"Race you to the cove! Loser pays for ice cream!" Nicky yelled as she dropped her belongings on the sand and ran toward the blue waves. Keeley let out a loud groan and chased after her best friend. The two of them dove into the ocean and swam toward the hidden cove a hundred feet off the shore.

Nicky hit the sand first and performed a customary victory dance she had perfected over the years. A minute later, Keeley emerged out of the ocean, huffing and puffing. As soon as she crawled over to Nicky, she flopped on her back and grumbled, "I don't even know why I bother. You always win these races."

Nicky laughed at her friend's suffering. "You know, if you exercised more you might actually stand a chance at winning," she teased. Nicky sat down next to Keeley and stretched out her legs, trying to soak in as much sun as possible.

"I exercise," Keeley protested. "I surf the internet."

Nicky snorted. "On second thought, keep surfing. I like never having to pay for food."

Keeley placed an arm over her eyes, blocking out the blinding rays. "Stingy best friend," she griped under her breath. "Using my laziness to fuel her food addiction."

"That's the only reason why I keep you round," Nicky said cheerfully.

"And here I thought it was for charming personality," Keeley drawled. "I feel so deceived after all these years."

"Well that too," Nicky paused, "but mostly it's for your money," she jokingly confessed.

Keeley huffed. "Some best friend you are. I knew I shouldn't have shared my Gushers with you in kindergarten," she complained.

"It did seal our friendship," Nicky pondered with amusement. "You know I am a sucker for anything with artificial food coloring," she said lightly.

The two were silent for a couple minutes, getting lost in their own thoughts.They listened to the indistinguishable chatter of other beachgoers who were playing in the area.

Nicky finally broke the silence by saying, "Hey Keeley?"

"Hmm?" Keeley asked half-asleep.

Nicky drew her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "I think we should have an adventure before we leave for college next year," she confided to her best friend.

"What do you mean?" Keeley asked confused.

"I mean we should have one last hoorah together," Nicky stated as she stared out at the ocean. "You applied to only East coast colleges. I applied to only West coast colleges," she pointed out. "We should do something big before we separate."

Keeley lifted her arm off her face and turned her head towards Nicky. "Like what? A road trip?" she asked hypothetically.

"That or maybe a backpack trip across Europe," Nicky casually suggested. She quickly glanced at Keeley to observe her reaction.

Keeley shot up to a sitting position. "Europe?" she questioned, making sure she heard correctly. Her face was completely blank, giving nothing away.

"Europe," Nicky confirmed with a nod.

Keeley broke out in a huge grin. "Oh my god! That would be amazing!" she exclaimed. "I would love to visit Paris and London and Venice! Could you imagine all the fun we would have?" Keeley paused for a second, her excitement visually dimming. "Wouldn't it be really expensive though?"

Nicky let out a huge sigh of relief, pleased her best friend was on board with the idea. "It wouldn't be that bad. We could stay in hostels and travel by bus between cities," she explained. "The worst would be the plane ticket but I figure if we search enough in advance, we could get a cheap deal. What do you think?"

Keeley jumped up and tackled her best friend in a hug. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" she yelled. "Just tell me where to sign on the dotted line!" She ran over to the water and cupped her hands around her mouth. "I'm going to Europe this summer!"Keeley shouted to no one in particular.

Nicky chuckled at her friend's antics. "Now we just need to find a job so we can start saving money."

"It shouldn't be that hard," Keeley said as she walked back to Nicky. "There's always shops along the boardwalk looking for help." She grabbed Nicky's hand and pulled her up. "Come on. Let's go search right now," she said enthusiastically.

The pair swam back to the main shore and picked up their belongings from the sand. They walked along the long boardwalk that held over twenty-five shops. There was everything from an arcade to a deli to a flip-flop store.

"Look," Keeley said. She pointed to a surf shop to their left. "It has a Help Wanted sign in the window." She walked in without waiting for Nicky and headed toward the front desk. Looking around, she noted there was no one behind the counter or on the floor. She called out, "Hello!" but received no answer.

"We can't work here," Nicky hissed once she caught up to Keeley.

"And why not?" Keeley asked. Keeley leaned over the counter and tried to see if anyone was in the back room.

"Oh gee. I don't know," Nicky whispered sardonically. "Maybe because we don't know anything about surfing!"

Keeley waved her hand dismissively. "Oh that. We can learn." She pounded her fist against a nearby wall and yelled again, "Hello!"

