The Lifeguard

I was so stoked that it was finally my birthday. I had been looking forward to this day all year and the start of summer break.

My best friends Kiana and Raven were staying with me at my family’s beach house.

The three of us would be there for the whole summer, and we planned on spending most of our days lounging in the sun, working on our tans, or going for a swim in the ocean. It would be the perfect vacation after a long school year.

My parents were acting a bit weird that I was turning 16. My dad kept grumbling about driving lessons, and my mom kept shaking her head and saying that I was growing up "too fast," but I was excited.

And what better way to celebrate your Sweet Sixteen than in a beach house with no parents and your two best friends? Anyway, it wasn't going to throw a wild party, not with my parents joining us a week later once they got back from their overseas trip.

And, to be honest, I didn't have anyone else to invite. Raven had broken up with her boyfriend about two weeks ago, and Kiana was in a long-distance relationship with a guy studying in England. But I really did wish that we could have at least one cute boy at my birthday party.

It was early in the morning when I woke up.

I couldn’t believe how much light there was coming through my windows. I looked at my phone and saw that it was just barely after 7 o'clock.

After yawning my way through school all year, I had expected to sleep in late at the beach, but there was just something magical about the way the sun rose over the waves.

Somehow, I knew that today was going to be unforgettably special.

I threw on a tank top and some shorts and headed downstairs. Kiana was already in the kitchen, sipping a cup of coffee.

She was wearing nothing more than a thong and a bikini top, and her blonde hair was still tousled from sleep.

"Oh my god, happy birthday, Sophia!" she said as I entered the room.

After we hugged and danced around for a minute, she poured me a cup of coffee and then we sat down at the breakfast table together.

"I can't believe you're up this early," I said.

"It's hard to sleep when I'm this excited," said Kiana, giggling.

"What are you so excited about?" I said. "It's my birthday, not yours."

"Yeah, but we're going to the beach today, aren't we?" said Kiana.

"Of course," I said. "I definitely need to work on my tan."

Kiana squealed and hugged me again. "You're gonna look so hot! Wait till all the guys from school see the pictures you post on Instagram. They're soooo gonna regret not being here."

That made me grin, and we both jumped up and started dancing around the kitchen.

Raven stumbled into the kitchen a few moments later, still rubbing sleep from her eyes. After seeing us celebrate, she wasted no time in joining in.

After the three of us danced around and laughed together like fools for a few minutes, I told everyone to head upstairs and get dressed because we were hitting the beach in thirty minutes.

Kiana took forever in the bathroom, blow-drying her long, blonde hair and applying sunscreen on her pale skin.

Raven, meanwhile, seemed to have the perfect tan already and wore a tight blue bikini that showed off her plump round ass that drove all the boys crazy.

As for me, I put on a green string bikini myself and tied my long, curly red hair into a ponytail.

As soon as we were ready, the three of us hopped onto our bikes and pedaled down to the beach. As we rode, I felt the warm sun shining on my back and the ocean breeze blowing through my hair.

We were definitely going to have a blast this summer, and I couldn't wait to see what kind of adventures would come our way.

Luckily, the beach was mostly deserted, although I knew that it'd be packed full of tourists in a few weeks.

We had just finished laying out our towels when Kiana turned to me and said, "Don't look now, but there's a really cute guy behind you."

"What?" I said. "Where?"

"It's the lifeguard," said Kiana. "He just leaned out of his tower, and he is hot. Oh, baby!"

I laughed. "You think Old Bill is hot? Girl, he's been a lifeguard on this beach since my mom was a kid."

"Um, this guy is not old," said Kiana. "I'm guessing he's maybe 21 or 22 years old, max."

"What are you two whispering about?" said Raven, walking over to us.

"Okay, don't turn around," said Kiana. "But the lifeguard on duty is hot. I'm talking to-die-for level of hotness."

Of course, we had to turn our heads and get a look for ourselves. It was a bit difficult to see him up in the tower, but sure enough, the lifeguard was very attractive, with broad shoulders and dark, short hair.

He was definitely in phenomenal shape - I could see that much.

"That does it," said Kiana. "I'm making it my mission to go out with that guy before the end of the summer."

"You've only just seen him," I said, laughing. "You don't even know his name."

"I don't care," said Kiana. "He's got to be mine."

"But why does Kiana get him?" whined Raven. "She's got a boyfriend. I'm the one who should get first dibs."

"What?" I said. "Why you? Maybe he's really into redheads."

"Yeah, well, maybe he's into blondes," said Kiara, one hand on her hip. "Anyway, my boyfriend and I are on a bit of a break right now. He got crazy jealous when I told him I was gonna be at the beach all summer."

"If anyone should get a first shot at him, it's me," said Raven. "I've got the curves that older guys like."

"Well, it's my birthday!" I retorted.

For thirty minutes, we stood there and argued about who would get the first chance to go up and talk to the lifeguard. Which was kind of silly since he didn't even know we existed.

Finally, I decided that we weren't going to solve anything by standing there and bickering, so I suggested that we spend the afternoon soaking up the sun instead.

We spent the next hour lounging on the beach and trying to get our tans underway. Of course, we kept glancing over at the lifeguard tower every once in a while.

Sometimes, we thought that we caught a glimpse of him looking down at us, but whenever we glanced back up, he was staring at the horizon, seemingly engrossed by the waves rolling in.

But little did we realize then just what we had started.