Hangover...it's the perfect word

It was the final day of school, the day after prom, it would also be the graduation outside on the field. Everyone was there to watch the kids turning another page in their life.

It would be a great day if Alina hadn't drank so much last night, she barely remembers how she got into bed her memories are quite foggy and confusing

"Oh You're so big" Martha cried out hugging Alina "My daughter"

"Our daughter " Damien corrected hugging the two, Tobias started laughing at his parents who were crushing his sister with their huge hug he was on his dad's shoulders so he could see Alina's suffering face

"Hey Aunt, Uncle" Colten greeted them , they let Alina go and hugged Colten with a lot of strenght too

"I think you broke me a rib" Alina said scretching but was suddendly surprised by another hug

"Sis !" she heard the annoying voice of her brother "You're so grown up" he said faking a cry " I think I'm going to cry"

"Oh cut it" she rolled her eyes making him laugh

"Congrats dear" Anna said getting close of Aina she kissed her followed by Thomas

"Thanks!"

"Hi I'm sorry to interrupt but we need to steal them" Gabe voice was heard, Colten and Alina's parents nodded and the two were dragged to their friends

"What do you want?" Alina asked

"It's the final day of school... we are going to the beach as always"

"Oh right I had forgotten that" Colten said walking again to his parents warning them

"I don't know if I'm going" Alina said

"What? You lately have been bailing out on everything. You're going dude" Gabe demanded

"Then I need to tell them" she pointed to her parents as she watched them wave at her

"Already did " Colten said passing by her

Great... she thank

A few people had gone to the beach, it was some sort of tradition every year when the school was over they'd go to the beach. They arrived in time to see the sunset, happily the teens got out of the cars and ran to the beach.

"So drunk girl, how is your hungover?" Gabe questioned

"Awfully awful"

"Hungry?" Zoey asked

"Not at all...I think I ate something during the night but it's all very foggy to me "Alina answered back

"Well he took good care of you" Sophia said making the others nod in agreement, she looked at where they were looking at her sight dropped in Colten

"Him?"

"You don't recall?" Zoey laughed

"Should I say yes?"

"He took you home and left his girl alone, She was worried suck with him. People literally say they broke up because she was so pissed last night "

"That's not ok"

"You just broke the dream couple" Gabe commented

"It's ok dear" Sophia chuckled

"Do you want to play?" Maximo questioned once near them, they all agreed besides Alina, they got up and started to play volleyball while she quietly moved to the other way of the beach, a place hidden by the rocks . They were close she could hear them though they couldn't see her. She quietly sat down at the beach, she had a simple shirt and some pants, as she knew they would go to the beach she had dressed a swim wear under when they passed by her house to get her stuff for the beach.

After a lot thinking se decided to go to the water. She slowly got in the cold water, the sun was setting reflexing red and orange shades. The simple touch of the cold water made her memories more awake, she started too think and she saw the moon reflected in the sea, she saw the stars in the sky and the smell of sand.

She felt the cold water touching her bones but like she didn't cared, as if she was in a shock theraphy she closed her eyes and carefully listened to the waves. She remembered the way the cold sand felt in her feet, she remembered the brightness of the moon touching her skin, and she remembered a small touch from some lips.

Her quietness was ruined "How's the water?" she slightly turned her head and watched him looking at her, his hand covering his eyes due to the sand the other hand in his belly maybe trying to decide to take his thank top

"cold " she simply answered turning her face to the sun again, seconds later she heard splashes on the water when she looked a body near her legs was swimming. He swam a bit far from her, she watched him come up covered in water and smiling " Of course It's cold"

"Of course its could its 3am" she remembered

"I told you" she turned back calmly walking again to the sand

"Hey, where are you going?"

"To the sand" a hand stopped her from giving another step she slowly looked at his hand wrapped around her wrist then she looked at his face "Can't you stay here?"

