Beach Trip Part 1

Lawrence's plans were ruined. Brett and Chio grinned with joy as Lawrence began a midlife crisis only at the young age of eighteen. His entire month of studying had been completely shattered in only a few seconds.

“With all that being said.” the homeroom teacher said after reading the typical school required speech on how they have done such a good job getting this far in life and the delight the world would gain once they had officially graduated. “You guys need to decide on what kind of field trip you’re going on.” he hopped off of the desk he was sitting on and made his way to the chalkboard. He wrote down three words: Mountains, Beach, and Lock-in. “These are the three choices the school has gone with this year. Each one of them will last three days. We will leave early Monday morning and arrive back late Wednesday night. You will still be required to attend school that following Thursday so keep that in mind.”

The class let out a small groan of annoyance. However for Lawrence, he wanted to scream his lungs out.

Lawrence couldn’t be defeated now, he had to somehow regain control of the situation in front of him. Studying the three options on the board like he would a science book, he was only able to clearly decide on one choice. The mountains were clearly a no go, as the high altitude would limit the oxygen around him, and the only main activity would be hiking, which he would rather not participate in. Lawrence wouldn’t last a day, let alone three.

The beach was just as bad. Lawrence could only hold his breath for a measly three point four seconds, although he was rather proud of that record. His best chance there would be to feign being ill and study while everyone else was busy swimming in the ocean. But the chance of having a teacher constantly watch over him, or even worse, Brett, was unfavorable.

That left only one beneficial choice, the school lock-in. Luckily for Lawrence, this was the favored option every year. The average percentage of past classes picking the lock-in was around sixty-seven percent. This was his saving grace.

During the lock-in he could find multiple ways to study away from both Chio and Brett. The plan he was most leaning towards was hiding in the men's bathroom for the majority of the lock-in. Brett would be too occupied competing in the lock-in games being held inside of the gym and Chio, well, she couldn’t enter even if she wanted to. This was his best option and the only way to safeguard his future.
“Okay we’ll go in order of desk seating then.” the homeroom teacher said, informing the students it was time to vote. “Just put a mark under which one you prefer and I’ll tally them up once we’re done.”

Time went by slowly and painfully during the voting process as Lawrence watched person after person make their way to the front of the class and mark under one of the places written on the chalkboard. His heart raced as each mark that wasn’t under “Lock-in” was placed upon the board. Even though the process was slow, It soon became Lawrence’s turn to place his own vote.

Making sure Brett was watching, Lawrence gave him a strategic nod and made his way to the front. He grabbed the passed along stick of chalk and swiftly marked under the word “Lock-in”. While walking back to his seat he made sure to eye Brett the entire time. The reason for this was simple, Brett had the most leverage in class, meaning whatever he chose, a good portion of the class would also choose the same. Luckily for Lawrence, the two of them are seated in the middle of the classroom. Therefore at least half of the class would be going after Brett and most likely cast the same vote. Although this didn’t really matter at the time. Just by looking at the score anyone could tell that the majority was leaning towards the school lock-in.

Brett stood up from his desk and just as Lawrence did, nodded as he made his way to the front of the class. Lawrence was relieved that Brett was at least a good enough friend to understand his message, even if he did ruin Lawrence’s three day study binge. Brett finally reached the board and picked up the dwindling stick of chalk. He once again turned back around and nodded at Lawrence a second time. Lawrence felt quick relief in that nod. Brett held the chalk up to the board and swiftly marked under “Beach”.

Lawrence promptly died on the inside and regretted ever feeling a hint of relief.

Brett came back to his seat next to Lawrence who looked deflated and at death's door. He leaned over towards Lawrence and lowered his voice so the class wouldn’t hear. “I know you wanted to see Chio in a bathing suit but didn’t want to make it obvious, that's what the nod was for right?”

Lawrence quickly decided it was time for new friends.

As the voting continued, “Beach” made an immediate comeback and unfortunately became the location of the senior field trip. But Lawrence wasn’t done yet, he was quickly revived in knowing that the trip to the beach is normally gone with groups of four. There were currently thirty-seven students in Lawrence's class, meaning someone would be left out. If he could somehow make sure that person would be him, then he could tell the teachers that maybe he shouldn’t go on the field trip anyways, so as to not cause any problems for them and the class. This was his final resort.
“By the way we have an odd number of students this year, so we are going to be randomly putting you all into groups of four with one having five so we can avoid someone being left out.” the homeroom teacher said wiping off the chalkboard.

Lawrence died a second time.

The rest of the school day went on with Lawrence being drained of life. He didn’t,

touch his lunch, and didn’t even have the energy to study. He miserably waited for the school day to come to an end.

On the way home, Chio was talking up a storm with how excited she was about going to the beach and how badly she wanted to see the ocean for the first time. At some point Brett nudged Lawrence’s shoulder and said “Lawrence sure is excited about it too.” with a sly wink. But Lawrence wasn’t even able to form a smart remark, he just blankly stared in front of him as they walked home.

