“Yes,” Alec said with a laugh. “How about we take our food down to the beach? I know a great place for us to sit.”
***
The walk was quick, two minutes at most, and we arrived at a surprisingly large pier. It was nowhere near as big as the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, which I’d visited once on a school field trip, but considering the small size of Pismo, it was massive. About halfway down, there was a snack bar/souvenir stall, and at the end, a dotting of fisherman. Their poles jutted into the air like radio antennas, and seagulls hovered on the breeze above them, waiting for an easy meal.
I expected Alec to lead us down the pier, but instead we descended a wooden staircase into the sand below. Scattered along the beach were weather-worn picnic tables, and Alec chose the one farthest from the crowds. We all sat, and I dove into my bread bowl before anyone else had their containers open. The soup was steaming, but I was too impatient to wait for it to cool. I scooped up a huge spoonful, and the scorched-tongue pain was worth it. I’d never tasted a creamier clam chowder in my life, and I quickly shoveled another bite into my mouth.
When I looked up from my food, Alec was watching. “You like?”
Oh no. I’d been eating like a total pig. I swallowed, and the heat of my cheeks was almost as painful as the chowder burning down my throat.
“It’s delicious.”
He offered me a knowing smile. “I’m glad.”
After that, I ate slowly and in silence. The boys talked cars for a while, but Alec was nowhere near as knowledgeable or passionate about them as Boomer was. Alec glanced at me during one of Boomer’s particularly detailed discussions about the Porsche918 Spyder, the world’s first plug-in hybrid super car, and I recognized the look on his face. I’d seen it on Asha a million times before, whenever Boomer got excited about a car—eyes crinkled in the corners, lips pushed together to keep from smiling. No doubt, I’d worn the same expression a few times myself. While the subject of his rants was often boring, it was hard not to find Boomer’s enthusiasm entertaining.
When everyone finished eating, Asha decided to walk down to the water to dip her feet in. She dragged Boomer along with her, while Alec and I stayed behind.
The sun was scorching. I didn’t understand how Alec could stand wearing a hoodie. I could already feel my skin starting to fry.
On the off chance that there was sunscreen buried somewhere in the depths of my bag, I hoisted it onto the table and emptied out the contents. Which were a lot. There were the usual suspects like my wallet, phone, and books, but I also carried a collection of odds and ends with me: double-A batteries for Boomer’s Game Boy, a compact first aid kit, enough writing utensils to supply an entire school, a spare charger… Asha called it my Mary Poppins bag, because even though it looked small, I could fit a house worth of stuff inside.
Alec watched me with raised brows as I retrieved a bottle of hand sanitizer and a smushed granola bar. “And what exactly do you need this for?” He held up flat-nose pliers.
“Jewelry making. You use it to bend wire and hold beads and such,” I explained. And that’s when I remembered. “Oh, I almost forgot! I have something for you.”
I unzipped the small pocket inside my bag and retrieved a tiny drawstring pouch. Inside was the leather-wrap bracelet I’d made for Alec, which I finished after my shift the day he came to the Electric Waffle. This morning when I was getting ready, I’d packed it with the intention of giving it to him at the party.
“Here.”
I undid the clasp and held it out to him, but instead of taking my gift, Alec pushed up a sleeve and offered me his arm. Biting back a smile, I leaned over the table and wrapped it around his wrist. My fingers fumbled as I tried to push the wooden toggle through the loop on the end. I could feel Alec’s gaze on me as I struggled, which made fastening the bracelet that much harder. But the bead finally popped into place, and I dropped back into my seat.
He held up his hand for a closer look, and the amber beads blazed in the sunlight. “Thanks, Felicity. I love it.”
“Yeah?” I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or polite.
“Yeah” was his reply. He pushed himself up from the bench like he was ready to leave.
Shit, was the bracelet too much? Did I freak him out?
I was worrying for nothing. Alec took a seat on top of the table and grinned at me over his shoulder. “Come here,” he said and patted the empty spot next to him.
His straightforward request threw me off guard, but after a moment’s pause, I mirrored his grin, pushed the junk from my bag out of the way, and climbed up onto the table. As I settled beside him, our knees knocked together and a trail of goose bumps shot down my leg. I cast a sidelong glance at Alec, but he was too busystaring out at the ocean to notice. The swells were large, and there was more than one surfer bobbing up and down in the waves.
“Your friends are nice,” he said.
I scanned the shoreline until I found Boomer and Asha. They were running through the surf, splashing water at each other like little kids. If they stayed out there much longer, one of them was going to end up soaked.
I smiled. “You mean crazy?”
“Sometimes crazy is good,” he said. “And what I meant was that they seem like loyal friends.”
“They are,” I said. “After Rose left, Asha became my substitute sister. Boomer’s family moved to California our freshman year of high school. I think he felt out of place in LA, and I was the first friend he made, so we’ve been close ever since. They’re insane, but amazing. I’m lucky to have them.”
Alec was quiet for a moment. “What I’ve noticed is that when people have real friends in their lives, it’s because they’ve earned them.”
I ducked my head, blushing fiercely. “Thank you, Alec. Your friends seem…” I trailed off, unable to come up with a suitable adjective. My goal had been to say something nice, but all I could remember were JJ’s pervy comments, how Stella unnerved me, and feeling embarrassed.
