Chapter 5: Fun and Games
Alex shifted uncomfortably, acutely aware of the loose board shorts Jess had handed him. He tightened the drawstring and then waded towards the shore, feeling the warm embrace of the ocean give way to the coarse grittiness of sand beneath his feet.
The beach's cacophony of laughter and chatter assaulted his ears, and he averted his gaze from the judgmental eyes of the beachgoers. The sun beat down relentlessly, its golden rays mocking him with each step he took.
Alex's every footprint left the sand scorching hot and void of any comfort. He stumbled back towards his apartment, the deserted beach serving as a desolate reminder of his humiliation. Mindlessly, he twisted and fiddled with the drawstrings of his borrowed boardshorts, too ashamed to even look himself in the mirror. Only the memory of Emily's ear-to-ear grin or her mocking laughter replayed through his thoughts, reminding him how he had awkwardly failed to keep up with her fun-loving spirit.