Once the three of them reached the bridge, they all went their separate ways, Lawrence still staring off into space. He soon arrived at his home and walked inside sloppily dropping his bag at the doorstep. He slowly made his way into his room and didn’t even bother turning on the light before jumping face first into his neatly made bed. He laid there quietly, still processing everything, until then letting out a scream of despair into his pillow. His asthma cut the scream short and he passed out for the day with having accomplished nothing.

Lawrence woke up that following Saturday and used his entire weekend to just focus on studying. He studied every hour of every day, hoping to somehow reclaim all the time he had lost and all the time he will soon lose.

It was finally early Monday morning, Lawrence thought about playing hooky and just not going, but since they had given him permission to attend the field trip, he would lose his perfect attendance record if he was a no show. Lawrence drug himself out of his bed for what felt like hours, he lazily threw on his school uniform and brushed his teeth. After reluctantly having everything packed, Lawrence made his way to the door.
“Are you going somewhere Lawrence?” his dad said making coffee in the kitchen.
“We have to be at school early for the field trip.” Lawrence responded.

“Ah, I forgot that's what today was.” his dad said, setting down his hot coffee.

The atmosphere around them soon became quiet and awkward. Lawrence and his dad never really spent too much time together so conversations didn’t exactly flow naturally. Lawrence rested his hand upon their door knob that rattled from missing a few screws here and there. Something his dad had been meaning to fix for a few months now but always forgets. Lawrence, avoiding the stiff atmosphere, started to turn the knob to open the door.

“Have a fun time Lawrence, it’s what your mom would have wanted.” his dad said clutching the warm cup of coffee with two hands and staring into the dark liquid.

Lawrence made a small “mhm” sound and with nothing else to say, left his house and made his way to the school field trip.

They decided against meeting up at the bridge today since they may not be in the same group and Brett wanted to get there early to meet the people he would be spending the trip with. Lawrence pulled out his flash cards and made the most of the silent journey ahead of him.

“So,” Lawrence said, arriving at the school grounds. “What exactly are you doing here?”

Standing under the large sign next to the buses that read “Group E here” was a classmate he has gotten to know more than he would have liked over the past few weeks.

“Hehe, I guess we’re both in group E.” Chio said, relieved she was in the same group as someone she knew.

Lawrence made a very audible sigh while shoving his flashcards back into his school bag, knowing that would be the last time he would have them out for today. “Do you know who else is in our group?” he asked.

“Actually, I don’t really know.” she said somewhat embarrassed. “I ended up not being able to sleep well last night since I was really excited about seeing the ocean and all. Because of that I ended up sleeping past my alarm and just now got here.” She let out a small yawn and tried to smile it away. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “I’m not sure about our group, but I saw Brett talking with one of his group members!” She attempted to use her tired brain to remember what they had looked like. “I think she had dark brown hair, um, and it was super long too! It probably looked that way because she was pretty short…yeah she was insanely short!”

“That's probably Livi then, I’ve never really talked to her before but I think she and Brett get along.” Lawrence was relieved that Brett was at least not in his group. Now that only left the other two members.

Chio let out another soft yawn. “It’s weird though, I didn’t even know she was in our class until today. I think I would have remembered someone that looks almost like a doll.” she said

“I don’t doubt it, Livi tends to sleep during classes and usually hangs out in the nurse's office during gym.” Lawrence explained.

“Is she some sort of gangster?” Chio asked, tensely.

“She’s not.” he said, stopping her from jumping to extreme conclusions. “From what I remember, she’s nocturnal.”

“Mhm, I don’t have a clue what that means.” she said.

“It’s just a fancy word for saying she likes to be awake during the night, and sleep during the day.” he said.
“Oh, Like a bat!” Chio said, starting to widen her vocabulary.

A voice came booming from in front of the students all gathered in front of the buses. “If everyone can please make their way towards their assigned group we will begin doing a head count and then leave for the beach!” the gym teacher announced.

Quickly the crowd began to disperse into neat groups of four. The two other members of group E would soon arrive.

“Oh hey, there you guys are!” an energetic voice said through the moving crowd. “This is Livi, she'll be joining us in our group.”

Approaching from the cluster of moving people was a slightly bulky figure and a very short thin one. Once they could be seen more clearly. Lawrence realized the trip was only going to get worse as Brett approached him.

“That’s funny how we’re in the same group though.” Brett said to Lawrence and Chio. “Sorry I took so long, I was getting to know Livi before we headed out.”

Like Chio had previously described, Livi looked very similar to a doll, long brown hair, and a short stature. Although her face probably couldn’t be described as doll-like. Part of her hair ran in front of her left eye. While the other one was showing clear signs of exhaustion.

“It looks like you didn’t get much sleep last night either.” Chio said noticing the same thing Lawrence did. “You were probably excited about getting to see the ocean too!” she said, attempting to become friends.

