe said firmly, covering her breasts with one arm, and going for her bikini top with the other. “I know you’re eager to see me topless, but at least take me out to dinner first.”

“Pretty sure we’ve all literally taken each other out for dinner before,” Jackie pointed out. “Come on, I’m just having fun.” She glanced at Skyla, who had her eyes covered this whole time. “And you can look now. It’s nothing you haven’t seen before.”

“I was just being polite. Something you could learn more about,” Skyla retorted.

Khloe had retrieved her lost item, turned around to tie it back, and turned back around to face the others. “You enjoy your fun, Jackie.” A devious glint flashed in her eye. “But remember that revenge is a dish best served cold.”

“So is leftover pasta. So if you’re making pasta, thanks, I appreciate it,” Jackie attempted.

“Jack, honey,” Elise condescended.

“What?! You telling me that wasn’t hilarious?” Jackie huffed.

“You can make whatever inferences you want,” Elise smiled politely.

“Aw, you know I can’t deal with that passiveaggressive crap,” Jackie grumbled.

“Of course I know,” Elise giggled. She poked Jackie in the stomach. “Tell you all what: I’m going to the convenience store to buy snacks and drinks. I’ll leave Jackie’s punishment up to Khloe and Skyla.”

“Huh? Punishment?!” Jackie reacted.

Before she could elaborate further, Elise had already set off.

“Come on, let’s head back to the house,” Khloe told the others. “And don’t worry, Jackie, I won’t make you do anything too egregious.”

“I promise nothing,” Skyla snickered.

Jackie groaned.

After ordering Jackie to set up a bonfire for when night fell, Khloe went to her room to take a nap. Skyla sat on the beach house’s patio while she watched Jackie lug firewood from inside the house and next to the fire pit.

“Having fun?” Skyla asked.

“Loads. This is barely even a task,” Jackie insisted. “You think Elise is going to get us anything good?”

“I can’t imagine she wouldn’t,” Skyla figured. “You know how much she likes to spoil us. Hell, this house is way nicer than anywhere else I’ve ever stayed.”

“I’m talking, like, drinks,” Jackie clarified. “Convenience store drinks are hella hitormiss. The really good stuff’s only at bars or at the expensive liquor stores.”

“Well, I’ve only barely started drinking. I’m not too picky,” Skyla stated.

“Come on, you telling me you hadn’t had anything to drink before 21?” Jackie doubted.

“It’s not that weird. I never really saw the appeal of getting drunk,” Skyla shrugged.

“Maybe you ought to try. It could be just the push you need to tell Khloe how you feel about her,” Jackie said impishly.

“Excuse me?” Skyla warned.

“Come on, it’s been so obvious from, like, the time we met,” Jackie maintained. “Literally, what’s the worst that could happen?”

“Uh, she realistically doesn’t feel the same, and she starts to feel awkward around me, and wants to include me less, and I get phased out of the group, and I go back to being… not even a weird loner kid. I’d be a weird loner adult. That’s even worse!”

“Yeah, I’m… like 100% sure that’s not going to happen,” Jackie told her. She headed back to the house. “Nobody’s making you tell her, but you can’t get to the endzone without making a pass, you know what I’m saying?”

“That or I just get tackled, lying on the ground in a painful, defeated heap,” Skyla twisted.

Jackie had already returned inside. Skyla sighed, hugged her knees, and stared at the pile of firewood.

By the time night fell, Elise returned from the store with plastic bags full of chips, candy, and sixpacks of all sorts of alcoholic drinks. The four friends took a camp chair next to the fire pit. Now full of logs and a splash of fuel, a match tossed inside ignited the fire, casting a warm glow as the girls got comfortable.

Elise passed cans of mai tai to each of the girls before taking a seat and cracking hers open. “Here’s to us! Friends for over a decade, and for many more to come!”

“Hear, hear!” Khloe agreed as she and the others held their cans up. They drank in unison.

“Here’s to the beach!” Jackie continued. “I can’t think of a better place to celebrate our steps into adulthood.”

“Hear, hear!” Khloe and Elise agreed. The friends drank again.

“Here’s to the future!” Khloe offered. “May this be just the first of our unforgettable vacations together.”

“Hear, hear!” the other three agreed. They drank again.

“Oh, geez, uh…” Skyla tried to think of something she could toast to. “Here’s to these drinks. They’re actually delicious, like, what the hell?”

“Hear hear!” the others agreed raucously. All four women finished their cans.

“I’ve got everything in these bags right here,” Elise informed them as she gestured to the convenience store bags next to her chair. “If you want anything else, don’t be a stranger. It’s for you.”

“Another one of those, please,” Skyla requested.

“Me too!” Jackie nodded.

“Another round for us all,” Khloe smiled.

