South Beach

  Alexa hesitated. The Flamingo? She couldn’t remember reading about it in any of her fashion magazines or travel guides. But Ida was essentially handing them their getaway on a platter. Better to grab this chance while they could.

  “The Flamingo it is!” Alexa said, flinging down her guide book and grinning at Holly. “Right, Holly?”

  “I—I guess,” Holly said. She couldn’t believe Alexa had basically convinced her grandmother to kick them out.

  “Okay, darlings.” Ida stood up. “Let me check in with Seymour. I think you girls will have much more fun staying there. But be sure to call me during the week if you need anything—a ride, or extra beach towels, or some advice from an old lady.” She smiled mischievously. “And we can make a date for a girls’ night out!” she added before heading into the kitchen.

  Alexa clapped her hands together and started gathering up her bags, ready to go. She loved Ida, but she could love her even more from a distance.

  Holly watched as Grandma Ida reached for the phone. Suddenly, a terrible thought struck her: If they left her grandmother’s place now, she’d never get to see Diego.

  There was still time to act. Maybe she could get Grandma Ida to check in with the Mendietas. If Diego was in this very building, why would Holly want to be anyplace else?

  Casting all caution aside, Holly sprinted into the kitchen and took her grandmother’s hand.

  “Grandma Ida, can I ask you something?” she said breathlessly.

  “Anything, muffin.”

  “Do you, um, ever speak to the Mendietas? You know, the Mendieta family on the third floor?” Holly willed herself not to blush and hoped her grandmother wouldn’t guess at the truth behind her question.

  “Oh, the Mendietas!” Grandma Ida said. “Such nice people. I remember, they had a girl and a boy. Very attractive family.”

  Holly nodded, every muscle in her body tensed as she waited for her grandmother’s response.

  “I do miss them,” Grandma Ida went on.

  “Why?” Holly asked, her voice tinged with worry. “Where did they go?”

  “They moved down to South Beach, sugar.” Ida winked at Holly. “A lot of people are heading there nowadays. It seems that’s where all the action is.”

  Holly stared back at her grandmother as the words sunk in. So Diego was in the mythical South Beach—the very place she and Alexa were heading. It seemed this trip was moving in a direction Holly had never imagined. And she didn’t know what to expect next.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The Flamingo

  Alexa fell in love with Ocean Drive at first sight. After Miles and Ida dropped them off, she and Holly paused on the corner in front of the Flamingo, taking everything in. There were funky hotels and hopping restaurants on one side and an endless stretch of beach on the other. People bustled past them, chattering in an array of languages. From a nearby restaurant came the jangly beat of a live merengue band. Shiny, candy-colored cars cruised down the streets, their tops rolled down to reveal svelte, tanned drivers. Alexa stared across the street at the shimmery blue Atlantic and shivered with anticipation.

  “Don’t you want to dive right in?” she murmured.

  “First I want to drop off these bags,” Holly said, hoisting up her duffle. She still felt uneasy about this new turn of events. On the short ride over from Ida’s, she’d called home again, to tell her mother they were settling in at Grandma’s house. Her mom had bought every word. Little did she know Holly and Alexa were now walking under a hot-pink arch into the Flamingo, a dingy-looking, three-story motel that was nestled between two gigantic hotels on Ocean Drive. A passerby might never even notice it.

  The motel’s lobby floor was covered in bright yellow carpeting, and the retro, squiggle-shaped orange armchairs made Holly think of The Jetsons. The walls were painted with murals depicting flamingos on a beach.

  Kind of kitschy cool, Alexa thought, raising an eyebrow. They headed for the front desk, where a rotund elderly man in a sun visor stood flipping through a guest book.

  Suddenly, a shrieking girl streaked down the stairs and into the lobby, her curvy body wrapped in only a short beach towel. Hot on her heels came a buff, floppy-haired boy, adjusting a towel around his waist. They both dashed toward a back exit, and Holly heard the boy yell, “Last one in the shower buys the first round tonight!”

  “There’s a shower outside?” Holly asked Alexa, who grinned in return.

  “Two, actually,” the man behind the desk spoke. “Right by the pool. They’re just for rinsing off, but the guests sometimes use them to wash up.” He smiled at the girls. “You must be Alexa and Holly. I’m Seymour, Ida’s friend. Welcome to the Flamingo.”