“No, I was playing video games and drawing all night.” Livi said half asleep.

“Oh…”

Brett looked towards Lawrence. “Hey, can I talk to you about something really quick?” he dropped his usual energetic look. “It’s serious.”

Lawrence followed Brett and walked a few feet away from where Chio and Livi were.

“What's this about?” Lawrence asked, wondering why Brett would ever have a serious look on his face. Even during an intense sports match he is always wearing a wide smile.

Brett stood in front of Lawrence with both hands balled up at his side. The wind blew warm air slightly in their direction.

“Lawrence.” Brett said sternly.

Lawrence started to slightly get nervous as Brett’s demeanor has completely changed.

“I think we have a problem.” Brett said “I think Livi is.” he took a large gulp. “I think she is a vampire…”

“Brett nocturnal means they sleep during the day.”

“Oh…that's what It meant.”

Brett’s misunderstanding due to his lack of vocabulary and wild imagination was quickly cleared up. The two of them went back to their assigned group and waited for a roll call. Once the homeroom teacher went around and confirmed everyone was present, they all loaded onto two different buses and left heading towards the beach.

Lawrence's seat was next to Brett who was positioned by a window; across the walkway from him was Chio and Livi who were both starting to fall asleep on each other's shoulder.

“They sure got close fast.” he said, turning towards Brett. Although just like them, he had passed out onto the window seal. His face pressed against it and his mouth wide open letting drool occasionally fall out. “You and the window sure got close fast.” Lawrence said to himself.

Realizing this was probably the only chance he would get, Lawrence pulled out his flash cards and studied while the main interferences in his goal slept the ride away.

Far into the long journey Lawrence too, found himself starting to drift away. Fortunately, the pursuit of future success held him awake. Turn after turn, bump after bump, Lawrence continued to study without a break in sight. Eventually though, as the bus got closer to their destination so did the end of his peaceful studies. The homeroom teacher stood at the front of the moving bus and asked the students that were still awake to wake up the ones that were not. With Lawrence being the only one having to wake up his entire group.

“We are only a few minutes away from the beach.” the homeroom teacher said once the students were all wide awake. “As you all know we are going to be here for three days. The first day, being today, will just be a beach day. You will all check into your rooms once we arrive and wait until everyone has unpacked to leave the building together. We have split most groups up into two boys and two girls but you will all not be staying in the same room. The girls and boys will separately be in a conjoined room divided by a locked door. You are able to stay up as long as you like but do not disturb anyone else, and do not leave the building. As for day two, there is a shopping district nearby that we will be going to, you will stay with your groups while you are there.” He paused for a second, getting aggravated at the amount of things the school required him to say. “On the last day we will leave early in the morning just like today, so make sure to have everything packed that night. As for today, once we make our way to the ocean after unpacking. Be wary of orange buoys floating around indicating a drop off in the sea. You are not allowed to go past those no matter what.” he was finally done reading. “Do you all understand?” he asked towards the crowd of students who were not facing him at all.

The entire class was peering out of the right side of the bus. Phones quickly came out like guns in a western movie. Everyone’s focus was on the large sign the bus was approaching. It had a large magnificent dolphin displayed on it surrounded by beautifully painted water. The bold orange letters under it read. “The Dolphin's Beach.” The sign indicated what it said, there have been fairly common reports of dolphins showing up near the shore line and swimming alongside tourists such as themselves. Most of the class was hoping to see one during this trip. Once Lawrence caught a glimpse of Chio’s face he knew she also wished that. Her eyes were glowing, and there was still a hint of drool on her cheek from her nap.

The bus soon pulled into the parking lot and came to a stop, and the students were let off. Everyone rushed into the large building to quickly put their things away so they could hurry and enjoy the long awaited beach. Once Lawrence got out, he and Brett made their way as well, dodging incoming people as they went.

Upon entering the building, everyone was packed like sardines near a large glass pane stretching out across the lobby wall. They were stuffed more than they had been in the bus, all pushing each other aside to get a clear view. The pane faced the beach, and though it wasn’t too close, it was close enough to watch the waves crash against the warm sand. Gasp of excitement came about every time it happened.

“Hurry Livi, we need to unpack!” Chio said, dragging the half awake Livi down the hallway to their room.

“I got the room key from the front desk.” Brett said, walking up to Lawrence. The two of them followed the same path Chio took but went into the door after hers. The room was pretty spacey for only a few people, although the two giant white beds took up half of it. There was a small coffee table in the middle of the room and a medium sized tv mounted onto the wooden walls surrounding them.

Before they could even begin unloading their bags, Chio banged onto the door dividing the two rooms. “Don’t drag around, I want to get to the ocean as soon as I can!” she yelled.

“It’s not like it’s going anywhere.” Lawrence said soft enough to where she couldn’t hear.

“Sea you later.” Brett said, hearing Lawrence.