Flashes of last night emerged in her head, she remembered his hand holding hers and how good that strange feeling felt

"No" she said letting go of his grip

"The bet" he said quickly "Let's finish that"

"Thought you had fogotten that"

"I did not " he mentioned she looked at him with her heart pounding 'that bet was stupid idea' she thought to herself

"If i got the place right You tell me your secret if I got it wrong You tell me my secret right?" he asked and she nodded "Your favorite place... you don't have one"

"I told you I have"

"Then I lost"

"That's not how you play I said I'd give you clues and 7 chances"

"I don't want them " he smiled " so tell me whats my secret?"

"You have 7 chances"

"You don't want me to know my secret is it? Having regrets on the bet? You can't go back now"

"This is stupid" she said walking to the sand to get her stuff

"Just.. tell me"

"This is not how you play" she said picking her shirt and dressing it. He got out of the water and grabbed her arm pushing her to him, now very close he looked into her eyes and asked" What's my secret?"

"Fine... one year ago" she started diverting her eyes from his "Exactly one year ago..."

~*~ One year ago, last day of school ~*~

"One day I'll marry that man... hear my words" Gabe said looking at Maximo playing volleyball in the beach

"Sure" Zoey laughed "Before he announce he is gay"

"He can be bi that would be enough for me" Gabe giggled

"Hey do y'all know where Colten is?" Sophia asked meeting the three friends sat on the sand

"He was here a moment ago" Zoey answered

"Pretty drunk if you ask me" Alina mentioned. The students had gone to the beach like the always do on the last day of school the would give some swims and at night they would drink near the fire and play some voleyball, cards, truth or dare, whatever they felt like.

"Weren't you with him?" Gave asked

"I was supposed to yeah" Sophia murmured

"Hey babe" Jake greeted approaching Alina

"Hey"

"Jake do you think I can switch with you and play with the Macho man?"Gabe asked making Jake laugh

"Sure man, but be carefull Max is quite the competitve type" Jake advised

"Uh maybe he is like that in bed too" Gabe whispered making the girls laugh

"Oh dude is that your brother near the camp fire?" Zoey asked

"Oh yeah he still has some friends in the school, he told me he would show up"

"And you didn't tell me...Look at those hungry girls looking a him" Zoey got up " I'm just checking that "

"Sure" Alina responded chuckling "Well I can go and try to find Colten"

"really we should separate" Sophia suggested

"YEah ok" Alina nodded

"What happened with Colt?" Jake questioned

"Sophia doesn't know where he is and he was a bit drunk " Alina explained. They gone off in diferent paths trying to look for Colten. Alina found a smal passway who led to what looked like a small beach, but in fact it was the same one just surrounded by big rocks giving the vibe of a private beach, she carefully stepped into the sand "Perk?"

She called him a few times and after a while she heard someone grunt, there he was layed on the sand looking at the sky. "You're here" she said

He grunted again "Great,you"

"Ah you look so happy to see me" she teased sitting down next to him

"Why are you here?"

"Sophia said she couldn't find you so-"

"See.. that!" He said quickly sitting down and looking at her "why do yousay it like that"

"What do you mean?"

"Out of millions of explanations you could give me about the reason why you're you coose to say that one...why?"

"Because-"

"Is is that hard to say 'I was looking for you because I care' is it that hard?" he asked looking directly at her, she didn't answered taken back by his words he got up and got his feet on the cold water of the sea

"Do you hate me that much you can even ay that you care about me?"

"But Colten I-"

"Don't even try it's not worthy I have to deal with it like I have been dealing for the past 4 years " he chuckled to himself "Tell me, in your eyes, Am I really that bad?"

"In my ey-"

"No actually don't answer that... why would you? I don't need your words when you clearly tell me that every day"

"You're being unfare-"

"Unfare? How many times do you tell me you hate me? How many times do you tell that to your friends? You know what's fun? I am what I am because of you"

"Hold on you do tell me you hate me to... all the time and how am I the responsible for what you've became"

"I tell you I hate you" he laughed ingnoring the last part of what she had mentioned "Read between the lines  Alina, there's always something between lines you know that"

"What you mean?"