  After they’d checked in, Seymour showed the girls upstairs to their room—Number 7. It was tiny, with two narrow beds, a minuscule window, one dresser, and no bathroom. Even with the window closed, the sounds of Ocean Drive drifted into the room—Latin music, car engines, and flirty laughter. The floor had the same yellow carpeting as the lobby, and the bedspreads were orange.

  Okay, ew, Alexa thought, making her way across the room. What kind of hole had Ida sent them to? No wonder there were vacancies! When Alexa traveled, whether it was with her dad or with friends, she was used to staying in much more luxe accommodations. But as she peered out the window to the beach across the street, Alexa shrugged off her worries. So, the place was slightly declassé. She wasn’t planning on spending a lot of time here, anyway.

  “It’s kind of gross, huh?” Holly asked guiltily.

  “Who cares?” Alexa threw her massive suitcase onto the bed closest to the window—definitely the better-situated one. “We just need a place to rest our bodies after we’re exhausted from too much partying!”

  “Yeah,” Holly said. Partying. “Like what kind of partying?” she asked tentatively as she placed her bags on the other bed. The two beds were practically crammed together, and there was hardly any space to navigate around them.

  “Oh you know, Holly. Going to bars and stuff.” Alexa rolled her eyes, unzipping one of her bags.

  Holly watched with growing concern as Alexa began to unpack, removing heaps of clothing and tossing them onto the bed. The more clothes Alexa pulled out, the smaller the already-cramped room felt.

  “Where are you going to put all that?” Holly asked.

  “In the dresser,” Alexa answered curtly, refolding a glittery black cardigan. She skirted around Holly and walked to the dresser across from Holly’s bed. She began stuffing her things into the tight drawers.

  Great. So where would Holly squeeze in her clothes? Holly remembered Alexa’s words from earlier that afternoon: There’s nothing like sharing a small space to make people despise each other. She and Alexa already seemed halfway there.

  Their door was still open, and Holly heard laughter and strains of a John Mayer CD from the room across the hall. Then, a girl who looked to be about sixteen appeared in their doorway. She was Asian American and petite, with shoulder-length, shiny black hair and a wide smile. She wore a striped bikini and was barefoot.

  “Hey,” she said. “Anybody got a spare pair of flip-flops?” She motioned down the hall. “Eric from Number 2 puked all over mine on the way home from Ohio’s last night so I had to get rid of them. Gross, right?”

  “I do,” Alexa said. She was kneeling at the dresser, surrounded by clothes and shoes. She held up a pair of red plastic flip-flops she’d gotten in New York City, then walked to the door and handed the flip-flops to the girl. “You can have these. I’m Alexa, by the way. And this is Holly.”

  “Daisy Moon,” the girl said. “Did you guys just arrive? We got in last night from St. Louis. Spring break is going to rock this year!” She pumped her fist in the air, paused for a breath, then went on. “I’m across the hall in Number 6, with my friend Kaitlin.”

  On cue, a red-haired, chubby girl wearing shorts and a tight Señor Frogs T-shirt bounded over from across the hall.

  “South Beach is the bomb!” Kaitli
n exclaimed, after Daisy had done all the introductions. “We already checked out a bunch of places last night. Oh, and”—she lowered her voice—“speaking of ‘checking out,’ you girls need to meet the hotties in Number 5. I think they’re down by the pool now.”

  “We’re heading to the pool ourselves,” Daisy said, stuffing her feet into Alexa’s flip-flops. “Meet you out there in a few?”

  Then they were off, their giggles echoing down the hallway. Alexa shut the door, and briefly met Holly’s glance.

  “They’re…enthusiastic,” Holly said. She got antsy around girls who acted so perky. But she was curious to see the pool and maybe get in some swimming. She opened her bag and pulled out her navy Speedo one-piece. After lending Meghan her tankini, the Speedo was the only item of swimwear she had.

  Alexa didn’t respond. She wriggled past Holly and back over to her bed, where she started changing into her pink bikini for the second time that day. Daisy and Kaitlin were a little “Rah-rah-sis-boom-bah” for her tastes, but they seemed like fun. More fun than Holly was being, in any case. And besides, she was intrigued by the hotties in Number 5.