The two stared at each other blankly at the bad pun before unloading their things. A few minutes into unpacking, Lawrence and Brett started to hear the sound of rain approaching. Brett pulled back the white curtains in their room and stared outside as his view slowly became blocked by small droplets painting the window. The rain quickly started to become more rapid and soon a storm was upon them.

“This isn’t good.” Brett said.

A large crowd started to form at the lobby, specifically the large glass pane. Lawrence and Brett soon joined the enraged crowd. Whatever hope was still being held onto was soon lost once the homeroom teacher announced that a storm had come from nowhere and would apparently last the whole night.

As time went by more and more people decided to bunker down in their rooms and wait out the boring night. But a few lingered near the window just in case the storm would magically disappear. One of those people being Chio. The lobby that brought excitement upon entering was soon covered in a layer of depression and bleakness. The atmosphere felt heavy and everything seemed gray in contrast to earlier.

Lawrence approached Chio who was intensely staring outside the pane. Looking

through it himself, there was a long stretch of cement, shops, and welcoming flowers until it reached the even longer stretch of sand that soon was swallowed by the fierce ocean. Repeatedly, waves crashed against each other fighting to be the first one to reach the shore. The sky was dark, close enough to be considered night even. The only sound being the drops of rain pelting the window and the occasional roar of thunder.

Lawrence started to feel bad for Chio, even though the rain wasn’t a problem for him, it actually may have been a plus! This would allow for more time to study. Lawrence may actually even try to fix the problem entirely and get Chio and Brett to study with him as they waited it out. This could very much be a prime opportunity for him! It could be a way he can finally find a way to reclaim the safety of his future he once had. He should be happy, thrilled even. But How could he be? The excitement and joy Chio once had was completely washed away just like the warm sand. Her eyes weren’t as wide as usual, and her mouth wasn’t straining from wearing a constant smile at all times.

Seeing Chio unexpectedly sad, was somewhat off putting. She was constantly happy and overflowing with energy. The now statue-like Chio gave Lawrence a bad feeling in his stomach. He attempted to break Chio's negative train of thought by speaking to her, but soon decided against it. After all, did he really have the right to try and lift her mood. In Lawrence’s perspective, they weren't exactly friends really. The only person he really thought of as a friend, would have been Brett. So even though Lawrence didn’t enjoy seeing Chio like this, he also didn’t think he should talk to her. Things like this should be left up to friends. Anyone else intervening would only make things messy. Lawrence eventually turned and walked away thinking it was none of his business, but was stopped by Brett’s voice.

“Don’t look so sad! After all, I planned for something like this just in case!” he shouted with inspiration from behind them.

Chio quickly snapped back into reality, a glimmer of life coming back into her eyes.

“Follow me!” Brett said, marching his way into the hall and towards their room.

Chio stepped away from the pane and followed him. Lawrence was glad Brett was able to carry such positivity in moments like this, but he was still slightly concerned about Chio’s mood.

“So what are we all doing here?” Livi said, sitting under the table in Lawrence’s and Brett’s room. “I would rather be sleeping since it's raining outside.”

Brett placed his hand on her shoulder. “That wouldn’t be any fun now would it.”

Eventually all four of them were sitting on the floor under the coffee table. Livi adjusted her position frequently, finding the hard wood not as comfortable as a delicate bed she could sink into.

“I have gathered us all here today in hopes of us reclaiming the fun that was stripped away from us by the evil storm swarming our one and only senior trip.” Brett said with beautiful hand gestures.

“What’s with the speech?” Lawrence asked, wondering what he was up to.

Livi had her head resting on the table and was already asleep.

Brett let out a humble cough and continued. “You all should be blessed that you have a friend that has prepared for a situation just like the one that is upon us.” he reached into his pocket and slammed down a deck of cards waking up Livi in the process. “Let’s play some Uno!”

Seven cards were dealt to each player and Brett took the lead. The first card that was flipped from the deck was a green seven. Even though it was just the beginning, Brett was forced to draw five more cards before running into a green two and playing it to end his turn. Livi sleepily hovered her hand over her cards until she finally pulled out a green nine and softly sat it onto the green two. Lawrence, planning ahead like he always did, slid his green four onto the top of the pile. Chio gave a quick glance at her cards and softly set down a three.

“Chio that's red…” Livi said.

The group of four went silent, and all that could be heard was the rain growing louder and Lawrence letting out a small cough.

“Sorry I forgot…” Brett said shamefully.

After Brett’s failure concluded, Lawrence went to buy a soda from the vending machine in the lobby. Chio went with him while Livi and Brett stayed in the room alone. The lobby was now completely empty, everyone had abandoned hope of waiting it out and decided spending the rest of the day in their rooms was the best option. Lawrence handed his money over to the machine, hit a specific order of buttons, and accepted his drink. He did the same for Chio as well. She thanked him upon receiving the beverage and once again faced her attention outside of the glass pane. The same gray and vicious ocean that was there before grew more fierce.

