A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature. ~Henry David Thoreau
~~~
I tapped my pencil as I pointed my eyes like knives at Richard, who was assigned to be Liliah’s partner during out second environmental science partner test. With caution, he looked at me and then spun back, grinning at Liliah’s joke which was probably stupid but nonetheless could make anyone smile.
Next to me was Janice Micheals. A taller girl with blond hair and she smelled like bananas. I didn’t like bananas.
Her squeaky voice read the question:
“When X joules of nuclear energy is used to produce Y joules of electrical energy, which of the following is true?
A. In every case, X>Y
B. In every case, X=Y
C. In every case, X<Y
D. Either X < Y or X > Y, depending on the efficiency of the generator
E. Either X < Y or X > Y, depending on the amount of heat produced”
“The answer is C,” she replied in a know-it-all manner. Her finger trailed the page and she tapped the desk, demanding my consideration.
“Wrong,” I replied, circling A. “X is greater than Y.”
Receiving a dirty look from Janice only made me return with a smirk. Apparently this smirk of mine made her cheeks blush with a raspberry color and she went back to reading the next question.
Crud.
Liliah and Richard seemed to be having difficulty with their test. Richard concentrated hard; the eraser to his pencil was quickly deleting an incorrect answer. Liliah on the other hand, looked more frustrated. Usually we were partnered up and she didn’t have to do anything but now she had to essentially use her brain and all that slacking didn’t help her. She looked up at me with a frown. Mr. Roberts was a cruel man, he knew she was slacking therefore purposely assigned partners this round.
I shrugged in return and helped Janice with the next three problems. Every time I peeked up, Richard would move away from Liliah, as if he was afraid to get too close. I smiled at that.
~~~
Lockers slammed, youngsters chuckled and shoved one another playfully. The students were already trampling over themselves to get through the double doors and skip on home. I was on my way to meet Liliah who was probably waiting for me in the front.
“You must be having fun,” a voice called.
From behind, Chace revealed himself with a smug smile. His blue shirt had a small paint stain which he was trying to pick off eagerly.
“Having fun?” I echoed.
“Why yes, I’ve had my eye on you and it seems like you’re having quite a blast with Liliah and the others.”
We began walking together and my mind instantly went back to Olivia. He suddenly looked at me from the corner of his eyes. “Did Olivia say anything about me?” he asked.
“I know what happened,” I stated.
“Ah…” He shaped a frown and gave up on the paint stain. “This is why I hate art class,” he muttered.
“Are you still interested in her after what you did?” I asked curiously.
“I just feel like I have to take responsibility, you know?”
“For what? It isn’t like you got her pregnant,” I scoffed.
He shot me a dark look. “I did steal her virtue, Luke-darling. I just…well.” His words knotted. “It’s not like I didn’t care about her, Olivia and I were good friends before that.”
“You liked her?”
He laughed. “Still do,” he sighed. “But I’ve already ruined our friendship. She thinks I’m a playboy…which is hardly the truth. That’s just the image I have.” He shrugged. “I’ve been atoning for my sins too. No more alcohol. Oh no, I’ll never go through the same mistake twice and ruin more of my friendships.”
We were reaching the exit. “Have you apologized? You’d be surprised how much difference a simple ‘sorry’ could do.”
He blinked. “I’ve never actually said ‘sorry’ but…I hinted it. Why can’t she just see that?”
I laughed, sticking my hands into the pockets of my jeans. Chace wasn’t exactly a sick bastard, he was just another guy who made stupid mistakes and didn’t have a clue how to fix them.
“You can’t throw away your pride for just one person?”
“One person…” he mumbled. After a deep though, he replied, “I thought you were a weirdo, Lucas. Really did. But that doesn’t seem to be the case; you’re actually a pretty decent guy.” Finally, a smile curved up on his lips and he slap-patted my shoulder. “If word gets out about how much of a softy I am, I’ll kill you,” he threatened.
The corner of my mouth tugged upward. He was about to turn away but then spun on his heels. “If I can take a second to be bold and say this, I think you and Liliah make a better couple than siblings. Back at the party, she felt uncomfortable with Hunter…I knew it was a lie, them dating and all,” he said with a wink. My lips parted and I couldn’t stop myself from staring at him.
“Don’t worry, I can keep a secret,” he said placing his finger over his lips.
As Chace disappeared behind another set of door, I pushed my way through the front exit. The afternoon light hit me with a wicked shine. Liliah was leaning against the railing, her books in her hands. Once our eyes met, a soft expression took over and she smiled.
It was that second in which I had to question myself. If Liliah was just a sister, why did it bother me when I saw her talking to other guys? Why did it bother me to see her hanging out with Hunter before? I disliked being away from her and I hated myself for wanted to monopolize her time. I wanted her attention on me…only.
~~~
“You guys ready?” Dianne asked, packing the last of the luggage into the trunk of the Honda Accord. She was wearing a large straw sun hat. Her yellow skirt was below the knees and her brown shirt was designed with little sparkly things that twinkled like stars every time the sun hit.
