I shivered.
A cold breeze lifted my hair, chilled my skin. Grey skies, windy cold front, the threat of rain--no wonder the beach was empty today.
It was unusual weather for mid-summer, which made me skeptical about this to begin with. But the moment Mom started frowning, I quickly gave in. Her lectures could go on for hours--guilt-tripping about how my brother and I never visited often enough, how family should always be the most important thing, and, eventually, mentioning how when
she
was younger,
she
did whatever
her
parents asked without question.
Tirade avoided, I put on a swimsuit and sundress, packed a coat and a few other beachy things. A book.
In the car, my parents blasted music like usual. My brother, Alex, kept trying to catch my eye, smiling at me. I didn't feel like yelling over the noise. We'd never been the friendliest siblings. We were family, we tolerated each other, I guess, but I could barely hear him over the music--it didn't seem like the best time to talk. So I just smiled and nodded back.
He brightened, periodically offering me snacks and drinks. He wasn't the worst guy. Mom smiled at us, probably happy that we were getting along.
A few hours later, we turned into an empty parking lot. Maybe everybody else saw the ugly clouds and decided it was not a beach day. It was not, but Mom made plans, and Mom did what she planned, and that was that.
We started unloading the car. I glanced at the trail toward the beach and took a second look at the sign. "Uh, Mom? This is a nude beach."
She stared at me. Then at the sign. She frowned at it like the words might change if she glared long enough.
Finally, she shrugged and said, "It says clothes are optional. It'll be fine, Olivia. We're already here, anyway."
It did say that, but still... I sighed. She was going to be stubborn about this. At least it looked empty.
We started hiking down the trail. My eyes kept darting around, expecting to see naked people behind every tree. It was ridiculous, but I was jumpy. I'd never been to a nude beach before.
I'm not sure if I was hopeful or terrified. Either way, it didn't matter. We didn't see anyone. The beach opened up past the treeline, completely empty. I shivered as a cold wind lifted my sundress. My mom had frowned at my coat, so I didn't take it out of the car.
She seemed just fine with the weather, or stubbornly fine; it made no difference. Her chattering about nothing turned into lecturing us about sunscreen, sneaker waves, and staying hydrated.
I nodded absently, my eyes glazing over. "Yes, Mom. Ok... Right. Uh-huh... Mmhm..."
Then she said, "Ok, stay here with our stuff for a bit. Do what your brother tells you."
Wait. "What?!"
She scowled. "Don't take that tone with me. I've already half a mind to pull you out of that party college of yours. Your dad and I are going to take a look around, we'll be--"
"Jana!"
My mom turned. "Coming, sweetie!"
The moment she was out of hearing range, my brother snickered. I flipped him off.
We set up the umbrella despite the lack of sun and laid out some towels under a tent. At least the tent made sense against the wind and sand. My brother started putting on sunscreen. I raised a brow at him and slowly spun in a circle, gazing at the endless grey skies. He shrugged a shoulder.
"Maybe the sun will come out later," he said.
It looked more like rain to me. I shook my head and climbed under the tent.
"Hey," he called out. "You should take off your dress, Livi. You know how Mom is."
"Yes,
Mom
." I rolled my eyes but slipped out of the dress. I could almost hear her exasperated voice:
"We're on a beach, dear, you should get a tan. You're so pale."
If I didn't at least try, she'd talk about it for the rest of the trip. We had an open tent--the sunlight might get in if it ever cleared up.
My brother tossed me the sunscreen. Pointless, but I rubbed it around randomly anyway. That done, I grabbed my book, laid on my stomach, and hoped to be left alone.
I enjoyed maybe five minutes of peace and quiet. Cold, but I could forget a lot of things when reading.
Then something elastic and smooth slapped my ass. I scrambled to get it off.
"Ah! Oh my God!" I was holding my brother's swim trunks. I flung it back at him and glared, then immediately regretted my decision. He was naked. The sight of my brother's bare, hairy cock and balls was seared into my brain.