“The ocean sure looks angry.” Lawrence said, popping his can open. “Sorry this is how your first impression of it had to be.”

“You think so?” Chio said. “To me it just looks like it's extremely energetic.” she said with a soft smile on her face. “Or in your terms, very excited to see something.” she said, mocking Lawrence.

Lawrence was extremely caught off guard by that response, and in the moment of instability he realized two important things about Chio. The first one, being how she has been living while being completely colorblind. She is able to find the good in everything, even in a morose atmosphere like this. Her optimism and mind set has been her driving force ever since he had met her. It has probably been the reason she could keep a smile on her face no matter what.

The second thing he realized. Was that this is the world Chio lived in. The gray sky, the dull ocean, the lack of vibrant color. This was no different to what she would normally see. Lawrence took a good look out into the ocean, this time trying to find the value in it rather than accepting it as a depressing scene like he did before.

Lawrence remembered something. “When it first started raining,” he said, getting her attention. “You looked really off put, I thought it was just because the storm ruined your chance to see the ocean, but if that wasn’t it, then why did you seem so depressed?”

Chio held her head to the ground thinking about how to respond since that was an entirely different matter. Eventually she ran out of time to answer as Brett emerged into the lobby.

“I figured it out!” he shouted louder than the storm outside.

“Figured what out?” Lawrence asked.

“The game we can play to pass time, honestly it is a bold one, and I would rather not go there, but we have no other choice! We will,” he paused for dramatic effect. “ Play truth or dare!” he said enthusiastically.

Lawrence wasn't too thrilled about the idea but there was nothing else to do, and he wasn’t even going to try and study in this situation. Chio on the other hand was brimming with excitement, just like she was when they first arrived.

“I’ve always wanted to play truth or dare! But I've never had anyone to play with!” she said.

“Huh you guys are playing truth or dare? Awesome, count us in!” Walking into the room was Maple and her, for simpler terms, lackey Zoe. “That's fine with you guys right?” she said, dragging on the last word.

Lawrence was somewhat against the idea of having someone like Maple play truth or dare alongside Chio. For some reason he knew something bad would happen.

“Actually we-” he tried to say.

“Yeah that would be great if you two joined!” Chio said, cutting him off.

Lawrence was surprised by Chio being so welcoming. But just like the storm and with her colorblindness. Chio would rather face her problems head on than run away from them.

“Awesome then lets start right away!” Maple said, obviously scheming something.

The now five of them walked into the room, and to no one's surprise, Livi had her head down sleeping on the coffee table once again. After Brett woke her back up, everyone took a seat around the table. With the two extra people in the room they were slightly more cramped than earlier.

“Okay I'll go first!” Brett said. He glanced around the table and stopped when he faced Lawrence who was sitting across from him. “Lawrence truth or dare?”

Lawrence was slightly annoyed that he was picked first, mainly because he knew Brett would most likely make him do something stupid, or say it. “Truth I guess.” he sighed.

“Is it true that on your birthday every year until the age of ten your dad had to blow out the candles for you since you couldn’t do it yourself?” Brett asked.

“Don’t ask something embarrassing like that!” Lawrence said, slightly flustered. After viewing everyone's eyes on him waiting for an answer he knew he had to respond. “Yes…”

Chio let out a small laugh but quickly hid it once Lawrence looked angrily in her direction.

Lawrence put the embarrassment past him as it was his turn next. “Brett, truth or dare?”

“Too bad Lawrence! I won’t allow you to give away my embarrassing secrets that easily! I pick Dare!” he said confidently knowing whatever Lawrence made him do he could overcome it.

“I dare you to show us the picture in your wallet.”

Brett regretted picking dare.

He reached into his left pocket and pulled out a worn brown leather wallet. As he opened it he faced the inside towards the table. Quickly everyone at the table knew what they were supposed to be looking at. In one of the open slots where most people would put a picture of a close relative, or a photo of their loved one. Brett instead had a small cut out piece of paper with a cute cartoon penguin holding up a trophy and saying. “Waddle your way to victory!”

Chio, Maple, and Zoe all tried to stifle their laugh but Livi did not try to hide hers at all. Brett quickly shut the wallet closed and stuffed it back into his pocket embarrassed.

“Lawrence!” Brett said.

“Me again?”

“Truth or dare?” he said with authority.

“Truth…” Lawrence said reluctantly.

“Is it true in elementary school you tried to impress a girl in your grade by holding your breath for more than two seconds, but instead of impressing her you were laughed at?” Brett said, slamming his hands on the table.

“Brett, you said you would keep that a secret!” Lawrence said, starting to take this personally. “Is it true that you used to wear lucky socks everyday but they ended up backfiring on you because they started to smell really bad since you never washed them!”

“Lawrence!” Brett said enraged and embarrassed.