I loaded the cooler into the back seat and fixed my shorts. “Yeah, we’re good, here.” Dianne wanted to go to the beach before the weather changed. She seemed to be one of those goofy characters, someone who planned things at the last minute, liked to jump up and down for no reason and smile even if there wasn’t a need to. Although, autumn was just hanging off the rim and it was only going to take a month or two before Chicago turned into a freezer. I turned back to find Liliah coming out of the house in a sun dress and orange sunglasses to match.
She raised her hands out in front of me, like a display. “How do I look?”
Dianne squealed like a child. “Sweetheart, where did you get that? It’s so cute. I wish I was young enough to wear something like that and get away with it,” she giggled.
“Ugly,” I muttered to her in secrecy.
Liliah didn’t hesitate to elbow my ribs. “You’re just jealous ‘cause you can’t wear one.” She winked.
I laughed, “Right, because I love dresses.”
We drove with the sunroof open, the wind wildly blowing through our hair and the heat of the rays burning our skin. I casually looked out of the window, with my finger dancing in the force of the airstream; I could see the shimmering reflection of the cerulean Lake Michigan. The sight of it was tantalizing, completed with a type of beautiful serenity that you couldn’t exactly find anywhere else.
After a few minutes, we parked and unloaded, taking our things down the beach. It took a while to find a decent spot but once we did, we quickly set up the towels and umbrellas. I brought the cooler to our spot and set it down. Taking a deep breath, I looked up and took in the sight. There were so many different types of people walking here and there, everyone wearing a rainbow of different swimsuits. The cool lake water wind brushed against my face, sending a pleasurable tremble through me.
Dianne sat down and opened the cooler, twisting open a bottle of coke. Picking up her large novel she took a sip and let out a long sigh. “So nice!” She smiled at me. “We should take some pictures too, I brought the camera. It’d make such a nice memory.”
I agreed with a nod. I felt a shove and involuntarily took a step forward, whipping my head around. “Race you to the water!” Liliah grinned, already in her red swim suit.
I looked her up and down, my lips becoming firm.
“What’s wrong with you?” she laughed. “You look like you just swallowed a fish or something.” She put her hands on her waist. Honestly, she couldn’t find anything less revealing? I had double check to make sure no one was gaping at her like a mad man.
“Maybe, I really did,” I huffed. “Alright, let’s race,” I replied with a shrug. “But-“
She twisted around, without giving me a second, and burst into a full speed run towards the waves. I gawked at her amazing speed. Holy shit, she’s fast.
Quickly, I shrugged off my green shirt and kicked off my sandals. “Wait up!” I called out, dashing towards Liliah. Dodging people on my way, I did my best to keep an eye on her, hoping she wouldn’t trip like the uncoordinated idiot that she was. I laughed as I watched her enter the water, her legs trying to push through the current. She looked like a damn penguin.
Feeling the cool water hit my legs, a shiver ran down my spine but I continued trailing the munchkin. Once I reached her, she was already drenched in water and grinning from ear to ear. With one swift movement, she pushed the water, splashing me across the face.
“Oy!” I grit my teeth and shoved a stream of water back at her.
I couldn’t help but grin as I watched her mischievous expression. Lately, it had been harder to hide myself in front of her. So, I decided to go with the flow. If I wanted to smile, I would. If I wanted to be happy, well, the universe wasn’t exactly against it now, right? Besides, it was hard to erase the picture, my once monochromatic world, which she had now painted with a diversity of colors…
As the sun set over the horizon. It was Liliah’s laughter, Dianne’s homemade sandwiches, the endless talk of random subjects and the music of our words that seemed to make time run faster than it ever had before. Still wet and laying on the warm beach towel, I inhaled the smell of sand as I watched the pink sky grow violet. I closed my eyes, listening to the cries of children and the breeze of the lake’s crashing waves. When I opened them again, Liliah’s face hung over mine, a little too close for comfort.
“Hey, wake up, Luke. We gotta get going,” she said.
Like the time I held her, when I felt her heart stammering so hard I could feel it against my own chest. I heard the beating of my heart thump against my ribcage. I stared unwillingly into her brown eyes as she blinked at me, slightly confused. She had no clue…she was like another sun. Except, even if the moon was up, she’d still be shining.
“Yeah, I’m coming,” I answered. My fingers dug into the sand as she got up and picked up her shoes and a few towels, heading back to the car. I swallowed, hating the way I felt. I had to be her brother, someone to lean on and rely on. I had to be that person, by law. Grunting, I sat up and peered back the glistening lake. I wondered then, how much longer I could pull it off. It was obvious I liked Liliah in a way I shouldn’t have and it was killing me trying to hide it. To go against it. Would I be able to stay in the same spot forever? Could I manage to completely bury myself and my thoughts? To see her like I should? Or would I cave? Fall into her compassionate heart, where she’d trap me and possibly destroy me.
The corners of my eyes softened and I smiled. I couldn’t possibly…ever do that.
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I disagree with Sierra here, I think that parts like this, even if they don't have any big events, have to be there in novels for transition and to make the reader understand the characters and learn about them or the situation. 
Haha, don't worry, it's okay here as long as another few don't creep up.