  The girls wordlessly changed into their swimwear, their backs to each other. Now that they were alone again, the tension between them was palpable. Alexa hurriedly tied the halter strings on her bikini, eager to get out of the room. She knotted her hair up in a bun and swung around to grab her Fresh Sunshield off the bed. Then she noticed Holly fiddling with her swimsuit straps as she frowned at herself in the mirror above the dresser. Alexa never would have guessed it, but Holly had a kick-ass body. It must have been all the running she did. She had shapely legs, a firm little butt, and perfectly proportioned boobs. Alexa, who was only an A cup, felt kind of envious; Holly managed to pull off being curvy and athletic at the same time.

  “You should wear a bikini, Hol,” Alexa observed. She was surprised at how smoothly the old gradeschool nickname slipped off her tongue. Weird.

  “I don’t even own one,” Holly said, turning away from her reflection. “I don’t have the body for a bikini.”

  Alexa was about to disagree when there was a knock at the door.

  “I’ll get it,” Holly said, heading for the door. It’s probably Daisy and Kaitlin with a cheer routine, she thought.

  She opened the door, and there stood two of the most delectable boys either she or Alexa had ever seen. And they looked exactly alike.

  Both boys were on the short side, muscular and stocky, with curly dark hair and bright blue eyes. They wore swimming trunks—one had on a blue pair, the other had on white—and their smooth chests were nicely suntanned. Blue-trunks boy had obviously just gone for a swim; his wet shorts clung to his thighs, and he was toweling off his hair.

  “You must be Alexa and Holly, our new neighbors,” white-trunks boy said, flashing a grin that made the backs of Holly’s knees tingle. “Daisy just told us about you. I’m Thomas Kalas and this is my brother, Aaron.” He gestured to the wet boy, who gave Holly a quick, shy smile. “We thought we’d escort you girls down to the pool, if that’s okay with you.”

  Twins! Alexa thought, sauntering over. Could life get any better? Both boys were equally smoking; Alexa didn’t know which one to set her sights on first. She looked them up and down, and anticipation shimmied down her spine. She was going to kiss one of these boys tonight. She already knew it.

  Holly, meanwhile, was feeling extremely self-conscious in her swimsuit. She crossed her arms over her chest, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She wished she didn’t find the twins both so cute. Aaron, in particular, was catching her eye—he seemed a little timid, and Holly was a sucker for quiet types.

  “Come on, Holly,” Alexa said, grabbing her sunscreen, shades, and towel. She followed the boys out into the hall. Holly scooped up her own pool gear and hurried after them, taking care to grab their only key from the dresser and lock the door.

  The four of them headed downstairs and cut through the lobby to the back exit. As Thomas walked beside Alexa, his hand kept brushing against her thigh. Accidentally on purpose, Alexa thought delightedly. She noticed that Holly and Aaron had fallen into step behind them, and that Aaron was scoping Holly out. Perfect, Alexa thought. One for each of us. Still, there was a tiny part of her that wanted both brothers all to herself. She’d never hooked up with two boys at the same time, never mind twins. How much fun would that be?

  The back exit led straight out to the pool area, which was fenced in, and faced the back end of Ocean Drive—hardly the glamorous view the motel’s front entrance offered. The pool was a small square filled with murky-looking, greenish-blue water. Holly changed her mind about wanting to swim any laps. A boom box resting on a small round table blasted Dave Matthews. Kaitlin was sunning herself on a chair and sipping a Corona; there was a cooler packed full of them nearby. Daisy stood at the edge of the pool, playfully wrestling with a pale, brown-haired boy. The boy lifted Daisy in his arms and threw her in the water, yelling “Woo-hoo!” Daisy swam to the surface, splashing him, until he dove in after her.

  “That’s our buddy Jonathan. He’s in our room, too,” Thomas told Alexa and Holly, pointing to the brown-haired boy. “He’s kinda hyper.”

  “I’d say so,” Alexa said, watching as Jonathan dunked Daisy underwater. He was decent-looking, but too scrawny for her.