The two of them continued to throw shots at each other back and forth, every secret they had of each other was brought into light that day. Eventually Livi had to stop them or else it would never be anyone else's turn.

“Find you can go next.” Brett said to Livi, still mad at Lawrence.

“It’s about time.” she said. “Brett truth or dare?”

“Truth.” he said.

“Is it true you still watch the kids cartoon that penguin is from?”

“This again!?” he shouted.

Eventually the game somehow got back on track. Everyone soon got a turn of their own. Maple ended up daring Livi to let her dress her up. She did Livi’s make up and put her hair into a cute ponytail. Chio was amazed by how cute she was when she was pampered but Brett couldn’t stop laughing since her exhausted face didn’t match the cute and preppy style. Livi punched him and let her hair back down. Chio got a few dares in herself, mainly targeting Lawrence with them and making him do things his body couldn’t handle, such as push ups or squats.

"Lawrence truth or dare!" Zoe asked excitedly.

"Tru-"

"Dare? You're going to say dare right?" She pushed.

"Huh? Uh yeah, sure." Lawrence said not trying to fight it.

"Oh great! Then I dare you to…hold hands with the person sitting to the right of you!"

The person sitting to the right of him was Maple.

"Is that all? That's an easy one." Maple said, opening her hand and resting it on the table.

"For how long?" Lawrence asked

"Just for a couple of seconds. Now come on." Zoe insisted.

"If that's all, then I guess that's fine." He said placing his hand on top of hers.

"I mean really, if we're going to play truth or dare you guys should be doing harder things than this. Maple said. "Holding hands is a piece of cake." Maple was doing her best to act normal, but she couldn't stop her face from turning a slight shade of red.

Livi and Brett instantly discovered what was happening and looked at each other with surprised faces.

Chio on the other hand didn't understand what was going on.

"Maple you haven't gone a lot have you?" Lawrence asked, breaking up the hand holding.

"Of course not, that's probably why this has been a totes bummer." She said acting high and mighty.

Lawrence gave an awkward smile. "Okay, truth or dare."

"Dare." she said

"I dare you to take a picture of Brett's wallet and share it on the internet." he said with all seriousness.

"Why does it always come back to me!" Brett wailed.

"You guys really are no fun." she said while snapping the picture and uploading it.

"My penguin motivation…" Brett cried.

“Okay now it's time for us to really play truth or dare.” Maple said while stretching her arms in the air. She focused her gaze onto Chio who sat in front of her. “Chio, truth or dare?”

“I haven’t done dare in a while so I guess I'll go with that.” she said.

Lawrence shot her a look wondering if picking dare was the right call with Maple deciding what she was forced to do.

“I dare you to go outside and snap a picture of the dolphin sign with you touching it.” Maple said, blowing on her fingernails.

“Hey isn’t that too much.” Livi said, slightly irritated by the dare.

“If you guys want to keep playing elementary school games that's fine with me. But a dare is a dare.” Maple replied.

“Huh!?” Livi responded even more irritated by her tone.

“I just have to touch it and take the picture right?” Chio asked.

“Just make sure we can actually see you.” Maple said.

“You’re not actually doing this are you Chio?” Livi asked, worried about her.

“It’s just a bit of rain, I’ll be back in around five minutes.” She said nervously.

“Chio I don't think-” Lawrence tried to get out but he was cut off.

“I’m a fast runner so don’t worry, it’ll be a piece of cake.”

Maple and Zoe both slightly laughed.

With Livi and Lawrence not getting through to her, Chio made her way to the door fully dedicated to placing her hand onto the sign.

“As the fourth-grade ex hall monitor I cannot allow something like this to take place.” Brett said with his arms crossed. “This dare will go as invalid for the time being and it will skip to Chio's turn.”

Livi and Lawrence both looked relieved at Brett’s ability to be reliable in situations like these. Chio on the other had a slight look of distraught, as if she needed to fulfill this dare. Not for the purpose of the game, but for her own goals in life.

“Of course you guys wouldn’t go through with it.” Maple groaned.

“Right?” Zoe added unnecessarily.

“It’s not like Chio would have done it anyways, right?”

“Right.” Zoe said, backing up Maple.

Chio sat back down in her original spot. She looked down at the table thinking about who to ask next and what to say. She eventually made up her mind.

“Brett.” she said.

“Yes Chio?”

“Truth or dare?”

“Dare, but if this is about my penguin I'm leaving.”

“I dare you to stay in that spot and not to say a word.” Chio stood back up and made her way once again to the door dividing her and her unfulfilled dare. “I’ll be back soon.” she said as she opened and just as quickly shut the door.

Brett slammed both his fist down onto the table in frustration that he had been played.

“No way she is actually going to do it?” Maple said.

Livi stood up and walked around the table.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to stop her?” Maple asked. “She's eighteen she can handle herself, at least…I think she can.” Maple and Zoe both let out another round of laughs.

“Look, you listen here!” Livi said. “What's your problem with Chio anyways? You’ve been acting cold to her this entire time!”