"I mean you can't read me, there's things that I say that don't actually mean what you think they mean, you need to read between lines why can't you? It would make things so simple!"

"Why can't you tell them instead of reading between the lines, wy can't you say what you have to say?" She asked now in a higher tone

"Why can't you do that for me? AND FUCKING READ?"

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST FUCKING SAY IT"

"AND JUST I APPROACH YOU AND SAY YOU KNOW WHAT I FUCKING LIKE YOU? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT? " he asked screaming back he calmed himself and on a lower tone he said "that's what you want? there you have it"

He tried to get back to the dry sad but he lost his balance ending up by falling in the sand, lazyness hit him and instead of getting up he turned himself facing the moon layed again on the sand

"You're drunk" she stated getting near him and watching his face, he looked at her with his shinning eyes now full of tears 

"No shit sherlock"

"tommorow you won't remember any of this, will you?"

"Eh" he shrugged his shoulders "probably not. So take this anguish of me and say what you fell. Tell me you hate me so I can stop this nonsense"

~*~ Present Time, One Year later ~*~

"So..." Colten tried to say clearing his thoat "My secret is that-"

"You're secret is that night. I remembered it, and you completly black out a few minutes later" she said

"What's your secret?" He asked

"That wasn't the bet"

"Fine, If I get your favorite place will you tel me your secret"

"No That wasn't the bet"

"Well let's just make another one" he said looking down at her, her eyes didn't dared to look at his

"No "

"What are you afraid of you just told me my secret didn't you?"

"It was such a stupid bet I didn't really thought about it, It was in the heat of the moment you know?"

"Alina what is your secret?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Yes"

"No I don't think it does look at you, you're super happy... I'm happy"

"A week ago in the prom you said you weren't "

"Well...Things change"

"Don't use my words. Just say it, who's beating around the bush now, huh?"

"No one".

"Then just say it"

"My secret..." she took a step back from him, leaving his grip "Is about that night...."

"What about it?"

"I answered back... when you fell asleep"

"What did you say?"

"I will never say that I hate you with meaning ... cause in fact it's a lie. I don't hate you" she whispered so low, it was barely understandable, that was her wish that he didn't understand what she had said unfortunally for her, his whole attention was on her so he had clearly heard every single letter of every single word of that simple phrase.

Taken back by her words he smirked "do you want me to believe that was what you were hiding?"

"It's true"

"I don't think so" he bite his lip " I think your secret is in fact the answer I was supposed to give, because I would never get it right... right?"

"I don't-"

"I know you better than myself..."

"I'm not—"

"Is that hard to say it's me?" Her eyes opened in shock, her head slowly got up so she could face him. In his face was victory covering adoration. "I'm your favorite place"

Then hit her, everything that happened last night, she told him her secret, she played with him, she ate with him, they almost got drained in water and they almost kissed

"I told you" she realized

"Drunk Alina is a social butterfly"

"Oh no" she bowing hear head in disappointment

"Alina" he said moving her head up "I like you"

"are you hearing- hearing what you're saying?"

"Yes I am. Are you hearing me ?I've always did, I like you since I know you"he said getting close to her a small gap between them, he lift his hand touching her wet hair then carefully caressed her face gently touching her soft skin, smiling all the time. She stood paralyzed looking at him, in that exact moment the world seemed to vanish it was just them, finally, together.

They got close, and as if they were afraid of each very calmly their lips touched, softly his thumb caressed her cheek, they were glued to each other her wet bra was soaking his chest due to their close contact, though they didn't seemed to care. In this moment nothing really mattered but them.

They separated after awhile to catch their breaths, they looked at each other and reality washed over them. Colten was paralyzed rethinking the moment while Alina was frightened, she took her things and ran.

She ran disappearing from his sight.