Nicky looked flabbergasted. "Oh that? Oh that?!" she exclaimed. "She makes it seem like its learning how to flip a pancake!" Nicky muttered to herself. "Damn Gushers." Nicky tipped her eyes toward the heavens. "Why did you have to make me such a sucker for food?"

Keeley rolled her eyes. "Stop rambling to yourself. People will think you escaped from an insane asylum. Besides, you did say I should keep surfing," she reminded Nicky.

"Surfing the web Keeley," Nicky said with exasperation. "Not the waves!"

A hulking figure walked out of the back room and approached the girls. He looked like a quintessential surfer with shaggy sun-bleached hair and bright blue eyes. "You girls lost? The make-your-own jewelry place is next door," he said.

Keeley shook her head. "We're here for a job." She motioned to herself and Nicky who looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but there.

A flash of surprise flickered in the surfer's eyes. "You want to work here?" he asked in disbelief. The girls silently nodded and he stared at them a few moments more. "Do you even know anything about surfing?"

Keeley looked down and shuffled her feet. "Umm...," she trailed off, not being able to lie.

"That's what I thought," he said curtly. "Go apply to the clothing store or something." He started to walk back from where he came from.

"Wait!" Keeley cried out. "Please hire us," she pleaded.

The surfer stopped and turned back around. "Why should I?" he asked warily.

"Because we're quick learners. We work hard and we're always on time. We may not know anything about surfing but we can work the cash register and clean." Keeley walked toward a table with t-shirts strewn about. She picked one up and gestured toward the wrinkles. "See? We can fold all these and keep it neat for customers. We can do all the things you don't want to."

He stared at them with apprehension. "Why do you want to work here so badly?" he questioned.

"We're saving money so we can back-pack through Europe next summer," Nicky said, finally speaking up.

The surfer rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Europe huh?" he asked rhetorically. He looked at the messy table and then back to the girls. "I'm a sucker for a good cause," he sighed. "Alright. You have the job."

"Just like that? Don't we need to fill out applications or something?" Nicky asked in shock while Keeley whooped with joy.

The guy shrugged his shoulders. "Don't do paperwork." He thrust out his hand. "I'm Shawn. I'm the manager here."

Each girl shook his hand while introducing themselves. He ushered them to the back room while he called the boss to tell him the news. The girls looked around the room and winced. It was an absolute pigsty. There were wet, musty beach towels piled on the floor in the far corner. Dirty plates and cups were precariously stacked in the sink and the trashcan looked like it hadn't been thrown out in weeks.

Shawn ran his hand threw his blonde hair and looked around. "Sorry bout the mess. Not real big on cleaning." He handed each of them a piece of paper. "This is your schedule for the month. You won't be working together because we need one person who's an experienced surfer," he told them apologetically. He gave them a quick tour of the place and taught them how to use the cash register. "You'll get a better feel of everything once you start working," he said.

The girls thanked him and left the shop giddy with excitement. They grabbed each other's arms and squealed, "We're going to Europe! We're going to Europe!" while jumping up and down.

"Well, well, well," a high-pitched voice said behind them. "If it isn't the ugly twin and her little sidekick," the voice sneered with disdain.

The girls whirled around and came face to face with Bianca Campbell and her brainless minions. Since Keeley could remember, Bianca had always hated her. She continually antagonized and insulted Keeley at every chance she got.

"I would say it's great to see you Bianca, but my mother taught me never to lie," Keeley replied. She crossed her arms and widened her stance, letting the bully know she wasn't going to back down.

"Right," Bianca said sarcastically. "Like your mother loved you enough to teach you anything," she stated. Bianca's followers cackled around her, making Bianca swell with pride.

Keeley shook her head at the ill-conceived comeback. "Oh Bianca," she patronized. "I'm not going to get into a battle of wits with you."

Bianca's nostrils flared with anger. "And why not?" she demanded. "Scared?"

Keeley chuckled at the absurdity of the notion. "Because I never attack anyone who's unarmed," Keeley said sweetly. She linked arms with Nicky and began to walk away from the group.

"Tell your brother I had a great time at the party," Bianca yelled after her. Something in the tone of her voice made Keeley stop dead in her tracks. "And I look forward to our date tomorrow night," her voice rang with triumph.

Keeley stiffened. Her hand curled into a clenched fist, making her fingernails dig into her skin. Date? Zach never dated. He was constantly telling her he believed in the philosophy of "nail and bail" as he so eloquently phrased it.

