The Beach Summer (revised and longer version)

Ashton trudged across the hot sand. It was Monday, the second week of her summer-long vacation at Surfside Beach, South Carolina. The sun beat down on her head as she spread out her towel in her usual spot. She stretched out, and yawned.

“This is the life,” she told herself. Then, “Yeah right.” She flipped over onto her back. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the beach, tanning, and the sun--she loved it, especially since her family’s home in Ohio wasn’t exactly beach material. It was just that a whole summer of doing nothing wasn’t really that appealing to her. Ashton was an artsy person--she played violin, got paid for doing portraits by being recommended by her art teacher, and sang in her church’s worship band.

“And all of my friends are heartbroken about me being gone for the whole summer. Hah! That’s a laugh! What friends?” Ashton muttered. She grunted, and then rolled over again. Strictly speaking, that wasn’t completely true. Ashton did have three close friends-but that was about it. After about five minutes of grumbling to herself, Ashton finally decided that since she had been at the beach for a week and had only stuck her toes in the water once, now was a good a time as any to get wet. Getting up, she started out towards the water, adjusting her sunglasses as she went. “Gah!” she gasped as the cold water washed over her feet.

Grimly, she pushed her dark blond hair back from her face, and plunged forward, stumbling so quickly through the water that the sand under her feet began to slope down rapidly. The chilly water crept up her legs. She groaned.

Ashton sighed. She would just have to get wet all at once. Taking a deep breath, she headed straight for a large, incoming wave. The water engulfed her, sending her tumbling down to the sand. She hit the sand, and then the wave tossed her toward the beach. As she sat up in the shallow water, sputtering, her sunglasses were swept off of her face. Ashton felt them brush across her arm, and then they were gone. She let out a dizzy moan.

My favorite sunglasses! Ashton mentally slapped herself for being so stupid as to wear them into the water. Choking on the salty water, Ashton struggled to her feet, pushing back her hair and adjusting her polka-dot bikini.

“Wow, you took quite a tumble there, are you all right?” said a clear, feminine voice that was obviously English. Miserably rubbing salt water out of her blue eyes, Ashton looked up and came face to face with a girl who looked about her own age--fourteen.

“Uh--yeah, yeah, I’m totally fine-” the rest of Ashton’s sentence was cut off as she coughed, choking on some salt water that hadn’t left her lungs yet.

“All right?” the girl asked with concern. Ashton nodded. “Um-what’s your name?”

The girl smiled, flashing white, straight teeth. “Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Ellen Manderes. And yours?”

“Ashton Johnson,” replied Ashton.

“Are you from England or something?” Ellen nodded. “I lived there until just a year and a half ago, when I was twelve and a half. It’s a very big change, but I’m getting used to it.”

“Oh, I’m fourteen too,” Ashton said in surprise. “That’s cool.” She ran her gaze over Ellen. She was tall and slender, and had on short jean shorts and a navy blue tankini swimsuit top.

Ellen smiled. “I suppose it is. Oh, by the way, I caught these on my way over here.” She held out Ashton’s sunglasses.

“Thank you!” exclaimed Ashton. “These are my favorite pair.” “Then I’m very glad I saved them,” Ellen told her with a smile.

“Well, I’d better go. I have to babysit my beastly brothers. Little brats. But, anyways, I suppose I’ll see you here tomorrow afternoon? Not that I’m ordering you to come back, of course, it’s just that I see you here quite often,” Ellen explained.

Ashton nodded. “I do come here a lot. Anyways, that’d be great! I’ll look for you.” “Fantastic,” Ellen said. Turning, Ellen ran off up the beach, waving as she went. Ashton started back towards her own towel, and smiled to herself.