Its been two weeks of Lex and Bea spending their days at the beach. Lex had a nice normal tan while Bea had a red looking rash tan. Poor girl was burning almost every day, but refused to stay home with her annoying brother. Lex was a little scared she'd end up getting sick from all the UV rays her skin was soaking up, but she seemed fine, just burnt to a crisp. 

Bea had decided to take a swim in the shallows while Lex was still reading. Their spot under the little bundle of palm trees had been secured every day for two weeks. Today was the first day of summer that another person had asked to share the shaded danger zone. There was plenty room for the man, but Lex was a little skiddish of the man. He wasn't dangerous looking, or rude. More like he was polite and handsome. 

Lex's track record with handsome and polite men seemed to always end with heartache for her. That's why she made a promise to herself to stay single until she thought she was really ready for a relationship. Her previous boyfriend in freshman year had left her crying in bed for a week before Bea could actually make any headway in consoling her friend. 

"Do you mind sharing this space?" He asked with a soft grin. He had a book that she'd already read that week and a similar large cooler. His blue tank top hung low over his black bathing shorts. Her eyes traveled down to his exposed legs. Muscles rippled in his calves as he shifted in the sand. 

His towel hung over his shoulder as he waited for a reply. "Sure," she replied swiftly. "Plenty of room, just look out for dropping coconuts."

He glanced up at the trees as he dropped his bag by the neighboring tree. Several coconuts were spotted clanking in the breeze. He made a low 'eh' sound and shrugged. "Any hit you on the head?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Not since I started bringing my umbrella." She pointed to the umbrella canopy with a smirk. 

He shook his head and chuckled. "I'm Eric Markus," he held out his hand for Lex to take. 

She put her bookmark in her book and leaned over to shake his hand. "Lex Bulmer," she replied. He nodded and settled against the tree, opening the book. She watched him for a few moments before shaking her head and going back to her book. She needed to avoid handsome guys. 

His smile was dashing, though. Eyes were dark chestnut set deep that Lex could almost fall into, and not to mention the blonde hair that looked so smooth and silky that Lex just wanted to touch his head. A couple minutes went by before he started laughing next to her. She had a feeling why he was laughing. 

In the book, there was a certain joke that only some people could get. If they read the previous book and paid attention to a certain chapter, this joke was extremely funny. Lex caught herself giggling at the memory of it. His laugh died down and she felt his eyes train themselves on her. "You read this book, haven't you?"

She chuckled and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ears. "That obvious?" She giggled more. 

"A little," he said. "You like it?"

Nodding, she turned to him. "Yeah, I love the slow burning romance between Kait and Jesse. The joy that Kair gets from just being in the presence of her friend reminds me so much of me and my best friend. And the jokes that are passed on from one book to another that only die hard fans can get makes me feel sort of special."

"I'm a new English teacher at the high school, and I was thinking of assigning this book series as a term project. If you read all the books and write a 20 page essay on the book, you get an extra 10 percent added to your finals at the end of the term." He shrugged. "I'm not sure."

Her eyes went wide. "OMG! Are you the new teacher that's replacing Mrs. Grace?" 

He nodded, "Yeah, actually. Were you a student of her's?" 

"No, I'm going to be a senior this year," she grimaced with a displeased look. "My best friend's brother actually had her last year though and loved her. That's saying something too. He's a flake and a prankster. I'm surprised he actually passed her class. It was a tough one," Lex stated, slightly feeling awkward at meeting an older guy and actually having a decent conversation with him. 

He narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Pardon me, but how old are you?" 

Lex swallowed. She knew the reason why he was asking. She always acted and looked older than her actual age. "I'll be 18 in August," she stated. It was only a couple months away. She couldn't wait to actually be able to do so much of nothing. She could legally vote and if she got a job at a retail place that sold alcohol and cigarettes, she could sell them. That was about it. She couldn't buy any until she was 21 where she'd be a full adult. 

Okay, she could buy super glue and spray paint for herself as well as nail polish remover. That was a big one for her. Other than that it was all legal stuff that only perverts liked about turning 18. The fact that she would be legal to have sex with. Another reason why she wanted to stay single until she was ready. She needed to learn how to protect herself and say no. She had a tendency to be a people pleaser. 

 "So you could end up in my class?" He sounded happy. Lex hoped it was because he'd know a familiar face if she was. She definitely wanted to be in his class. The term project sounded like such a cool thing. She'd ace it and love doing the essay even more. 

"Lex!" 

Bea had gotten out of the water, soaking wet and running to her. She grinned at Lex and plopped down on her towel, spraying sand all over Eric and Lex. Lex groaned and looked annoyed at her friend. "Sorry, I'm just checking the time. I told mom I'd be home by one to help clean the house for the party this weekend."

"Party?" Lex looked at Bea as she checked her phone. 

Scoffing and starting to pack up, she nodded. "Yeah, my parents are throwing a party for the whole block. A start of summer party just because." She grinned and turned to Lex, eyes wide. 

"No." Lex stated firmly. 

The smile faded quickly. "Yeah okay, I'll just suffer at the party myself." She got up and grabbed her towel. She shook it over Lex with an evil giggle and ran off before Lex could try to toss one of the previous days fallen coconut could be thrown at her. Lex shook her head and growled to herself. 

"Oh, cute guy, Lex!" Bea called back over her shoulder as she ran towards her house. She have a thumbs up in approval, meaning she was hinting Lex making a move. 

Lex hid her burning face in her hands and sighed as Eric laughed. "That's the best friend that gives you joy by just being in her presence?" 

Shrugging nonchalantly, Lex turned away and reopened her book, which was two books ahead of the one he was reading. "That's two books ahead of mine, isn't it?" He asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. 

She nodded. "Yup, once you start, it's hard to put down." 

"I've only gotten the first three. How many more are there?" He asked. 

Counting to herself, she shrugged. "At least three more. I know the author is writing another one. She's not even sure if she's gonna do another one after she's finished with the current one, though." 

Eric gave a thoughtful hum and went back to reading his book. Lex looked awkwardly around before doing the same. Several moments passed in quiet before a loud thud followed by an angry yell. A coconut had fallen on Eric's head. The cartoon irony of the situation. Lex turned to look at him rub his head. 

He looked at her with anger in his eyes. "Umbrella next time, got it," he said harshly as he picked up the culprit and shook his head. "I'll see you at dinner tonight," he told the coconut, putting it by his bag with a violent slap in the sand. 

"You can share my umbrella for the rest of the day if you want," Lex offered. "I've had that happen to me before. It sucks and you'll have a good sized knot on your head for a couple of days. I recommend an ice pack when you get home," Lex said, looking at the spot on Eric's head. 

Eric shook his head. "No, thanks. I don't want to get in your space. I'll be okay for today."