“You got it, sister,” Elise acquiesced, tossing another mai tai to each of her friends. Skyla almost didn’t catch hers, but it still landed in her lap.

“Ahhhhh! What a night!” Jackie enthused. “I love you three so much.”

“Jack, you’ve had one drink. You’re not supposed to hit the ‘I love you guys’ phase until at least four,” Elise snickered.

“What, I can’t have feelings before that?” Jackie retorted.

“Well, I love you guys,” Khloe smiled. “I couldn’t think of a better group of gals to go on a beach vacation with.”

“Honestly? Same,” Skyla agreed.

“See, even Skyla’s admitting to liking us. Cut me some slack, Elise!” Jackie chuckled.

“You guys know I like you. I wouldn’t hang out with you if I didn’t,” Skyla pouted.

“True, but it’s still nice to hear it,” Elise assured her. She took a few more gulps of her drink. “For example, I love being around Skyla because she always makes me laugh. I love your sense of humor, Sky.”

“HHuh?! Where’s this coming from?” Skyla blushed.

“See, it’s nice to be reassured, even by the people you’re closest to,” Elise winked.

“I love Skyla because she’s thoughtful,” Khloe added. “Out of the four of us, she’s the one who thinks of others the most. That’s a super cool aspect to her that I wish I was better about.”

“Oh please. There’s no way you’re less thoughtful than I am.” Skyla avoided eye contact and took a few more sips.

“And she’s humble, too,” Jackie beamed. “My turn! Say what you love about me!”

“I love how eager you are, Jackie,” Khloe said honestly. “Your desire to get things done always kept us going, especially when we were young and had no idea what we were doing.”

“She’s right. With your optimism, I always feel like everything’s going to be alright,” Elise agreed. “That’s one big reason I love you.”

“…No matter what, we always have more fun when you’re around,” Skyla admitted. “You always find a way to make the room a little brighter.”

“Aw, guys, geez,” Jackie blushed. “I wasn’t expecting you to be that nice.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “Uhhhh, quick, what do we love about Elise?”

“I love Elise because she always keeps us on the right track,” Khloe answered. “You’ve always been the smartest out of all of us, and when you see us doing something stupid, you make sure we don’t want to do the stupid thing anymore.”

“And you’re the hardest working, too,” Skyla smiled. “I mean, shoot, you put this whole trip together for us, I bet that took a ton of time and effort to plan.”

“For me, it’s how safe I feel around her,” Jackie smiled. “Not that I don’t trust Khloe or Skyla, but Elise is someone I feel like will always have my back no matter what.”

“You’re all just too much,” Elise smiled through tears. She wiped them away with her hand. “Now, I love Khloe because she’s our emotional rock. No matter how upset one of us gets, she’s always there to bring us back and keep our cool.”

“That’s because Khloe’s easily the coolest,” Jackie beamed. “You’re just easy to look up to, you know? Khloe makes me want to be the best version of myself I can be, because I know she’s always trying to be the best version of herself. It’s inspiring.”

After a short silence, all eyes fell on Skyla. Skyla downed the rest of her drink and smiled.

“I love Khloe,” she began. “For many reasons, not the least of which are the two Jackie and Elise already mentioned. But really, aren’t the things we all said about each other true for Khloe, too? She’s thoughtful, she’s humble, she has a great sense of humor, she’s fun, she’s optimistic, she’s smart, she’s hardworking, she’s safe to confide in…” Skyla went for another sip, only to realize her can was empty. “Khloe’s basically perfect. Hell, look at her! Beautiful hair, smoldering eyes, smoking hot body, only made hotter with the tattoos. I know I’m beyond lucky to be friends with someone like her. We all are.”

Skyla felt her face burning. Jackie and Elise looked at Khloe with bated breath.

“That’s a lot of reasons to love me,” Khloe smiled. “I never even thought most of those things about myself. It sounds like you’ve been thinking about this a lot.”

Skyla swallowed a lump in her throat. “Yep…” She summoned the strength to look Khloe in the eye. “I have. For a long time….A very long time. My love for you… may not be entirely platonic. I hope that’s alright. If not, I won’t bring it up again, I just”

Khloe got out of her chair. Skyla’s heart threatened to burst out of her chest, and she prayed to any deity who’d listen that Khloe wasn’t about to walk off.

Instead, Khloe walked up to Skyla and sat on her lap. A little awkward, given the height difference, but that gesture alone put Skyla at complete ease.

“I was wondering when you were finally going to tell me,” Khloe giggled.

She brushed a strand of hair out of Skyla’s face, and ran her fingers down her cheek. Their lips moved closer until they connected into an electrifying kiss.

Time slowed for Skyla and Khloe as they kissed one another. It felt natural, like this was something they had done their whole lives. After a minute, Skyla broke the kiss.

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