“Huh? What was that you squirt?”

Lawrence stepped in to try and calm the situation down but it was too far gone. While Livi and Maple waged war on each other, Chio was facing a war herself. Standing in the lobby of the building she could see the storm that ruined their trip just outside. Nothing was dramatically different from before, but knowing she had to venture out into it made it seem more vicious. She made sure no one was looking and hastily made her way out of the lobby’s front door. Instantly being pelted by a hundred or more drops of rain made her already soaked to the brim. The storm was louder than what it was inside and the winds were more lively. Chio thought that if she had missed breakfast that morning she would have been blown away.

She took a step forward, barely able to move, the wind and rain both pushing her back. Throwing her hands above her head she continued to move forward until the building she had left from was quickly engulfed by the rain. Lightning stuck close by and frightened her, loud thunder soon following the nearby strike. The winds grew louder and the rain poured harder but she continued on the path she had created. Eventually, for what felt like forever she managed to find the welcoming sign that everyone was so fond of when they first arrived. She placed her hand onto the dolphin tail and pulled out her phone.

Due to the extreme wind her hand slipped and sent the phone flying onto the hard cement. As she quickly bent down to retrieve her phone before it was swept away the wind almost knocked her fully over. Luckily she was able to land onto one knee, stopping the fall but scraping it in the process. She flinched in pain but managed to retrieve her phone, only slightly cracked. She stood back up and took the picture hoping it would come out okay.

She was half way done, all that was left now was to make her way back to the building they were staying in. She pushed her way back limping every time she would step with her scraped leg. After fighting through hard wind and rain alike she finally made her way back to where she was staying, back to safety.

Chio placed her hand onto the wet handle, but she did not turn it. Out into the distance, into the far far distance covered by the murky storm. Chio could see something, no, she could see someone. She was sure of it. Amongst the vicious and frightening ocean, there was a figure thrashing around almost being swallowed whole by waters, no, they would be swallowed whole. Chio, scared but at the same time knowing the person would drown if she did nothing, released her grip on the handle and fighting the wind and rain once more rushed her way towards the ocean to help.

As she developed more speed the pain in her knee grew more obvious. She finally reached the sand and almost came to a tumble but managed to keep her balance. The same could not be said about the figure in the ocean however. It continued to take a beating from the waves left and right. So much that it was a miracle they have stood above water for so long, and Chio planned for it to stay that way. She reached the edge of the water and without hesitation walked right into the vast ocean. She fought hard and made it waist deep, determined to save this person. But once she grew closer to her target, that determination vanished. Because waiting before her, instead of a person in dire need of help. It was simply an orange buoy that had wandered too far away from its set position.

Chio was overwhelmed by despair as she realized her colorblindness had led her to believe the orange buoy was a person in need of help. In Chio’s mind she was a complete failure. Before she was able to snap out of her depressed state, a large wave tackled her and submerged her deep under water, pushing her further and further down as she continued to fight for air. But it was in vain. The ocean had overpowered her. Chio, had drowned.

“That's it, five minutes have passed.” Brett said standing up from the position he had been locked into.

Livi and Maple were able to both calm down but neither of them spoke a word since Chio left.

“I'm going to tell the homeroom teacher where Chio went.” Brett said.

“She’s probably still in the lobby thinking of a way to tell us she was too scared to go outside.” Maple said not taking the situation seriously.

“You really grind my gears…” Livi said.

“Both of you calm down, now's not the time to be fighting. Lawrence, come with me.” Brett said.

As informed Lawrence went with Brett to tell the teachers about Chio’s absences and the reason for it. Like the proper adults they were, Maple was scolded for telling her to do something so dangerous, along with the rest of them for allowing her to follow through with it. Luckily for them the harsh scolding was short since time was a pressing matter. The homeroom teacher along with the hotel staff and other members of the school including the gym teacher, all hurriedly draped themselves in the rain coats provided by the establishment. They decided to keep the situation under wraps and told Lawrence’s group not to step outside this building or there will be strict consequences. The only exception being Brett who insisted he join them in the search. Mainly because he felt more guilty than anyone about not stopping her. Along with him the search party made their way out of the building and into the harsh storm.

Minutes passed as Livi and Lawrence waited in the lobby alone. Maple and Zoe had made their way back into their room to try and avoid meeting Chio when she was brought back. If she was brought back. The two of them waited, it felt like something similar to waiting in a hospital, always thinking in the back of your head that you will receive some form of bad news. That was the constant pressure that weighed down on Livi and Lawrence. The weight of not being able to help also suffocated Lawrence. Due to his extreme condition he knew even if he insisted on helping the search such as Brett did he would be rejected. He could only grasp his hand and tap his foot as he waited, hoping to see Chio walk through the door with the same stupid smile she had when they first met. But after a while, the only face he saw was Brett’s, and not a joyful one.