  Holly stretched out on a beach chair next to Kaitlin, letting the sun wash over her. It was late afternoon by now, but still warm out. She tried not to think about how naked she was in front of all these boys. She wished she could look as carefree as Alexa seemed in her little bikini, chatting up a storm with Thomas.

  Holly watched as Aaron dove headfirst into the pool, barely making a splash. He glided underwater for a minute, looking as graceful as an Olympic swimmer. Holly squeezed Neutrogena suntan lotion into her palm and slathered it all over her freckled legs. She was rubbing some into her arms when she noticed Aaron had swum up to the surface of the pool and was watching her. He slicked back his streaming dark hair and started floating on his back.

  Blushing furiously, Holly slid her sunglasses on. There was no way this guy could be checking her out. He and his brother were probably both drooling over Alexa.

  “Here,” Alexa said, walking over and handing Holly an ice-cold Corona. She sat down beside her. “Can you do my back?” Alexa asked, swiveling around so that her smooth shoulder blades were facing Holly.

  Holly took a cautious sip of the Corona. It was cold and bubbly, tasting faintly of lime. She passed the bottle to Alexa and began massaging lotion into her back.

  “I’m sorry, but that is so hot,” Jonathan commented from the pool, squinting at Alexa and Holly. “Nothing like girls rubbing suntan lotion all over each other. Right, Aaron?”

  “It depends,” Aaron said. Then he glanced at Holly, turned red, and ducked back under the water. Holly’s heart fluttered.

  “Ugh, you are disgusting,” Daisy said, slapping Jonathan’s arm. “This isn’t Girls Gone Wild.”

  “Not yet,” Jonathan smirked. “Who knows what tonight will bring?”

  “You wish,” Kaitlin said. “What are we doing tonight, anyway?”

  Thomas strolled over and sat in the empty beach chair next to Alexa. “I thought we’d hit Lincoln Road first, maybe check out the scene there. Then come back and bar-hop on Ocean Drive. How’s that sound?”

  Alexa gave Thomas a slow smile. It sounded just right to her. Holly had finished her back, so Alexa lay down on her stomach, resting her chin on her arms.

  “Great!” Daisy said, coming up out of the water and wringing out her black hair. “Kaitlin and I went to this rocking place on Ocean Drive last night. We can go back.”

  “We should start getting ready now, though,” Kaitlin pointed out. “It’s going to take a while waiting for turns in the shower.”

  “Are there only those two showers outside?” Holly asked, motioning over to the curtained booths at the far end of the pool area. The idea of showering outdoors seemed a
little skeevy to her.

  “And another inside,” Thomas said. “There’s only one bathroom per floor that all the guests have to share. Coed.”

  Terrific, Holly thought, taking the Corona from Alexa and swallowing down more than she had intended. I’m going to have to share a bathroom with boys?

  Meanwhile, Alexa was thinking the exact same thing. Only she really thought it was terrific.

  Once everyone went back inside, they worked out a schedule for the showers. Alexa ended up showering inside, while Holly and Kaitlin got the outdoor showers first. The boys and Daisy said they didn’t mind waiting for the later shifts.

  The temperature was starting to drop as Holly stepped into the shower booth. She wore her bathing suit and held a towel, shampoo, and soap. She glanced nervously at the empty pool as she drew the heavy plastic curtain across the rod. Trembling a little, she took off her Speedo and hung it over the rod along with her towel. It was weird to be completely naked outside, as night was falling. But she was a little buzzed from the Corona, so part of her was sort of enjoying the mild air on her bare skin. The sky overhead was turning fuchsia.

  Holly switched on the water and closed her eyes as it rushed out of the shower head, beating a tattoo on her face and arms. Its coolness was refreshing. She stretched, raising her arms above her head as the water streamed down her body. She wished she’d had time to go for a run. Maybe tomorrow. She rubbed shampoo into her scalp and smoothed soap all over her body, feeling clean and energized after her long, crazy day. Holly let a giggle escape her lips. Just this morning she’d been in New Jersey, listening to her parents nag her, and now here she was, taking a shower outside. Who would have guessed it?

  Holly rinsed herself and reluctantly shut off the water. She wanted to linger longer, but she knew other people were waiting. She was reaching for her towel when the curtain suddenly slid open from the outside. Aaron stood there, his mouth open, a towel slung around his hips.