"Surprised?" Bianca gloated. "I guess brother dearest didn't tell you."

Nicky gently tugged on Keeley's arm. "Don't let her get to you. It's what she wants," she whispered. "Just walk away."

Keeley nodded and started to take a step forward till Bianca spoke again. "It's going to be so much fun making him my boyfriend."

Keeley whirled around and narrowed her eyes. "My brother isn't some toy for you to play with," she hissed with malice.

"Oh but he is." Bianca inspected her nails and sighed. "I can't wait to spend all my time over at your house," she said with an evil glint in her eye. Bianca raised her perfectly manicured hand and gave a patronizing wave. "Ta-ta for now." She brushed past Keeley, making sure to hit her shoulder. The other girls trailed after her, practically nipping at her heels.

"I can't believe that girl," Keeley fumed as they walked back to the beach.

"It's Bianca. What do you expect?" Nicky said dryly.

Keeley was too angry to respond. The rest of the day they spent lounging on their beach towels, listening to music and reading the books they brought. By five o'clock they decided to pack up their things and head back home.

As soon as Keeley walked in the front door, Tucker greeted her with his leash hanging out of his mouth. Keeley bent down and scratched the excited dog. "Want to go for a walk buddy?" she asked him while hooking the leash to his collar. He barked and wagged his tail in response. They walked across the street when Keeley's phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered without looking at the caller ID. Tucker barked at a squirrel racing across the grass and lunged for it, pulling Keeley along with him.

"Why hello, baby doll! How's my favorite feminist doing?" Talon's deep voice asked mischievously.

Keeley sighed as she dug her heels into the ground and tightened her hold on Tucker's leash. "Look, I'm kind of busy right now. Can I ignore you some other time?"

"Ahhh," he drawled. "As feisty as ever, I see. I really do love your type."

"I'm not your type, Talon. I'm not inflatable," Keeley said while dragging Tucker away from tree the squirrel had climbed up. "Why are you even calling me? Shouldn't you be grunting and smacking asses to prove how masculine you are?"

"Trust me, I don't need to prove anything," Talon said cockily. "No girl has ever complained."

Keeley snorted. "Maybe not to your face." She heard loud noises in the background and against her better judgment asked, "Where are you?"

More noises came over the phone before he responded. "I'm at the store. Need to pick up a few essentials," he answered evasively.

"Essentials?" Keeley asked with skepticism. "You're at football camp. All you need is your equipment and strong deodorant."

"Thinking about my equipment are we? Oh Keeley, I never knew you were such a naughty girl," his deep voice was laced with amusement.

Her jaw clenched with irritation. "You're incorrigible," she hissed with contempt.

"And you're uptight but you don't hear me complaining, do you?" Talon retorted impertinently.

Keeley exhaled slowly, trying to calm her growing frustration. "Is there a reason you called Talon?" she asked brusquely. "Other than wanting to insult me?"

"Nah. Just bored while waiting in the check-out line," he said, seeming unconcerned about her tone of voice. There was a slight pause before Talon randomly asked, "Hey, do you know anything about how to stop a bed from squeaking?"

Keeley's eyebrows drew together. "No. Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Hmm no reason," he said lightly.

Keeley huffed in annoyance. The boy was making absolutely no sense. "Well then why would you ask me?" she demanded. Keeley heard a voice in the background and some movement.

"Gotta go. It's my turn in line. Talk to ya later!" Talon cried out cheerfully before ending the call.

Keeley shook her head and put the phone back in her bag. "God help me if all males are like that," she muttered under breath. She walked Tucker for another half an hour before leading him back home.

When she entered the house, Zach was in the kitchen, slamming drawers and banging pots together while making dinner. He hadn't seemed to cool off from before so Keeley quietly made her way to her room to avoid her twin's wrath.

As she opened her door and walked to her bed, she thought about Europe and the financial cost of the whole adventure. She grabbed for her phone to check her bank account balance, when she remembered it was Talon's phone and not hers. Keeley cursed the inconvenience of not having her phone. About three months ago, she had downloaded an app that let her program her bank account and debit card onto her phone. It was handy to use because she didn't need to carry her card with her. She could just swipe her phone in the store and it would automatically pay for it.

Keeley quickly opened her laptop and went online. As she saw her bank statement, her jaw dropped in shock. "Thirty dollars worth of condoms?!" she shrieked. "Essentials my ass! I am going to kill Talon!"