“The teachers told me to head back, they said the storm was getting too bad.” he said, drenched in rain even with the rain jacket on. He threw it down onto the empty desk they once checked in at and hit his hand against the wall behind him. “Dang It!”

Lawrence and Livi both kept quiet, knowing nothing they would say could help the situation.

“The teachers said to head to our rooms and call it a night.” Brett said.

“We can’t just leave Chio out th-” Livi spoke.

“We are!” Brett shouted with anger. “This only happened in the first place because we disobeyed the teachers instructions to stay inside.” he calmed himself slightly. “We are going to listen to them and let them handle it. They will…they will find Chio.” Brett slowly walked towards the room, head down and dripping with sweat.

Livi, slightly crying, did the same. Both of them made their way back into where this all started. As for Lawrence, he reluctantly did the same. But before he made any movement of the sort, a spark of hope lit inside of him as he peered out of the large pane facing the ocean. His heart had skipped a beat when he saw a figure fighting its way through the fierce ocean, he quickly made his way to the door and almost opened it. Almost. Slowly he made his way back to the large window and took a good look outside. The figure he thought was Chio, was slightly orange. Lawrence clenched his fist. “It’s just a buoy.” he muttered. Sorrowfully, he made his way into the hall and once again followed the same path Brett and Livi took. The walk from the lobby to his room felt like years, years of pain and disappointment. He finally reached the door and placed his hand onto the handle ready to turn in for the night. He gave it a slight turn but did not push it fully open. His eyes started to slowly open wide and he thought about what he had seen outside of the large pane, and what Chio, had probably also seen.

Without hesitation Lawrence dropped the handle and sprinted his way back into the lobby. He snatched Brett's soaked rain coat off of the desk and burst through the front door. Like Brett said the storm had gotten worse, Lawrence could barely see anything with the rain constantly hitting his eyes. He was also short on breath from the short dash to the door and the heavy wind that was constantly giving his lungs a run for their money. It was hard to see, and hard to breathe. But Lawrence ignored both and as fast as he possibly could, made his way to the ocean. He was sprinting, at least to him what felt like sprinting. He pushed his way past the concrete and reached wet sand. He lost his footing upon hitting the new terrain and fell onto the ground becoming covered in sand. He laid there attempting to catch his breath. This was definitely the hardest he had ever pushed himself, and it was starting to become clear how hard it was. He picked his face off of the sand with some of it continuing to stick to it and took a couple of major breaths. But the wind kept him from doing so. He fell back onto the sand, starting to black out. He dug his hand into the ground, and slowly stood back up. He wasn’t moving as quickly as before, but at least he was moving. Slowly he made his way across the sand, fighting for even a gasp of air the entire time. A small part of a wave eventually hit his foot. Even though the rain kept him from seeing. He knew he had reached the ocean. But what now? If Chio really was out there, could he even save her with his body? He knew he couldn’t, he knew if he jumped in he would soon drown. There was also a chance Chio didn’t even see the buoy in the first place. Or maybe she didn’t even mistake it for a person. She could have been found by now and sitting inside with Livi and Brett wondering where he was. But…but, there was also the chance that she was in trouble. There was a chance she needed help. But…would Lawrence risk his life for someone he barely knew? Maybe normally he wouldn’t, but at this moment, Lawrence decided the life he had been living was the wrong one. If at any point in his life he was going to actually do something that would push his body to the limit, now was it! He had to save Chio!

Lawrence took a step into the ocean, it quickly covered his shoe and ankle. Knowing he wouldn’t make it far, he still decided this is what he had to do. But before he could get even knee deep he saw it. A glimpse of red very close to him on the sand. He instantly knew what it was. With the help of the wind he made his way back onto the shore and towards the sight. Once he made his way to it, a lifeless Chio was laid out in front of him. It looked as though she was sleeping, but Lawrence knew that wasn’t the case. Thanking her red hair clip for leading him here. He crouched down and held the top of her completely drenched and limp body. He checked for a pulse. There was just barely a response. He laid her back down and took a large gulp.

“Thirty compressions and two breaths, thirty compressions and two breaths.” he mumbled to himself in the rain.

Lawrence placed both of his hands onto Chio's chest and started to perform CPR. Once the chest compressions were done, without hesitation he blew into her mouth, hoping for a quick response. He finished the first breath, but she was still out and he was completely drained. He knew his lungs couldn’t handle much more of that. He went in for the second breath. Then back to compressions. Then back to two breaths. Then compressions. Back and forth Lawrence continued in the harsh storm, until eventually. He was done. He fell to the ground beside Chio trying to stay conscious. But the lack of oxygen wouldn’t allow it. He was starting to drift away, and Chio was still unresponsive. With everything Lawrence had left, he barely picked himself back up, and blew one more time into Chio’s mouth. He blew as long as he possibly could. As he pulled away, Lawrence soon only saw black, and he hit the ground hard.

Lawrence…had passed out…